All the Dust that Falls

Chapter 102: Kill them with Kindness

While Tony and Beatrice dealt with the zombies, I calmed the old couple down. Well, I attempted to calm them down, at least. I tried to talk to them, but even I could tell this conversation was going off the rails fast.

It started innocently enough - the older woman inclined her head slightly and said "Thank you for saving us."

My response was as calming as I could make it as I explained to them why I was here. To put them at ease, I complimented them on their personal hygiene and the general cleanliness of their house. The state of the house wasn't really anything to write home about, but it didn't hurt to be polite. However, to my shock, my words didn't seem to relieve tension in the slightest.

At first, I only received blank stares, but as I continued, they began to look around with panicked expressions on their faces. What was so hard to understand? When they asked, "What do you want from us?" I remembered that humans couldn't normally understand what I was saying. It was only recently that Tony and Beatrice started to be able to interpret my beeps into something that approximated my meaning. Even they had a pretty low accuracy of getting the finer points though.

I would have to go back to basics while trying to calm these humans down. If they could understand basic yes and no, I would be satisfied. So in order to communicate more efficiently, I extended my arm and used it to gesture to assist in making my points.

First, I pointed to them, then the zombies. I then pointed to myself. While that was happening, I explained slowly about how I saved them and wanted to make sure they were alright. Then I wanted to convey my compliment. I pointed to each of them in turn, to intricate them. I made a circular motion to indicate the particulates in the air that give off an odor. Then I pointed to the ground to include the house. I said thank you as clearly as possible while pointing to myself.

I wasn't sure how else to convey my appreciation for their efforts in keeping a decent standard of cleanliness, especially in an otherwise atrocious field of dirt that they were forced to live on. However, somehow the message didn't come across. I just didn't understand what they weren't getting.

The old woman clung to the arm of the man and started shaking. He moved his mouth but didn't produce any words. Eventually, he managed a few weak words. "You want this farm?"

No! That wasn't right at all. What would I do with a farm? I didn't need food, and it was much too far away from the castle for me to be able to clean it regularly with my current level of power. How could I make them understand my compliment?

I did my best to convey no as clearly as possible, and the man sagged in relief that I wasn't going to take his farm. I then reiterated my points. But this time, I tried to simplify the meaning even further. You, pointing at them. This place, pointing at the ground. Are good, positive beeps. Me, pointing at myself with an appreciative beep. Perfect, how could they misunderstand that?

"No, Please! We can't!"

Huh?

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Bee rounded the corner to find Void sitting before the pair of cowering elderly farmers begging for their lives. She stepped forward quickly to dispel the apparent misunderstanding. At least, she hoped it was a misunderstanding; if the farmers had truly offended her master, there was little she could do. Even if the thought of them facing the same fate as the bandits sickened her.

"Master, what’s going on?" Bee asked Void. Unfortunately, her word choice may have been a mistake as the old lady fainted, collapsing to the porch deck before her husband could react. Void let out a puzzled noise. In the last several months, Bee had never heard such bewilderment coming from the little black disc. For a second, she saw it as an innocent, confused being just trying to make its way in the world. That was before she looked down and saw a dozen zombies with missing feet and neat holes in their heads.

"What did you tell them?" she asked. Void let out a long, complicated story complete with gestures. Watching it, Bee thought back to their first meeting and immediately understood what was going on. It wasn't until she had really accepted her class that Void’s communications started to make sense. Before that, she only heard screeches that sounded like the torture of demons, unlike anything she could have ever imagined.

Quickly she got the gist of what her master had been trying to tell the people. Once she had an understanding, she walked over to the house. The man was tending to his wife, but still watching Bee and her master intently. Bee gently helped the man sit and lean against the railing. Sitting on the steps next to the shocked older man, she introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Bee. Priestess of Spot. What is your name?" She said as gently as she could manage.

The man looked at her warily and took a second to process her words. Then, with a deep breath, he extended his hand. “Silas, of Silas’s farm. I can't say I have ever heard of the deity named Spot."

"It's a new thing," Bee said. “Here, I have a potion here that may help your wife recover more quickly. It’s a minor health potion”

Silas’s eyes widened, then narrowed at the vial. After a moment’s indecision, he hesitantly accepted it.

"I think there is some misunderstanding here. Void here is a little hard to understand sometimes and I would like to help interpret. I understand that it seems a little unworldly, but please be assured that Void is as benevolent a creature as you can find."

Silas followed Bee’s gesturing arm and once again eyed the black disk skeptically. Still, he didn’t challenge her or seem skeptical of Void’s power, exactly. He seemed more concerned that it would lash out at him or his wife. Seeing it deal with those zombies so quickly had probably left quite the impression.

Not getting much of a response, she continued. "So the first thing it was trying to tell you was that you are safe now and it wanted to compliment you on how well-kept your farm was."

This got an exhausted chuckle out of the man. Looking over at Void, Silas responded to it directly. "Well, Mr. Void, I'm sorry you have to see it in such a state. Normally there wouldn't be such a mess, but this is the third time zombies have come in the last week! My bones were getting weary from burying all of them.” He paused for a moment, thinking. “Also, I… apologize for the shameful display. I'm not sure what came over me."

"I'm sure you were just tired. I can't believe you fought off two other groups of zombies this week. How did you manage that?"

Silas relaxed a bit, seemingly reassured of Bee’s and Void’s intentions. He adjusted his wife’s position to a slightly more comfortable one. "Well there were only a few each time. The dozen here would have been too much for me." Silas paused. "Where are my manners?"

Nimbly getting to his feet in a way that belied his age, he disappeared into the house, quickly reappearing with a pitcher of tea and a few glasses. Filling one up, he offered it to Bee. "Some sweet tea, miss? I'm running low on ice, otherwise it would be quite chilled."

"Thank you, Silas," Bee responded gratefully, taking the tea and sipping the cool, refreshing drink.

"Mr. Void, Would you care for some refreshments?" Silas asked. While still slightly nervous, he didn't let his voice shake at all. Void let out a short noise. Bee figured her master was trying not to spook him any further.

Bee interpreted. "Void says that he will pass, but thanks you for the offer."

Silas shrugged and poured a glass for himself. They sat sipping tea as the man got lost in his thoughts. His wife, Lily, woke up quickly, feeling much better with the potion that Bee had given her. As she sat next to her husband, Bee poured some tea into a third glass for her.

The scene continued uninterrupted for several minutes before Silas snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I meant to ask. What brings you up all this way? My farm doesn't tend to get many visitors."

"Ah about that. So we are from the castle nearby. Recently we have been dealing with undead incursions as well. We’ve been going through the farms and seeing if there is anyone that needs our help as well as offering sanctuary in the castle. At least until the undead run themselves out or until the king sends the army." Bee explained.

Silas nodded in understanding. "That's mighty kind of you. If I may though, why would the mages send you and Mr. Void here? That seems a little out of character."

Bee thought about how to best explain the complicated situation going on at the castle. Honestly, it had been going on for so long that it didn't seem that odd to her anymore. Luckily, she was saved from having to come up with an explanation on the spot as Tony came stumbling around the corner of the house.

Upon seeing them all sitting on the steps sipping tea, he threw his rod on the ground and tossed his hands in the air.

"Did you forget about something?" He asked exasperatedly. Bee noted the rips in his clothes and the long scratch down his forearm, as well as the sweat plastering the rags of his shirt to his chest. Perhaps she should have gone back to help him out once she had settled things down here.

Running a Scan on him, she saw that he was now level 19. No, he still needed it. She thought. "No, I knew you could do it."

As Tony limped the rest of the way over and leaned on the railing, Bee tossed him a healing potion.

"Thanks," he panted, downing it. "Now if only it worked on my shirt as well."

Silas watched as Tony downed the potion, and the cut on his arm began to push out the black infection the zombies had imparted. Bee’s eyes narrowed at that detail. That wasn’t good at all. Once Tony had finished the potion, he handed the glass flask back to Bee and reached out to offer his hand to Silas. "Tony, nice to meet you."

"Tony? Trent's boy?" Silas asked. When Tony nodded, he continued. "Silas. We met before but I don't think you’d remember me. Barely taller than my knee, you were. How are ya folks doin?"

"Oh, they're gettin' by. We’re wintering in the castle this year. Had to harvest a bit early but everything’s dryin alright." Tony said. Then he and Silas started talking about last year's weather and other farming things that Bee tuned out. Silas was clearly more comfortable talking to Tony, as they spoke the same language.

Now that they had found a group of people who would maybe like to shelter in the castle, she needed to figure out what they should do. They might need to escort them back to the castle, but that would take a lot of time, plus it would really slow down their search. On the other hand, there would likely be a horde at the gates again, and she was a bit nervous to see if the defenses would hold. What if the undead used an ambush strategy again, like when they had set out initially?

As she sipped her drink, she realized that Void had disappeared when no one was paying attention. She got up and nodded in reassurance to the seated group as she walked around the house. She found her master cleaning up the remains of the zombies; thinking back, she realized that the ones at the front of the house had also mysteriously vanished as well.

Now that they were alone, Bee had a moment to ask Void’s advice on the matter. "Master, what would you like to do next?"