Chapter Nineteen - Scavenger Hunt

The trio spoke for hours in the darkness, their only company was the three counselors assigned for the night shift. They gave the group strange looks but left them alone. Jaricko couldn’t help but keep them in the corner of his vision, not trusting them with the guns.

Maybe it was cynical, but Jaricko thought it would be too easy for one of them to claim they saw a spider in his direction and start shooting. Jaricko might have a rank 3 in his Body attribute, but he doubted that was enough to dodge a speeding bullet.

The trio soon decided to retire for the night, promising to wake up in the morning to start their search for any fae in the camp.

Jaricko opened the door to the cabin and peeked inside. Blake and Tatum were fast asleep in their beds. Briar had also claimed the bed in the far corner, the gun was resting by the head of the frame. Jaricko had a sudden urge to snatch it but restrained the intrusive thought. The trio wished each other a brief goodnight and retreated to their respective beds.

The teenager lay awake, lost in the labyrinth of his mind. He had barely thought about it, but he had come close to death numerous times in a single day. A single well-placed strike from one of the arachnids would have been the end of him.

The more he thought about it, the [Pocket Watch] fae didn’t seem to be best used during battle. It had abilities better suited to testing other actions, such as using it to trick out different answers from people.

Jaricko hadn’t even thought about using the time-manipulating fae to influence others. He wasn’t a socially savvy person to begin with, and his mind didn’t work in that way. He’d rather know how people ticked so he could avoid them rather than bend them to his will.

He felt uneasy with this line of thought. Manipulating time would leave him the sole carrier of a certain timeline’s memories.

If he used the fae to trick someone into revealing something they didn’t want to, he would be holding onto a secret that he shouldn’t know. He would become a manipulator, a liar, and a thief of secrets. He had always prided himself on his ability to adapt to sudden changes, but the absolute power of the fae left him hesitant. He was glad that he had the power and not someone else. The abuse that could be inflicted on others with its ability was too heinous to consider.

As Jaricko drifted off to sleep, he decided he would use the fae only for what he considered its intended purpose - to save his life and the lives of others, while also striking down the monsters that threatened them. The fae were powerful tools, but they came with great responsibility. He couldn't let the temptation of their power consume him.

Except for making things explode. That’s too cool to ever limit myself with.

A dark part of Jaricko wondered how long he would hold himself to this moral standard. Only until it wasn’t as convenient? The teenager shivered under the covers of his bed. He believed he could hold himself to his own rules, but this was a lawless land. As Jack had said in what felt so long ago but had only been early this morning, “It is eat or be eaten.”

Jaricko wasn’t about to let anything get in his way, even himself.

The teenager also designated it as a priority to find a fae or item that could negate the effects of another fae for himself. He didn’t want someone to find an ability to manipulate the thoughts of others or another devilish fae. He didn’t think he would be able to control himself if he discovered someone was bending him to their will. He was his own person, not someone else's.

Stolen story; please report.

The next morning, Jaricko woke up early, ready to start his self-imposed scavenger hunt of any dormant fae around the camp. He had a long day ahead, and he needed to find as many fae as possible before someone without the System unlocked wasted what could be a game-changing power. Jaricko knew that the camp was limited in scope, but the fae could be anywhere.

The young man glanced at the other occupants in the cabin, all of them were still deep in slumber. Jaricko frowned and noticed that the sun had barely started to rise on the horizon. The mountains were doing a stellar job of blocking most of the light from entering the hidden valley where the camp resided.

Why don’t I feel tired? I’m usually extremely lethargic in the morning.

Jaricko frowned and contemplated for a moment. A sudden realization struck him as he remembered that he had increased his Fortitude attributed yesterday. The attribute must also affect how long he needed to sleep or recuperate. He felt a strong urge to dump his essence into the attribute.

It had been a childhood dream to no longer have to sleep. He had believed that without the need to sleep, he could focus on school during the day in order to play games and read at night. He’d never have to choose one or the other. The reality ended up being he chose both and decided to sacrifice his sleeping schedule. His eyes were constantly framed by dark bags.

But now, with the System, that childhood dream could become a reality. Jaricko made a mental note to increase his Fortitude attribute as soon as possible, so he could spend more time grinding essence and less time sleeping.

Of course, Jaricko wanted to increase all of his attributes. Each time he made a mental note to increase one attribute, it was quickly replaced by the desire to rank up another. At the rate he was going, he would be increasing each attribute at an even pace.

Is that a bad thing? I can’t skew myself in one direction.

He let out a small sigh. He’d need a journal at the rate he was making notes. Too bad the only thing in his duffel bag and backpack were clothes, snacks, and essentials. He was too used to taking notes on his phone, but with the device unavailable he was out of luck.

He quietly got out of bed and made his way to the door, careful not to wake the others. Both Jack nor Timothy hadn’t increased their Fortitude, and Jaricko didn’t want them to be at less than their best. An extra hour of sleeping wouldn’t hurt them.

He put on his hiking boots and donned the same sweatshirt he had been wearing for two days. There were already gashes and tears across the thick fabric and he was hesitant to put his other attire through the same treatment.

The morning air was cool and refreshing, and Jaricko took a deep breath, feeling energized. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. The camp was hidden in a valley, surrounded by mountains and dense forests. The faint sound of chirping birds echoed across the camp, lifting Jaricko’s mood.

He was glad not everything had turned into a giant version of itself. Spider’s just had to be the worst possible monster to be enlarged, but he was also terrified of a giant eagle swooping down and snatching him up. Even though he had yet to see any other monsters besides the arachnids, the possibility of such a scenario never fully left his mind.

Jaricko watched the three counselors in the middle of the camp, tending to a flickering fire. They seemed surprised to see him up so early, and Jaricko offered a half wave in greeting. None of them returned it, instead contented themselves to remain basking in the warmth of the fire.

The young man didn’t show his annoyance on his face.

He had desperately wanted to start the search for the fae in the camp with the totem pole. It had a high chance of manifesting a fae once activated, and he was honestly shocked it hadn’t already disappeared.

With the center of the camp under the watchful eye of the counselors, Jaricko decided to start by exploring the surroundings of the camp itself. Maybe there were some dormant fae in the buildings or hidden in the ground. He walked around, trying to stay quiet and unnoticed.

Walking into the other cabins where the students were sleeping would obviously be met with retaliation. If someone that wasn’t sleeping in cabin four had walked in uninvited, then he would have been pissed. He considered that cabin his temporary home and would be cross if someone violated that space.

Jaricko was flummoxed. He had grown confident in having it easy finding more fae, since the [Pocket Watch] fae and the [Flickering Fire Combustion] fae had practically handed themselves to him.

He thought back to what he knew about fae not manifested as a loot drop. They had to have history, be centered on a concept, and might even be filled with latent emotion. The problem with that was the forest had overtaken what Jaricko had determined was a large portion of the camp.

Camp Grizzly had originally been more than just half a dozen cabins in a semi-circle. On the pictures online, they had boasted about an archery course, a kayaking experience, along with a tour through an ancient indigenous site. The last feature had been displayed very subtly but Jaricko had read between the lines.

It had been one of the reasons he had been mildly interested in the idea of the camp.

The old site would undoubtedly have history and would develop different fae, but the problem was it took a long hike to get there. It had been explained as an overnight trip around the surrounding mountains that showed some scenic spots, one of them being the indigenous site.

The paths to those different areas were blocked off by the forest which forced Jaricko to look closer in the immediate area.

There were only the outhouses, the showers, the dining hall, the residency cabins, the storage shed, and Clair’s private cabin.

Jaricko thought about how his combustion fae had come from a piece of machinery and his eyes drifted towards the kitchen. He had heard that the freezers weren’t working anymore, and it was a long shot, but it was worth a try.

The teenager entered the building with a mischievous grin on his face.

“Seems like I am sneaking into the kitchen anyways.”