Chapter 36
After everyone had climbed to the surface, they began making camp.
The atmosphere was somber as they had just held a burial ceremony for their lost family members and teacher.
Setting up a place to sleep for the night was quite fast, as the camp was a simple fire pit in the center, surrounded by logs for them to rest on.
Draco decided to address the others.
"I understand how you all feel, but we have to remain strong. I need you all to help sort the items in the carriage. I will be heading back to town for one last search," he said.
He was a bit apprehensive about leaving his family like this, but he had instructed them to sort the items in the carriage to keep them distracted, and not have much time to dwell on the gloomy events.
"Michalis!" Draco called out, and the young boy approached him.
"I will need you to look after everyone. I should return within 2 to 3 hours. If you hear or see monsters, don't panic and remain calm. They will not approach, so stay within the camp," Draco warned him seriously.
Michalis swallowed nervously, "Yes, Draco nii," he replied, his voice slightly shaking.
"Good, I am counting on you," Draco muttered, ruffling Michalis' hair affectionately.
Michalis responded with a firmer "Hmm," feeling a bit more confident.
"Alright, you all take care till I return. Don't move anywhere no matter what you see or hear," Draco warned the group once more before turning and leaving towards the town.
This time, Draco went directly towards the south side, as he didn't have time for any detours.
This was his last attempt to looking for any survivors that needed help and, if he was lucky, a horse or cows to pull the carriage.
As he approached the south side of the destroyed town, he noticed many houses didn't have cellars.
Instead they had basements so he began going from basement to basement, hoping to find any survivors.
However, most of what Draco found were half-eaten parts of people.
He also tried calling out, stretching his senses to the limit to hear a reply, but none came, except for the howls of monsters in the distance.
The monsters had not spared anyone, not even the children.
'Sigh, I guess there is really no one left in this town,' Draco thought.
'If there were any survivors, they either made it out of town or are all dead. If by some chance any survivors remain but refuse to answer my call, then there is nothing more I can do.' he concluded.
Seeing the corpses of children or at least what was left of them, made Draco think of his own family.
'This could have been us,' he thought.
He could feel his anger growing, clenching his fist tightly, he punched a nearby wall in frustration.
"Just you wait, black dragon. I will be the one to end you," he muttered.
After taking a deep breath to calm himself, Draco changed his direction to the nearby farms, hoping to find any animals that could help pull the cart, and maybe some they could raise for food like chickens.
Sadly, he couldn't find any large livestock except stray chickens – the other animals had either been killed or had fled when the monsters attacked.
So he swiftly captured two cocks and five hens, that was the limit he could carry.
He tied their legs and beaks with pieces of torn cloth from his backpack.
With that done, he didn't waste any time returning to camp.
When Draco returned to the camp, he found his family gathered around the fire, their faces looking a tiny bit better than when he left.
Vasileios approached him, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and concern.
"Draco nii, welcome back. We've sorted the items in the carriage as you asked. Did you find any survivors or animals?" he asked.
Draco shook his head, his expression somber.
"No, I'm afraid there's no one left in the town. The monsters have taken everyone." He paused, taking a deep breath to steady his voice.
The group fell silent, the weight of Draco's words hanging heavy in the air.
After a moment, Draco continued.
"I also couldn't find any animals to pull the cart, but I did gather some chicken " Draco replied, showing the chickens he was carrying.
"We'll have to rely on our own strength to pull the cart till we can find some other livestock" he added.
As the night wore on, the group huddled around the fire, sharing a hot meal in silence.
The silence was occasionally broken by the crackling of the fire and the distant howls of monsters, a reminder of the dangers that still lurked beyond their camp.
With their meal over, everyone turned in for the night, instinctively moving to huddle closely together for warmth and safety.
Draco remained awake to look at the map of the area.
He needed to decide where they would be settling down.
Since he didn't find any survivors, there was no need to make a stop at any nearby settlements.
'We need a place that monsters are abundant, but not enough to overwhelm us. It will help in training' Draco pondered.
'No, we need something more hardcore. Perhaps the forest will do' he considered, tracing his finger along the river that passed through the forest.
Tracing his finger along the map, he noticed that Orario was quite far, situated towards the east of the forest.
'If we settle where this river and mountain meet, we can cross there when we decide to travel to Orario, it will somewhat cut the journey shorter' Draco concluded.
'We have enough supplies to last around 9 months to a year. Winter will begin in around 3 to 4 months so we should survive' Draco pondered.
He spent a good portion of the night meticulously planning until he found a way for them to survive in the wild on their own.
His biggest concern was diseases but that could be somewhat mitigated by maintaining a good hygiene and using his magic.
They could farm and hunt for food, they had a lot of seeds for various crops and spices in the farms.
Salt wasn't a problem as the sea wasn't too far from the mountain, so he could fly over to gather sea water and make sea salt.
Being overwhelmed by monsters wasn't going to be a large problem due to the black dragon scales.
'This could work' Draco concluded.
With plans made, he decided to turn in for the night.
..........................
When dawn finally broke, the group quickly packed up their belongings and set out, the carriage laden with the supplies gathered.
He made sure to grab every edible and usable item that he could fit into the carriage from the storage sheds on the farms.
Draco led the way, his stance erect and his gaze determined.
The others didn't complain about or even know where they were heading, they only followed, trusting his leadership.
As they navigated the treacherous landscape, the group encountered numerous obstacles – fallen trees, debris, and even impassable terrain.
Draco's quick thinking and tactical skills proved invaluable, as he directed the group to bypass or confront these challenges.
At one point, they came across a small herd of wild horses, and Draco saw an opportunity.
"Michalis, Dimitra, come with me," he said, his voice calm and authoritative.
"We're going to try and tame a few of those horses. They will be the key to making our journey easier." he instructed.
Michalis and Dimitra followed Draco, their faces mixed with apprehension but they trusted their big brother.
Draco approached the herd cautiously, utilizing his little knowledge of animal behavior to attempt to tame them.
After several tense moments, he was able to lasso a young mare and guide her back to the group.
"Excellent work, you two," Draco praised Michalis and Dimitra, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Now, let's see if we can find a few more to help pull the cart," he said.
Over the next few hours, the group managed to tame several more horses, and soon the cart was being pulled by a team of four sturdy beasts.
It had been very hard to accomplish such a feat due to the skittish nature of horses.
He had attempted using his physical strength to try forcing the horses into submission.
When that didn't work, he just used the black dragon scales.
The black dragon scales also played an important role in this.
Its presence had been so overwhelming that the horses gave up struggling after being forced to the ground.
To them it felt like a giant monster had caught them in its claws.
With this newfound mobility, the group's pace quickened, and their spirits lifted ever so slightly.
As the sun began to set, Draco scanned the horizon, searching for a suitable place to make camp for the night.
"There," he said, pointing to a small, secluded cave in the distance.
"That looks like a good spot to rest. We'll be safe there for the night," he said.
He first carefully inspected if there were any wild inhabitants within the cave before the others followed.
The group soon made their way into the cave and began setting up camp.
Draco settled the horses nearby to graze on the abundant grass around.
Using his magic, he gathered enough water for them to drink.
With the camp set up and everyone settled, Draco brought out his map to estimate how long it would take to arrive at their destination.
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