Oskar followed Erik, quickly catching up to his brother.

It took effort to not let his feelings show. Any pity was going to push his brother away. But he could still see his brother in that broken, thin form walking steadily beside him, so that's what he focused on.

They walked slowly while Oskar sought a Wayspring to give them the energy they were desperately going to need if they were gonna keep going long enough to get out of Valla’s reach.

We need to do something about her, but for now, we’ve got to run. We need water, rest, and food before we even think of how to deal with that psychopath.

// Want a Gambit? //

No thanks. I'm sure I'll get one when it's time. One of those that give me that fuzzy warm feeling of impending doom.

Oskar stole another look at his brother. Despite the hell he’d been through, he was looking off in the distance with his one eye, his tired face resolute.

Definitely still Erik, even after everything. God, he’d got twice the grit of anyone I’ve ever met, but he needs rest. And I’m gonna kill that f-

// Foolish Croc? Think of the children, Oskar, // The PUB interrupted him.

This isn't a TV show, but I'll try to behave. Stop reading my thoughts, though.

He wanted nothing more than to talk to Erik. Tell him how he'd found this world, about his powers. About Penny, who he could feel somewhere between the Great Collective and the group. He hoped she was staying safe and could catch up as quickly as possible.

They were moving steadily to distance themselves from Valla, but by no means were they moving quickly. Oskar felt sure that any Kobold or human Valla got her hands on was going to pay the price for it, and he couldn’t help but feel responsible. He’d poked the bear.

You know what? Screw that. I didn’t poke the damn bear. I just didn’t allow her to kill me and my friends after she did God knows what to Erik.

Yet, it rang hollow. In place of the fear he felt, there was a growing sense of responsibility. It wasn’t just him he had to take care of now, and he had an awful lot of work to do to get stronger. He’d only done what it had taken to live long enough to save Erik. Now, though, no one was safe until Valla was dead.

All-Red was just the beginning. The old Croc had made his choice without hesitation, knowing it meant his death, and, if the look of contentment Oskar had last seen on All-Red’s face meant anything, had found his sacrifice worth it. He felt angry tears welling up at the situation Valla and Gramm had forced upon him, that make such a heartbreaking sacrifice necessary.

People, be they Crocs, Kobolds, Hyena-people, whatever… are going to die until she's stopped. This isn’t about just us. She was crazy before I got here. There’s something happening, and she’s right in the middle of it. Plus, Oskar thought, watching his brother, I’ve never seen Erik afraid of anyone before.

Despite looking ready to collapse, his brother was walking, following the most direct path away from the Collective. Oskar stopped for a second, re-situated his stump in his socket, and hurried to catch up.

// Seriously, man. You can do this. They trust you for good reason. //

I hate you, Oskar sent back as, for some reason, his eyes felt wet under his Goggles.

// Quiet! I’m collecting data! //

***

They walked for what seemed like hours, exhausted. The suns beat down on them and Oskar felt both sleep-deprived and just exhausted overall after the day’s events. He was weary to the bones but could not complain with Erik somehow shuffling steadily beside him. Undoubtedly, Erik had it worse than everyone, but whatever empowerment Erik had given him was long gone, and Oskar felt like he was crashing. He couldn’t understand how Erik kept going, but they all were due a proper break as soon as possible. They were certainly being pursued, so despite their condition, they had no choice but to press on for now.

He couldn’t muster the courage to ask about his brother’s ordeal. Erik couldn’t really communicate in his current state, and looked like he was using everything he had just to keep moving. The Kobolds, for their part, walked stoically, and even Fox’s usual banter had been quiet.

Oskar mentally circled back around to how he felt after Erik had healed him. He’d buzzed with energy and magic since Erik’s healing, but it was finally wearing off. He couldn’t contain his curiosity about his brother’s abilities, wondering if they worked at all like his own. Oskar imagined it fell somewhere within the spiritual realm of magic, but then remembered that everything magical, regardless of its realm, was interconnected.

// Not interconnected. It’s all connected, baby. That’s my tagline! //

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

You don’t get to pick your own tagline.

// That’s stupid. //

Oh yeah, well, you’re… wonderful.

// You tease! I had insults all fired up and ready. //

He guided them towards the first spring he sensed. His range was getting impressive, having grown exponentially after his advancement, but Oskar knew the smart thing would be to take a break and then get as much distance as they could manage till nightfall. Sweat dripped down his back as he walked. His clothes were going to need cleaning when they stopped as well; they were now stiff with dried sweat.

With his newfound control over wind and water… and his love for The Last Airbender, he was eager to experiment. He was worried sick about Erik though, and had trouble building up too much enthusiasm towards his own growing powers. He needed more than just meditation… peace and quiet was what he really needed. Unfortunately, those were going to be in short supply if they couldn’t find shelter or lose their pursuers. He'd kept an eye on the sky as they moved, and the whole group walked silently.

I haven’t seen a single actual building, but maybe we’re out in the boonies. Is there anything like a city or village on this planet? I imagine it would be impossible with access to water being so random.

Glancing up, Oskar closed his eyes and listened to the wind blowing steadily overhead while he walked, its static sound a comfort. Distracted by the crowd as he’d been inside Gramm’s town, he belatedly realized how dirty the Great Collective had smelled. The species themselves didn’t quite smell, except for some of the mangier Hyena-men, but the place had a feeling of neglect.

Part of it likely came down to Oskar being unused to so many people. He’d never been overly social, and the last months of struggling with sleep deprivation and his mental health had caused him to retreat even further from society.

Followed by a few weeks of walking in a desert under two suns with hours between conversation probably isn’t exactly making me a people person, either.

// I wish I was a people person. //

You're a people to me, bud.

He couldn’t help but smile, and looked over at the Kobolds, walking nearby. Their deep purple coloring, Fox’s with small orange streaks around her neck and peeking out of the sleeveless, gray leather tunic around her shoulders differed from those he’d seen in the Great Collective. Touwon with his steady presence, his darker fur clean and meticulous, just like his gear.

Those Kobolds in the collective, though, had downcast eyes and hunched forms. They appeared faded, lacking a better word. They’d all worn what looked to be discarded tent cloth as body wraps. But even those ragged Kobolds had blended into their environment somehow. The only reason he’d been so interested in them is because he was new to this world, and it all had fascinated him, even with the fear of being surrounded, otherwise, he might not have even noticed them.

He’d never really paid much attention to the effect, but the Kobolds seemed to melt into the background when they were further away. The Kobolds had a bit of an “out of sight, out of mind” aura to them he was just realizing felt a little too effective to be natural. Like a race trait in a video game.

He asked her about it, his voice sounded louder in the prolonged silence. Fox’s eyes widened behind her Goggles, and her infectious smile wasn’t tempered in the least by her catlike teeth showing.

“Good eye, human. It is something we have unfortunately developed because of our vulnerability as a people. It is useful. This is not always a kind place for us.” The smile no longer looked infectious, but tired.

Oskar and the group walked further, trying to put distance between them and their inevitable pursuit. The heat was as oppressive as always, and it felt to Oskar that the suns were moving at half speed. But because Erik went on, Oskar did so, without complaint.

Oskar thought back to his fight with Gramm, remembering now that he'd felt Gramm trying to use some Talau linked ability, not knowing everything in range was under Oskar's control.

If that's even how it works. I could feel him trying to do something with Talau... maybe body reinforcement. But no matter how tough you are, drowning is drowning.

Perhaps their unique arrival in this world played a part in why his power seemed so effective, or maybe it was this world’s way of granting them a chance to survive as a frail human in this harsh environment.

We’re physically weaker than most, and even the Hyenas and Kobolds seem tougher, despite their smaller stature.

Without his ability to sense water, he’d likely have died under the Vulk Collective. Without his ability to manipulate wind and eventually even air, he wouldn’t have survived a single battle that he’d been in since he had arrived on this frickin’ planet.

Two suns? Honestly? Despite being in a world as real as Earth, he couldn’t ignore the purposeful presence of what were- to him- game-like elements. Taking a moment, he surveyed his magic stats, all of which had improved except for the enigmatic spiritual magic stat:

Sora: 64%, equivalent to C- Rank, which is wild! It slows down, here, though.

Talau: 28%, equivalent to D- Rank.

??????: ?? (Locked)

// Don’t worry too much about the locked status on that last one. You broke through the 25% barrier on Talau, so you’re gonna have a good burst of knowledge as things you knew, but didn’t know know you knew, start to fall into place, you know? //

Oskar blinked a few times, brows lowered as he considered.

// Even unknowns still improve until you have a breakthrough, or “get it.” Plus, some of whatever Erik did temporarily pushed you higher in Mind and Sora. That’s bigly oversimplified, but you’re nothing if not simple. My point is, some of the Sora will stick, because with the added Mind stats, you had a better understanding of what was happening, and that knowledge can’t completely disappear. Whatever he did probably saved you a month of training. //

But it costs him so much. He looked like he lost ten pounds right in front of my eyes. How does that even work?

// I’ll honestly don't know. I’m tired, too, though. All this fighting is a LOT of processing for me. I’m doing a lot of things you don’t even realize I’m doing. //

I know you do, and I appreciate it. The little hints of incoming danger and the outlines really make a difference. I didn’t see it at the time, but you’re the reason I knew Fox had gone down. Thanks for that.

// All in a day’s work. As for Erik… I don’t know. I’ve never heard of an ability costing “Body” stats. That seems dangerous and unsustainable, even if its temporary. Maybe he has a unique class himself that’s taken an unexpected evolution because of everything he’s been through. I mean, your ability to manipulate Sora has grown to match your fighting style. //

He watched Erik walking just ahead of him, wishing he could express everything he was feeling without disturbing whatever it was that kept Erik moving.