Time remaining: 3 days, 18 hours.
As the sunlight above filtered into the forest through the canopy above, light crept into Orion’s tent. He was met with the same anxiety from the previous day, but did his best to ward it off. With it came the familiar-yet-alien ache in his legs, the sharp pain likely what had woken him. He sat up and stretched, and was thankful that the headache, at least, was gone.
Stepping out of his tent with delicate steps, the cool morning air hit his skin and made it tingle. There was a sweet scent on the air that mixed with the smell of decaying leaves and rich soil. He took a deep breath, the sensation of cold, damp air passing his nostrils drawing all of his attention.
He opened his eyes and found Shadow already awake and fussing about in his pop-up kitchen.
“Good morning,” Orion said softly, not wanting to wake anyone else.
“H-hey.” Shadow looked a little startled as he snapped out of whatever task he was focusing on. “How are you feeling?”
“Honestly, a lot better than yesterday. I think I’m back to normal.”
“Good to hear.”
They lapsed into silence, Shadow returning his focus to his kitchen, and Orion looking off into the trees. As his body became accustomed to the smell and sensation of the morning air, Orion’s anxiety churned within.
“Shadow…”
“Yeah?” Shadow looked up, something in Orion’s voice demanding attention.
“I’m not okay.” His heart raced in his chest, as if voicing his feelings could bring him harm.
Shadow set down the pan he was wiping and came and sat beside Orion. He leaned back and released a long sigh.
“I’m not either.”
They sat for some time, the lack of birdsong and the stillness of the morning air suffocating.
Shadow broke the silence.
“There… there’s something wrong with me.” Shadow’s eyes look past Orion, and they grew red and puffy as he spoke. “I’ll be feeling fine sometimes—we’ll all just be hanging out and bullshitting about something—but then it just hits me. My stomach feels like it’s doing flips, and I have this desire to run. To get away from everyone.” Shadow rubbed his eyes and looked down. “I’ve felt it since coming to this world—especially with my former party. It made me distrustful of them, and I think it made me act differently. I’m sure I made them uncomfortable, which probably contributed to them not wanting me around anymore.”
“Do you feel the same with us?”
“No. Not at first, anyway. Joining you guys was a breath of fresh air, and it was a blast adventuring with you guys the first few days—don’t get me wrong, it still is…” He sat up and took a deep breath as he looked at the canopy above. “But the feeling has come back. The last two days I’ve woken to it—like it’s waiting there, ready to ambush me the moment I’m conscious.”
The similarity to his experience wasn’t lost on Orion, and his mind raced as it tried to find a pattern or cause for their predicament—a distraction he was thankful for.
“Shadow. There’s nothing wrong with you.”
He described the anxiety he had been feeling, making sure to point out that it had also been building the last two days.
“Crikey! I thought it was just me!”
Orion and Shadow both jumped out of their skin as Honeypot appeared between them.
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“Let me tell you fellas, I’m glad to know it’s not just me going crazy.”
Orion shook his head at the grinning priest as he breathed out slowly. “Can you not?”
“Yeah, my bad on that one.” Honeypot shrugged. “In my defense, I was off scouting the forest since before either of you woke up. I didn’t just come out to creep on you.”
“But you did come back to creep on us, right?”
“Unimportant.” Honeypot waved his hands in a dismissive gesture. “The last couple of days, I’ve been feeling, well…” He paused, tilting his head side to side. “… sad, for lack of a better word.”
Shadow raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve seemed fine…”
“Yes, well, that’s sort of what I do, Shadow. No one likes a mopey boy. Honeypot’s the life of the party, baby!”
Arika made a disgusted noise and stepped out of her tent.
“Please don’t ever refer to yourself in the third person again.”
Honeypot looked at Arika, then at Orion and Shadow.
“Nothing?” He threw his hands up. “So she can eavesdrop and creep, but I can’t?”
“I couldn’t help but eavesdrop, Honeypot. You’re loud as hell.” Arika walked over and sat down by the burnt-out fire. “So, you’ve all been feeling off?”
Shadow repeated his feelings over the last two days, as did Orion.
Arika listened to the full recounting attentively as she gazed at the surrounding trees.
“I’ve been feeling… trapped.” She absently swept a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she looked off into the forest. “I’ve also felt like I want to run, Shadow—to get far away from whatever the System is pushing us towards.”
If it was just me and Shadow, Orion thought, I’d say it could be a coincidence… but all four of us?
“If it’s all of us, it has to be something to do with the world or the System we’ve been thrown into.” He paused, looking around and taking them all in. “To me, it feels like a remnant of my life on earth—like the memories the Creator locked away are trying desperately to get out.”
Arika and Honeypot nodded, sharing the same somber expression.
Shadow sat still, staring down at his hands.
“You’re right.” The enormous man’s jaw trembled as he admitted out-loud what he’d been avoiding. “Something in my past life makes me feel like I don’t deserve to be around people—and it’s been getting worse. What did I do? What kind of monster must I have been to feel this way?” He released a shaky breath. “The Creator says he took our memories away to help us, but this is agony. I don’t even know why I feel this way…” Shadow’s chest shook, and he wiped tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just so frustrating.”
A tent flap stirred, and Gizmo rolled out. He wheeled himself directly over to Shadow and hopped up beside him. He hugged the Warrior.
“Do not worry, Shadow.” Gizmo hummed a comforting tune. “It is normal for humans to feel overwhelming emotion. Crying releases endogenous opioids, and oxytocin—both of which ease emotional pain.”
Despite the fact that he didn’t know what Gizmo just said, Orion was glad for the little robot’s presence. He didn’t know how to comfort Shadow.
I’ll have to remember how good that little junk-bot’s hearing is, though.
Orion approached the kitchen, arriving on the opposite side of the bench to Shadow.
“Shadow, we’re a team. It doesn’t matter if you feel worthy of being around us or not—you’re one of us, and we aren’t going anywhere.”
Shadow absentmindedly petted Gizmo, who had him in a vice-grip. Shadow avoided Orion’s gaze—but nodded.
“Besides!” Honeypot’s signature smile had returned in all its glory. “We need you. Even if these two magic-slingers didn’t rely on you—which, let’s be clear, they do—I’d still need you as my partner in crime! Who else is gonna do cool-rogue-shit with me if you’re not about?”
“We do need you, you big idiot,” Arika said with a kind smile.
They both approached, Arika wrapping her arms around him, and Honeypot resting a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, guys.” Shadow’s armor clunked as he smiled and wiped away a tear. “You have your own shit to deal with—you shouldn't have to reassure me. Thank you, though.”
Orion watched as Honeypot took a sausage out of his inventory and tried to place it in the pocket of Arika’s robe. Honeypot’s hand stayed a small distance away, and Femera darted her head out, eating it in a single bite. Honeypot pet the little fox, who licked his hand before returning to the spacious pocket. Seeing Orion watching, he shot him a wink.
What the hell is he up to now? Orion thought, raising an eyebrow, which Honeypot ignored.
They untangled themselves after a solid hug. Shadow assured the questioning Arika that he would be alright. The hulking chef started preparing breakfast, slipping into the routine with ease. Orion could physically see a difference in Shadow with some of the weight that had been piling up over their time together swept away. He knew this wouldn’t cure Shadow’s—or any of their internal turmoil, for that matter—but hopefully, knowing that they were all in it together would help. He knew he felt better after voicing his feelings.
Shadow served up an otherworldly breakfast, and they discussed their plans and potential strategies now that Orion’s abilities were once again intact.
He knew he shouldn’t be excited about danger, but Orion couldn’t help himself—he felt whole again, and couldn’t wait for the day to unfold. One tactic in particular, Orion had been itching to try, but it would have to wait until they could use Arika’s Explosion safely without luring in whatever had slaughtered those monsters.