Legendary Shelter Survival Guide

"I can't believe he thinks I am a child, Jerry. When have I ever behaved like a child?" Lucas asked while groaning, his head facing the sky.

Jerry was looking at Lucas before he spoke but then averted his gaze to help him not give the answer to that question.

"If it makes you feel better, you are still 19 years old, at this age, people are still called kids in some countries," Haley said to make conversation.

Lucas just nodded and they finally started moving toward the east, the direction out of the main four that they hadn't ventured to much.

They all went on traveling to the East without any fear. Haley and Sandra had seen Lucas and Jerry fighting, and seeing them at the party together made things much more straightforward.

"So many spirits roam in this forest, I can't believe I was missing on this spectacle before," Sandra said, her face in awe while she moved her darkishly glowing eyes around.

"What do you see?" Lucas asked in curiosity.

"It's different, some creatures are very small as they float around in the sky. All of them are greenish auras. You would think that looking at them would be scary but they are just minding their own business. Oh! There is a big one right there, see?" Sandra pointed at a small tree around which the ground was a bit ragged.

"I don't see it but it's weird around here. Let me take a look."

Lucas went toward the ragged soil that looked to be dug upside down before not a long time ago. He bent down and examined it only to know that there were a lot of fine roots of herbs in the soil.

"The land has been opened some time ago and I don't think that whoever did it is intelligent, some animal maybe."

Lucas gloomed over the fact that such fine herbs were ruined by the dumbness of some animal but he didn't stop and dug the ground further.

Jimmy helped him and after a few minutes and fast digging, the duo got across a big chunk of half-eaten and disgusting meat.

"This belonged to a very big creature, if you don't mind, can we take it to the shelter with us?" Sandra asked, her eyes were still up rather than the piece of meat.

"Why do you want it?"

"After some time of using this skill. I am confident about one fact." Snadras said and stopped, her eyes had gone sharp as if she was very serious.

She continued, "Death is not death per se in this land. Whatever gets killed is still alive but not in the form of their mortal body. It's hard to explain but just hear that death is not the end."

"You mean there are ghosts all around us?" Jerry asked and when he saw Sandra nodding in agreement, a shiver went down his spine.

lucas kept looking at the piece of meat and then up, a shiver ran through his spine too. He was not scared at all but the idea of something that he could not see right in front of him was making him feel helpless.

Just like the horror movies where the people in it can't help but be scared as they can't do anything to the ghosts.

"When you say all this, I remember you also said that the parts of the creature or something are the means as to how these ghosts latch themselves here. After knowing this, why do you want to still bring this piece of meat with us?"

After listening to Lucas, Sandra stayed quiet for a while until she was ready to speak again.

"My skill description says that after I learn the rituals that I will get to know after the skill level ups, I can make the dead do my bidding or something. And I know after learning the skills that I can do it someday.

Now, if I could reanimate the dead from their mangled corpses, I will have these creatures under my control." Sandra said and pointed at the piece of meat on the ground that they hadn't pulled out till now.

"This piece will get me to get control over this big guy one day." Sandra had her eyes on the sky where she looked at a greenish 15 feet tall aura-like silhouette minding its own business. The others couldn't look at it but they could feel the uneasiness now that they knew that dead creatures were all around them.

"Are they dangerous? You just unlocked a new fear inside me." Jerry said while shooting his head. Lucas didn't want to agree but he felt the same way.

Life felt much more simple before he knew it.

"I don't know, I stare at them all the time but they don't even bat an eye. It's like they are sleeping or something."

"Wait, all the time? Does that mean they are in the shelter too?" Lucas couldn't help but feel the hits keep coming to his feeble heart.

"Duh, you got so much meat inside the storage and they all have a spirit attached to them."

"And after we eat them?" Now Lucas's face was pale as a dead person.

"The ones we eat just roam around and some even leave the shelter's territory."

"... That's a relief."

Lucas sighed in relief, glad to know that the spirits attached to the consumed meat eventually left the shelter's territory. The thought of having ghostly presences lingering around while they slept or went about their daily activities was unsettling, to say the least.

Haley, trying to lighten the mood, chimed in, "Well, at least we won't have to worry about any unwanted guests joining us for dinner. They'll just pass through."

Lucas managed a weak smile, appreciating Haley's attempt at dark humor.

"Haley, keep this inside your storage, we will venture further and get whatever your sister needs."

Lucas and Jerry picked the meat with bare hands making it all slimy and when Haley teleported it inside her storage. Sarah gave them both water to rinse there hands completely.