Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night
Chapter 208: Back to the Drawing Board

The aftermath of the battle with Gwen was brutal, specifically for Zane. Not only had he utterly failed to thin the horde beneath her command, but he had also lost much of his own forces in the ensuing battle.

The Skeletal Hoplites, while easy to replace, would take a lot of time and effort to do so. Meanwhile, the Ghoulish Ashigaru were a major loss. It was hard enough leveling up one undead to Tier III, let alone 220 of them.

Not only that, but the equipment they wielded was actually quite good. The loss of which would definitely hurt Zane's treasure trove of crafting materials that he had hoarded over the past half a year. Needless to say, it was a significant loss on his part, one that would take weeks to recover from.

And while he was mulling over this fact, Elena and the others approached him, wanting answers about what happened. Lily had long since fully recovered from the injuries she sustained in the battle, and had told the rest of the party what had transpired during their fight with Gwen.

It was a deeply worrying thing to Elena, Olivia, Madison, and Angelica when they heard that Gwen had repeatedly referred to Zane as "Big Brother." After all, for quite some time now, it had been well established that Zane was slowly but surely becoming more and more like the undead monsters they fought so desperately against.

Was the end result of Zane's unique skills that he himself would become a Horde King? It was a bit absurd to think about, but if this were truly the case, it would explain why Gwen had referred to him as big brother, wouldn't it?

In the end, Zane stormed off, not wanting to talk about the issue. He didn't have any answers to give the girls about what was happening to him, and thus brainstorming about what simply could not be proven was a complete and total waste of time.

Because of this, Zane stepped outside the Bunker to take a smoke on the balcony of the mansion that once belonged to the Governor of Nevada. He was utterly silent as he stared into the desolate wasteland that was the modern world, all the while lost in his own thoughts.

So much so, I might add, that he did not even detect Maya's presence when she appeared before him, seemingly out of thin air. It was only after the young girl grabbed hold of Zane's hand did the man finally notice she was by his side.

There was a worried look in Maya's eyes as she gazed upon Zane and his sorry state, and because the girl was worried about him, Zane couldn't help but wear a bitter smile and pat her head, an act which Maya appeared to enjoy.

"I'm alright… You don't need to worry so much, kid, I'll be fine. I'm just a little bit pissed off about the losses I sustained in the battle with that crazy bitch."

Maya pouted when she heard Zane refer to Gwen by such a rude term. Of course, Zane mistook this as an act of chastisement for his foul language, rather than a possible defense of the Horde King in question. And because of this, he picked the girl up in his arms and apologized for cursing.

"Sorry kiddo, it was probably inappropriate of me to use such language in front of you..."

Maya continued to put, and look away from Zane, but for the life of him, he did not understand why she did so. Either way, he held the girl in his arms while he smoked off the balcony. It was not until a few moments later when Olivia interrupted the two of them that he finally put Maya down.

"Zane –"

Before Olivia could say another word, Zane sighed before turning to her with a rather aggressive look on his face. Having mistaken her intentions for visiting him at this time, Zane had a few choice words to make about her and the others interfering with his personal matters.

"Listen, Olivia, I know you're concerned about me, but I'm fine. I'm not going to become some kind of monster. And even if I did, I assure you I would never harm you or the girls. So let's just drop it, because if I'm being completely honest, you are all starting to piss me off!"

Olivia was initially taken aback by Zane's sudden outburst. After all, she had not followed him to the mansion above the bunker for the purpose that he thought she had.

Instead, she had come to discuss the best way to deal with Gwen now that they properly gauged her strength and found that they were currently inadequate to properly deal with her.

And because of this, after taking a second to recover from Zane's rather harsh words, Olivia pointed this fact out.

"I'm sorry if we upset you, but I did not come here, for that matter. Actually, the reason I came here is to discuss what we should do about Gwen? It is clear to me after everything I have been told about what happened by Lily that we are not necessarily her match at this time.

Perhaps we should replace another Horde King to hunt down, you know, after we replenish the losses that your Horde has suffered? I mean, it seems like a pointless endeavor to keep leveling up when our progress is essentially halted without a second skill, doesn't it?"

Zane thought about it for a brief moment before ultimately agreeing with Olivia's plan. Gwen may have a small horde, but her personal power was unlike anything they had come across so far. If they really wanted to fight her, then the girls would need to reach level twenty-five, and have a similar level of equipment as himself.

This was something that could be achieved by hunting other nearby Horde Kings for the time being. As well as venturing into New Reno to slay the bountiful number of Undead within the area. Because of this, Zane smirked as he approached Olivia and patted her shoulder, confirming this would indeed be the case.

"That's not a bad idea, Olivia. Alright, it's back to the drawing board we go…"

After saying this, Zane walked off back to the Bunker to properly brainstorm about how they, as a party, could improve their abilities, and where they could replace a weaker Horde King to fight. It was only after Zane and Olivia were no longer within hearing range that Maya began to speak for the first time since Zane and the girls had found her.

The young girl who appeared to be in grade school sighed heavily, as she rest her head in the palm of her dainty hand, before speaking in a tone like that of a worried mother, albeit with an adorable and childlike voice.

"Honestly, that boy…."