Cray breathed a sigh of relief when the portal’s twisting reality came to an end.

A moment later, Karah put a hand on Louise’s shoulder and turned her to face her. "Alright, what happened?" At the confused look on the other girl’s face, she said, “With the Hive Swarmers. You took a lot of hits against them.”

Louise scowled back. "I killed them, didn't I?"

"Yes, and what's your health at, 30%? 20%? Less?" When Louise didn't answer, Karah shook her head. “This isn't a matter of destroying monsters. There will always be more monsters. There won’t be more of you!”

They weren’t alone by the waypoint, but all other conversations came to a grinding halt at the sight of an argument within their group. It wasn’t like it was the first time anyone argued with their group, but it was typical to keep it behind closed doors. To see a public dressing down was strange to behold.

But Louise didn’t care, and raised her voice in retort, “And what happened near the end? That giant centaur monster. I’ve never seen you look so scared.” She glared at the other girl. “Was he that creepy, or was there something else?”

"The Shadow Reaper? That's a world boss. Of course I was terrified."

Louise scoffed. “Oh, a world boss. What does that mean? It attacks once and destroys the world?”

“Might as well.” At Louise's confused face, Cray explained, "We can handle most of the enemies in the overgrown complex and surrounding areas. Even Tramplers might be a pain in the backside. However, we can handle them if we have to. We avoid the powerful ones to avoid unnecessary damage and find more loot… but there are some we cannot handle, at least not yet. The Mana Devourer was too much for us to take, so we had to run for the waypoint. Perhaps someday we might handle one, but not now." Cray's expression hardened. "However, world bosses are not like that. Even a group of people with the highest skills, levels, and gear would have an incredible time trying to defeat just one. And if you don't have that, you die. And I don't mean that we lose the fight—I mean that one attack kills you."

“Just absolutely wonderful. What else is next, gear that explodes when you put it in your inventory?”

Karah explained what world bosses they could find in the Overgrown Complex, to little avail. The whole time, Louise was as sarcastic as humanly possible, mocking the idea that such a powerful boss existed, and implying that Karah was just scared.

Cray could only sigh. Louise might act the idiot, but she wasn’t one. She wanted to deflect and avoid the conversation that they needed to have. But then, he and Karah were letting her do it. Cray couldn’t bring himself to actually force Louise into that conversation, and perhaps it was best not to. For the first time, he wondered if maybe they should have put her with the Welcoming Group—they’d screwed up, and he didn’t know how to make it better. So, for the moment, he stayed silent. The situation was a powder-keg, and if he and Karah pushed, they could lose her, both the girl’s life and friendship.

Once they finished the concept of world losses, Karah and Cray turned to head back to their home.

But Louise stayed behind.

No, he corrected himself, Louise marched in the opposite direction. Each step chilled Cray’s skin more than the last, and he wanted to go after her, to pull her back before he did something stupid. Yet… “Should we go after her?"

Karah wanted to say yes, he could tell, but she shook her head. "If we do, she will only resent us more. We need to give her space."

Louise disappeared around the corner—not for the last time, he hoped.

/-/

The caverns of Lifehome spiraled around Louise like a roller coaster ride, one where every moment, some new twist or turn tried to throw her off and into a wall. Most of the people in the town were out and about, some to trade, others to do side-jobs like Cray. Most talked, but she wandered past them like a ghost. They had reasons, purpose, while she was on her lonesome. Jealous… she was so jealous.

What was she supposed to do? She nearly got her, Karah and Cray killed out on that Find. If it weren’t for Karah’s tackle before she could shoot the Shadow Reaper, there wouldn’t be so much as atoms left of them. She was just so angry… Part of her wanted to just leave, leave this town, and never return. Another part wanted nothing more than to leave their group, join the Welcoming Group, and pretend she'd never met them. But would they have told her the truth any more than Karah and Cray did? Somehow, she doubted it. That's when she started thinking about how they nearly died to rescue her, while at the same time she wanted to punish them for what they’d done to her.

Confused. That’s what she was. She didn't have an answer. She needed to confront them, talk to them, fight with them, but it was all she could do not to scream. Emotions roiled like bombs within her, and at any moment she might explode. It was the coward’s route, but right then, she needed space, time.

Crash!

Louise whirled around, ready to Arcane Blast whatever monster-

"Stupid… little… thing!" It was a fallen ladder. Beside it, a crotchety old man stood outside a building that had the look of a pharmacy or apothecary, albeit with a loosely hanging sign that read ‘Quality Alchemical Options’. Dressed in a long overcoat with buttons of brass, he pushed up his wide-brimmed hat and set a ladder against the side of the building, all in an attempt to fix the sign. A creak and a wobbled signaled that it wouldn’t be the sturdiest of platforms to work on, and that was if it didn’t topple over again.

But that wasn’t any man. That was her middle school chemistry teacher, Mr. Richmond. She’d recognize that angry, mocking face anywhere.

What should she do? Should she talk to him? Walk past? She stood frozen, long enough that he turned her with a glower. "If you're going to stand around there, then come over and help!"

Louise didn’t really want to, but reflexes ingrained from middle school had her rush over before she could stop herself. Since she was already there and couldn’t walk away without seeming an idiot, she said, polite as she could. “How can I help?”

Mr. Richmond rolled his eyes and gestured toward the ladder beside him. “Hold it up, genius.”

She did so, and he grew more annoyed, if anything, probably from a desire to get rid of her rather than anything else. Now it was his turn to be unable to say anything without seeming an idiot, so he clambered up the ladder, adjusted the sign so it no longer tilted, then clambered back down. Then, dragging the big metal ladder behind him, he stomped back inside and, once again, she stood alone.

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Louise could have left right now, but then she’d have to figure out what to do next, something she wasn’t ready to even begin to answer. So instead, she followed him inside.

The first thing she noticed was the smell. Countless herbs, each with their own aroma, twisted together into a sickly reek. Not just herbs, either. The smell of blood, worked leather, uncooked, and other components all filled the shop, each of which came from jars and vials set upon plain metal shelves. The air chilled her skin, and goosebumps would soon form, the only warmth that of a lit fireplace conveniently set behind the store counter, while the rest was allowed to freeze. On top of that counter, dozens of beakers rested, each organized to a pencil-thin line, labeled, and filled with liquids of every color she could think of.

With no other choice but to freeze by inches, she trotted up to the counter. “So what does your alchemy do?”

Mr. Richmond drew back, appalled. “What does-? What do you think I do? I craft potions, elixirs, and other items to use in Finds.” When she still looked confused, he sighed, then spoke extra slowly, “Potions make Finders stronger, faster, harder to kill. Kill monsters better so don’t die.” He put on a set of gloves with a rubbery squeak, pointed at the cauldron, then pulled a bag marked ‘Astra’s Breath’ from the shelf and shook it. “I put ingredients inside, brew them together, and out comes a pretty potion. Do. You. Understand?”

Louise glared back. With every word, he made her feel more and more the idiot. Just like he did at school; or rather, the Mr. Richmond she remembered, probably why she always hated chemistry. But she wasn’t in fifth grade anymore and she didn’t have to listen to him… except that, as much a jerk as he was, it was still better than her own thoughts.

"What are you waiting for?" At her confused look, he pointed at the pile of ingredients he’d set next to the cauldron. "I didn't get this ready to waste my time. You want to know how it works. Get over here and watch."

With each ingredient, he explained how much they needed and why. Some components were familiar, like the Astra’s Breath and Guardian Scales, while others she hadn’t seen yet, such as a couple of berries with black and green stripes. After he added a few ingredients, he started stirring to mix them all together. It reminded her of chemistry back in school, and she was careful to pay attention, as she knew well how he’d blow up if she didn’t. As long as she listened and didn’t ask what he considered stupid questions, though, he would get too engrossed in the sound of his own voice to get aggravated at her.

"… And with the last ingredient," Mr. Richmond pointed to a set of Guardian Scales, identical to the ones that had just dissolved within the mixture, "You choose what empowerment to give the drinker. The recipe itself looks complicated, but it all boils down to that last ingredient. There are six major recipes, but everything else about them is identical, down to how it's made."

"That seems pretty easy to do…" Louise said slowly. "Why don't–?"

“Why don't most people make it themselves?” At her nod, he sneered, “Because they didn’t develop the skill. Anyone can probably brew this concoction at its basest level, but the better the crafter, the better the result. If you drank the one I made, it would be like an extra piece of quality gear. If you drank one you made, it would be scarce better than so much water.”

“An extra piece of gear? That's an enormous increase,” she said. "Why doesn't–?"

"Why doesn't everyone use them? Didn't you hear me? It takes crafting materials, the same as you use to craft gear. Yes, anyone could purchase it, but they would also have to use up those hard-earned crafting materials. And when it's a choice between one of my concoctions and saving up for a gun with a bigger boom, most idiots will choose the weapon."

"Oh, I see." Louise supposed that made sense. Even a little of Astra’s Breath each day would add up to a lot over time. She glanced at the clock and blinked. When she’d been back in school, she would count down the minutes until she could get out of class, but now it had been two, no, three full hours since she arrived, and she hadn’t noticed. The way he explained it all enthralled, even when he carefully measured out each and every ingredient. Mr. Richmond might have been a nightmare during algebra classes, but this was a different world, and he was a familiar presence within it.

Mr. Richmond cleared his throat. "Now, do you have any further questions? Because if not, I have supper to eat."

Do you remember me from Middle School Chemistry class? Louise took a deep breath, squared her jaw, and... “Not right now, sir.”

"Good. If you come up with some useful ones, ask then."

The door clicked shut behind her and Louise bowed her head. She couldn't do it. She couldn't bear to find out that he didn't know her in his world, or, worse, that his world was as different from hers as Karah and Cray’s were… that her world was no more real than theirs were.

At least she’d had time to calm down… which meant it was time to face the music.

/-/

Rian was about to go out in search of Louise when the door front door creaked open and her small frame trod inside.

However, the visible anger on her face quashed any relief. She might be younger, with softer features, and often followed him around like a child, but although it had been less than a week since she arrived in their world, her expression was already worn, with hard edges underneath. She’d fought to survive, and hardened herself to do so. Right now, she faced them, silent and jaw set, ready for a fight.

Cray got up to let her take a seat if she wanted, but she ignored it in favor of glares. Pins and needles pricked at his skin, but the silence settled thickly upon his tongue.

Karah folded her arms over her chest. “Welcome back… Feel better after your trek across town?”

“No, I don't.” Louise turned her glare upon the other girl before closing her eyes. "However… I can’t just run away, either. Without Finding, I won't survive long. So I need to stay and fight."

“Hmm.”

Rian looked from one of them to the other. Karah might have her normal stern face, albeit with a tinge of worry in her eyes, but Louise - Louise was tired, not physically tired, but tired of life, tired of pain. The determination that normally burned within her was but a few coals about to burn out; she needed his help. He cleared his throat. "The town provided us bread tonight, and we kept some leftovers for you. Couple minutes to toast is all."

A rumble of her stomach and her expression softened a little. “Thanks…” She took a deep breath. “But let's make one thing clear. I might fight at your side, but this thing where you keep secrets to protect me, to help me…” She did a slashing motion across her throat. “No more. If Karah hadn’t tackled me to the ground today, we would have died because I didn’t know about World Bosses. That can’t happen again. I want to know what we’re after, why we’re after it, and what dangers we face. If you can’t trust me with that, then you can’t trust me to guard your back.”

Each word was a barbed arrow that dripped with venom, a venom called guilt. It sunk deep into Cray’s bones, and threatened to suck the breath from his lungs. They hadn’t mentioned the World Boss to Louise before, not out of malice, but so she could get used to the world and she wouldn’t look as broken and tired as she did now… but the end result was the same, with more pain between them. He didn’t have to look at Karah to know the same thoughts ran through her mind as well.

Finally, Karah closed her eyes. “That’s… that’s fine. Is there anything else you want?”

“Is there anything else I want…” Louise tasted the words as if they were strange upon her tongue. “Truth is, I don't know what I want. I can’t get home, but I at least want to stay alive while I figure out just what it is I want.” A pause. “I want to help, you know. I might be - am - furious, but if it weren't for you, I might have died before I even saw Lifehome. Even now, I could die any time without you watching my back.” Another pause. “Not to say we’re…”

“I understand,” Cray said, and relief crested over him in a warm wave. They weren’t all good now, of course, nor would they be anytime soon, but they might be good one day. Until then, they would work together to make it through. “No more secrets.”

Louise let out a breath and the furious glare she’d worn until that moment lessened.

Karah cleared her throat. "Now, we want to make sure that you stay alive, and I for one have no wish to die pointlessly." She gave Louise a look, to which the other girl nodded. "Now, let's get to bed. We’ve got a Find tomorrow, after all.”

A nod from Louise. “I’m going to have a lot of questions waiting for you in the morning.”

Cray looked forward to it.