After the battle earlier this morning and the lunchtime after-action report, I am more pleased than I can express in words that the afternoon and evening are smooth and uneventful. Sure, I’ve still got a headache and a stomachache, but at least those are ordinary, everyday occurrences. The kind I’ve been dealing with and grown accustomed to over years, long before some all-encompassing System granted us the equivalent of superpowers and left us to adapt to a world filled with all sorts of nastiness trying to kill us.

Lindsey proves to be an absolute goddess when it comes to tracking and hunting for fresh meat, and is therefore the only one of us who is officially excused from all other camp-related chores. She didn’t find another deer tonight, but did manage to scrounge up eight rabbits that Nicholas and I will soon be turning into stew.

That, and apples. Lots and lots of apples. I didn’t even know there were any apple orchards nearby. Maybe there are some peaches nearby as well? I could go for a nice warm and juicy white nectarine right about now. I give it a token effort, and after about fifteen minutes of spotting nothing, I return to my normal duties of setting up camp and helping with the dinner preparations.

I gave some due consideration to Alexey’s and Nicholas’s proposal over the course of the afternoon. While I’m not willing to help the army design and build better weapons, I’m reluctantly willing to help them with defensive enchantments. I still don’t like it. Giving them better ways to defend themselves is just going to embolden them to do that much more and give the people that many fewer ways to defend themselves when my tools inevitably make their way to the cops.

Then again, it’s not like I’m the only [Mechanist] in the world. I probably am the only [Planetouched Mechanist] specifically, and the only one who’s seen visions of the true potential that lies within Ethertech. I definitely have advantages in that regard, but in truth, the army’s other [Mechanists] and similar classes will eventually reach similar ideas, even if they need a few more weeks or months to close the gap in level and Skill rank.

Speaking of Skill rank, Nicholas has gotten considerably better at controlling the glyph of [Heat] in just the past day. As a result, I have time to etch the glyph of [Barrier] onto six more pairs of gloves while Nicholas does the bulk of the actual cooking. I also commandeer two more daggers, one of which I enchant with the [Heat] glyph, the other with the power of [Lightning]. The System registers them as [Flametipped Dagger] and [Lightning-Sheathed Dagger] respectively. As a fringe benefit, doing so is the catalyst that upgrades my [Basic Glyph Manipulation] from Rank III to Rank IV.

In time, I’d like to enhance them further, once I have enough knowledge and skill with my techniques to do so. Even now, I feel far more confident the next time we have to face a similar monster. But, never too confident. Caution and discretion, that’s Alexey’s motto. And as much as I want to keep on the level grinding, they do a dead woman no good.

Before long, dinner is served. Thanks to Lindsey’s skills and efforts, we have enough for me to come back for a second helping, then a third. I eat and eat and savor every bite until I’m absolutely stuffed. I’ve eaten more today than I would have in three days back before, and I still feel that I could devour more. On the other hand, we are constantly pushing ourselves physically and mentally, pushing through the wilderness at a pace that taxes even our impressive [Vitality].

I am curious how exactly stat gains work. Does doubling my [Strength] enable my punches to hit with twice as much force? To lift twice as much? To punch twice as hard in terms of System-defined damage calculations? Does doubling my [Speed] enable me to run exactly twice as fast? Or is there some scaling equation at play? Or is it just some hodgepodge where the numbers are purely ordinal and have no intrinsic cardinal meaning? So much more work to do, and my mind is still spinning trying to figure it all out when sleep finally takes hold of me.

I’m awakened by a low roar that shakes me to my core. Purely on instinct, I grab my weapon, but then realize that I should have my armor on as well. I slide my leather cuirass over my head and strap it in place. As soon as I do, the entire piece shrinks slightly to perfectly cover my chest without discomfort. I slide on my [Barrier Gauntlets], my vambraces, and my thigh guards before rushing outside five minutes after waking up.

It’s predawn. A blustery chill wind blows carrying with it the force of Old Man Winter’s last hurrah for the season. I hardly feel it even without activating the glyph of [Heat] in the dagger at my side.

With the exception of Chloe, all the other members of our team are already awake. Lindsey is already gone, having gone ahead to assess the situation. Jackie throws me a dirty look; she didn’t talk to me over dinner at all last night and doesn’t seem any more thrilled to see me this morning.

Chloe joins us a moment later, shivering slightly. “What do you think it is?”

Alexey gives us a glare. We immediately silence ourselves as he starts walking around the camp. Pressure exudes from within him, and it takes all of my [Strength] and [Vitality] working together not to immediately crumple beneath the power of his aura. Chloe is even less adept at dealing with the force of his presence, falling to one knee before Brent helps her back to her feet. So much for being quite as simple as the [Bludgeoner] he admitted to being.

Lindsey arrives back two stressful, tense minutes later. She bows slightly before speaking.

“Alexey, sir. Seems to be a pack of gorillas. Each of them probably has a solid… two feet on you.”

“How many? Impressions of their strength, levels, and intelligence?”

“I saw three, though I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more. Two at level 18, the other at level 20. Coordinated, aggressive, I’d say near-human levels of intelligence. I didn’t see any Skills being used. Possible strength-boosting passives in play.”

I raise an eyebrow at that. Is Lindsey admitting to having an [Identify] skill? I suppose it would fall into a ranger’s toolkit. Now I want to get that skill for myself. Maybe there’s a corresponding [Identify] glyph that I can combine into a [Lens of Identify] or similar.

“Have they spotted us yet?”

“Couldn’t tell. They weren’t directly heading toward us, but they were highly territorial and on the move.”

“Alright, everyone,” he says after a few seconds. “This is what we’re here to do. Cull what we can, and defend the people back home. Brent, you and I in the front. Anna, you and Chloe in the rear. Nicholas, in the middle. Lindsey, help Sera into the nearby trees. Her [Lightning Blowgun] is just as damaging as most of your ranged attacks.”

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Before I can say anything, Lindsey has me up on her shoulder. She launches herself into the air. Branches bend and crack against my back and head, but I suffer only eight points of damage from the scrapes which immediately start healing. She finds a pair of large branches just behind our camp and pulls out the massive compound bow she has hanging on her back. She then draws upon some sort of [Energy Arrow] skill, conjuring an arrow with the teal glow of her [Ether] and nocking it, all without making a sound.

I draw my [Lightning Blowgun] with far inferior celerity, keeping one eye on Lindsey and where she’s looking the whole time. It grows quiet. Nicholas and Chloe move closer to one another. Anna conjures a wall of flame behind her. Brent begins to glow a bright white. Jackie’s disdain toward me has been completely overshadowed by a grim determination in her eyes as she stares ahead with resolution.

The forest itself shakes with each monstrous footstep. All other noises go silent. The air grows violently still and my heart palpitates faster than it ever has since the arrival of the System.

And then they arrive. A massive gorilla standing a good seven feet tall while hunched over barges out of the underbrush far quicker than it has any right to. Its fists bang against its chest as it shrieks a warcry that sends birds flying into the sky. It charges straight for Nichoas, whose golden aura flares out, filling me with strength.

[You are now under the effect of [Bravery Aura]. Attacking stats multiplied by 1.3x]

Alexey charges at the first ape. “Oh, no you don’t, you damned bastard! Your fight is with me!” he screams, throwing a single punch that sends the gorilla tumbling.

Lindsey and I both fire our attacks. My bluish-purple stream of [Lightning] trails her blue-white [Light Arrow], and both make direct contact with our foe. Lindsey’s hits square on the ape’s temples, while I use [Trick Shot] and aim just above the top of its collarbone. Jackie concentrates and generates a sphere of blue light which she slams into the still-supine gorilla. Our attacks definitely do damage. But as it forces itself back to its feet, I realize the fight is far from over.

Worse still, not two but three more of the beasts emerge. None of them are as large or ferocious as the first, but they are only slightly shorter than Alexey. And what they lack in size or intimidation factor, they make up for in speed. One takes aim directly for Nicholas’s head, only to be blocked by Brent’s sword at the last second.

I start shooting regular [Ether Bullets] toward the three smaller apes while Alexey engages their chief in single combat. Even if I use the minimum of thirty points of [Ether] in a [Lightning Bullet], I only have enough for fourteen shots. But I can launch hundreds of the weakest variety, or dozens if I only activate the [Motion] glyph to increase their speed.

Lindsey has the same idea, and the two of us launch our attacks in rapid succession, providing covering fire from above while Brent and Jackie form the first line of defense. Anna arcs a line of flame around the battlefield and strikes the weakest ape in the back. It howls and falls to the ground, whimpering as it rolls out the fire in its hair. But that’s hardly enough to stop the creature. If anything, the [Fire Evoker] has only managed to piss off our simian adversary, who redoubles its ferocious swings back at her.

My strikes continue to ring true, but my low level means that even under the effects of [Bravery Aura], none of my attacks are doing much to bring the apes down. Still, I see smoking flesh, staggered movements, and whimpered cries as I launch bullet after bullet, this time aiming for my target’s eyes and nose and ears. I even get one clean shot straight toward its monkey balls, though that proves less effective than the attacks on its face.

Alexey cries out as he’s knocked to the ground by the leader of these damned, dirty apes. I reflexively reach down into the fray, but Lindsey’s hand on my shoulder calms me. I’m reminded that we all have a job to do, and that we’re a team, together. Right now, I’m not a frontliner, and I need to do the job that only I can do, not try to heal the guy who’s got at least ten levels, twenty points of [Vitality], and thirty years of experience in battle on me.

Chloe heals him with her spell. His pale face fills with vitality as he leaps back up. He utters some Russian curses and spits a mass of blood and phlegm before charging right back into the fray. And I turn my focus back to my targets. Bullet after bullet, breath after breath, I continue firing, using [Trick Shot] to counteract the apes’ attempts to dodge my strikes.

Lindsey keeps firing her shots even as my [Ether] starts to run low. I hesitate. We can probably finish this fight even if I have to tag out. But… No, our mission is to stay alive. We exercise discretion and don’t take unnecessary risks if we can avoid them. And we can this time.

I pull out the [Ether Canister] that I have in my side pouch. I pull it open and bright reams of light flow into me. My exhaustion fades away and my mind refocuses. For a split second, I spot a System notification in the corner of my eye.

[Your [Ether] has been restored by 200 points. Current [Ether]: 227 / 419.]

I fire another [Lightning Bullet] on the ape nearest Chloe, empowering it with the full sixty points of [Ether] that my weapon can comfortably take. The bullet chirps like songbirds, causing the giant simian to convulse and stagger. Tiny arcs of lightning flicker between its remaining patches of fur as it tries to stand up. One more [Light Arrow] from Lindsey and the brute finally falls, lifeless.

I then turn my attention back to the largest of the four monstrosities. Alexey is now fighting defensively, showing masses of dried blood and sweat and other injuries piling up on his clothes even as Chloe keeps healing him. Right as the leader of the apes is about to loose a devastating haymaker into Alexey’s temple and probably down him in a single strike, I fire another maximum power [Lightning Bullet]. It’s less effective against this asshole than its smaller brethren, but it stuns the beast long enough for Alexey to counterstrike.

I wait for the right opportunity to strike. I’ve got one more max-powered [Lightning Bullet] left and then a few more weak shots, and I need to make them count. Lindsey’s shots are growing slower and weaker as well, and Anna’s flames are on the wane. Nicholas is still moving about, guiding our movements and bolstering our Skills with his own, but I can see him growing fatigued as well. Brent is on one knee, forcing himself back to his feet just in time to dodge as his opponent again launches a brutal double-fisted downswipe. Only Jackie is still fighting near her initial performance, but I suspect it’s more bluster than anything.

But we have Chloe and they don’t. Her healing is keeping us alive, and as a result, we’re winning the battle of attrition. My last shot needs to be saved until the moment is right, making sure that the first ape that tries to harm her doesn’t live long enough to regret it. And so I watch as hell rages below us.

Lindsey gives me a nod as she puts away her bow. I toss her the [Lightning-Sheathed Dagger] on my waist. Even if she doesn’t have [Ether Manipulation] or [Glyph Manipulation], she’ll make use of the weapon down there better than I will up here. With her in the fray, the fight starts turning even more in my favor, but I learned my lesson already. Until I see the System notifications confirming that all four monkeys are dead, I assume we’re still in mortal danger.

Two minutes pass, and I continue to wait. I watch, I wait, but I dare not exhale. I dare not give a sneaky simian the chance to hurt my best friend or any of my battle companions. My fear is proven true as the first ape to fall forces its way back to its feet in a blur. It attempts to slam down on Chloe from behind, taking her with it in one final desperation maneuver. But one [Lightning Bullet] between the eyes stops the threat.

With the last half-dozen of my [Ether Bullets], I’m able to stagger the gorilla chieftain just long enough for Alexey to smash an iron fist right into its grey matter, ending the threat of this encounter once and for all. The System finally gives us the notification that we’ve emerged victorious from our encounter.

[You have slain a tribe of Great Plain Gorillas (Levels 18, 18, 20, 24). You have gained a boosted 3,900 Experience.]

[Your [Ether Bullet (Rank VII)] has upgraded to [Ether Bullet (Rank IX)].]

Finally, I can take a breath.