Chương 79: Book 2, Chapter 4

The following day dawned gray and oppressive, thick clouds everywhere. It was a bit of a first for me here in Ademia. Given that we were surrounded by grasslands, the weather had been inordinately dry, and we'd only experienced a few brief showers of rain. I did just what Nix suggested. I did the rounds with Steve, spoke to everybody I knew and told them that we'd be taking off soon, not knowing when we'd be back.

Over the past week, I hadn't exactly socialized, but I'd definitely gotten to know more people than I usually would outside of work. It was supremely uncomfortable. Even if I'd only known them for a few days, people were being all emotional, like they thought we were going off to die. A few actually cried. Yet, I had to admit it was also giving. Knowing that they cared. Seeing that near-strangers actually were worried on our behalf. It was also giving in a very literal sense.

I had Nix suspected of spreading the word, but as we strode around the Ever Steady, people walked up here and there, wishing us luck and, often as not, pressing a goodbye present into my hands. A bottle of fermented lath grape (whatever that was) wine. A two-man tent, liberated and repaired from the pre-Kadren camps. All sorts of paraphernalia. Sometimes, they were the tiniest of things, like a bundle of cloth, for spare padding to fit under the helmet, or kindling for bonfires.

I couldn't help but feel touched by the gesture. More and more people came around to wish us the best of luck, thank us for what we'd done in liberating them. Sometimes, they didn't even speak English, but simply smiled, bowing, shaking my hand, clapping my shoulder. It took all I had in me, to not come up with some snarky comment like, "Yeah, well, I didn't have any other plans." And just… accept their gratitude. Not be a sarcastic prick.

Their gratitude was so damn heartfelt, and I didn't have any protection against that! Also, I had to admit, I was really getting a taste for the Skreeling jerky, and I wasn't going to turn that down! Around noon, Steve and I had walked the entire circumference of the camp and were dead tired of speaking. To my surprise, even though Steve was the kindest, most affable person, he also seemed to tire of social interactions even faster than I did.

When I suggested we get a move on, he agreed so fast it was almost comical. We'd agreed to meet at the U-Nerds camp. It seemed the proper thing to do. Coming full circle, and all that. Nix and Haddock were there, next to two tall leather backpacks – but they weren't alone. Major Pain was there, as were three unknowns, each with their own backpacks. One was a tall, blonde man in tight leather pants leaning on a weird, lopsided staff.

He had a jawline that looked like he'd walked straight out of a commercial for looksmaxxing. Then came a woman, mid to late twenties, bald, with a skin tone that made me want to guess she was Latin-American, an imposing set of tattoos reaching her neck, and a set of muscles that instantly told me that she'd likely spent more time in the gym than I had.

She was flanked by a soft, slender middle-aged Asian man with watery eyes and a receding hairline, who'd look right at home behind any desk as an administrative assistant.

"Hey Major. New team ready to go for you?"

"That's exactly what it is, boyo." Major Pain said, mouth a thin line. Looked like he still hadn't forgiven me for confronting him about the need to start sharing information with everybody else.

"Good timing." Nix said, pointing to the backpacks.

"You'll want to stow as much as you can into your Personal Universes, because these things are packed. We've got you some proper cookware, a bunch of tools if you need to construct emergency shelter or the like, and a bunch of replacement armour for both of you. None of it is incredible, but it's all enhanced. We opted for Fortitude or durability on everything, out of the simple theory that, when you'll be away for ages, survival and staying power is what counts.

That's also what we focused on when it came to potions and the like. We've got enough Stamina Regeneration potions to keep your team running for three days straight, and ten healing cakes per person. Weirdly, our crafters haven't cracked the code on mana stimulants yet, though." I blinked.

"Nix! That's amazing-""Not done." She snapped, cutting me off.

"Then, we have a replacement shield, cobbled together from the scaly fragments of the Higher Soil-Scourer and imbued with enhanced durability. It's ridiculously heavy, but should be close to indestructible. For you, Steve, we've got a rapier, a spear and a javelin. All added with extra piercing power, to make up for your lack of overwhelming Strength, no offense." She sent a quick apologetic smile to Steve.

"None taken. I know where my strengths lie, and it isn't in actual Strength."

"We also have these." She indicated a roped-together bundle that looked almost like firewood.

"A dozen quills from one of the higher-leveled Skreelings. As you'll see, they have all been adorned with simple leather handles, but make no mistake – these are one-time-use only."

"Um. What?" Steve frowned, looking back and forth between her and the bundle. Haddock chuckled.

"You're enjoying this a bit too much, love." She sniffed.

"Let me have my fun." With a wink at him, she continued.

"We've learned that Skreeling quills are ridiculously fragile. On top of that, they naturally include an extremely effective anti-coagulant." Steve whistled and winced at the same time. He knelt down next to the bundle and nodded appreciatively.

"While fighting, only power is not enough." He intoned.

"I will handle them with care."

"Wait, what am I not getting?" I interrupted.

"What was that anti-cola-thing?" Steve chuckled.

"It is not entirely unheard of in nature, even back on Earth. Anti-coagulants are blood thinners. They can help bloodsuckers drink blood easier, or, in extreme cases, keep prey bleeding to the point where they weaken with blood loss. If I'm not missing my guess, and this is a case of the anti-coagulant being magically effective…"

"You are not." Nix granted.

"Then we're talking about a quill that'll pierce skin easily, following which, the tip of the quill will stick inside the wound, where these nasty barbs will ensure it stays, and keep the target bleeding until it bleeds out." I blinked.

"Nature is insane!" Nix smiled.

"I take it you approve." Steve nodded eagerly, as he, softly and carefully, lifted the bundle into his Personal Universe.

"For the last part of our preparations, I'll let 'em introduce themselves. And before you say anything. Yes, you are going to group up, and you're not going to debate it. Haring off into the unknown just two man is a death sentence."

"Wait. They want to go with us?" I turned to the trio, with a weaponized raised eyebrow.

"Want to? Need to!" The tall blonde man spoke up for the first time ever as he strode ahead. His voice was as loud as his posture, every word ringing with masculinity and self-assurance. It also carried a hint of an accent I didn't recognize.

"For your sake as well as mine. You, my shield-carrying prodigé, are an absolute menace in close combat. Yet, you are also as vulnerable as a newborn to anybody with ranged weapons or pesky magical talents. This… is where I come in. I am Samuel Jones. And I will, beyond a doubt, be able to keep up with you and pick off any pesky hostiles stupid enough to try to take you out from afar." He patted the staff, which I now recognized as a recurve bow. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road.

If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Okay." I said, not bothering to hide the doubt in my voice.

"And when you get kicked from our group due to my quirk, how are you going to keep up without buffs and the shared experience?" He sniffed haughtily.

"I do not need others to keep up. I am the strongest, most accurate sharpshooter you are likely to ever encounter. Back on Earth I would add 'outside of competitions,' but I have outgrown those qualifiers already. It's not for nothing that the locals on my hunts called me ' Groot Kop' or Huge Capabilities!" I disliked his attitude from the start. But I couldn't deny facts. And facts were that I'd be in a much better position with somebody who'd be able to pick off enemies from the sidelines.

Especially with my Mirror of All talent to keep all enemies pissed off and focused on me. I glanced at Nix.

"You arranged this?"

"It's mostly been the Major," She beamed.

"He's been extremely helpful and is a real softy!"

"Y'all repeat that anywhere, and I ain't helping no-one ever again!" He glared. The slight blush on his cheeks betrayed his emotions, though.

"He talks a big game." I jabbed a thumb in the direction of the cocky blond bloke.

"Can he deliver on it?" Major Pain assented.

"Best as I know, he ain't all talk."

"All right." I nodded at him in appreciation.

"I won't deny Samuel here sounds like he'd be an asset, if his talents are as effective as his ego. How about the two of you, then? What are you bringing to the table? And why do you want to join?"

"Because of your power, clearly." Samuel spoke up loudly before any of the others had the chance to say anything.

"We've seen what you can do and we crave it. We were cheated of our chance to truly shine, when the Kadren came, and now we want to take part in your glory!" I blinked, taking in what he'd just said. It wasn't so much the point as the delivery, really. Was it just me, or did he speak like a damn paladin or something?

"That's understandable, I guess. Now, I'm Liam. And you two are?"

"Somsak Wong." The Asian man said and half-bowed.

"What the tall guy said isn't entirely wrong. I was in the HBBVJ Coalition, and they pushed me to try becoming a healer. Now, I'm free and I don't have to do what they say anymore – but I honestly don't mind the idea of being a healer. I just don't want to risk my life for anybody but myself."

"Ooh. That does sound like a lovely build. You have any other tricks? Quirks?" He sneered and shook his head once, violently.

"No quirks. They didn't allow uncontrollable downsides. I only have three talents. My heal, a buff surrounding me that will increase resistances for our team, and a ranged shield that will survive limited physical damage. As for why? I just want to stop being powerless."

"That'll do. That'll absolutely do. Welcome to the team, Somsak." With a slight delay for consideration, I added, "and Samuel."

"I'm Victoria." The third newcomer ventured. She faced me with a brusque nod and a grin. Her voice was rough, like she'd spent a lot of time yelling at people, or chain smoking. She rolled her 'r's slightly, indicating that my Latin-American guess probably wasn't too far off.

"I'm a Mage too. Now, I did pick quirks for myself, negative and positive. Basically, I can't use talents that activate instantly, only ones that function over time. Yet, those are fifty percent more efficient. So far, it's working for me, and from what the Major told me, it should combine pretty well with your quirks."

"Ridiculous! Why would you ever choose something like that?" Samuel boomed.

"A la mierda, perro." Victoria snapped. I shot him a look.

"Listen, mate. There's one rule. If you're going to join the team, you're going to act like it. We work together, live together and take care of each other. Also, if you act like a prick, you're gone. Starting effective immediately." I didn't give him the time to complain or respond, but turned back to Victoria.

"Give us an example?" Turning back toward me, she rolled her shoulders and nodded softly.

"My first talent is an area debuff. I pick, say, Agility and the target or targets have theirs reduced. The debuff always starts at one, then it ramps up over time. More targets, less efficiency and vice versa." I thought back to when I'd first clashed with the Higher Skreeling and had a six-Agility-debuff and how much it had impacted my movement.

"How fast does it tick up?"

"Once per thirty seconds. If you don't take my quirk into effect." She smirked.

"The quirk affects both effect and activation speed, in my favour. It's fifteen seconds per tick now. The quirk also improves the debuff itself, meaning it's one-and-a-half per tick." Yeah. That would be an absolute doozie. A single minute would mean a six-Agility debuff. I croaked.

"Any max debuff on that?" She nodded "Tops out at a maximum of ten ticks. That part isn't improved, unfortunately." My smirk answered hers. That would have been absolutely overpowered. Still. As it was, she'd be able to debuff any enemy with a total of minus fifteen to an attribute. That would be insanely devastating – enough to make most Scouts weak enough to drop their weapons, or Fighters slow to nothing! Only…

"I'm pretty sure that'll count as an attack, though. For my quirk, I mean." She nodded in Nix's direction.

"Your girlfriend said the same." She ignored the sputter from the protesting blue-haired woman.

"But it can be applied as a trap, for twice the mana. I mark a spot on the ground, and it's good to go."

"Ooh. That should work like Nix's fire powers." I rubbed my hands in anticipation. We grouped up to test it, and I grinned in satisfaction, as the delayed activation of the AoE did in fact circumvent the system naming the debuff as a direct attack.

"Lovely! Have anything else to offer?"

"Two talents. Poison trap and a buff that improves movement speed incrementally."

"Oooh. What's the damage on that poison trap? And the size?"

"About thirty meter in diameter. And the damage amounts to about a hundred and fifty, total. But it's calculated from my Mental Power, so it should increase with time." She showed her teeth as if she was tasting something disgusting, then added.

"There is one thing I need to add, though. I'm only Level 9! My reasons for joining? I want to make a difference. Back on Earth, I was just a bystander. Here, I can actually end up making a difference for good." I glanced at the small group in front of me. Steve looked perfectly at ease, happy at the inclusion of three new faces. Somsak looked like he'd rather be elsewhere, hands clenched in fists at his side. Victoria met my eyes defiantly, as if daring me to tell her she wasn't good enough.

For a second, I considered if this was the right path for me. I was going to miss the living hell out of Nix and Haddock. Not Haddock's farts, but… the pair had grown on me, to a point where I could hardly imagine leaving them behind. Also, people in general sucked. That was an absolute fact of life. Yet- Perhaps that was a fact of life on Earth.

Perhaps we acted differently when we were freed from the shackles that had been placed upon us by our upbringing, by politics, poverty and all sorts of defining characteristics that helped shape who we were and how we were supposed to act. We'd seen it during that charge on the Kadren. People who had been freed, who couldn't rightly be demanded upon to do anything but flee back through the portal to Earth, had flung themselves at beasts many levels above their own, to save humanity.

Well, I wasn't going to buy into that altruistic crap any time soon. I was still in this for myself. But there was no denying my life had become the better for the people I'd met along the way. And if I didn't open up the party for others to join, I'd never learn if there were others who'd be able to join me and kick as much ass as the unlikely couple had. My gaze moved across to Major Pain. I gave him a slow nod. They might not be perfect.

They were damn sure to cause headaches for Steve and me, both Samuel's ego and Victoria's altruism. But I had to hand it to the Major. He'd managed to somehow find three persons who'd fit our eclectic requirements, and be able to kick ass despite it. And if we were able to actually reach the potential I thought I could spot on the far horizon? A powerful sniper to take on any singular threats alongside Steve who could sneak about invisibly. A healer and buffer, capable of shielding some of us.

And a mage to weaken and poison larger groups? All the while, my job was to stay the same as always – Piss off enemies, and not die. I could work with that.

"Okay. We are going to give this a chance. I am now going to copy my old employer's pep speech and tell you about all the benefits of joining up with me." I paused a second for dramatic effect, then shot them down.

"There pretty much aren't any. No dental, no overtime, no hazard pay. No pay at all, to be honest. Nothing tangible to be had here." Nix groaned.

"You suck at this!" I raised a finger and grinned.

"But. We're giving even shares of any loot. We protect each other, no exceptions. If you survive for long enough, you might live to become exquisitely outfitted and truly powerful. We also work hard to make sure that we all plan our growth, and try to unlock as many higher-rarity skills as we possibly can for us all to abuse. Before Nix and Haddock there decided to abandon us for the narrow-minded, boring desire to… what was it again, Nix?"

"Build a castle and make sure humanity doesn't die?"

"Yeah. That. Before they got all grown-up and boring, they actually managed to reach Levels 23 and 24 respectively. Life at my side is rarely boring! So. What do you say? Are you in?" Somsak nodded softly, without meeting my eyes. Victoria's fists clenched and she smashed her fist into her palm as if she was ready to go a round right this second. Samuel's voice boomed out across the open space.

"Of course we are. Power and glory! Who would turn that down?"