/-/

The journey through the waypoint was strange as well. Jagged lines of silver carved through the infinite colors, like so many cracks, and every moment had her slam against something new, more and more until she felt as if she might go mad.

In the end, though, her cheek rested upon cold stone, and the rocky cavern of the Lifehome waypoint stood around her.

Footsteps pounded against the rock, then wonderful, welcome shouts. "Louise! You are all right!" Karah and Cray wrapped her up in a hug.

Louise sagged in relief. They were alright... "I am… you are… I was worried that…"

"So were we. When you disappeared into the mist, we feared the worst."

"What happened? What was that?"

“A Collapse.” Karah said. “We spent too long in the outside world and…” She mimed an explosion.

“Oh, I see. I…”

“Um, excuse me…” one of the other Finders, who gave Louise an awkward look. “We’re glad you’re okay, but you’re still in…” She motioned at the waypoint circle around them in reminder that they were still in the way.

Karah gave the other woman an annoyed look, but beckoned Louise and Cray over to one of the stone benches. “Good thing we already reported it,” she muttered, almost to herself.

Louise’s heart thundered in her chest. “Reported?”

“We’ve got to,” Cray said. “The Collapse might last another few hours, and that waypoint is useless until it’s finished. It’s why we mark the waypoint with the stones, so we know where not to go—if someone's already there, it's likely we'd cause a Collapse if we went after them.”

“Is that… are we in trouble?”

Cray sort of shrugged there. “We’ll have to talk to the town council, probably nothing too bad.”

“I see… So that’s a Collapse,” Louise said slowly. “But the purple mist? And the—"

"No one really understands Collapses. We just know the world starts to crack and break, the monsters go mad, and purple mist appears everywhere. Sometimes it’s three hours into a Find, sometimes a bit over two. It's why we leave before the two-hour mark, so we don’t risk one."

"But what causes it? I mean." There was a shrug from Cray, and Louise could only stare. "You’re saying nobody knows that, either?"

Cray grimaced. "Not for sure. The main theory is that… You know how the world shifts around us from day-to-day, right? Well, the theory goes that the world doesn't shift while we watch it, but only when we can't sense it. The purple mist makes it so we can’t sense anything, so it can get to work.”

That… that was honestly terrifying. “What do we do about it?”

At her words, Karah raised an eyebrow. "You mean other than getting back before two hours? We get back to the waypoint as fast as we can. Every minute, it gets more dangerous, and no one’s ever made it back after more than about twenty to thirty minutes."

"What happens then?"

A shrug. "Nobody knows."

The air was no cooler than usual, but Louise Sheppard shivered on the stone bench. As if this world wasn't enough of a death trap… “Why didn’t you mention the Collapse before?”

“We warned you about staying out there after two hours. The Collapse is why.” Karah cleared her throat, a troubled look upon her face. "What I want to know is what had you charge off in the middle of our Find."

/-/

Karah’s voice was mild, even concerned, but Louise flinched at it. Normal, Cray felt. However kindly, it was a reminder of how they got into that mess to begin with. "I can't really say… It just… called to me."

Karah shared a look with him. "Called to you? What do you mean? Did it speak to you? Was there some kind of mental control going on?"

“I… Don't know… Just… I really wanted it.”

Louise was on the verge of breaking down in tears. Time to step in. “What Karah is trying to say is that, whatever that red light was, it completely entranced you. Even before the Collapse, we were in a tough spot.”

“I know… just… until Karah grabbed me, it was like I was in my own little world.” She wound her fingers through her hair and bit her lip. "I was going through the loot at the car dealership when I saw this massive pillar of red light sky, and knew I had to follow it. It led me to that crystal."

"You picked it up, right?" After another nod, Karah took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Pull it out and let us take a look at."

Louise set it upon the bench beside them. It was the same size and shape as before, with a red glow about as powerful as a light bulb. Louise sat there beside it, awkward in demeanor, but with none of the near-madness that had driven her before.

Cray looked it over again, careful not to touch, but so far, it seemed innocent enough. "What is it?"

Louise summoned it back to her inventory briefly to check, then… "It's a Hero Crystal."

Wait a moment… "A Hero Crystal… Like your class? That is… That is strange." And she said it called her?

“Was it a passive?” Karah said what he was thinking.

Louise blinked. “What’s a passive?”

“What’s a-” Karah rubbed her forehead and shot Cray a glare, one he definitely deserved right now. “Look, Cray told you how to look up your abilities, right? Did he have you check all the categories, or just the ‘on-use’ ones?” When Louise kept looking confused, Karah sighed. “Go back to your abilities, but look at the top. There should be a tab marked ‘passive’…”

A long pause, then… “Hero’s Journey: You must obtain four Crystals of Power and become a true hero.”

“Thank you.” Karah let out a long breath, but not before gave Cray another glare. “So that’s why you did it, wonderful. I guess we will need to meet with the town council for another reason.”

It was the wrong thing to say.

Louise cleared her throat. “Can I… meet you guys back at the house? I need some time to think.” While the words were soft, the look of defeat on the young girl’s face couldn’t be missed.

Of course, they’d just spent the past couple minutes implying there was something wrong with her. But what could he say? There genuinely might be a problem, and it had to be dealt with. “That’s fine. We’ll see you soon.”

After Louise left to disappear back into Lifehome, Karah cleared her throat. “Definitely time to meet with the town council…”

"We’ll go tomorrow."

/-/

Louise knew she was being stupid this time, knew she should have waited to talk things over Karah and Cray after the debacle that was that Find. With how she'd nearly gotten them all killed, though… Time to think… She had plenty of that now, but her thoughts were jumbled.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It wasn't Karah and Cray's fault this time. She wanted to be angry over it, but like they said, they’d warned her not to be out past two hours under any circumstances. No, they might not have mentioned the exact details, but it wasn’t like her mom explained exactly what would happen if she put her hand inside a pot of boiling water, just not to do it. No, it was her. Rather than slowing down and taking things as normal, she led them to near death, with the only reward being that crystal. Worse, her passive meant she would go haring off after other crystals, too.

She roamed the streets of Lifehome in silently, but not in silence. Conversation filled the rocky passages. The day’s Finds were over with for most people, so those around her clapped each other on the back and chatted of their successes, or at least commiserated over their failure with a friend. They passed her by, silent as any ghost.

There was a cheer. Outside the path, a group of about a dozen people sat around a boulder, a plate of plain rice half-eaten in front of each one.

One of them cleared her throat: a woman with the look of someone that could have been anywhere between forty and sixty, complete with crow’s feet and golden eyes that crinkled when she smiled. "So, how did everyone’s Finds go today?" Cheers, goods and pretty wells made their reply. “Great! Now, let Welcoming Group Edina be called to order.” She wrote something in a small notebook.

Louise had been about to leave when the phrase ‘welcoming group’ drew her attention.

With the sort of fond look upon her face that Louise recognized on teachers who enjoyed their job, the woman—Edina, perhaps—turned to one of the students. "Let's start with you, Edmin."

Edmin, a skinny, middle-aged man who’d lost most of his hair, cleared his throat. "Yes, Lady Edina. I filled about half of my inventory today and was careful to both avoid a dangerous foe and stay near the waypoint. At no point did I drop below 60% of my health, and I was back to Lifehome before the hour and a half mark.

Edina led all the members of the welcoming group in applause. "Excellent. You're making excellent progress already. Keep it up!" She brushed a single hair out of her eyes and back into amongst the rest of the smith red locks, then turned to another student; this one was about Louise's mom's age, with a gleaming spear sheathed upon her back. "How about you, Carolyne?"

Carolyne grinned, puffed out her chest, and said with the sort of loudness of someone who shouted a lot. "Today…" she said with an air of drama, "I defeated a new foe, one I never dared challenge before."

“That's excellent to hear! Good job!” After more applause. "How was your health after the fight, though?"

At that, Carolyne’s smile twinged just a bit. "I did drop some, I admit. The Trampler got me down to about 55%. Still, maybe next time, I can handle the Trampler and stay at high health."

"Hmm, were you at full health when you started the fight?" A nod from Carolyne had her tangled brown locks flying everywhere, and Edina frowned. “So the creature dropped you by 45% by itself… To defeat one is a wonderful accomplishment, but remember, the most important thing is…”

“Nothing outside is worth risking your life,” chorused all the students.

"Exactly. If a second Trampler joined the fray or some other enemies, where would you have been? So don't go looking for Tramplers. Stick to easier foes."

"All right," Carolyne smiled, although it looked a little forced.

Edina placed a kind hand on the other woman’s shoulder. "That said, while it’s not worth fighting one deliberately, it might help you if you were to plan what happens if one joins a fight against you. Now, based on your abilities…"

She explained how Carolyne had powerful spells, so with a simultaneous attack from her teammate, they could disrupt the Trampler’s Capture Spark ability. It was a good strategy discussion, and the students made valid points and suggestions, to boot.

So this was the welcoming group. With each student who had trouble, Edina went over their abilities to handle the same problem next time, but easier, quicker or safer. And when Edina explained how often increased attack power was often just as useful defensively as increased defense power, Louise found herself nodding along. Each enemy we kill means less to attack us that fight, which means less damage taken. Why didn’t we think of that?

Karah and Cray hadn't discussed this sort of thing with her. All they discussed was her overall role—while Cray could deal a lot of damage through continuous fire, Louise had a lot of ‘burst damage’ and could take out enemies fast, but would have to wait for her abilities to recharge. Or at least… that was the idea… But she definitely noticed how she was more fragile than either of them. Other than her Coldsnap, which could be done once per day, her only option was to run to them if under threat.

She observed the welcoming committee group as they continue their discussion. Where Karah and Cray focused on overall progress, the teacher here answered questions and handled problems that her students had now. Half of Louise wanted to go and ask her what Edina would recommend for her to handle a Trampler better. Maybe then, she wouldn't hamper Karah nor Cray as much. After all, they nearly died again earlier that day because of her.

Maybe she should join a Welcoming Group, after all.

She bit her lip. Originally, she’d considered that in the past because she was angry at them, but now… If she held them back…

She watched the welcoming group until, their day’s discussion complete, they each retired for the evening, with a promise to meet again next week.

From what she heard, the five newest members were still part of the small, primary Welcoming Group, all going out on fines together with Edina. The others had joined other teams independent of the Welcoming Group, ranging in size from as small as three members to as large as seven. The thought of such a large group befuddled Louise, as she couldn’t see how such a group would avoid running into just about every monster.

Still, if they could help her…

"Well, well, well, here to darken my door again?" It was Mr. Richardson, an apron over his slacks today. "Come inside. You'll scare all of the customers out here."

Louise opened her mouth to argue, then blinked. He was right. She'd been so focused about her thoughts that she hadn't noticed, but she’d paced all the way over to the front door of Quality Alchemical Options.

“Well? What are you waiting for?”

She could have said no, as it really was an accident, but didn't really have the energy to, so she followed inside after Mr. Richardson.

The moment the door clicked shut behind them, Mr. Richardson handed her a broom. "Last time, I just talked. But this time, I need to get my shop cleaned up, and you want to learn more, right? So sweep the floors while I get everything set up."

I don't have to do this. I nearly died today, and it’s certainly not my responsibility to clean his shop for him. Except that, fool that she was, she'd already started cleaning. Habit from the past. Obey what the teacher says. She could still say no, of course, but then… Aloud, she said, "So, what are you going to be teaching me today?"

"Only once you're done," he grumbled under his breath something about impatience. "I will show you the basics for how to craft a potion that will make your spells more potent, and then you will get the chance to do just that, if you can handle it.”

She glared at him, but paused. Snide as it was, it wasn’t an unreasonable request. "I will learn, though, right?"

He shrugged. "That depends on you and if you have the necessary qualities."

Insults, she knew those well. She glanced at the door, but if she left, the only place to go was home, back to Karah and Cray, back to the gnawing guilt. She wasn’t ready, and it would be nice to learn something useful. So she shrugged and continued to sweep.

The work was… well, boring. In the past, she’d have probably hidden her room as long as she could to avoid having to do it. One time, she'd laid behind the bed and read books for almost an hour until her parents gave the chore to her siblings instead. Now though, sweeping was something that did not involve her risk her life, and there was a reward for it too. Clean, quiet, even relaxing in its own way. She didn't even have to think if she didn’t want to. Her guilt and worry about the meeting with the council tomorrow could be left out on the street. Just keep working on getting all the dust and dirt off of the floor.

There was a loud cough, and Mr. Richardson gestured in a cauldron set up on the floor. "What are you waiting for? Time's a wasting."

She sat beside him, and observed as he got to work. He carefully handled each of the ingredients, turned on the burners, mixed, crushed, stirred, until finally, he ladled the result into several vials. The result was a liquid just a little thicker than water and a deep royal blue. It was like she watched a magic trick, and he capped the vials with a pop.

Then he turned to her. "All right, now you try."

She took a deep breath to steel herself, turned to the ingredients… her thoughts were as silent as the proverbial grave. Blank like an empty scroll. No less than six different ingredients, two burners, a knife, all lay before her, and she couldn’t remember half of them.

What did he start with again? She vaguely recalled him saying that the blue spines went in first, and reached for them to throw them into the cauldron.

“What are you doing?” At her blank look, he pointed at the knife. “Peel them first.”

She did so, but after she peeled and tossed them in, the second ingredient was wrong, then the third needed to be crushed…

The next 10 minutes were humiliation incarnate. Every movement she made, Mr. Richardson had to correct it. She wanted to hide beneath the desk by the halfway point, but he didn’t stop, and kept asking, “What’s next? What's next?”

By the end, her face was wet with tears, and her only reward was a thin, tepid liquid that was scarcely blue at all, just enough to fill a single vial. "I'm sorry… So sorry…" She babbled apologies while he ignored her, stoppered the vial and placed it in her hand.

Only then did he even turn to her. "Sorry? You wasted the vast majority of the ingredients, and what you crafted is scarcely better than flavored water. Your first time was a debacle. But you know what? So was everyone else's. The next time, you'll do a little better, and the time after that, until you stop failing. Everyone started as an idiot at one point. The difference is which ones give up and which keep going, too stubborn to quit until they make it."

His words… Nobody ever said that she was stubborn, that she was determined, or anything like that, but listening to him, she’d like to be like that. Her gaze fell upon the still-smoking cauldron. "Could we try again?"

“Start stocking the shelves, and I’ll get the ingredients ready for your next attempt.” Perhaps she imagined it, but she would swear one of his lips quirked upward. “Rest assured, I’ve got lots of work for you to do.”