The return to camp does little to better my mood. Even pushing myself during the run back barely puts a dent in my adrenaline or anxiety. Cerberus… I gave him my word, but it looks to me like he would rather play at being king than actually get out of here. Whether through bitterness at being deceived by the administrator, or distrust for me after the ‘compression’ he had to undergo, he doesn’t seem to be a strong team player. I might be partially at fault for that with my earlier antics in the rain. He saw it as reckless, but joined me anyway, and while I didn’t ignore him, I gave no indication that I was taking the experience seriously… because I wasn’t. I was having fun. I didn’t really want him to come with. Bringing someone along for something they’re not into will always result in problems… either ruining it for the people who want to be there, or letting themselves be left out. Whether it’s people or alien dogs, nobody wants their ego bruised.

But, instead of talking to me about it, he lashes out. I’m no stranger to being petty, but at least acknowledge that that’s what you’re doing. His air of righteousness has only grown, and while I agree with his dedication to freeing his people, I don’t like the side effects. I don’t like being called ‘human’, especially when I make the effort to use his name.

I close my eyes for a moment, annoyed. Kaythe and I increased our bond very quickly, granting both of us all sorts of buffs, but Cerberus… I wouldn’t be surprised if our bond had lost strength since we formed it. It started at a mere 5%, which I had originally ascribed to the huge power difference and Energy cost, but now I think it might be that he just hates me. I’m genuinely surprised the bond formed at all, if that’s the case.

Desperation, probably. He needs the bond to have any hope, and even that… I think he sees it as a pipe dream. Perhaps, in his eyes, cooperating is just giving him a little more time to think and prepare before returning to the void. Maybe he just wants to enjoy being alive for a bit, and doing anything other than fighting. As the first boss, I figure he probably only lives for an agonizing few minutes where he is brutally murdered… and maybe he doesn’t remember between sessions, I don’t know, but I think, given the nature of the administrator in charge, he probably remembers the pain.

Somehow, I have to convince him that we can actually do this. That it isn’t a loss cause, we’ll get to the end, break out of whatever trap they try to pull to get us sacrificed, and burn everything they’ve built. I’m hoping for the same thing, so… maybe. I wouldn’t want to imagine how hard this struggle would be if I knew it ended in failure. Even that sliver of a chance is enough to keep me going… at least for now.

I wave to the people training out front, but don’t see Lynn anywhere. Tom’s forge is empty… maybe he moved to the Artisan Center. I wouldn’t blame him. Continuing down the hall, I find one of the Bottled Light potions I’d been maintaining to be missing. Weird, maybe someone accidentally broke it?

As I pass by the passage to the underground pond, I hear splashing and laughing, causing me to stop. Who the fuck…

I descend into the small cavern to find the telltale glow of one of my potions as it bobs in the water, along with two people I don’t recognize; a male and female recruit playing in the water.

It doesn’t take but a moment for that realization to get even more awkward, as the small waves generated by their activities reveals the woman to be topless… at the very least.

I clear my throat, loudly. “Hey, you two.” They freeze, both with eyes wide, and the woman immediately moves to cover herself with her hands and kicks to the edge of the island in an attempt to obstruct any view. “Wh-Wh-” She starts to say something, probably asking what I’m doing here, but I cut her off. “First: you definitely have something better to do right now. Things aren’t safe or settled enough yet to be goofing off like this. Seriously. Second, that lake has a plant in the bottom that will drown you and suck out your blood while it does it. Definitely not the place for this kind of thing.”

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Even in the dim light, their embarrassment is clearly written on their faces. The man says nothing, but looks slightly ashamed, while the woman’s eyes radiate aggravation. I start to say something else, but think better of it. People can be idiots if they want, but I don’t want them dying because they were too stupid to ask if they should swim in the underground lake. Who the fuck does that? It’s creepy as hell.

My mood somehow worsened, I head towards Zathis’ chamber, with some forlorn hope that something there will cheer me. I hear voices long before I get to the door, courtesy of Perception; Lynn and Zathis discussing training regimens. Zathis looks up as I enter, stopping and smiling at me mid-sentence. Lynn, standing with about five of the new people, notices Zathis look up and also turns to me.

“Amadeus. Welcome back. Did your parlay go well?”

“Something like that. Cerberus should be by soon, do your best to ensure no one bothers him.”

“I shall.”

“Hey Zathis, how’s Chris doing?” I gesture at the panting form currently collapsed on the ground next to a rock that doesn’t look like it’s been moved since I left.

“Greetings, Amadeus. He has done well, though not yet succeeded. He managed to get the boulder to the incline once, but failed to get beyond that,”

I nod and walk over to him.

“Chris, it looks like you’re still trying, which is good, but your body isn’t strong enough to move this thing where you need it to be.”

“*huff* So, *huff* it’s pointless, right? I’m never going to get it.” He doesn’t look at me as he says it, instead inspecting his hands. They’re beaten and bloody, scratched away by uncountable attempts at moving the stubborn rock.

I grab his hand, and he winces at the unexpected contact with his raw flesh. In a matter of seconds, I release his hand, good as new.

“Do you think you can do that?”

He shakes his head, looking in disbelief at the perfect skin. “No…”

“Do you think you will?”

“No.” He says, far more sullenly.

“Beating that mindset is the first step. How can you be something great if you don’t believe you will be? Sure, you might end up accidentally achieving greatness, or attaching yourself to someone who does the work for you, but the truth is, only those who work for it achieve anything. Accidents aren’t achievements, and neither is blind luck. Work hard, and push with your mind, not just your body. Get up. Try again.”

I reach down and help him to his feet, before stepping back.

Chris looks at the boulder, concentrating, but then looks back at me, cowing slightly. “Why a-are you watching? N-nothing great is going to happen.”

“It’s always harder with an audience. I’m making it harder on you. Go.”

He looks slightly upset, but says nothing else. A snicker emanates from one of those standing nearby. “Was that a volunteer? I’m sure we can find more rocks, and more ramps.” Silence. “Fine. If you can’t do the impossible, don’t get in the way while others make it happen.”

Chris realizes I’m still staring at him and snaps out of whatever daydream he was in. He struggles against the rock, sweat quickly accumulating on his forehead, but he doesn’t stop. Minutes drag by, Lynn returns to her conversation with Zathis, and, other than the occasional glance and smirk, the others ignore him.

Unfortunately, he’s still trying to overpower the rock, but constant failure will weaken your perception of yourself, which is a surprisingly good time to make things better. If you imagine a person a lot like a building, you’d find it difficult to add to the structure of something already completed. A small house can’t be increased into a mansion very easily, nor can you add extra floors to supports that are designed to hold only two. Breaking things down, collapsing the building, you have space to try again. Sure, maybe you lose too much when things collapse, and you can’t find it in you to pick up the pieces, and then you slowly let yourself go. If someone doesn’t help, you’re finished, one way or another. But, if you succeed…

The sky is the limit.

I hope Chris can figure it out, and that he finds the confidence to work through it. I have no idea if someone can actually acquire Energy when they don’t already have it, but if there’s any way to do it, it’s through becoming the kind of person that can wield their will as a weapon.