Joe woke early to a rainy day. Ohio wasn't a desert, so that was perfectly normal, but it had been sunny every day since the System was forced into their lives. Joe drank some of the remaining clean water and thought about his day. His ribs felt much better. They weren't perfectly healed, but the blood mana seemed to have helped. That was great news, as Joe was sure that the group wouldn't let him into a rift if he couldn't lift his weapon without grimacing.

The rain fell softly and steadily outside the slightly foggy windows. It was a good soaking rain, as Joe's grandpa would have said. He braved the outside briefly and set the various buckets upright to catch the clean water. The rain was cool but pleasant after a few days of stewing in his own juices. Joe sat out in the rain and rubbed his hands through his hair and over his arms. It wasn't a hot shower, but it beat creek bathing. The smell was undoubtedly better, with clean, cool water cascading over him.

Wet clothes were another minor obstacle once Joe went inside. They had scavenged a few towels over the last week, and Joe grabbed one before going to the garage to dry off. It was an awkward affair, but he was relatively clean and dry almost an hour later with only moderately wet clothes. That was the best he would get today. The increased sounds coming from the kitchen meant most people were awake now. It was later than usual, but grey rainy days were made for sleeping in. The steady drum on the shingles provided an almost hypnotic white noise in the otherwise quiet world.

Everyone looked good. They were still dirty underfed hobo people, but the food from the day before had filled in some cheeks and put color back on them as well. Despite the rain, the group had some energy, and Joe sat down to listen to people talk. None of it was important, but it was so refreshingly slice of life that he just sat and enjoyed himself. Only coffee could have made the moment better. Eventually, almost everyone agreed that Joe's impromptu cold shower was a great idea and went outside to clean off. The kids loved it, of course, dancing and splashing each other. Eventually, everyone came in and went to their respective rooms to dry off, with the men relegated to the garage.

Joe sat and tried to meditate on the state of his body while the others dried off. His ribs were still tender, but everything felt like it had lined up correctly. Joe's shoulder was the biggest surprise, with the torn flesh filling in without even a divot. He felt the glimmer of life mana along the bones and took that as a sign his regeneration was focusing on the task. The rest of his body felt good. The hollow, empty feeling of resource depletion was gone, and the headache from the day before had finished fading as he slept. Joe would estimate he was at about 80%. It was time to get back out there.

The mana controlled by his regeneration skill still refused to budge. Joe didn't give up and continued to push at the mana and the feeling of the skill itself. Finally, figuring out how to use Bite silently had given him some vague ideas on how he might also make headway here. Joe continued to work on his task as he sat waiting on everyone else to finish getting ready. It was tedious and frustrating, but Joe kept at it with a simple mantra. This was a marathon, not a sprint.

Finally, most of the adults were dressed and gathering downstairs, and Joe had an excuse to stop and address the group. Everyone looked better rested, better fed, just better. The smell was better as sweat, dirt, and other unpleasantness had been left outside. It made a genuine smile come to his face as Joe addressed the group.

"I'm going in the rift today. We need the supplies, and I need the essence for the next level. I would recommend that everyone do the same."

Joe hadn't phrased his statement as a question or a request. He stood up straight, and people responded appropriately. Diana looked annoyed, while Nik was stoic as always. It didn't matter. He was going in the rift. Everything he said was correct; besides, there wasn't anything else he could do today. Mike was better at scavenging. Carl was better and growing, and Joe was a lazy uncle at best when it came to watching the kids. Fighting was where he could contribute best to the group, and Joe wasn't a slacker.

"Diana," Joe said, "If you would go with me, I want to test some things with your mana and essence skills."

Diana seemed surprised, though Joe didn't know why. They had experience working together in the rifts, and Joe trusted her to watch his back. Besides, she was the only one with the skills he needed to test some theories. It was time to understand how rifts worked, rather than winging it—especially essence. They still had no idea how that worked except kill monsters and get essence.

The group discussed various plans, and teams were formed. The pairings were kept to twos so that the bosses were easier if groups felt like pushing forward. The resources of a three-person rift run were better, but advancement was far more difficult. Today wasn't a test yourself day after all. Today was a training wheels rehab session. The teams came back as Joe and Diana, Deena and Travis, Nik and Mike, with Carl staying back to spread as much vegetation as his mana would allow. It would be Travis's first time in the rift, so they agreed to stop before the fox. Joe would personally escort him through that boss once he felt close to 100%. He was the only one guaranteed to walk away from poisoning.

Joe and Diana left shortly afterward, with Travis and Deena joining them. The plan was to stop at the condos and head into the rift if all looked clear. The rain slowed to a drizzle from the low grey clouds covering the sky. As they finished their short trek to the rift, the smell of fallen leaves and rain continued to dominate the scents around them. No one was guarding, so Joe and Diana walked straight into the glowing circle of green fire. He did cast one last glance at the condo as he passed. As soon as he healed, that chair was coming back with them. Who needed a mattress when you had a recliner? Joe mentally congratulated himself on being such a space-saving innovator.

The meadow was sunny and pleasantly warm after the rain. Joe looked around and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The entrance had always been safe, but until they had more confirmation, it was best to always be on guard. That was good advice for life, doubly so for a floating magical murder hole. Both of them took a moment to wring out wet clothes and prepare for the monsters ahead of them. Joe carried his glaive and Diana her standard spear.

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"Let me handle the monsters unless I call for help the first time through. I need to get a feel for how my injuries are healing." Joe paused and braced for a frown from his teammate. It was only faint, so he rushed forward with the rest of his idea. "See if you can sense how the essence moves when I kill those things. Let's see if it all goes to the person who kills it or if you get some as well. The more we learn about this place, the better odds other people will have for survival."

"I hate to admit that's a good plan. I'm helping with the boss and anything after."

Joe nodded his assent, and they moved forward. He was more careful than he had been since level one and engaged the monsters one at a time when possible. He couldn't put anything close to his full strength into swinging his massive weapon without his ribs giving a warning twinge. That was okay, as even a half-strength swing killed the dwarf gnolls with a single hit. Joe worked on limiting his strength and movement, using as little of both to minimize strain on his body. Diana's Sense Essence skill was level one, so she had to be close to Joe to make out anything.

Still, the information was enlightening. According to Diana, Joe received most of the essence every time he killed one of the monsters. Interestingly, about 10% faded into the rift, and another 5% went to Diana herself. That was great news as far as Joe was concerned. Dedicated teams could run crafters through the rift for essence and levels with little risk. It would take a long time, but it was feasible. After the first clear, they reset to the starting meadow, and Joe ate a berry to recover.

"This time, I'll cripple them, and you kill them. I want to see if it affects the split. Then we'll tackle the fox together."

Crippling the monsters was a dicey affair when they were so weak. Joe's dexterity would typically make it possible, but he didn't have great fine motor control at the moment. Eventually, he managed to chop the legs off some gnolls for Diana to finish. Joe sat down as soon as she took over, tired from the extra effort the grizzly task took.

"I can't tell very well. The essence is streaming into both of us at about the same rate. I might be getting a little more, but I'm not sure. The amount fading back to the rift seems the same."

They had one more test, but it could wait until after the fox. Joe was feeling soreness in his ribs, but it was equivalent to an ache after a prolonged exercise rather than the pain of injury. The fight was disappointing. Joe's injuries slowed him down, but with Diana's help, the fox died in under two minutes. Joe congratulated himself on not getting poisoned. He shook his head at that last thought. This rift was messing with his view of reality. Diana would no doubt agree that poisoning shouldn't be an everyday activity.

The following groups of monsters fared little better despite their higher level and numbers. No experiments took place during their run through the meadows. It was all well and good to test theories when the monsters were level one, but carelessness would get you killed in a rift. Somehow it hadn't happened to Joe yet, though it wasn't for lack of trying.

Joe and Diana sat on the path and studied the treant sitting in its clearing. They had both eaten a berry to recover and were meditating to make the most out of it. For a change, Joe kept the mana away from his ribs, favoring the minor muscle tears and tiredness his body felt. He knew he'd be sore after this rift, but the supplies and information were both invaluable. Diana's shout caught him by surprise and broke Joe's trance.

"Connection!" Diana whooped again with childish enthusiasm while Joe smiled. Getting noticeably stronger was addicting as it was necessary.

"C'mon. Let's chop down a tree." As Joe spoke, Diana jumped to her feet, and they strode confidently towards the monster tree.

Despite its weaknesses, the treant put up a hell of a fight. Joe was almost too slow on his dodges and had to bite a root off his arm at one point. In the spirit of learning and exploration, Joe noted that the monster tree still tasted like shit. A berry cleared the burning, but the taste lived on. At first, he thought that the boss hadn't dropped any loot but coins. Joe was grumbling about cheap-ass rifts when Diana drew his attention to a small spot on the grass. A smooth oblong black seed smaller than his thumbnail waited for them. Joe picked it up, and it was his turn to be excited.

"It's an apple seed. A magic apple seed. Carl is so growing this when we get home."

Diana laughed at his joy, and they sat down to recover from the fight.

"Doesn't it take years for an apple tree to put on fruit?" She asked.

"Don't ruin this for me," Joe snarked back. "I know that but all I can think about is baked apples and apple cobbler. Oh man, it's been so long since I've had apple cobbler. I would straight up punch a fox in the face for apple cobbler."

"You would punch a fox in the face just because."

Joe didn't bother to refute that statement as it was entirely accurate. After ten minutes, Joe felt as good as he would get today and said as much. He stood and offered a hand to Diana to help her up. His eyes moved towards the now open path exaggeratedly, and she acquiesced.

"We're just looking. If something looks too dangerous, we're leaving," Diana stated. Her tone left no room for debate, and Joe nodded his head enthusiastically.

They walked forward, and as soon as they stepped fully onto the new path, the sun lurched forward in the sky once again. It was now entirely evening, and the shadows were longer around the path's edges. The thorns they'd been so used to seeing took on a sinister sheen, almost as if you could see the oily poison glimmering along their edges. Joe slowed noticeably, and Diana did the same. They advanced cautiously, careful not to turn an ankle or miss some hidden monster in the reduced light.

Joe approached the clearing, and three gnolls waited inside. They were taller once again, though only a few more inches. Their arms and legs had lengthened, and oversized teeth filled their mouths. Clearly, these monsters were at a higher level than the ones they'd faced previously, but Joe breathed a sigh of relief. It was just gnolls. Diana crept up next to him, and Joe spoke to her in a whisper.

"Can you identify, scan their mana, and their essence? These have got to be a higher level. Is there anything that sets them apart?"

Diana didn't speak, but her eyes went silver for a moment before flashing twice more. She frowned, and the process repeated before she motioned Joe back down the path. They were already getting used to the lower light, so it only took a moment for the two to retreat to the halfway point.

"Identify says Dwarf Gnoll. The lesser is gone from their name. The mana signature feels the same for all three and is similar to the previous ones. I'd need them side by side to make sure. I'm too far away to make out their essence levels."

"C'mon, let's go kill some ugly ass dog things."

Joe signaled with his glaive back towards the clearing where the monsters waited. He put on his best smile, and Diana groaned but started walking that way. It was time to see what the next section of this rift entailed.