Jamila Allen (3)

"And that's how we became the damsel in distress and were saved by Jamila here." Said Sakeem with a small smile on his face. The man had long hair as black as his skin and a strong chin, now he carried a medieval sword and a green shield made from the scales of the Dragon Frog.

"Yes, we almost died that day! I thought Sakeem would get shot in the forehead, we can say we were saved twice: First by the giant cat and then by Jamila!" Added another young man. He had a small stature, blond hair and tawny skin. On his lap were two long daggers, made of some broken, sharp piece of metal and a wooden handle.

The group accompanying Jamila was made up of four men and apparently, three of whom were present on the first encounter.

"And it didn't take long for us to realize that she was the strongest cultivator we had met… Only because she started a day earlier! " Kian said. He was a middle ground between the strong Sakeem and the thinner boy. He had lean muscles and smart yellow eyes. "Okay, okay. In fact we owe her our lives."

The soldiers could not help but to smile at that amicable group. It was clear to them, even in that short period, their connection to each other. Lieutenant Costa, the most experienced soldier on this squad, had only seen this type of bond in the special forces. He could feel the trust one had in each other.

"You guys are really impressive!" Lieutenant complimented the group, yet his eyes never left Jamila. On the other hand, his mind was trying to absorb as much of the story as he could. The more things he discovered, the better he could inform their superiors and give his country an advantage in this 'war'. Perhaps he could even get a promotion! "Not many could manage the feat of surviving against all these creatures for three weeks straight! That explains why you guys act so coordinated like experienced fighters…"

The men in the group showed proud smiles, they knew they were strong but being complimented by a real military officer was different! Yet, Jamila maintained a peaceful face.

"I'm not sure I can be grateful for that, but fighting wasn't all we did either." Jamila dismissed the compliment with a wave of her hand. "That day I discovered that the city was divided into three major factions that held power over resources: The Raiders, which I prefer to call the Smugglers, a bunch of idiots who liked the chaos; The Sentinels, a group built from the rest of the police and military who refused to use the books; and The Truth Seekers a religious scientific group adept at many grotesque experiments…. Well, we were independent, like many people inside the town. Because of this, and in an unplanned way, our group grew."

********

The hardships were endless but it made the bond between the group stronger. At the same time, their cultivation strength grew as they killed the 'mutated animals' and hostile human parties along the way.

The group somewhat maintained a good moral standard, not turning savage like the outlaws and thus helped many people over the week. Their fame grew as they helped people in many weird situations. It reached even greater heights when the group killed a mass murderer!

With all these facts, the number of people who wanted to join the group grew exponentially. It didn't take long for them to become relevant in the city and by the beginning of the fourth week, they had already surpassed 150 members!

Because of that, they were able to secure a good base and were currently occupying a school at the norwest of the city. With such a big group - although not the biggest inside the city- works were assigned and a small and organic society began to take form.

The group improvised barricades around the building, built watchtowers and patrolled strategic positions. As the school was isolated from the other buildings, it was easy to detect any threats beforehand and the group were very successful in defending the place from beasts and humans alike.

But many other problems arose, one of the worst was food. Although they looted many houses, food was always scarce. The group also made some makeshift crops on the roof, but it would take time for the vegetable to grow. And unfortunately, one day the food ended! With the scouting party returning empty handed they had nothing to eat. Desperate, someone had a bold idea: why not eat the beast's meat?

The idea was bold and deemed crazy. Yet, the man volunteered to test whether they were poisonous or not. And gosh, how they regretted it! Not because the food was bad or poisonous, but because they had wasted such a good resource!

The beast's meat was rich in Qi, which not only made them more tasty but also helped one to increase its cultivation base!

Therefore, most of the meat was soon destined for the warriors of the group, helping them to become even stronger. Just like Jamila, who had recently broken through the Third Stage of Body Tempering with the help of a snake meat.

"...That's why I want to go out and look for my parents, our group is already strong enough to defend itself!" Jamila spoke decisively, she was not asking for permission.

Inside a closed classroom, ten people stood. They were the group's council and were responsible for making important decisions. Naturally, the council was made up of the strongest or most respectable people in the group.

"I'm against it, we are not even sure how the world is outside! What if there are no other safe places?" An older man stated his opinion. Even though he only had the strength at the First Stage of Body Tempering, he was well respected for his management skills.

"Think clearly about it Jamila, how are you going to get there?" Another woman added, she had known Jamila for a long time and concern was written on her face. "We've been to the end of the city, there are no signs of human life outside! The roads end as if they had never existed, we are isolated from the outside and you know it very well!"

Jamila Allen was also part of the council, the only Third Stage Body Cultivator of the group. In fact, they were unsure how many people could stand against her in the whole city. With her strength, no one could stop her and that's exactly why they wanted her to stay.

"They are my parents, I must try to find them!" She wouldn't take no for an answer. "There are not many groups that can threaten us, even without me I know you will be safe. Don't forget that firearms no longer work, and such a mass conflict would be too risky for the other groups."

"You're right Jamila, but you won't be the only warrior tha we'll lose..." added another man, he wore a white tank top that accentuated his muscles. "Are you sure they'll let you go alone?"

As he said that, everyone shifted their gazes to four men in this room. They too were part of the council, the first survivors Jamila had found after leaving her apartment. It could be said they were the founders of this camp and were attached to each other.

"No way you are going without us!" Said Sakeem

"I've already packed my stuff!" Added Kiam.

"Hm."

"Hehe, I've always wanted to explore this forest…"

"Men…" Seeing this, Jamila felt her heart warm and a smile escaped her ever so serious face.

"Fine, fine. It's decided then, get your things and go." said the older man who was against the idea at first. In fact, Jamila was a good person and not only did they appreciate her protection but they would miss her company. "We can only pray for your safety."

Jamila thanked the group and left the room, memories of the last weeks flooding her mind. As she left, Jamilia heard softly.

"Oh gosh, we lost four Second Stage Cultivators and one Third Stage at the same time…"

**********

"At first we went to the east but after a day or two the beasts got only stronger and stronger!" Laughed a male from Jamila's group. Now that they were alive, the event where they almost died sounded quite fun. "I'm sure that Buffalo was equivalent to a Fourth Stage Body Cultivator!"

"Wow!" a few soldiers couldn't help but to gape.

"Hm, he was much stronger than all of us put together." Jamila nodded. "After scouting and finding stronger beasts we decided to go the other way around. The wild animals got weaker as we went, and now that I have found you, it seems that my assumptions were right: the beasts get stronger the deeper we enter the forest!"

"Shit!" The soldiers were stunned. Even before today's tour, they had thought they were strong because they were ahead of most soldiers on Earth. But since they found Jamila's group they were feeling weaker and weaker! Yet, none of them dared to wish upon themselves the cost Jamila had to pay for that.

However, Costa was unaffected by this, the girl in front of him was not only beautiful, but had given so much information! Everything she said was worth millions: people living inside the forest that now had strength surpassing elite soldiers; the incredible edible food; tons of books and… a voice from god!

"Wow…" The lieutenant Costa sighed to himself.