Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

Chapter 184: Enemy Movements

It did not take long for the Goddess of Elysium to suspect that her missionaries had been slain. After all, they had their own ways of communicating via long distances, and they were supposed to report in once every twenty-four hours.

Yet several days passed without a word about the conversion of New Reno, causing the beautiful young woman who dressed in the fashion of the ancient Greeks to become quite anxious. At first, she decided to wait a bit longer before making a decision.

After all, there could be some unknown form of interference that they ran into. But after another three days passed, she had no choice but to think about this matter deeply. As far as she knew, there was no settlement she had come across which had fostered a high level awakened like Elysium had.

But there were powerful undead out there in the world, so powerful that she shuddered to think about them. For all she knew, her missionaries could have run afoul of a Juggernaut, or god forbid a Banshee.

Knowing this, she decided to speak with her attendee. The woman's face was shrouded, so much so that one could not visibly see her facial features. At the same time she was as silent as the night, even when the Goddess spoke to her, confiding her trust in this servant, something which she rarely did for anyone else.

"We have yet to lose a missionary in our attempts to further our influence across the survivors of the apocalypse. And yet… The two which I sent into Nevada have remained out of contact for a week. Do you think the Undead killed them? Or perhaps it was a group of survivors?"

The attendee did not say a word, rather she poured a cup of wine for the so called Goddess. Though she was silent, the Goddess seemed to understand what she was trying to convey. A scene that would suggest that she had gone utterly mad should an outsider witness it.

"Are you sure about that? No, no, I wouldn't question your intelligence! It's just that… The other living beings we have come across have been so weak. That is, until now… I suppose I have no choice but to send others to investigate this matter. But what if they also end up deceased?

I can't afford to keep sending my highest ranking soldiers into Nevada if the result will be that they keep getting themselves killed!"

The attendee finished pouring her wine and walked away, once more not having said a word, and yet the Goddess still acted as if they were having a full on conversation, but only after she took a large gulp of the drink to calm her words.

"I know! I know! This matter can't be ignored! I mean, if there are survivors powerful enough to deal with the likes of Jacob and Alexander, then we have I have no choice but to investigate this matter. Still… I have a very bad feeling about this…"

With that said, the Goddess was all alone, and apparently intoxicated as well. She rested her pretty face in her arms as she moaned in annoyance over this whole petty matter.

"Just who the hell has the nerve to kill two of my missionaries!?! Do they really think that Elysium is a joke? Well, I will show them!"

---

Like the Fields of Elysium in California, the bunker belonging to the Remnant of the United States Federal Government was also in complete and total confusion after their reconnaissance force had been completely annihilated, and without showing the slightest trace of the killer.

One thing was certain: Frank was dead, and his bunker complex had been co-opted by what the Remnant liked to refer to as "Outlaws." To put it simply, any survivor who was not directly under their authority was an outlaw, and was to be treated as a dangerous criminals.

After all, the United States Federal Government wasn't what it once was. The overwhelming majority of its power had collapsed in the wake of the apocalypse. And what remained were fortified bunker complexes like this one, which housed a few hundred to a few thousand government personnel and their families.

But that did not mean that they had given up on the idea that they were the sole lawful authority in the former borders of the United States. It was because of this insistence that they were still the rightful rulers of this land that they considered all other survivors to be outlaws.

Even those who had begun to form their own societies, such as Gravestone, New Reno, and Elysium. At the moment, the Director of this Bunker Complex, who was currently being referred to by the position of "Governor," was speaking with the leader of his military assets.

The two men were secluded together in a small office, where they spoke about the existence of these outlaws and the extent of their power. Trying as they might to come up with a conclusion on how their own reconnaissance forces were so easily dispatched to the afterlife.

"Though Frank's Bunker was in Northern Nevada, it is only a few hours' drive away from where the Los Angeles Outlaws ultimately made their current settlement. What do they call themselves, the Fields of Elysium? Preposterous!

According to field reports, they have been a particularly troublesome group of outlaws to deal with. We know that they have access to a Grim Forge, and a Stygian Iron Works, meaning that they should be able to produce decent equipment.

Not only that, but their Crusaders are each quite powerful. Is it possible that this settlement that has sprung up on top of Frank's bunker is an Elysian Outpost?"

The leader of the military assets within this particular bunker shook his head, as he handed over new evidence that had recently been acquired through the spies which the Remnant had recently embedded within New Reno.

It showed a picture of Zane, one that was taken when he killed the Elysian Missionaries. The man's voice was grim as he spoke about his thoughts regarding the matter.

"That appears unlikely. Our spies suggest that this is the leader of a settlement called Gravestone. Which coincidentally was built upon the bunker complex that Frank built. Initially, the population was left than fifty individuals.

But that has changed with the population of Gravestone tripling in the past week, which has resulted from New Reno and the nearby settlements sending their excess population to the ruins of Carson City where Gravestone lies.

It appears that it's an independent Outlaw settlement, one that is unusually advanced, and protected by a small party of high-level outlaws. If this young man can near instantly kill the Missionaries of Elysium, then it means he can do the same to our own forces.

Knowing that such a dangerous outlaw exists in the region, I would highly recommend we continue to monitor the situation until we can figure out just how powerful the man and his companions are, and how we can best deal with them."

The director looked at the picture of Zane and was confused. By the looks of it Zane was no older than eighteen. He was barely even an adult, and yet he was the most powerful outlaw that the Remnant had come across thus far.

With this in mind, he agreed with the Colonel's assessment wholeheartedly.

"Very well, continue to monitor the situation, and see if you can't find out more about who this young man was before the outbreak began. Also, send his information to the guys in Washington. I am sure they will be interested in this young fellow…"