Weapons of Mass Destruction

Cassian is already with Hadwin and Dominic when I reach them. Only Hadwin greets me, while the other two mostly ignore me.

I also notice Damon's body at the edge of the clearing. He is only in his underwear and there is a massive wound on his chest.

I guess there is at least someone thinking a little bit. Even clothes can be useful, and it's not like we can go and buy some.

What I don't like is that they didn't even bother to pull him a few meters further in between trees.

Anyway, not my problem.

"What do we have for water?" I ask.

"A few bottles, a few plastic bags, and we also found this pretty big canister," he points at the iron canister near his legs. It's pretty big, probably for spare fuel or some other liquid.

I am not washing it for sure.

Sounds like a job for our newbies!

Yes.

I just nod while pulling a knife from behind my waistband to hold it in my unwounded hand. It feels nice and heavy, much better than the knife I broke. Yet, it's still made from some kind of stone, crystal, or something.

I would much prefer a spear so I can keep some distance from enemies we might meet, but it would be pretty difficult to use one with only one hand.

And I think I prefer a sharp blade over a blunt iron pipe. Sure, the reach is shorter, but if I aim right, I can do more damage.

"Let's go then," Hadwin says and starts leading us toward the forest.

As we enter, I glance back and notice Sophie staring at me while holding her sister's hand. Her face is hard to read.

Tess, Cassian, and Dominic become really quiet as we start walking under the trees. They twitch every time we hear some noise, unsurprisingly. They saw us coming back wounded multiple times already, and someone even died so it´s not much of a surprise.

But this time there is no attack, not even as we start walking down the hill, near the place Hadwin talked about.

I like it.

I really do.

Let's keep it up.

Everyone perks up when we hear the sound of flowing water after a few more minutes. Cassian and Dominic instantly start excitedly whispering something, and even Hadwin speeds up his tempo.

After a few more meters, we exit the treeline and see a small stream of water flowing through the forest.

"Finally, we found it!" Cassian screams and rushes ahead of Hadwin.

"Shut up, Cassian!" Hadwin hisses and grabs his hand, pulling him back. "Remember where we are!"

Unfortunately, Cassian doesn't seem to be taking it seriously.

He smirks and nods, nearly ignoring Hadwin, not aware of the danger he might put us in.

"Hey," I keep my voice soft, almost whispering, and when he turns to me I bury my knee into his belly.

Air escapes his mouth, and there is no cry because of that. Eyes wide open. Face grimacing from the pain. Before he gets back to his senses, I squeeze his neck.

In the corner of my vision, I notice Dominic wanting to charge at me, but Tess steps into his way and points the spear at him.

Silence.

No movement.

"Stay quiet, okay?"

Cassian hesitates for a bit and then opens his mouth to say something, so I squeeze harder. After a few more seconds, he realizes it and just nods quickly.

He gasps for breath when I let go of his neck, and I grab my dagger from the ground.

If he wants to die, sure, go ahead, but I won't let him risk my life by acting stupid.

I nod to Hadwin, and he nods back. While I am keeping watch, he moves closer to the water. From where I am, it seems fairly normal and, hopefully, it's safe to drink.

Hmmm.

Just to be sure, let's have others drink it first after we boil it, and if they are going to be fine after a few hours, I can drink it too.

Ah, the good ol' "human guinea pig" approach, always a classic.

Finally, they are going to do something useful.

Hadwin and the two men quickly start filling the canister, bottles, and a few plastic bags with water while Tess and I keep watch.

When they are almost done, Tess gestures at me and puts a finger to her lips while pointing somewhere between the trees. That makes me squeeze the weapon in my hand.

"Movement," I warn the others, and all three of them let go of the stuff in their hands and grab their weapons. I hear a click from Hadwin's handgun.

Tess gestures at me. She points at herself and then towards the source of movement.

She seems determined as she looks at me, most likely waiting for my approval.

Well, she seems fairly confident, so I just nod.

Both of us go between the trees while I gesture for the others to stay. After a few seconds of walking, Tess stops and stands up. She grabs her spear as if she is about to throw it, and then she does just that.

The spear flies out of her hand surprisingly quickly, and I would swear it changed its trajectory a little bit right after it left her hand.

What the hell?

Did they give her some self-homing magical spear?

I want that.

We hear a short scream, and Tess turns to me with a big smile on her face.

Yes, yes.

Did you level up? Sure seems like it.

What the hell did you kill?

Good job, I guess.

After passing a few more meters, we get to her kill. It's an animal similar to a deer. Its leather is light brown in color, but what's weird are its slightly glowing antlers. They are white and let out a soft glow that's slowly dimming until it stops after a few more seconds.

There's no name glowing over the animal/monster, so it's dead.

Damn. I didn't even get to see its level.

"Deer level two," Tess whispers.

Oh.

"I did level up too. One point in mana and two into constitution."

Oh.

"I used my [Farsight] and [Psychokinesis] too."

Umm.

"I think we might be able to eat that," she points at the dead deer, and even though her face is back to a calm mask, I can see that cheeky little smile in her eyes.

Great, now she's leveling up, using her fancy skills, AND finding us food?

Isn't she too capable?

I glance at the dead animal, and I could swear I can hear my stomach growling.

Ok, buddy, calm down. Soon!

Food, finally, about time!

I once again look at Tess, and she still has that cheeky look in her eyes.

Better be careful so I won't fall for her.

Yup.

Everyone knows that love goes through the stomach.

Anyway, let's grab the deer quickly. I grab one leg and gesture Tess to grab the other, and we quickly pull it back to the others.

Hadwin is keeping watch while Cassian and Dominic are waiting there, already done with their job.

Water and food.

Man.

What more do you need?

Fewer goblins would be nice, but I can't get too greedy!

"Cassian, grab the deer," I continue using my quiet voice.

"Fuck," he whispers really quietly, but I can hear him.

Well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of his behavior.

Tess takes the stuff from Cassian, and with Hadwin's help, Cassian hoists the deer onto his shoulders. The deer isn't that big, right?

He groans and bends his knees a little bit. There's a hint of anger in his eyes as he looks toward me.

Great, now use all this energy to carry the deer!

Oh, the joy of seeing Cassian struggle with the deer. I can't help but feel a bit smug watching him squirm under the weight of that animal.

Our way back is fairly uneventful, and when we get back to the clearing, Cassian is covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He drops the deer as soon as he can and then falls on the ground right next to the animal. His chest is moving up and down, and he is breathing with his mouth wide open.

Our "camp" seems fine, and people quickly surround us. They're excited, and I even see some smiles. Once again, I hear the dog barking, and this time I look at him properly.

It´s a fairly small, sandy-colored corgi causing a ruckus, barking away as his owner - a woman around 50 - pets him soothingly.

"It's okay, Biscuit. Calm down. Mommy is here."

I can't help but roll my eyes internally.

Dude…

At least there is some wood close to the bus, so I guess they did do something.

Unfortunately, Damon's body is still at the end of the clearing. We will have to do something about it pretty soon, I guess.

"Oh no," the way Hadwin says it makes me grab the dagger, and I enter Focus while mana starts flowing through my body.

I hear a scream.

Tess gasps.

Everyone is looking in one direction.

Towards Damon's lifeless body.

My heart races with fear as I catch sight of the massive, hulking bear standing over him. Its thick, gray fur ripples with each heavy breath, and its piercing orange eyes glow like embers.

[CinderBear, lvl 19]