Jack unceremoniously let the hand of the goblin corpse drop to the ground, a snarl on his face. “No… Goddamnit. I should have known.” He had been too hasty when he’d killed the thing, now he hadn’t been able to use his two other skills. He ran to the other goblins, the ones defeated by his friends… Most were in a far worse state than the ones he had killed, but he desperately searched for any signs of strings in any of them.

Nothing, damnit. Absolutely fucking nothing. He still had to try, just in case. “...Capture Puppet.” He placed a hand on head of the only goblin that didn’t have a single wound on it, killed probably through some stupid magical means that would terrify him if he properly listened to his teammates. The strings that coiled inside him like a muscle suddenly burst out of his hands, squirming their way into the goblin in a way that seemed almost physical.

But he could tell, they were holding onto nothing. The strings tore through the puppets body but it just couldn’t find what it was looking for. He could guess what it was. It was looking for a sign of life. He cursed over and over, remembering just how easily he could have used the skill to capture the pinned down goblin. If he hadn’t been too busy acting grandiose with his actions he’d have been able to learn so much more about his ability.

His concentration snapped as someone grabbed his shoulder, causing the strings worming their way into the goblins body to snap back into his arm. He looked back, happily surprised to find Liam. It seemed he’d become better during the time Jack had taken searching the bodies. Jack’s snarl turned into a supportive smile, his friend needed it. “Hey, Liam. Everything’s going to be fine, buddy. We just need to get through this place and-”

He was shoved back, and if it wasn’t for his skill “Weaving Fortune” and “Strings of Fate” He’d have unceremoniously tripped and fallen over the goblin. This was bad. Liam’s hands had felt as hard as stone, and looking at the lazy way he pushed he had definitely been holding back. Jack took a few steps back, watching the strings coil inside Liam. They were hesitant, but ready to strike. Could he even kill them if he tried?

No, he had to talk his way out. “Liam? Did I do something?” Jack’s eyes were sympathetic, pitying. He needed to act like he cared for the person, act like he’d be devastated if they didn’t care for him. It would work on Liam, since they were so close- “Don’t… Don’t fucking look at me like that. Not when you look like that.” Jack looked down at his now crusty, bloody clothes. They weren’t that hard to look at, right?

He turned to the others, who were all still trying to deal with the situation, he caught Mary glancing at him and Liam, though. Her eyes met his and she turned away in disgust…

What had he done?

“You were always the fucking natural, Jack. Always good at what people tell you to do. But I saw you back with the princess. You were scared. You didn’t want to fight. I saw your face, the way you tried to guilt her into letting us go.” The strings in Liam went haywire, and for a moment he thought Liam would attack, before they suddenly reigned back in. Liam let out a pitiful laugh holding his head in his hands as a tear escaped from his eyes, and Jack couldn’t help but think one thing. This man was insane. “I thought I could get you in this. Win one over you.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Liam… you could always beat me in a fight. I was never big on working out-” The strings in Liam’s foot pulled down, and the man stomped the floor like a petulant child soon after, pointing at Jack. “In a way that fucking mattered, Jack! Get one over you in a way that fucking matters!” Jack took another step back, and Liam noticed. His eyes turning from one of anger to a scared, guilty look. His eyes turned downward, still rebellious, but no longer with the same fire to stare Jack down. ”Look at us, man… We all wanted to play hero and look where it got us… Arturo was stabbed in the leg while you were gutting the monster like an animal, you know? I… I can’t even look at the bodies and you’re here inspecting them like it’s a fucking highschool science project… I just… I wanna…”

Jack was surprised to see tears coming from the boy’s eyes. Liam had been so brave during the fight, actually taking the initiative and being truly effective in taking down the goblin threats. Without him, there would have been way more casualties. He had to do something to restore that confidence… Jack took a few tentative steps forward, before taking in the guy in a hug. “W-what the hell, dude!? I don’t want… I fucking…” Jack felt Liam try pulling away, but there was none of the A-rank strength he was supposed to have… so he assumed he was in the right train of thought.

He squeezed, knowing the man with A-rank constitution could handle it. “I was scared too, Liam. I was so caught up in killing the thing that by the time I was finished with it I barely noticed you guys weren’t with me.” They were the same, people enjoyed it when others felt a similar pain to them. He watched the strings in Liam’s body writhe and twirl, fascinated to visibly watch his friend calm down. This was much easier than looking at faces. “I was so scared that one of you… I was scared that one of you may have gotten seriously injured.”

That did it. He could see Liam’s heartbeat through the strings, the way his chest heaved up and down as he let out quiet but intense sobs as their arms wrapped arounf him. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to start a… I didn’t want to fight you, man. I just…” The strings picked up in their rowdiness but this time in a way that seemed more natural, happier. Liam was happy, or at the very least satisfied with what happened. His arms were around Jack, and in that moment he felt… Relieved, for his poor companio- “Guh, L-Liam, Your… You're crushing me…”

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Liam’s eyes widened before he let go in a rush. Jack’s bones almost felt like they creaked back into place as it happened. “J-Jack!? Are you ok!?” Liam reached in to help, and he took the arm gratefully. “...Guess we have another man injured, huh? I’m telling the guards so they can beat you up. I’m the princess’ favorite, remember?” Jack said, only half joking. Liam laughed either way, so at least there wasn’t any bad blood in between them.

The bastard was just too strong to have as an enemy.

“...Make sure you control yourself around the others. I have a C-rank constitution and you almost turned me into paste. From now on, no hugging.” Liam’s eyes became complicated for a second, before he just laughed it off. It was far from the reaction Jack wanted, but at least it was in Liam’s head now. They made their way to the rest of the group, and Liam’s eyes once again turned distant as they looked at Arturo. Charlotte was by his side, and even though his eyes were livelier now, Jack could still see the sadness in them.

Was his leg alright?

“Hey, Charlotte. Anything wrong with his wound? Can I see?” She looked at him surprised, mostly at his bloody arms and clothes. “H-He’s alright now, I fixed him back up, but he says it feels a bit sore. Are… Are you okay?” …Was he? He felt around his ribcage for anything that might have felt off, and found a particularly painful area on his right side. “Yeah, actually. Liam tried to break me in half back there, so I kinda need some help.”

She smiled sadly, looking at Liam who was now talking something over with Abby, Mary and Elijah. “I saw. He was crying, right? I… I kinda want to cry too, honestly.” His right eye twitched, she could cry all she wanted, after she was done healing him. He couldn’t just say that aloud, though. “...I’m always here if you want to talk. I seemed to have taken it pretty well according to Liam. It's not like I have a secret to deal with it or anything, though.”

Arturo scoffed. The first thing that had come out of his mouth since Jack came here. “Pretty well? You’re a fucking Psycho, Jack. I saw what you did to that thing. I almost threw up when I hit one but you just kept it in place like a stray dog or something.” Charlotte turned to him in surprise, to which Jack raised his arms defensively. “I… I was really just trying to experiment with it. I didn’t get straightforward skills like you guys, so it was a bit harder for me to find them out. I was terrified, honest.”

Arturo didn’t look up from his leg, and Jack noticed a tear in his pants that showed where the wound had been. There wasn’t even a scar anymore. “Yeah… Yeah, keep telling yourself that. I saw you, Jack. Your eyes didn’t even flinch. It was like you were watching what you were doing from a screen. It was… I just don’t want you to turn into something terrible. We’re friends, I can see when you act differently. I could since the beginning. I just didn’t know that that was what your other side was capable of.”

...seriously?

Jack felt like banging his head against a wall. Did everyone just know his brain was broken? Was he just acting like a stupid child who thought his secret was safe? Would it even change anything if he just wore a big sign on his head that said “This man’s a fucking psychopath!?” He kept his anger hidden, though, a smile plastered on his face. “Don’t worry. It’s not like I’m doing this without a reason, right?” Charlotte smiled at the response, but Arturo just kept his frown.

“Yeah… we need to save these people… I get it. Thanks for healing my leg, Charlotte. It doesn’t even hurt now.” Charlotte nodded happily as Arturo stood up and grabbed his weapon. Jack raised an eyebrow at the two’s response. He was only seeking strength to finally escape back into his own world. Was everyone here looking to die? They had only fought around four demons and it had almost broken them. How the hell were they going to face up against entire hordes like the princess said!? He didn’t ridicule the big guy, though. He’d been through enough as it was.

Right now, what he really needed was to find another live demon. If he could get his hands on one of those then he’d definitely be able to use his new skills. Fortunately, the knights that were quietly standing in the background finally moved forward. One of them, a bearded man without a helmet, spoke. “This has been quite a fruitful training for all of you. If you wish to head back then I will comply. If you wish to venture further and become stronger then I will not stop you. Those who wish to return may do so.”

His voice was loud and confident, and despite his flat tone Jack could see the strings of fate in his body, showing his true self. The knight was proud of what he had seen, which was surprising considering just how much of a complete train wreck this had been. The group looked at each other in hesitance.

Of course they were hesitant to continue fighting. The last thing he needed was to act like the leader right now, too. Liam would probably kill him at that point. Luckily, the best person for the job spoke up. “I choose to stay.” Everyone looked behind them, surprised that Arturo, of all people, had chosen to stay behind to help. He had just injured his leg, even with it healed the pain alone should have been enough to make him run. Interesting.

“Me too. I… I need to get used to this.” Liam muttered. Jack watched in complete stupor as slowly, every last person in the group asked to stay. He watched their strings of fate, and it seemed none of them were guilted into staying… They all truly seeked to better themselves. It was almost unnerving.

He realized they were all staring at him, blood-soaked clothes and all. They were waiting for a response. “Ah, I’ll stay as well. I need to properly gauge these new skills of mine. Could some of you please keep a demon alive for me next time we meet one?” The others laughed at what he meant to be a serious response, but he didn’t bother correcting them.

They’d figure it out sooner than later.