CHAPTER 9: CH 9: A GOOD HAUL - PART 2

Lucian wiped the sweat from his brow as he glanced at the beast’s corpse at his feet.

The fight had drained him more than he’d expected, and though the crude gun had proven weak, he had still won. That was enough for today.

"Dragging this back is going to be a pain..."

He muttered.

But it had to be done. Meat was meat, and in this world, nothing could be wasted. The clearing was only a fifteen-minute walk away, short enough to risk hauling the body.

He hooked his arms beneath the beast’s limbs and began pulling it across the snowy ground, his boots digging deep into the frost as he gritted his teeth.

By the time he reached the clearing, his lungs burned and his back screamed in protest.

Still, he refused to let the exhaustion show. He dropped the beast’s body near the edge of the clearing, then quickly scraped up a mound of snow to cover it.

"Better hidden here. The cold should slow the rot... and maybe mask the scent."

He stepped back and studied his work. It wasn’t perfect, but it would keep opportunistic creatures from sniffing around for a while.

More importantly, it meant he had a supply of food waiting for him.

Lucian dusted off his hands.

"Now... the scrap yard."

The thought made him grimace, remembering yesterday’s struggles—the patrol, the close calls, the beasts he had to lead away.

But he had survived, and today was different. Today, he knew what to expect.

The walk wasn’t long, but every step was taken cautiously. His eyes scanned the treeline, his ears alert to the smallest rustle.

When he finally reached the edge of the yard, he froze and crouched low.

Empty.

Unlike yesterday, there were no guards, no patrolling scavenger team keeping watch. The place was silent, eerily so.

"Lucky."

He whispered, lips curling.

He pressed his palm against the rusted gate and let a faint trickle of magic seep into the lock.

The old mechanism shuddered, groaned, then clicked open with little resistance. He slipped inside, the air thick with the stench of rust, oil, and decay.

This time, the beasts lurking between the piles of metal gave him less trouble. He had learned from yesterday.

A tossed shard here, a burst of mana there, and the creatures turned away, distracted enough for him to slip past unnoticed.

Lucian’s movements were quick, efficient. His eyes swept over the heaps of discarded technology and broken machinery, hands moving instinctively to collect anything of value.

Coils of conductive wire. Cracked cores that still held a whisper of energy.

Plates of reinforced metal perfect for reshaping. He piled everything into his inventory, heart steady, movements practiced.

’This is better. Much better.’

By the time the sun had shifted, he had gathered more than he thought possible.

Parts for his furnace, replacements for his flawed gun, even a few scraps of crystal that he could potentially refine into cores.

Satisfied, he made his way back, slipping once again through the rusted gate and locking it behind him with a faint hum of magic.

The walk back was uneventful. No ambushes, no signs of pursuit. But when he finally reached the clearing, his brows furrowed.

Something was off.

He walked past the perimeter of his protection plants—strange flora he had cultivated from salvaged seeds and infused with magic—and noticed the damage.

Several stalks had been bent, their leaves torn, and faint claw marks marred the soil around them.

Lucian crouched down, fingers brushing the shredded edges of a leaf.

"A beast... it tried to get through."

His jaw tightened. If the plants fell, his clearing would be open. Vulnerable. He couldn’t allow that.

He set down his haul and immediately began assembling the furnace.

The parts clicked into place faster this time, his hands steady with experience.

Within an hour, a soft hum filled the air as the small structure came to life, glowing faintly with heat and energy.

Lucian carried it carefully and set it near the plants, close enough for the residual warmth and mana to seep into the soil. The leaves seemed to quiver faintly, almost in response.

"That should help you grow stronger. Stronger than anything that tries to trample you."

He said quietly, almost to himself.

With the furnace in place, he allowed himself a breath of relief. He placed the rest of his haul in neat piles, sorting them for later work on the gun and whatever else he could craft.

Exhaustion hit him all at once. His limbs ached, his eyes burned, but his mind was calm.

The clearing was secure, the furnace was running, and the beast’s body lay safely hidden beneath the snow. For once, things were going his way.

Lucian lay back in his small shelter, closing his eyes.

"Just a few hours..."

Sleep came quickly.

But it didn’t last.

A loud crash split the silence of the night, jolting him awake. His eyes snapped open, his hand instinctively gripping the crude gun at his side. He held his breath, listening.

The noise came again. A low, guttural growl carried through the trees, followed by the crack of branches snapping under heavy weight. Not far. Too close.

Lucian rose silently, crouching as he slipped out of his shelter. The furnace still glowed faintly, casting eerie shadows across the clearing.

His eyes narrowed as he peered into the darkness beyond the plants.

More noises. Snarls. Claws scraping bark.

And then—another sound. Not beastly. Human. Voices, harsh and low, carrying faintly through the still night.

Lucian’s chest tightened.

"Humans? Here?"

He gripped the gun tighter, weighing his options. If it was beasts, he could fight or drive them away. But if it was people...

He pressed himself against the side of a tree, heart steady, breath controlled, eyes sharp. He had survived this long by trusting his instincts.

Tonight would be no different.

The noises drew closer.

Lucian’s lips thinned into a line.

"Looks like sleep will have to wait."

After all, survival was his first objective.