Made from the crafting materials of the grim forge, the small city that had been formed not out of the ruins of the old world, but was instead built entirely new within the secluded and defensible region of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
The fields of Elysium were perhaps the only thriving "metropolis" within the world, or at the very least within the borders of what had once been the United States of America.
Run by the so-called Goddess of Humanity, Elysium had the benefactor of a great healer, similar in a way to Angelica. However, her healing abilities were slightly different than Angelica, and because of this she could not cure the plague of death itself. Only wounds to the body.
This meant that the Fields of Elysium were protected by a powerful minority of awakened cultists, while the rest of the survivors lived in relative peace and prosperity within the mountain stronghold.
It was because the Fields of Elysium were located within the Sierra Nevada Mountains that their missionaries were able to so quickly traverse between the ruins of California, and the survivor communities spread across Northern Nevada.
As Gravestone itself was on the eastern side of this mountain range. Currently, the Goddess was strolling through the streets of Elysium. Her most faithful worshippers protected her as she mingled with the common folk.
There were of course visitors from other settlements that had come to trade with the Elysian people, but for the most part those who walked the streets of the crowded mountain city, wore the signature Greco-Romanesque style of apparel that displayed their status as a member of the cult.
Of course, among the Goddess's entourage was her personal aide, whose appearance was hidden by her signature white shawl. Yet her pristine jade like skin was on display from the shoulder down.
The Aide looked around, though one would not be able to see it due to how well hidden her eyes were. Clearly observing the local population as they walked about, and intermingled with one another.
Though she did not say a word, the Goddess looked over to her, almost as if she had, and was quick to speak her mind.
If the Crusaders of Elysium were a mighty force of paladin and priestly archetypes. Then the residents of Gravestone were more among the rogue and hunter variety. Their strike teams were far less organized than those which the Elysians employed.
In fact, they did not stand to gain much from organized battles. Rather, their strike teams were focused on tracking, scouting, assassination, espionage, and ambushing tactics. They hit the undead where it hurt and ran before a proper response could be mustered.
Zane's party was naturally the sole exception to this rule. As he could command a horde of undead on his own, his tactics were designed to force the Undead into a long and drawn out battle, where he and the girls could focus their attention on the Horde King itself. Cut off the head of the snake, so to speak.
This could be accomplished simply because the Undead in Zane's group were no longer mindless Walkers, or even the barely intelligent Howlers. No, he had a horde full of highly intelligent Ghouls. Which were indeed a variety of undead that were fully capable of fulfilling orders, and acting on Zane's behalf without the need for him to perfectly micro manage everything they did.
It was because of this that Zane was the spearhead of Gravestone's operations. Whereas the other parties operated as little more than assassins, saboteurs, scouts, and guerillas. Hence why he simply needed to issue the order to track down another Tier I Horde King, and wait for a response.
And that is exactly what his scouts had done. Because of this, he was looking at a written report about the location, and estimated the strength of a Tier I Horde King from a nearby area called Tahoe.
Lake Tahoe was a valuable source of fresh water, one that had yet to be reclaimed by humanity. And because of this, Zane had always wanted to stake out an expedition and claim the relatively secluded area for himself.
Especially since it was less than an hour away from Gravestone. There was just one problem with this plan. According to his scouts, emissaries of Elysium had recently begun surveying the area. As if preparing to battle the local Horde King and seize the lake for themselves.
Knowing this, Zane could not very well allow their plan to come to fruition, and because of that he instantly gave an order to the scout which brought him these reports.
"Prepare the town's strike teams for battle. We are seizing Tahoe before the Elysians can! We must take that lake no matter how high the casualties may be! If we fail to achieve this aim, our access to fresh water may very well be cut off entirely! And I will be damned before that happens..."
Whether or not the Elysian Crusaders and the Army of Gravestone would come to blows over Lake Tahoe had yet to be seen. At the very least, it was expected that whoever seized the town first would have a better claim to the area should negotiations occur.