“Hello everyone, thank you for coming here and listening to me. My name is Aaron, and I’m from another camp. You might notice that Mr. Weber isn’t here right now. That’s because he tried to kill us when we offered our help, and we had to defend ourselves. So he’s… dead,” Aaron trailed off awkwardly.

Karolina had really left him in an awkward position. She still thought what she had done was right, but that didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be consequences. At least he would be protected if the crowd got violent. Everyone who had come with her to the camp was standing behind Aaron, doing their best to look non-threatening.

She couldn’t easily categorize how the crowd was reacting. Some people seemed happy, others scared, and a few were angry. The vast majority at least seemed content to keep listening to Aaron, for now.

“Look, this isn’t a hostile takeover. We’re not here to take control of your camp like Weber did. I’m here to discuss all the different ways we can help each other survive this tutorial,” Aaron continued after the crowd had settled down a little.

Karolina gave Selena a brief glance. The two of them were standing off to the side, so that they could easily observe both Aaron and the crowd. Selena seemed to be taking the opportunity to watch the crowd. She seemed generally pleased by what she was seeing.

“It’s easy to start thinking about us as outsiders. We’re not from your camp, after all. But the monsters don’t care which camp you started in, and neither should we. We’re all in this together. That’s why we’re here, to get everyone to work together to get through this tutorial,” Aaron said. He had gotten much more practiced at public speaking, Karolina noticed.

As he continued to talk to Weber’s camp about all of the ways they could work together, Karolina tuned him out. She sidled closer to Selena, who was still eyeing the large crowd with a smile.

“So, you’re sure that you don’t need any help right now?” Karolina asked.

Selena looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded. “Right now, I just need to put in a lot of face time, which you can’t really help with. Thank you for offering, though.” The healer did seem honestly grateful.

“You’re welcome,” Karolina said.

“And hey, if you need my help with anything, just let me know. Anything for my bestie,” Selena chuckled. Even though she was hiding it behind her sarcasm, Karolina could see that the other woman was telling the truth. At least for now, Selena seemed like she could be trusted.

“Thank you for listening to me. I’m available if you have any questions,” Aaron said, concluding his speech.

Karolina looked around, trying to get a final sense of the crowd. They had just been told that their previous leader was dead, and that people from another camp would be coming by regularly. Surprisingly, most people seemed unbothered by the situation.

Apparently suddenly being torn away from their lives had given them a tolerance for abrupt situational shifts. In addition to that, almost no one seemed especially bothered by Weber’s death now that it had had a bit of time to sink in. He hadn’t been a very beloved leader.

Selena’s plan seemed more likely to work by the moment. At least she was an ally now. However, it seemed that Selena wasn’t the only healer who needed her attention right now. Natalia was walking towards her, soul determined.

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Karolina motioned towards a nearby empty cabin, and they both walked in. The inside of the cabin was neat and private, perfect for whatever Natalia wanted to talk about. Karolina sat down in one of the chairs and then looked expectedly towards Natalia.

"So, you killed Weber," Natalia said. "I know I already thanked you, but I wanted to talk more about what that means for the future."

"Technically, Ada killed him, but yes it was my idea," Karolina said, still a little uncomfortable discussing the topic.

"Oh come on, you didn’t just have the idea. I've only known you guys for a few days, and I already know that Ada does what you tell her to do," Natalia said.

That rang uncomfortably close to home. She might need to talk to Ada, make sure she was happy with the way things were.

"Yes, I killed Weber," Karolina said. Saying it directly felt strange.

“Now that he’s dead, I don’t really know what to do. Seeing him locked up or dead for what he did was my goal, and I don't really know what my future looks like now," Natalia said.

“You could stay here, in this camp. I’m sure that they’ll need a lot of help now that Weber is gone,” Karolina said.

“Are you kidding? Stay here, in the camp where I was imprisoned?” Natalia asked.

Karolina winced. “Yeah, I didn’t really think that through.”

“Just like you didn’t really think through why I wanted an attacking skill? I still can’t believe you tried to prevent me from using that skill crystal,” Natalia said. She seemed more resigned than angry.

“I wasn’t trying to prevent you… no, you’re right. That’s how I came across, and I’m sorry. I totally support you doing whatever you want to do, and I’m sorry for getting in your way,” Karolina said.

“Thank you for the apology. It’s a moot point now, anyway, as I’ve already used it,” Natalia said. Despite her words, she seemed to appreciate the apology. Karolina had meant to apologize earlier, but everything going on had distracted her.

“So, you wanted to talk about the future?” Karolina prompted after Natalia didn’t say anything else.

“Yes, I did. I don’t want to stay in this camp, even if Weber is dead now. I don't really know anyone here anymore. Weber killed the few friends I made, and being locked in a cabin isn't exactly conducive to meeting more people. I guess what I'm saying is, I'd like to keep working with you guys, if that's all right," Natalia said.

Karolina stared at Natalia. She had hoped that the other woman would continue with Karolina’s group after they had dealt with Weber, but she had never said anything about it. Her instinctive response was to agree, but she wanted to know a little more about what prompted Natalia’s decision.

“Of course you can join my team, but why do you want to? I’m sure anyone from my camp would be happy to have you. Is it just because I killed Weber?” Karolina asked.

“It’s not just that. I want to join your team because I think you genuinely want to help people, and I do too. You, more than anyone else, pushed for Weber to be dealt with. When Aaron was happy to let it be someone else’s problem, you told him that you were going to deal with him. Yes, you can be inconsiderate and selfish sometimes, but I know that your heart is in the right place,” Natalia said.

“Thank you… I think,” Karolina said.

“You’re welcome,” Natalia laughed.

“Inconsiderate and selfish, huh?” Karolina asked.

“Sometimes. If I’m joining your team, I’m going to be honest with you, especially when you’re wrong about something. I’m going to speak up if you’re being stupid, you’ll just have to deal with that,” Natalia said.

“That’s fine. I could use some more of that,” Karolina said. “So, welcome to the team. I’m glad to have you, and I’m sure the others will feel the same. Let’s get out of here and find them.”

Natalia nodded, and they left the small cabin behind. Now that Natalia had officially joined the team, she should probably let the rest of the team know. As if just thinking about her was enough to summon her, Ada walked out from behind a building. She'd returned from escorting Jasmine back to camp. Thomas was also around, standing awkwardly to the side of the dissipating crowd.

She walked towards her friends, excited to share the good news. They'd both already worked well with Natalia, so she didn't see any problems arising. Now that she finally had a full team she could trust, there was one thing she really wanted to do: reach level 25, and finally evolve her class.