David took a moment to compose himself, the emotional storm from his breakdown still leaving him feeling raw and hollow. The analytical part of his mind kept churning through disaster scenarios, but the edge of panic had finally blunted.
Camila shared a meaningful glance with Katie, who continued organizing the others. Would Billy and Charlie like a hot meal? As well as the camping stove she would need Tupperware if they stayed at the Obelisk. Someone needed to get some for Sarah as well so she could have food when she woke up. Mark was dispatched with purposeful efficiency.
It would be helpful if Carl could set the table. Yes, places for Camila, David, in fact just set all the places in case the others were back quickly with Sarah too.
David appreciated being given space to pull himself together. The bustle of normal activity felt like a lifeline after drowning in apocalyptic certainty.
He stepped into the bathroom and turned the tap. Water flowed clear and cold.
"Hey, there's running water!" he called out, splashing his face.
Katie's voice floated back from the kitchen. "I know. They have big pressure tanks that pump water up during normal operations. We go hiking near one of the tanks sometimes. It's massive and holds millions of gallons that'll flow by gravity alone even with power out."
David dried his face with a towel, feeling marginally more human. The simple act of washing helped ground him back in the present moment rather than spiraling through catastrophic possibilities.
He decided to just go with the flow for now. Camila needed help with Sarah, and he could provide that. Focus on what was in front of him instead of everything that was falling apart beyond these walls.
David headed into the bedroom to find another athletic young woman lying unconscious on the bed. Bottle blonde with shoulder-length hair showing brown roots, she wore cargo pants, a tank top, and what looked like a work shirt tailored for a woman's frame.
Her breathing was slow and even. No signs of slime, writhing, or the disturbing sounds he'd encountered before.
"Stop staring," Camila said without heat. "She's literally passed out. Help me lift her legs while I take her arms."
The transfer to the car proved awkward with just the two of them. After a brief struggle, they called in Mark and Carl. Four people managed to get Sarah into the backseat where Camila could monitor both her and the road.
David noted how Camila immediately took charge of logistics without asking permission or waiting for consensus. She simply identified what needed doing and made it happen.
After Camila got her phone charging, they were off with promises to return quickly if Sarah woke up, or to send David back as a relay if she didn't.
The few minutes back to the park passed quietly. David found himself stealing glances at Camila in the rearview mirror as she watched Sarah's breathing with fierce attention.
"You did the right thing," he said eventually. "Insisting we bring her."
Camila looked up, meeting his eyes in the mirror. "I should have listened to you earlier. About the dangers. I kept thinking you were being dramatic, but..."
She gestured helplessly. "My ex used to get loud and angry when he was scared. Make everything about how tough he was. You actually broke down and showed us the truth instead of trying to prove anything."
David felt heat rise in his cheeks but didn't know how to respond to that.
They reached the park and struggled to get Sarah out of the car. Finally, David managed to get her into a princess carry, his face reddening with exertion as he staggered toward the light barrier.
Camila walked alongside, and David could have sworn she looked vaguely approving rather than pitying his obvious strain.
As they crossed the barrier, notifications appeared.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE QUEST EARN YOUR FIRST SKILL]
[YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE PATH OF HEROISM. TOUCH THE OBELISK TO COLLECT YOUR REWARD]
"Dismiss," David muttered, banishing the window. "Hey, Camila. Did you complete the first skill quest? I just did for bringing Sarah into the area."
"No, nothing. Must be because you're carrying her." Her voice mixed disappointment with hope. "Did it say when she'll wake up?"
"Nope. I need to touch the obelisk to get rewards. Nothing about her."
Charlie appeared as they made their way across the grass. "Who's she? What happened?"
After a quick explanation, he helped carry Sarah to a spot near the obelisk where the grass looked softer.
Once they'd laid her down, Charlie walked over to the obelisk and touched it. David heard the background murmur pick up in volume briefly, accompanied by something that almost sounded like rushing water followed by nearly intelligible words.
Charlie looked slightly paler when he turned back. "She should be out for another twelve hours based on ambient conditions. That was expensive to ask, though."
Camila immediately challenged him. "How do you know that? Is this like when you told us technology was fried?" She held up her phone. "Look, it's working now that it's charged!"
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"No, nothing like that. I used the help function. It's awesome, though it costs magic. I've been asking questions whenever I can. It's cheaper when you touch the obelisk directly."
Charlie's enthusiasm bubbled over. "I just wait for my mana to fill up, ask something, then practice my skill. I'm nearly there! Maybe a couple hundred reps left!"
A soft, rough voice came from behind them. "For her. So she's more comfortable."
David jumped. Billy had approached silently, offering a ratty pillow, some sheets of cardboard, and a light blanket to Camila.
"Thanks, Billy. That's very kind of you, very gentlemanly," Camila beamed.
Billy hunched into himself at being addressed directly. Without making eye contact, he muttered, "It's mine and I want it back when she wakes up." He tried to sound grumpy, but David could hear the compassion underneath. "Put the cardboard under her, it will help. I'll leave you to your business."
David watched Billy return to his vigil beside Bessie. The homeless man wasn't just dirty but weathered by time and hardship. Yet he'd offered comfort to a stranger without being asked.
It made David reassess his earlier dismissal of Billy as just another problem to manage.
Camila arranged the makeshift bedding with gentle efficiency. "So, what did you get for your completed quest?"
"I have to touch the obelisk to get the skill."
Charlie's interjection was immediate. "What are you waiting for? You could be the first to actually use a skill!"
He sounded jealous and excited in equal measure.
David hesitated, not wanting to abandon Sarah in front of Camila. The Latina looked up from tucking the blanket around the unconscious woman.
"Go. I'll take care of her. Get your video game reward."
David moved to the obelisk and placed his palm against the carved surface. A window appeared with no ceremony.
[REWARD AVAILABLE - LEVEL 1 MAGIC SKILL]
[REQUIREMENTS MET FOR LEVEL 1 MAGIC SKILL – MAGIC RESOURCE POOL, WILLPOWER ATTRIBUTE (1)]
[AVAILABLE SKILLS:] [RESIST ELEMENT (PASSIVE)] [SHIELD] [MANA BOLT]
[REQUIREMENTS MET FOR ADDITIONAL OPTION:] [HALT]
[PLEASE SELECT ONE OPTION]
David turned to Charlie, excitement building in his chest. "I have four options: resist element, shield, mana bolt, and halt. Apparently I meet some extra criteria for that last one."
"Cool! I didn't see halt or mana bolt as options. Resist element uses mana to mitigate elemental damage. Shield creates protective barriers you can specialize. I'm guessing mana bolt is like the elemental bolt I'm learning."
Charlie paused thoughtfully. "Halt sounds like crowd control. You should look them up, though it'll probably drain your mana."
David touched the obelisk again and requested help regarding mana bolt and halt. Information flowed directly into his understanding.
[MANA BOLT: USER CREATES A BOLT OF MANA BY FOCUSING WILL AND FIRING IN A DIRECTION. DAMAGES MANA STRUCTURES ON IMPACT. DAMAGE DEPENDS ON WILLPOWER AND SKILL LEVEL. LOW MANA EXPENDITURE. LEADS TO ADVANCED MANA APPLICATIONS.]
[HALT: USER UTTERS A WORD OF POWER, FORCING IT INTO REALITY WITH WILLPOWER. REQUIRES MANA STRUCTURES SUPPORTING SPEECH. DISRUPTS NEARBY MOTIVE MANA, BRIEFLY HALTING MOVEMENT ACCORDING TO USER INTENT. EFFECT SCALE AND DURATION BASED ON SKILL LEVEL AND WILLPOWER. MODERATE TO HIGH MANA EXPENDITURE. LEADS TO ADVANCED POWER WORDS.]
David felt mana drain from him like water flowing backwards. The sensation was strange but not unpleasant. The background murmur increased briefly before returning to normal levels.
He shared his findings with Charlie, who considered the options. "As a gamer, I'd say this is about immediate need versus future utility. Given what you've seen out there, which would be most helpful against monsters?"
David thought for a moment. "Both focus on mana, so both should work in combat at this stage."
Charlie nodded. "I'm already getting a damage spell soon, so maybe get the crowd control? That's what halt sounds like."
David agreed, partly because he suspected his capability with halt was connected to his bloodline. Both skills mentioned speaking or speech-based effects.
He touched the obelisk and selected halt.
The sensation of gaining the skill was intense. The murmur became suddenly sharp and loud, seeming to repeat a single word over and over. His body locked up with a buzzing sound behind his ears before the word repeated one final time, settling into him like learning vocabulary in a foreign language.
His brain processed it as "halt," but he knew he must speak this word using more than just his mouth. The word seemed to twist off in strange directions where there was no sound, only intent.
David turned back from the obelisk, startled to find Charlie and Camila both looking concerned.
"Are you okay?" Camila seemed upset. "Why did you do that without warning us?"
Charlie joined in. "You just froze and stood there rigid for like ten minutes."
David hadn't felt it was remotely that long. "Did you ask the obelisk about it?"
"Yeah, it said it was normal and took as long as it took, but simple skills usually impart pretty fast," Charlie replied.
Camila stepped closer, studying David's face with an expression he couldn't quite read. "You look different. More... focused, I think."
Before David could respond, she continued briskly. "Look, you boys may want to play with your toys, but we have food waiting and if Sarah needs to be here all night, we need camping supplies."
Her tone shifted to pure efficiency. "We need to let Katie and the others know we're okay and plan our next moves. This would be easier with group chat, but we need to talk to them in person."
David looked at Charlie. "How long until you get your skill? Will you lock up like I did?"
Charlie looked sheepish. "Probably, so there's that."
Camila cut in before they could continue. "Boys, you can play with magic later. Right now we need to update Katie and bring back food and camping supplies."
She pointed at David. "You drive to our place and get this sorted. You can experiment later."
Her attention turned to Charlie. "You either finish getting your skill so you can be useful, or help set up camp. Once the supplies arrive, you're putting up tents and organizing things. We still need to help all the other people in the city!"
David and Charlie both flushed under her direction, sharing a guilty look. They'd been on the verge of getting lost in system exploration while leaving everyone else hanging.
David felt his face grow hotter as he realized there was one problem with Camila's plan. "Uh, Camila, you make good points, but there's one catch. I have no cell reception for maps, and I'm not sure I can find your house again among unfamiliar suburban streets."
Camila's response was predictable. After some muttered Spanish, she glared at both of them. " Men! Playing with their toys instead of focusing on the important things.” She paused, clearly thinking, then spoke half to herself. "Even if you think you could... "
"Okay, we go back together, and this time we plan better!"
Camila immediately started heading toward the park edge and the car. David wanted to try his new spell but shared a helpless look with Charlie.
They both silently accepted that she was a force of nature, and it was easier to work with her than fight her direction.
She could be a little less rude and abrupt. As they walked, David found himself appreciating her receding backside, realizing she had changed at some point without his noticing and was now wearing street clothes. She didn't waste time second-guessing or waiting for permission, which was good. She moved without thinking things through, which was bad.
In a crisis, that kind of decisive leadership was exactly what they needed, just tempered with proper analysis so they went in a good direction. He could do that.
David followed, hoping he wouldn't regret this, but admitting she had a point. They needed to get things done, and in this instance he couldn't see a better plan, different sure but not clearly better. Not the time to fight for his way.
Besides, there would be time for magic later. Right now, people were counting on them.
