Okay, having creatures that leave a stone that size can't be good, and from what Pomo "said," her consciousness can only be "pulled" by nearby plants.
If the beast that killed a creature capable of leaving a stone that size was still on the loose and relatively close to us. How big, strong, and dangerous must it be?!
"Okay, now I'm a little scared to know, but where exactly is the stone now?"
Once again the leaves rustled, and once again Mari translated, considerably paler.
"Remember the second park we sometimes take the dogs to?. The one at the top of the hill?"
I remember and don't like the idea, but I still nodded.
"Yeah, it's there in the rubble of what's left of the park and the UPA (Emergency Care Unit) that was next door."
That's worrying.
Why?
1. It was on top of a hill, meaning I'd be exposed to long-range attacks from atop a hill. It doesn't take a genius to know that attacks from higher ground have a better chance of hitting you than attacks from below.
2. I have no idea what kind of monster might be up there, but monsters generally have a better sense of smell. What would happen if the wind blew in their direction, carrying my scent?
Of course, they might not be creatures with ranged attack abilities, especially since the most I've seen so far were shadow wolves and the half-dead Bargest, but just because we haven't seen them yet doesn't mean they don't exist.
"Pomo, do you know how many of these monsters are guarding the stone?"
The orange tree paused for a moment and then shook one of its branches.
"It looks like she can sense about 16 nearby, but there may be more hiding among the rubble."
How encouraging.
To summarize, I have to sneak up a hill to get a magic stone from half a compact car (actually smaller than that, but I guess you could consider it that given the situation). Trying to avoid attracting the attention of an unknown group of monsters, who serve a monster potentially much larger than anything I've seen so far. Get this stone, return home without being followed by these monsters, and then do the same thing again.
Only the second time, I'll have to go the opposite way, toward one of the city's largest avenues, conveniently bisected by a large stream. Find my parents, who are cornered at a gas station by a mixed horde of monsters. Deliver 5 liters of fuel, 100 kilograms of pure iron, and the magic stone to finish repairing the car, and finally, set off again, trying not to be followed by the horde all the way home. Basically, that's it.
....
....
Is there any chance this is all just one big nightmare of mine, and I'll wake up in a bad mood like always and go to work normally?
*Tick*
"AAAAAIUIUUUU. What's this for?!"
[-2 HP]
"You were looking like you wanted to escape reality just now, I just wanted to show that this is the reality we live in."
'What a helpful little sister,' I thought wryly, rubbing the middle of my forehead where they'd given me a "light" flick.
"Okay, I get it, but how are we going to deal with this new problem?"
I asked, explaining the reasons why, in this case, I wouldn't be a good option to go, none of us here, actually.
"My [stealth] skill will probably be very useful. We don't know what kind of monsters they are, maybe they have a particularly sensitive sense of smell. Considering no one here has showered in two, no, technically five days, I'd say it would be easy for us to find each other like this."
Honestly, all things considered, we weren't too dirty, or smelly.
I was the dirtiest thanks to some dried blood on my jacket and shirt from the fights during the night, but other than that, I was pretty clean. And even though the smell of blood was present and easy to distinguish, it was also everywhere now. If you stopped to inhale deeply, the wind would carry the strong, ferrous scent of dried blood.
So even if the monsters smelled it, they'd have a hard time distinguishing me specifically, of course, if they were guided primarily by smell.
But for Lumi and Nawa, they already had a very detectable smell. Impeto and the other chickens had the distinctive smell of a barn, which was also easy to spot, even if I was blindfolded. The turtles weren't an option for obvious reasons, just like Pomo.
Could I be pessimistic and slightly paranoid in thinking this?.
Maybe. But in a world infested with monsters and zombies roaming the streets, this level of paranoia would actually be quite justifiable.
"We don't have a viable option in this case. It would be best for you to go alone, since you have the sneaking and ambush skills that would help you avoid being discovered. But going alone isn't a good option in this case. It's better for you to choose others who might be more useful and then go. Others except me."
"Seriously, you really want to just stay here using your unique skill while Mom, Dad, and I deal with a different problem at the same time?"
I couldn't help but be incisive when I asked.
"It's not that. Of course I want to go. The thing is, I can't right now."
I just raised my eyebrows for her to continue.
It seems like it would take a little while, so I took onde rat from the [item box] as I listened her.