Despite the recent events, Mel found herself teaching each person how to use their [Soul Kiln]. Even Maddie came over to see what all the fuss was about.

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes a lot as she struggled to follow the simple commands Mel gave her. As it turned out, her hilarious shepherd’s crook was a magical staff.

A staff she couldn’t figure out how to use, so she used it as a massive bludgeon.

In between scrubbing her reddened eyes, Maddie stared into the fire and said, “I know it wasn’t your fault.”

Mel didn’t know what to say. One sure way to screw up any chance of being welcomed here would be to use her typical flippant response of, “no shit” but she kept her mouth shut and nodded her thanks.

It had been the grief talking, Mel had to remind herself. The woman thought her son was going to make it, then he was just gone. It would be a shock to anybody.

Then why doesn’t it bother me? Mel thought to herself.

She had spent all night trying to save him, to help him through the worst of it, but in the end, it had been for nothing. It wasn’t that she didn’t know him. She didn’t need to know him. It was normal, human even, to grieve the loss of another person.

Mel felt nothing. It was almost like she was used to it, which couldn’t be possible. Who would be so used to death that they didn’t bat an eye when it stared them right in the face?

Another mystery for another day. She hoped it was just her frayed nerves. That she was too spent to feel or care right now.

It would hit her in the morning. Like a normal person.

Only you know you aren’t normal, she thought to herself.

Fortunately, everybody had a weapon, so that made Mel’s quest possible to complete.

She felt bitter about failing her quest to save Travis. She really tried to save his life. Having Maddie forgive her made it worse somehow.

She tried not to dwell on it further. There were monsters in the woods, and who knows what other dangers. These people needed to be able to protect themselves.

Mel sure as hell wasn’t going to do it all herself.

That way, she wouldn’t blame herself if one of them kicked the bucket.

Each class also started with a combat art. Nobody was missing out, even Maddie as an Acolyte had one.

Unfortunately, when Maddie pulled her weapon away from the [Soul Kiln], the poor woman lost it. She burst out crying again.

Not just the heartrending crying of a woman who recently lost her only son. This was ugly crying. She wailed like a banshee, tore at her hair, snot and tears rolled and bubbled down her cheeks.

Throughout it all, Maddie tried to say two words, but it was almost impossible to understand her. And then Mel figured out what she was trying to say.

“ It heals,” Maddie sobbed.

“What does?” Sabrina asked, distraught. Everybody was. Even Mel was unnerved.

“The combat art! My combat art! I could have saved him! We got this damned demon box the first hours after the apocalypse! All this time…all those people…”

After that, Maddie stopped talking. She stared ahead, cradling her staff like it was her dead son. The woman rocked back and forth in silence.

“Got the kiln a lot faster than me,” Mel whispered. Her thoughts hitched on the word apocalypse.

Huh, I guess that’s what’s really going on.

Sabrina, always knowing what to do, gently got Maddie to her feet and coaxed her back toward her son. She spoke in soothing, low tones the entire time.

Naturally, the system chose that moment to butt in.

Quest Update: Teacher, Teacher

Objective: Teach (5) people how to use the [Soul Kiln] (5/5).

Reward: [Ember (Common)]

Additional Objective Still Available: Teach survival basics to (5) people (0/5).

Reward: (1) [Small Health Potion]

While everybody was focused on Maddie, Mel turned her attention to the quest and its reward.

She pulled out the reward. The ember was a rough-hewn stone the size of a golf ball, but nowhere near as uniform. It felt warm and comforting in her palm, almost too hot to touch, but never quite getting there.

[Fire Ember]

(Catalyst, Ember)

(Common)

A misshapen lump that glows faintly and is still warm to the touch. Place within a soul kiln to apply affinity to armaments or tinge to concoctions.

Imprint: Applies fire affinity to armaments. Applies fire tinge to concoctions.

Mel stared at it with surprise. Her fingers tingled, sensing the power within the small lump of the smoldering coal.

It’s a catalyst.

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Immediately, she stuck it into the [Soul Kiln] and added her weapon.

Would you like to alter the affinity of your [Exile Twinblade] to [Exile Twinblade (Fire)]?

Mel’s eyes widened at that. She nodded, accepting the prompt.

She pulled out the comfortingly warm twinblade and looked at it in awe.

[Exile Twinblade (Fire)]

(Copper Rank, Weapon)

(Common)

A sword with blades extending from both sides of the hilt. This weapon is suitable for beginner combat and little else, created for new prospects that survived being inducted to the multiverse.

Imprint(Fire Ember): Inflicts additional Fire damage. Increases Strength attribute scaling effectiveness.

Combat Art: [Quickstep]

“That’s actually awesome,” Mel said with a grin. She spun the weapon, watching it leave a fanning trail of reddish orange flames through the air.

I wonder what exactly fire tinge does. Not that I even know what a concoction would be considered. Don’t think I’ve found any items in that category, Mel thought.

Peeking inside the [Soul Kiln], Mel was pleased to find that the ember was still there. She reached in gently, concerned it might be too hot. The moment her fingers touched the stone, she realized it hadn’t changed one bit.

A glance to the side showed Mel that the others were wrapping up the body in an impromptu burial shroud. Though she was glad that the [Fire Ember] could be reused, she still wasn’t sure about combat arts.

It was one last thing that she could test out. She removed a small knife she gained from one of the Bloodtide members and set it in the kiln.

Would you like to bind a [Combat Art] to your [Simple Dagger]?

Available Combat Arts:

[Quickstep]

Smiling, Mel put the knife back into her inventory and dismissed the kiln.

That meant both embers and combat arts were reusable.

Time to go collecting embers and combat arts then!

There was something she had to do first. Dusting off her coat, Mel stood up and approached the others huddled around Maddie. The morning sun was just cresting the tops of the trees, and there were things that needed to be done before they could even think about the future.

As uncomfortable as Mel felt around them, she knew that wild animals would be drawn to the spot before long. Monsters already had the scent, and they had fought several more rat beastmen over the course of the night.

The others looked up at her as she approached, though Maddie simply rocked back and forth beside her son.

“We need to leave,” Mel told them.

Apparently, that had been the wrong thing to say.

“How can you be so callous?” Nathan asked. “We can’t leave Travis like this.”

Mel wasn’t sure where the rage burning inside her came from, but suddenly she felt flushed with its heat. Maybe it was from fighting against monsters and murderers for a whole day straight without any sleep, getting constantly wounded, or the whole waking up in a coffin thing.

Maybe it was all of it.

Something snapped in her.

Despite coming up to his chest, Mel stalked right up to him and poked him hard on the armored leather vest he wore beneath his hoodie. “Listen you idiot, we’ve already fought monsters who came looking for the source of that blood! Travis is gone. This is your new reality. Either get with it, or move aside so you don’t bring the rest down.”

“But the body—” Sabrina said softly.

“Is not Travis anymore!” Mel cut in. “Deal with it how you want, but even if you bury it, the monsters will still get at it. Do you want to spend the rest of your short lives guarding a grave? That’s what you’ll have to do. Every day, staring at the grave, making sure you never go too far away, always stopping monsters and scavengers from digging up the loose soil. Is that the life you want? This is a new reality. You have every opportunity ahead of you. Don’t waste it.”

Bernard stepped up, pulling his bow off his shoulder. “What gives you the right?”

Mel lifted up her hands, still stained with Travis’ blood. “This! While the rest of you were trying to help, I was the only one who was actually doing anything. Without me, he would never have woken up. I still failed. You think I don’t know that? But dwelling on it will get us nowhere.”

Bernard looked away, his jaw clenching. Mel kept an eye on his hands, just in case he decided to nock an arrow. He was the only one who pulled out a weapon.

And she didn’t feel like getting shot in the ass again.

“We can’t just leave him like this,” Shane said softly, bowing his head. “It’s not right.”

“Then bury him!” Mel snapped. “But we can’t keep putting it off. Every hour matters.”

“What’s all this ‘we’ business?” Nathan asked. “The six of us were friends. We never asked you to–”

“Bullshit.” Mel pointed at each of them in turn. “Every single one of you asked me to help. But you know what? You’re right.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m better off on my own. You take all the time you need. As you say, I’m not one of you. I didn’t know Travis. I can’t grieve for a man I never knew. I could have let all of you die and stayed by my own campfire, warm and safe. And you know what? That’s what I’m going to do. Follow me or don’t, but I can’t stay around waiting to get picked off by some monster or a group of bandits.”

Mel turned in the direction she thought was most likely to lead her to her previous camp and started walking.

“Bandits?” Sabrina gasped. “But people wouldn’t do that, surely?”

“I can believe it,” Shane said. He sighed, his shoulders sagging. “Come on, you know Mel is right.”

“She could’ve said it a little nicer,” Nathan groused.

“We’re all on edge,” Sabrina said soothingly. “We’re stronger together, just…” Her voice trailed off as Mel passed the tree-line and plunged back into the forest.

She should have known that they would have been ungrateful for her help. Mel was better on her own. No matter what, people always disappointed her. Even with her fuzzy memories, she was sure of that.

“I helped them, didn’t I?” she grumbled into the darkness. “Do I have to owe them everything just because I saved them once?”

Mel left them behind, doubt gnawing at the edges of her thoughts. Sure, she could have used a bit more tact, but seriously, what were they thinking? The guy was dead . He didn’t care what happened to his body. Bury it and get it over with.

Just chuck me into the trash when I’m dead and gone and move on. I don’t care what happens to my body at that point. Why should anybody else?

There wasn’t enough dry wood to burn the body, though that would have been the best way to deal with it. Burying it would just invite more monsters to come dig it up, and who wanted to be around to witness that?

A twig snapped somewhere behind Mel.

Mel slowed down, realizing that her higher agility likely made it nearly impossible for one of them to catch up to her. Despite her earlier belief that she was better alone, Mel had been secretly hoping and expecting this. She turned around, her arms spread out. “Listen, Sabrina I–”

What faced her was not Sabrina.

A snake with deep emerald scales and baleful yellow eyes rose up to its 10-foot height in front of her. It opened its razor-lined mouth and lunged right for her throat.