Ok… well some of the Energy skills have leveled like mad. I’ve been neglecting ‘Imbue Energy’ and that’s probably pretty dumb considering it bolsters my meagre combat ability. I mean, I took on a bunch of rats, so I’m no slouch… but they also almost killed me, and they were rats. Giant rats, but rats nonetheless. And I only really survived because Combat Proficiency saved my ass.

Against rats.

Maybe I should go piss off Lauren. If she didn’t kill me, that would be some very high risk combat experience. I bet I’d improve by leaps and bounds all at once, especially if I could avoid using Combat Proficiency and give it a chance to get better. She wouldn’t kill me, right? Not enough humans left and all that?

Nah, she’d fucking do it. I think everyone avoids her for a reason. Speaking of, she must have left at some point…

Whatever.

Also that whopping ‘-90’ for Power. ‘Deferred payment’ is ass. That’s so many dead monsters…

I pull out my bound stick and examine it. There are lots of uses of the word ‘bond’ in regard to Energy, almost as though its whole purpose was forming connections. Connections within the self, connections with non-living things, connections with others… The ties that bind us.

My original training with ‘Imbue Energy’ was entirely with this stick (well, and absorbing Power from that rock, but that seems to be a one off) so it stands to reason that the way forward lies with the stick.

Such an exploration into the nature of my bond with a literal fucking stick is not to be, however, as people start to notice that Rav and I are done with our ‘heart to heart’ and the first of many comes over and strikes up conversation.

Fortunately or not, Rav was the only one so injured that the game’s mechanics for health regeneration hadn’t fixed them. People came up to me to introduce themselves, ask about my ‘magic’ and if it was ‘similar to Rav’s’ and functionally do the same as talking about the weather. While normally it would have been a welcome thing to have everyone doing the hard work of starting conversation, I’m far too exhausted to be of much assistance. Being tired has a way of expressing itself very acutely to those that exacerbate it, and nobody seemed miffed at my short responses, tending to politely excuse themselves after a few minutes. In fact, they were mostly polite and positive when talking about me or the group, and it was somewhat cheering to have people care about me and what I did for Rav. ‘Care’ in the loose sense, anyway.

I’m convinced it’s to curry goodwill with me so if they ever end up needing my ‘services’ that I’ll help them. Honestly, I’d help them even if I hated them. They’re human, and we’re on the same team… I think. I couldn’t exactly let people die either, that’s bad for business. Besides, keeping the people around me -who are much better fighters than I- in good shape means I’m less likely to die in a surprise attack. At least until I can fight properly as well. I almost wish I’d taken a combat class.

Lauren, unsurprisingly, was not one of those that came up to me. Still missing, in fact. Not Dean, and neither was Nate, though that last one was less surprising. He did spare me a few glances and smiles when he noticed me interacting with the group. I think he wants me to stay… and I’m still undecided.

I did learn a few things about the group, though:

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* There are about 10 total members, including people that were out ‘hunting’ when I arrived.

* Everyone has some kind of combat or support ability as part of their chosen ‘class’.

* People are dabbling in crafting related skills, but they aren’t a focus and don’t level very quickly. Highly experimental.

* This group entirely depends on Nate to survive, because dear *fuck* this is the furthest thing from a cohesive team I’ve ever seen.

* That ‘respect’ for his ‘leadership’ stems almost entirely from that weird phenomenon I experienced when he gave me an order. He gives an order, it’s easier for you to execute it. He’s a really strong support.

It’s amazing any of these people survived. Pure luck, as they described it. Ok, they didn’t use those exact words, but somewhere between heroic descriptions of people fighting tooth and nail against a superior foe, tales of personal bravery and other such braggadocio, I realized all of them would have died without Nate and his buff. Even Nate, honestly, because he isn’t much of a fighter himself. He doesn’t need to be, on account of how much everyone here seems to value him. Apparently he’s the only one Lauren gets along with at all. The group is scared of her, in general. Haven’t heard Nate, Dean, or Rav speak on the matter, but she seems to be the best, and most bloodthirsty fighter anyone has seen. The main takeaway was ‘don’t get on her bad side’, which… I’m unsure about; I’m either already on it or her bad side is *really* bad.

Also, people talk about her a lot. Very little of it good.

The end of the world certainly didn’t put a damper on gossip.

People also had a few of guarded comments to say about Rav, but I figure that most of them only knew him once he was… hurt. I can’t imagine he gave off much of a good impression when the wound was fresh. They’ll start appreciating him a lot now, considering there’s only one other ranged combatant in the group: an archer.

As if sensing the moment I’ve gathered my thoughts, Dean comes over to say ‘hi’.

It’s just odd that his face is so… unhappy.

Uh oh.

I raise my hand in greeting from the rock I’m sitting on. “Hey Dean. Need any healing?” I chuckle lightly, trying to gauge his mood.

“I’m fine.” he states, a little harder than he needs to. Another rock sits a few feet from me that the others who came to speak had all made use of.

Dean remains standing.

“So you’re a real big-shot now aren’t you.” It was worded as a question but came out as more of a judgemental statement. He’s mad. What the fuck, why?

“Hardly. I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to pay my keep. Now…” I trail off as his frown deepens. “Is something wrong, Dean?”

He looks agitated, not really looking directly at me. When he does meet my eyes, he quickly looks away.

“No, I’m happy for you.” He is not.

I let my face crease into a worried expression. “Would you like to sit? I was just gathering my thoughts, we don’t have to talk.” I continue to meet his averted gaze.

He shakes himself suddenly, looks at me, shakes his head, and walks away without a word. With his back turned, my eyes fall on the massive sword hanging on his back. Easily as tall as he is, and he’s not below 6’.

My mind flies through a few possibilities for why he would be upset with me, but nothing really makes sense. I expected this kind of treatment if I totally failed Rav and left him crushed and without hope… but I helped… so why?

Ugh. I feel like I need a nap and it’s feels like the day has barely started. I’m exhausted, I’ve been going nonstop all day, and it’s not like I slept well on the cold floor of a cave. I wish I knew whatever trick my teacher had used to make me feel better during our lesson. Maybe then I could figure out the answers to the impressive number of questions swirling in my head. So many things I want to learn about and pursue, from alchemy, magic, and Energy to fighting, working with this group, and figuring out whatever bullshit attitude seems to be infecting people.

I… think I’ll go talk to Nate and see about taking someone along as a helping hand for taking down some monsters. Maybe beating the shit out of something will clear my head…

Or maybe I’ll die.

Either way, problem solved.