Chapter four

Cecis made his way over to Dmitri, checking to make sure the crashing harpy monster hadn't hurt him too badly. As he approached his new… friend? Well he supposed they could be considered friends now, he couldn't help but feel gratitude towards Dmitri for putting himself in harm's way to help. Reflecting back on the battle, Cecis knew the odds of surviving the battle against the harpies would’ve been slim without that brief intervention.

Cecis's thoughts were also plagued by regret as memories of his fallen comrade, Demest, flooded his mind. He recalled the battle leading up to his transportation to the Tutorial; the Persians, the chaos, and the similarities between Dmitri and Demest’s actions leading to his death. Cecis couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt as he thought of Demest’s fate. Both Demest and Dmitri had put themselves in harm's way to protect him, and he couldn't help but be grateful.

"Dmitri, you okay?" Cecis asked as he arrived to where Dmitri was crawling out from under the harpy.

Dmitri nodded, and Cecis felt a wave of relief wash over him. He helped his friend to his feet and asked once more, "Are you sure you're not hurt?"

Dmitri shook his head, "I'm fine, thanks, but it looks like you’re the one who actually got hurt."

"Yeah those harpies tore into me, but I levelled up and gained another nine “free points” after that battle. I think I’m gonna put some points in the Stat ‘Vitality,’ hopefully that’ll help," he said to Dmitri. "but I also need to become stronger, as it seems this Tutorial is even more dangerous than that voice implied.”

“So you’re gonna put some points into Vitality and Strength then?” Dmitri Inquired.

Cecis responded, his expression contemplative. "Actually, after that fight with the harpies, I came to a realisation. Strength alone isn't enough. No matter how powerful I become, it doesn't matter if I can't land a hit or dodge their attacks. Remember how I couldn’t avoid those harpies' strikes? The only way I was able to defeat one without your help was by discarding my weapon. Truth be told, if it wasn't for you, I don’t think I could’ve won, my lack of agility made me too slow and vulnerable."

“Makes sense,” Dmitri replied. "By the way, did you level up from that fight? I only made it halfway to the next level.

“I think the System said something about experience gain being based on contribution.” Cecis replied absentmindedly, feeling twinges of pain as he pulled up his screen and used his free points, the pain urging him on.

Status:

Name: Cecis

Species: Human

Type: Enlightened

Condition: Wounded

Compatibility: 9

Grade: (Z)

Level: 2 (Z)

Experience: [1/26XP→(LV 3)],[14/715XP→(Y)]

Statistics:

Strength: 9

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Agility: 4

Endurance: 0

Vitality: 5

Magic: 0

Mana: 0

Aura: 19 (+5%)

Intelligence: 10 (MAX) (Enlightened)

Free points: 0

Achievements:

Enlightened: Entity has reached maximum Intelligence and cannot put System Stats into Intelligence. Allows communication between anyone with the Enlightened Achievement. (+5% Aura).

Cecis stood still and felt the throbbing pain from his wounds begin to ease up slightly, a welcome relief to his discomfort. He pondered if this was an unmentioned effect of Vitality, but his thoughts were interrupted by Dmitri's voice calling out to him.

"Hey, Cecis, look! Everyone seems to be gathering in the middle of the valley. Let's go check it out!" Dmitri exclaimed, pointing towards the commotion.

Cecis agreed with a nod, "Alright, let's go see if they have any ideas or plans."

As they neared the growing crowd, Cecis noticed the woman he had saved earlier from the harpies also approaching the growing crowd. They continued towards the middle of the meadow, but as they approached, Cecis could hear disorderly yelling, and it was clear the crowd was in disarray.

The panicked voices of the people were shouting about monsters coming to kill them, and as Cecis and Dmitri observed from a nearby hill, they saw a man shove another man, causing a fight to break out amongst a few others.

Dmitri turned to Cecis and said, "What a mess, I think we should avoid that group for now, maybe we can come back later after this is all sorted out. I don’t feel like joining that chaotic group right now."

Cecis considered the situation and responded, “Agreed, the forest may seem dangerous because of the monsters, but the safest course of action seems to be to fight them and grow stronger so they pose less of a threat. As we saw earlier, it's not like the monsters can't also come into this meadow and attack here. No point in waiting for the monsters to come for us with this disorderly crowd.”

Dmitri nodded in agreement, "Alright, let's explore the forest a bit and check back on the clearing later to see if they calm down."

As they turned to leave, they heard someone call out to them.

"Hey, wait!" the woman yelled.

They turned around to see the woman they had saved earlier approaching them. She looked a little nervous but determined.

"Thank you both for saving me earlier," she said, looking at both Cecis and Dmitri. "My name is Cynata. You two saved my life earlier. I owe you both a debt of gratitude. If you’re leaving the clearing, let me come with you!”

"Why do you want to join us?" asked Cecis, curious.

Cynata looked at Cecis and replied, "I want to come with you because I saw how capable and strong you both are. The chaos in the clearing has me worried, and I feel safer going into the forest with you two than staying with that unruly group. Plus, I saw how well you fought earlier, and seeing your armour and weapons it seems safer with you. Most of those people over there don’t even have weapons or anything to fight with."

Cecis nodded, understanding her reasoning. "Well, if you're sure about joining us, be warned, I probably won’t be able to risk myself to protect you if theres danger. This forest seems far more dangerous than the voice explained..."

Cynata's expression was serious as she nodded her head resolutely. "Of course I’m willing to accept the risks, I'll do my best to not get in the way.”

Dmitri flashed Cynata a grin, "Hey there, welcome aboard! To be honest, I was starting to get a little worried about being stuck alone with someone so seroious," he said, poking fun at Cecis. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he looks like he could take on a whole army by himself, but being all alone in a forest with him…” He mimed shivering for dramatic effect, lightening the mood and causing Cynata to giggle.

Cecis couldn't help but crack a small smile at Dmitri's jest. "Hey, I can have fun too!" he protested, though he knew his demeanour might’ve come across as a bit imposing. "But let's not forget we're focused on surviving, not having a fun little frolic in the forest."

Dmitri chuckled, "Ah, see I knew you were the serious type. But don't worry, we'll make sure to have some fun along the way." He turned to Cynata, "So, what do you say we go explore the forest and see what kind of trouble we can get into?" Cynata grinned back at him, starting to feel more at ease with the two of them.

Cecis shook his head, wondering how they could be so carefree. "Let's not forget the dangers that lie ahead," he warned. "Anyways, we should get moving, theres no point dawdling."

The group began their journey towards the forest, footsteps hiding hidden hesitance. The earlier jests and the giggles were replaced with a solemn silence, each lost in their own thoughts, contemplating the unknown dangers that lay ahead.