As I occasionally glance up, I scribble in my notebook, feeling boredom emanating through the bond while a tentacle continues to poke my shoulder.

Hunter can effortlessly create fire using asura, suggesting a strong affinity for pyromancy.

'Fak!' 'Fak!' 'Fak!'

In the distance, an Asura hunter lit several bundles of twigs underneath the cauldrons.

His rapid-fire blasts suggest two possibilities: either he possesses a significant reservoir of asura energy within his asura organ, or he exhibits exceptional control over his asura. Storing spells in advance would also demand considerable mastery. Further information is needed to make a definitive assessment.

As I write, the notebook's pages slowly fill with ink blemishes. Breathing out a long sigh, I choose to ignore them.

I wish I had my tablet; whenever I write on paper, there's always a pencil or ink mark.

"Beatrice!" Mary suddenly calls out from below. "Are you here?" She spins around slowly, muttering, "Where in the world is she?"

Quietly descending, I tap Mary on the shoulder. She jolts and quickly turns around.

"You sure have a habit of disappearing," Mary remarks before letting out a sigh. "Did you finish doing inventory?"

"Yes," I say, handing her the clipboard. "There might still be some errors, so I advise you to look over it."

"Nonsense," Mary waves her hand as she takes the clipboard. "I haven't heard any explosions, so it must be better than most of my helpers." She motions for me to lean down before whispering, "As long as you didn't accidentally set off a box of Ucroil, then you're good."

Giving her a small frown, I look off to the side.

For inventory? How does anyone accidentally set off a crate of Ucroil?

"The harvested meat and plants are categorized by their spoil date. Basic medical supplies and food are on the second page, with items running out highlighted in red. They are organized alphabetically if you need to find something." Handing the notebook and pen to a tentacle, I have it put them inside my backpack. "I've checked it over several times, but you should still review the list just to be sure."

"You did a really great job," Mary says, glancing up. "Where did you learn how to do this?"

A warm feeling flutters within my chest, and I shrug my shoulders. "I just have a lot of practice with it."

"Maybe I should have you teach others this, sometimes," Mary chuckles. "Most of my volunteers aren't quite good with numbers."

As she starts to walk, I follow her.

Is there anything else she wants me to do, or am I free to go? Maybe she hasn't gotten over the fact that I spied on her.

There's a persistent prompting from the tentacles on my side of the bond. They nudge at something in the back of my head. I push them away before mentally erecting several barriers.

"Hey Mary," a random porter greets her as we pass by.

"Hey there," Mary says, handing them the clipboard. "Do you mind giving this to Penny for me?"

"Sure! Are you still up for the party tonight?"

"Yep, life is short, after all," Mary smiles. "Might as well live it up."

While continuing to stand there, I watch the two exchange pleasantries before Mary decides to move on.

There sure had been a lot of parties. Where are they getting the supplies for that?

"I never took you for a party person," I casually say as several other porters greet Mary from afar.

Mary sure is friendly with a lot of people.

"I don't usually participate in parties," Mary says while waving at another group of porters. "There's just this strange feeling I've had over these past few days."

"Strange feelings?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it. Not without sounding crazy," she mutters, tapping her chin in contemplation.

'Bang!' 'Crak!'

Two lizardmen crash in front of us, wrestling with each other. Quickly dodging to the side, I avoid a punch heading my way.

"Alright, break it up, you two!" Mary yells, separating them. "What in the world happened?"

Both lizardmen stand slightly taller than a human toddler, their eyes bulging out of their sockets. They glare at each other before one breaks eye contact and turns toward Mary.

"He purposefully invaded my space!" the lizardman accuses, pointing his finger. "I know he was the one who treads mud all over the place!"

"How can you prove it? Everything you say is a lie, like when you stole the ration I have been saving up!" the other lizard yells back.

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Okay, let's take a step back here and figure out what's going on," Mary turns to one of the lizardmen. "Is there any evidence that he tread mud all over your place?" She looks at the other lizard. "And can you prove that he stole your ration?"

"Well, I saw my tent was covered in mud when I returned," the lizardman states. "He wouldn't answer any of my questions."

"I have food in my mouth!" the other lizard remarks. "How do you think I can answer with a full mouth?"

"Let's not get off task. Did the muddy prints look like they match his?" Mary questions.

"Haven't really checked."

"Go do that first, and we'll try to resolve the issue." Crossing her arms, Mary glances at the other lizardman. "What about you?"

The lizardman lowers his head, scratching the back of his neck. "He was close to my space."

"Alright, try to find evidence before checking back with me." Watching the lizardman go, Mary sighs and slowly shakes her head.

That wasn't a bad way to handle the situation. Maybe that's why so many porters didn't object much when she became our unofficial leader.

"Honestly," Mary says, placing a hand on her forehead, "I wish they had talked things out before it erupted into a fight."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"They're Tiki reptile men," I add, turning toward Mary and scanning her up and down. "They're usually more territorial and aggressive around their own kind."

Considering how Mary intervenes in their fights unscathed, they must have a very favorable impression of her. It's not just them; many other people have similar sentiments. Perhaps that's how she's managed to survive for so long.

"I do notice they look different from the other lizardmen," Mary mutters. "I didn't realize they would act differently from the ones we usually see."

I shrug my shoulders. "Not everyone has interactions with different types of lizardmen, so it's easy to make a mistake."

Surviving through the use of connection sounds so simple and flimsy on paper that many wouldn't have considered it. It seems more effective than I thought if Mary can utilize it. Perhaps it would be a good idea to watch and learn how she does it.

"I gotta hurry and finish my work. Don't want to miss tonight's celebration," Mary says somewhat tiredly but happily. "Are you coming to the party as well?"

Glancing to the side, I avoid her eyes. "I am busy with something later on."

"Well, that's a shame. Just know that you're welcome to come if you change your mind."

Through the bond, the tentacles send out various mismatched movie clips that read: 'Ask. Her. to. Leave. dolt.'

That sounds too easy. Is it going to work?

"Thanks. Is it alright for me to go now?" I ask, pointing with my thumb at a random place behind me.

"Oh yeah, sure. Go ahead," Mary replies, shrugging her shoulders before walking away.

...Oh wow. That actually works.

Smugness instantly emanates from the bond.

----------------------------------------

An encompassing smoke blankets the entire meadow, with embers lazily drifting in the wind. Bodies litter the ground, painting it a stark red.

'Boom!'

A blast struck several of the rock monsters, momentarily confusing them. Seizing the opportunity, I dashed towards one of the fallen bodies—a boy with hair matted in dirt and streaked with blood.

I recognize him; he's one of the boys from my class.

Placing my fingers on his neck, I search for a pulse.

"Koeff!" The boy coughs, choking on a handful of blood as his eyes snap wide open.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, I move my hand to his chest. The smooth sensation of asura flows through my arms as I reach towards the boy's wounds. One of his hands quickly grabs my wrist and holds it in place.

"Please..." His body shudders and curls as he coughs, "Please...tell my sister...I love her."

"Tell her yourself," I gently remove his hand from my wrist, "You're going to make it out of here alive."

He chuckles faintly, a hazy look passing over his eyes.

"I think we both know it's too late for that."

'Boom!'

A flash of light engulfs the entire meadow, leaving everything blinded in white.

Opening my eyes, I quickly sit up. Annoyance and anger immediately surge through the bond as some tentacles nuzzle against the blanket.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day; this is already the fifth time!

Slowly emerging from my sleeping bag, I survey the scene. A group of porters has gathered around a large fire, their laughter echoing in the distance.

That looks...festive

A cold breeze sweeps past, sending goosebumps down my skin. Nearby, tentacles gather and roll into a giant ball. I glance at the campfire and then at my sleeping bag before turning my attention back to the group of porters.

I won't be able to fall asleep anytime soon, so I might as well occupy myself with something—maybe see if they have some food lying around.

Cautiously looking around, I climb down from my ledge jutting out of the dungeon's wall. When my feet touch the ground, I walk slowly toward the campfire. With each step, the chatter of conversation grows louder.

"Do you think she's going to say yes?"

"No, no, no. Kbumquek is a better alternative than Kibumpquek for the recipe."

"Eh, no wonder you're single with a face like that."

"When in doubt, add bacon. Or something like that. I honestly can't remember."

"Cat got your tongue? What do you say we go somewhere?" The man said as the lady beside him laughed. Without acknowledging my presence, they cut in front of me. A few tentacles curled themselves into what looked like a fist and waved it at the couple.

Slowly shaking my head, I continue walking until I stop a few feet away from the campfire. Mary sits on a tree trunk, engrossed in conversation with the others. Some are joking around, creating strange shadow puppets, or comically imitating a monster.

"Alright, next one," George says, placing both hands on his head. With his two front teeth on display, he resembles a deer with a rat's snout.

"George," Ollie mutters, not looking up from his reading. "Unless you want to star as the next budget-cut bunny man in a horror movie, you'll stop doing that right now." He flips through the book's pages. "And no, I won't be fixing it when it happens."

Mary and the lizard lady beside her laugh as the two men start bickering.

They seem...happy and at ease with each other... It's been a while since I felt that way.

"When the drill goes down!" Trevor sang in an off-pitch tone, "All the nearby people drown. They cough and bleed as they plead to the sky above, but it doesn't save them from the gas's choking love." Trevor continued strumming his guitar, making random mismatched noises with it. "Two hundred million fish suddenly decide to go on land—Ack!"

A pillow hit his face, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Stifling a laugh, I held my hand near the fire, letting its warmth wash through me.

"Oh my god, please go to sleep already! I can't take it anymore!" Lana yelled, burying her face into the pillow. "My eardrums are bleeding!"

With an offended look, Trevor rubbed the spot where he was hit. "I know it's not my greatest work, but I can get better with practice."

"At your level," Jack deadpanned, shaking his head. "Yeah, no, I'll be lucky if I can find someone who buys recordings of your singing. Might work if I advertise it as a weapon instead."

Liam glanced up from polishing his sword and pulled two wads of cotton from his ears.

"I think it sounds great," Kim said lifelessly beside Trevor, her face paler than the moon.

"Shh, Kim," Lana interjected, "I know he's your boyfriend, but you don't have to pretend to like it. We all know it's worse than torture."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence. I've never felt so reassured in my skills," Trevor sarcastically remarked. "You guys are the best main team a leader could ever have."

"Ya welcome, bud," Lana flashed him a thumbs-up. "But seriously, the lyrics need fixing. I'd be embarrassed if I were the one who wrote it. Ha! I'd toss myself into the nearest volcano!"

"Those lyrics were written by our ancestors during The Asura Metamorphosis. You can't just go spit on their graves like that!"

A sudden constricting feeling tightens around my chest as I watch the porters from my vantage point, happily chatting with each other. The campfire's warmth barely reaches my skin as gusts of wind pass by me.

Years ago, I would have done anything to avoid hearing Trevor's singing, but unfortunately, it happened every single day at least once. Now? I would sacrifice anything to have one more moment like that again.

As Mary briefly looks away from her conversation, our eyes meet. A smile slowly spreads across her face as she stands up and comes over to me.

"Hey, Beatrice," Mary says with a smile, stopping in front of me. "I'm so glad you came." Leaning in closer, she whispers, "Things were starting to get chaotic. I need someone with all their brain cells intact."

"Oh, I understand. I didn't mean to intrude. I'll leave now," I respond quickly, beginning to walk away.

"Nonsense!" Mary exclaims, gripping my wrist to halt me. "Come on, I need to introduce you to everyone." With that, she starts leading me toward the campfire.

Conversation halts momentarily as I approach, and some eyes follow me with expressions ranging from disgust to pity. After a short walk, Mary gestures for me to sit next to Ollie before settling down herself.

"I don't think you've met her yet, but this is Beatrice," Mary introduces to the lizard lady. "Arbora, meet Beatrice."

Arbora looks up from her sharp, pinprick-like claws. Her wide mouth and light scales resemble tree bark.

"By the blisters on my grandmama's foot, what happened to half of that girl's face?" Arbora covers her mouth with a hand, pointing at me. "It looks like it's been carved clean of any skin. How in the world can you walk around like that?"

I meet her gaze with half-lidded eyes and shrug. The tentacles behind me shift at my movement, prompting a displeased pulse from the bond.

I got used to it after a while. Kind of.

"What kind of question even is that, Arbora?" Mary asks with an agape mouth.

"What? I'm asking what we're all thinking about. Don't you want to know?"

"Even if I want to know, it's none of my business."

"But you didn't deny it, either."

As I watch them argue, a tentacle lifts a camera recorder.

...Where in the world did the tentacles get a camera recorder from?

Ollie quietly closes his book and turns toward me. "Please excuse my... companions,' he says, gesturing towards Mary and Arbora. "They're good people and lizards, but can be dunces at times."

"It's fine,' I say, raising both hands. "I don't mind it too much."

Oddly enough, I genuinely mean it. It brings back memories of better times, I suppose. I miss them.

"I can't help but notice you have a medical book in your hands," I say, glancing at Ollie as he looks down at it.

"I need to brush up in case something happens," he replies.

I was a little worried there, but I guess that makes sense. It's better than expected since most people who hire porters barely provide medical care. Regardless of my opinions on Aequitas, they are usually well-liked for a reason.

"Why would I know about a bunch of loners?" Arbora loudly huffs, interrupting my thoughts. "Those Tikki Lizards or whatever they are, nothing better than the dirt under my feet. I can never understand why any lizardman would reject building their community. Bunch of disgrace, if you ask me."

"So you really don't know about them?" Mary asks beside her.

As others around me continue to converse, I sit there in silence.