“Fuck no! Why should we give those guys anything at all? They are mostly dead weight even after all the experience they leeched today! You know how many times did I have to save them from an eldir? Eight, eight! Especially the old man and that woman who can’t shoot for shit, they should kiss the earth we walk on, not argue about how much we owe them; we owe them nothing!”
Marco was starting to get very red after his tirade, and while I was partly in agreement with what he was saying, I won’t start jeopardising my social position just for an annoyance already solved. I had to be careful not to become hated by the group; my curse then would ask me to help, and the people themselves wouldn’t let me, thus forcing me to endure its effect until I found a way. It had already happened in the past, and it hadn’t been pretty.
But with my stats and newly upgraded trait, I was feeling much better already… I couldn’t wait to get rid of it; I knew I could. I just needed to hold on and keep calm for a while longer.
“It’s not that easy, you know?” Said Tom, “While I get where you come from, we are working as a group, as a single unit. Or we support our comrades, and we get their support in turn, or we just go by ourselves, like many did the first day.”
“Well, for once I agree with the guy here,” said Quinn while fiddling with one of his knives. “Shit, we nearly died for that loot, and I understand, without people building the cart and pushing it through the forest, we won’t be able to cash in, but still, don’t you think we deserve some more after what we went through? And I’m not talking to you, Marco; you did nothing…”
As the blond guy was about to get up in his anger, Tom pulled him back down by an arm. “The kid is right; you didn’t participate. Now keep it down; it’s late and there are still monsters prowling around.”
With an indignant huff, Marco sat down again, and then I answered Quinn, “Yes, we should,” I said simply. “But if you consider that we can’t build a cart, our waterskins need to be filled with water, not potion, and that we won’t even touch those carts that need to be pushed for who knows how long in this forest… in the end everyone is going to play their part, as much as I don’t want to admit it. Mostly, we need something to tie us together. Don’t you see how fragmented we are? This could be like a full group project that makes us work for the same goal, because, if you didn’t notice already, there are still some people that don’t see our main quest as good enough to do just that, so I hope that a bit of profit could do it instead.”
A moment of silence passed through the group, then Melissa said, “That’s dumb…”
“People are super dumb.” 'Replied Rhea while nodding. Alya, still wrapped in my cloak, sat besides her, shaking her head.
“I met some of the most influential men in the highest military positions, usually during events or galas or parades during my career… It still astounds me how some of them could reach those positions: corruption, nepotism maybe… but some didn’t deserve their station. Some, as you put it, were super dumb. Still, we have to deal with them anyway; here at least, we are doing it for their own good. It is a worthy goal.”
That sparked a discussion about morality and righteousness, fairness and everything else in between. I participated sparsely, still thinking about what happened today, the danger, the progression we were going through, but still it felt too slow, and we had to slow a bit more before continuing, or should we?
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Tomorrow, until we manage to gather the loot, I will go forward in exploration again, to trace a path. I know we are halfway through the valley, more or less, so I would like to see if we could manage to exit it and see what awaits us on the other side of the mountain.”
Silence descended around the campfire; I was starting to get uncomfortable with everyone looking at me so intently.
“I think I’ll pass for tomorrow,” said Alya with a frown. “I’ll take the chance to sleep in; today has been pretty hard.”
“I will follow your example… I think I’ll need the rest,” Mary echoed.
Quinn looked at me. “I have to show the way to the shrine… oh! Melissa, you should come to see it; it’s really beautiful!”
“I don’t know… but if I’m not needed here maybe I can come; no monster attacked us until now, so there should not be a need for me.” Replied the girl.
I saw Quinn make a victory gesture, but I think it was too fast for the others to notice. “Perfect then, I’ll escort you personally!”
“I pass too,” were Marco’s only words, with no explanation.
“I’ll come.”
Rhea said while looking directly at me, then hurriedly added. “I want to test more of my magic; we can try to set up some rituals and traps for the monsters along the way, so it will make the travel easier for the others too.”
“Glad to have you on board. I would like to set off early if you don’t mind.”
“That works, not that I’m managing much sleep lately… if it goes on like this, I won’t need my eye makeup anymore.” She said with a smile, everyone could sympathise; this place wasn’t good for our sleep at all.
“Perfect, then I think I’ll just go to sleep; it has indeed been a long day. Goodnight, everyone.”
After a round of “goodnight”, “night” and any other variation, I went to my tent. As I started taking off my boots, I saw Alya coming towards me. I stopped and looked up at her. She looked troubled, her usual vigour absent tonight. I could understand why, but sometimes it was better to just let the words come out by themselves.
“Elias… I… I just wanted to tell you sorry if I don’t come tomorrow.” She pulled the cloak tighter around herself. “I think I need a moment to myself; after today, I hope it’s not a problem.”
I looked at her directly in the eyes. While I was not a kind man, I could understand her plight; she was aggressive; she already nearly died one time the first day, and now it happened again, and for the same reason. She had to deal with it her own way; I just hoped not to lose a teammate as stalwart as her. She was someone I thought could follow with me until the end, but it will be seen if that is the case.
“No, it’s not. I was sure most would stay, if not everyone, after today. We nearly bit off more than we could chew, and I can’t say that it won’t happen again, but it’s better to take a break and keep a healthy state of mind instead of just rushing it. So I understand; well, I don’t know your reasons for doing what you do, but I get that you need a moment.” Then I got up and gently pulled the cloak closed around her shoulders, making sure it sat right.
“And if you ever feel like talking about anything, I’m here.” I gave her a warm, reassuring smile before letting my hands fall away.
Alya looked at me; she opened her mouth to say something, but in the end she just nodded and in a small voice said, “Thank you, I will make sure to return the cloak by tomorrow. Selene is already at work repairing my clothes… goodnight, Elias.”
“Goodnight, Alya.”
As she went, I started to undress. I proceeded to clean myself as best as I could, but without a river nearby, it was not as good as the last days. After taking care of what I could, I went to bed. I was tired, mentally and physically, but at the same time I was excited, ecstatic even. This world was dangerous and magical; the possibilities were infinite, and I was still scratching the surface, I was sure.
How many more wonders were there to see? How much power was there to claim? How long until I was free from this curse? That was what excited me enough. I spent a lifetime suppressing myself in favour of others. How would I act after I could be myself, and what should I do? Even I didn’t know, but something was clear in my mind.
I will have to fight and suffer to claim my freedom, and I was ready for it; no amount of danger will stop me, no monster, no man and not even those system quests will stop me from reaching my goal. In the end, I will be free.
That was the thought that lulled me to sleep, a sleep without dreams…
20 chapters ahead!
