David moved away from the Obelisk, noting that Chris was nowhere to be seen. Rather than worrying about what the Council would do when they found out that he had violated his rules he moved back to his friends. There would be a more direct discussion with a councilor soon enough anyway.

  He found the others with Dr. Chen, who was checking Charlie over carefully. She was using her stethoscope and asking him a series of questions from before the initiation. David moved up behind Camila and got her attention as Mark followed along with the Doctor who was speaking to him about what she was doing while he nodded respectfully.

  “Camila, what did I miss?”

  “We haven’t told her yet, she insisted on examining Charlie and seeing how he is doing.”

  David nodded, then returned his attention to the doctor who wrapped up her work in a few more well-practiced tests.

  “Young man, I would have said a week ago that this was impossible. I would have said an hour ago that this wasn’t going to work for you. It seems that this new magic has created another miracle. I begin to wonder if I will even be needed in a week when it seems that one spell is a cure all treatment for what ails us.”

  Charlie spoke quietly at that

  “Uhh, Ma’am, doctor. That isn’t true. I’m no expert but the spell is more limited than you seem to believe. I don’t know if you’ve seen any yet but it won’t fully treat a whole range of injuries, ones which I expect to become more common. Burns and acid for sure others as well. Of course there are spells that can treat those. We are going to need healers, and the best will be doctors like you who know exactly how to use their power.”

  David paid attention to that, Charlie was likely speaking based on research into his elemental magic – him knowing that fire interfered with at least some healing was hugely relevant.

  The Doctor shook her head, then spoke. “You aren’t fully recovered yet but based on the speed you are healing at probably will be before you wake up in the morning. I’m happy to discharge you with the recommendation that you take it easy until you are fully recovered and come back if your condition stops improving.”

  She then turned to leave. Before she could take a single step David interrupted her. “Doctor, wait. Don’t you want to know how Charlie recovered?”

  She turned to face him and spoke, sounding weary and human for the first time he could remember as the professional mask of the medical professional vanished.

  “Yes, of course I do. You won’t tell me though.”

  She seemed to pull herself together and a spark of real emotion entered her voice.

  “I may not involve myself in all the muck but only an idiot would realize that I’m in one political camp and you’re in the other.

  That we nearly came to blows a day ago through that idiot Micky means I don’t expect you to share your advantage. Just like I don’t imagine you will be surprised that Micky spent the entire day bad mouthing you and looking for a way to take you down. Which you and your idiot friends handed to him with your moronic raid I might add.”

  David shook his head, fighting to control his rage and shame. He glanced at his friends and spoke quickly before Camila could start a fight. “Dr. Chen. I will ask you politely, once, not to disrespect the dead. Everyone went out believing we could save hundreds or even thousands of lives. I won’t tolerate their memories being tarnished on the day they died.”

  She looked at him and nodded. “I’m sorry, I know people died, and you were all injured, that was harsh of me. I don’t believe violence solves problems. I do believe that hard words spoken soon enough can.”

  He nodded. Then he continued after another glance at the others, they were all letting him speak.

  “I found a way to save Charlie. The problem he had was simple – he lacks the Health resource. Which makes the magic healing we have access to minimally effective.

  The important thing is that I found a way to provide health externally, allowing the magical healing to be, well, magical. That method is generalizable so anyone with their own Health pool can use it.”

  She looked at him sharply. “So why are you telling me this? Are you going to share your method freely?”

  David spoke without hesitation this time. “Yes, you may see us as being on opposite sides of a conflict, but I just see people, trying to survive and help. I really don’t want to play politics, and I won’t with people’s lives.”

  She nodded, clearly waiting.

  “It’s simple. Are you aware of the Quests we received after completing the Tutorial?”

  She nodded again.

  “have you completed either of them?”

  “No, I’m not carrying unconscious people around and I haven’t been out killing monsters…”

  “Save your people is a quest which gives you a reward. Well two rewards – one is a direct boost that lets you either enhance the safe zone or get personal benefits. The other is a title, Leader that you can spend experience on. This was only given to the first ten people to complete the quest.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  “what does that have to do with anything? I know that some people must have got those rewards other than you.”

  “The Leader title is what matters here, it gives you more access to System features and one of those features is being able to use the Obelisk to transfer Health to someone to fuel healing magic. Leaders can also designate people as Healers allowing them to do the same thing.”

  Dr. Chen looked at him shrewdly. “You really are a man of your word aren’t you?”

  She spoke softly then continued briskly. “you didn’t need to tell me that Leaders can do extra things or that was how it all worked. You could have just made me into a Healer couldn’t you?”

  David nodded. Then he replied softly. “That wouldn’t have saved the most people though…”

  “Who else knows about this?”

  David gestured to their little group. “Us, plus anyone who had figured it out on their own. I don’t think anyone has purchased levels in the Leader title yet outside out group, but I could be wrong. I also don’t know if there are other ways to get the leader title, I expect there probably are.”

  The doctor shook her head, “Well I’m sure they would have figured it out eventually. I’m less sure they would have told me.

  So, I’ll give you something for free. Micky and his Militia have been behaving oddly today. It makes sense now though…

  He and his boy have been hauling people into the safe zone all day. He has his people taking turns working with them and spending the rest of the time searching for more unconscious people. He even argued with Phil about efficiency when he wanted to just bring people in using vehicles.”

  David nodded. He doubted the man would get to a thousand people carried across, especially if he had others doing the same. A hundred seemed very doable though…

  “Thank you for telling us Doctor. Now I have the Leader skill purchased so I can make you a designated healer.”

  Dr Chen looked embarrassed.

  “Thank you, however I don’t actually have the Health to use it. I only got healing magic earlier today because I saw how effective it was when a young nursing assistant used it to fix minor injuries.”

  David looked at the others, then back to Dr. Chen. She seemed to get the message.

  “If I could bring some of my staff to you in the morning, we can get them set up with this ability. I won’t go out of my way to mention this Leader thing where Micky can hear, but you should bring it to people’s attention, especially if it has other things which can help…”

  David nodded, Mark then spoke seriously.

  “On behalf of all of us. Thank you for your help. Your care has helped us all with our recoveries.”

  The others echoed his thanks and Dr. Chen took her leave.

  “Well, that went well.” Katie summarized all their feelings about things.

  David spoke softly, just in case Dr. Chen or one of the other medics was within earshot.

  “Do you think anyone has found our training spot? I feel we need more privacy for the next discussion.”

  “Don’t you want to have Obelisk access? Dude, there are several options for the upgrades that need us to touch the Obelisk.”

  “Charlie, thanks for reminding me. We need to wait on that. I got some advice from the Herald. We can discuss it more once we are somewhere more private.”

  Charlie looked like he was bursting to ask more questions, but Camila put her hand on his arm then said “wait.”

  Once Charlie was up and moving, they slowly made their way out towards the secluded yard. As they started to move they saw a group of perhaps a dozen people get up from chairs and head their way.

  “Charlie! Are you OK man? You had us worried after the doc didn’t release you quickly!”

  Soon they were mingling with the group, mostly other surviving raiders plus a couple of people clearly attached to them who hadn’t come on the raid.

  Everyone wanted the same two things. First, to make sure they were all OK, with Charlie being the main worry. Second, to thank David.

  It was all frankly more than a little embarrassing. Then the tone turned when one of the last raiders took his turn.

  “Thanks man, I don’t know exactly what you did but we all know you pulled our fat out of the fire. If you ever need anything you just ask, right? I don’t believe any of the bullshit their saying about you…”

  “What are they saying about David exactly?” Sarah responded cooly before David could really parse what had just been said.

  “Who’s saying things?” Camila didn’t sound nearly so cool and calm.

  “Whoa, whoa! Don’t shoot the messenger!” The raider held up his hands in a calm down gesture.

  “It’s just that several of the militia types are saying that what happened is all David’s fault. That if you are going to do dangerous things you need to be led by someone competent. Someone with the training and background to keep you safe and bring his men home.”

  “Oh, and do these earnest folks by chance have someone in mind?” Sarah sounded deceptively sweet.

  “They don’t say it, but they compare us to the Militia, saying that they spent the day helping, not getting people killed for nothing more than feeding the ego of college kids.”

  “So I guess they have something different to say about me?” Carl, the only one of them nobody would mistake for a student, asked deceptively calmly.

  “Umm, Carl. I don’t want to repeat what one of them said about you.”

  The conversation broke into specifics of how, and who exactly had been badmouthing them. It had apparently started in earnest shortly after Mark and the support group got back and news of the disaster hit the camp. Then got really nasty and personal once David and Katie literally drove in buses full of wounded raiders, with distortions of the ambush both good and bad already taking on epic proportions in the retelling.

  David largely stayed out of the conversation, at least until it started to wind down. Then, his thoughts carefully organized he addressed the other raiders.

  “Look, guys. We really appreciate you checking on us and filling us in on the smear campaign. We still need some time to recover and strategize. As soon as we have, we plan to go back to the airport, search properly for raiders and any other survivors and get our dead. Nobody left behind. We would be honored to have you join us.”

  Even in the dim light it was easy to see fear cross several faces despite the reassuring feel of the safe zone.

  David spoke again. “I want you to think long and hard about this. I’m taking the motto of the Marines for our raiders. It’s what we will stand for, and by. The world has changed and with so much loss we have to step up. Nobody left behind. That’s my promise, you know I tried to live up to it today, I will finish the job tomorrow.

  More than that. I’ve told you why we have to go for our companions. Now let me tell you why we must go for ourselves.

  When you get thrown you get back on the horse; I could give you a speech about fear and how it’s the mind killer or will take the heart of us but frankly you would all recognize the inspirations. The sentiment is real. We can’t let this paralyze us. The world has changed while we slept, not just the magic that grew in our bodies. We can recover in a day from things that would take years in the old world. That means that a real battering shouldn’t deter you more than leg day…

  We will learn from our mistakes, do better, get stronger. I understand if you don’t want to go out with me in charge again…”

  Their response captured everything he had hoped for as he sat by Charlie’s bed.

  First, he saw the fear in their eyes fade as fire replaced it, the call to stand by their comrades reaching them. Then the doubt faded as they thought about what he had said and what he had done. that hid behind the fear fell away as he reminded them that they were already largely healed from their injuries.

  “Spread the word to the other raiders, talk to those who will listen. Take the night to prepare and recover. Tomorrow, we bring our people home.”