DEAD SPIRITS, LIVING PEOPLE

Alice, is nervous and relieved. After all, they survived the orkrats. But at what cost? Who is this stranger? Will she be able to control him? She enters the house assigned to the mayor. In the room, the bodie of an orkrat is stretched out on the floor. She swallows dry, but that is not enough to stop her, she knows what's on the roof.

She goes up the stairs and at each step, she thinks of an argument. Yes, he definitely has to leave. The summoned mayor has to respond to the Council, but the relationship here is unbalanced, this man cannot be controlled. Or can? if he agrees to submit to the board he can be an asset.

Clearly his miraculous skills have a limit...

Interrupting hers thoughts is a creature, huge and muscular. With black and chitinous skin. Sharp teeth and remains of armor encrusted in his limbs.

The creature's eyes are intelligent, the thing looks back and analyzing her. She feels its gaze looking for threats, discovering who she is, figuring out ways to destroy her body.

"I-I came here to talk to the mayor .... please" She squeezes her fingers in nervousness. The thing keeps on staring. Then without a word, takes a step to the side, letting her go. She opens the door, and sees the creature's master, cross-legged, sitting on the floor. His face is serene and calm, he has small scars on his face. But what is reflecting the moonlight are the tears that flow. She pauses, forgetting what she was going to do. Why is he crying?

"Your world. The moon is dead." The man says, between a sob.

"It's just a rock, in space" she doesn't understand what he's talking about.

"Now it is." he says dejectedly.

"Always has been, at least in our world" She tries to be nice.

"It's a shame, the moon is beautiful here, bright blue. In my world, Arbis was a faded yellow."

"is the name of the moon?"

"No, her spirit"

Alice doesn't answer. That person is insane. Spirit of the moon? It's a rock, in space. That's it.

"I don't understand why you are sad, but I need to ask you ...- She breathes, and makes her decision- ... When are you leaving?"

"I dedicated my life to Arbis. I fought alongside the greatest fighters in the world. Beside the chosen one." he breathes and gets up "during my journey everything was taken from me, my friends. My land. My brothers in faith. And in the end, I lost my guiding spirit" he wipes his eyes "But I'm here, younger, among other young people. I'm alive, and I feel things again... I hope ... Hope to start again ... I don't know why I was sent to this place. But I can start over here and do better.

I thank you for summoning me in this world" he looks at the moon "I accept the weight of guiding this city and I will protect it with all my abilities"

No, no, this conversation is not meant to go this way. Before Alice can protest, the thing opens the door. And she freezes.

"Can you guide me to the place where I was summoned?"

.

.

"So this is the machinery that brought me here?" He speaks amicably. Alice can see a lot of pain in his eyes. But she heard from the guards how he destroyed the orkrats as if they were nothing. Not to mention, the thing. That is definitely evil.

But she replies "Yes, it is the Matrix of the community. We receive 1 point per citizen every 15 days" She breathes to calm herself, just say the necessary. "We use the points to call you, because only after summoning you and it releases other functions." This is more than the necessary. But maybe he understands that we don't need him anymore.

"Interesting, what functions?" He says without taking his eyes off the matrix.

"Build things, like more walls, workshops, factories and houses."

"You guys do not know how to build?" He looks at her like she is stupid. She gets angry, but doesn't show it. "We know, if we build the wall with the matrix, we can do whatever we want inside. But some things need the matrix. The factories, for example, technically the houses too, if not, they don't connect to the grid of energy and sewage." Now more calm she continues "If we build outside the walls, the matrix informs the other machines and places prizes to attack us"

"oh, I see" he stops looking at the matrix "And what are the problems of the community then?" She looked at him incredulously. "It's seven in the evening, you expect me to tell you a list like that out of nowhere, and you'll solve everything. Like magic" He smiles, his irritating smile "Magic fixes many things."

"Magic? Like in fairy tales?" she looks at the thing, of course it's magic. "we don't use magic" Maybe he can teach us.

"I don't feel magic in you or the environment." The moon is dead and the spirits of the forest too, how could they use magic? She almost clicks her tongue, but that would be impolite. "We don't have enough food. As you saw on the roof, everyone produces vegetables in their homes, and we have four farm fields, but that is not enough to feed the community."

Half of the community is the 4 fields, even then, is barely enough to feed 20 people. People are cultivating things on their roofs, but everyone is hungry. Verm look at her, and the look at the forest. "There is nothing to hunt?"

"Well... there are capybaras near the lake and a lot of birds, maybe some pigs. But the orkrats live in the forest. Their main camp is a few kilometers south. But they hunt and steal, it's too risky to be out of the walls. Maybe more things too"

Verm, looks at his greater undead "This is not a problem for us. Tell the people I'll be hunting tomorrow."

Alice's looking at him in disbelief. Shit, we need him to keep everyone alive. She nods and go home.