2025-12-15 05:00:52As I walked closer to the camp, I received a better view of the workings of the operation. Some details, like the mismatched pieces of armor and damaged weapons, I already expected to see. Some, like the constant verbal battles between different patrol groups, even more intense than I expected, was a surprise.
However, most of my attention was firmly fixed on the way they were fighting. It was unnatural. Even among the patrol teams, there was absolutely no coordination, each battling against a creature, even to the point of occasionally injuring each other.Yet, that wasn't as interesting as the way they swing their weapons. Every single warrior I could see was … for lack of a better term, stiff. Some limited themselves to wide, sweeping slashes, while others limited themselves to stabbing movements. For some, it was reasonable, as a spear was rather limited in terms of attack options, but even the ones that were using others weapons, like halberds and great swords, were lim
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#37: Bonding
With the disappearance of the sun came the time to camp once more, as most people lacked the necessary perception to kill the beasts in the dark. They still attacked, of course, but the lack of movement meant much less intensity; especially with most of the attackers drawn to the huge bonfire.As we moved, the camp was in chaos around us once more, with tents being erected, carts being repaired in a hurry, forges being set up to repair weapons… A chaotic mess, making me glad that would take only a week to arrive at our destination."It was a good day," Jertann said, exuberant despite his exhaustion. "Now, let's go eat. I hope this new cook is as good as you say it is," he said."Not the best food I had eaten, but certainly better than the others in the camp," I answered and led them toward it. As I walked, I noticed many eyes on us, most of them focusing on me. I was getting famous in the camp, an inevitable consequence of my extended show.Silas separated from the g
#36: Performative Display
As I walked to join my little group, I observed the changes that happened in my short absence. Some things, like their position, were the same. They were still at the border between the Blacks and the Reds, killing the small horde of critters that attacked them, a rare few, usually, the smallest, ignoring them to move forward recklessly.I dealt with them as I moved.[+9 Experience]My actions were less about the concern for others, and more about increasing my experience gain, which was also the reason I had 'offered' my assistance to Gert. Killing small monsters might be a chore for them due to their decreased experience gain, but I wasn't plagued by some problem, making it a worthy benefit.And since my — admittedly, somewhat hasty — actions revealed that I was not just another farmer to the wider population, I had no problem taking a more aggressive role. Combined with the increased intensity of monster attacks, I expected even more experience gain.[Level: 1
#35: Authority Asserted
The move back to the red camp was without issue. I moved, with Master Qimir following me. He didn't seem to be in the mood to speak, and I didn't prompt him, letting him process his impromptu recruitment. Though, my reputation didn't extend to the rest of the people, at least not yet, as people ignored our presence until I put on my armband once again.Once I put my band, things changed, and people started putting some distance, even if it meant creating some traffic for other carts, showing that the unaligned was getting restless in the situation. But, no one tried to talk with us, so we just walked.Then, we neared the section dedicated to the red group, where the carts stood much closer, with some sentries vigilantly observing.Sentries who made sure to step away to avoid even looking like they were blocking my way. Considering that the earlier troupe had clearly referred to me as a warrior, their tenseness was not a surprise. I wondered whether Jertann spilled someth
#34: Alliance
I was prepared to act when I noticed the change in Master Qimir.He had been already holding his knife when the overenthusiastic thugs approached his cart, but it had been a harmless gesture, a cook holding onto his tools of trade. Yet, the moment the threat was uttered, his grip shifted.It was not a big move. His thumb shifted to the other side, his index finger shifted a bit, his hold loosened a touch.Enough to add just a bit of whipping effect as he delivered an unexpected slash.It was a fascinating little shift, turning his attitude from a cook to a dangerous fighter, with an intensity that he hadn't possessed while he was fighting against the beasts.A man who had killed before, and not just in battle. His eyes told that more than his grip. He turned to me, and gestured for me to walk away.I chuckled as I took a step, but not behind. Instead, I walked toward the group. "Tell me, boys, why are you interrupting the lunch of an old man?" I said cheerful
#33: Attempted Blackmail
I didn't do much for a while as I walked around the camp. I just sauntered while taking deep breaths, trying to control that sudden flare of anger.I didn't question the presence of the overwhelming flood of fury. With everything going on, it was a natural response, and even I had limits when it came to compartmentalizing my emotions. Sometimes, no experience helped. One just needed to let the shock run its course.If I was still back on The Old Realm, I would have retreated to my cabin in the woods, enjoying some nice cigars and a bottle of top-shelf bourbon while looking at the stars. A day or two, alone, and I would calm down.Pity, it was not a luxury I could afford at this point. Not just the cigar and scotch, but staying alone for a day or two. Not in a world filled with monsters… I decided to take the next best thing, and decided to have a walk around the camp…I took note of the mood of the people, some calm, some panicking, some angry; yet everyone was busy
#32: Retreat
Jertann was the first to speak as I walked away. "Where are you going?" he stammered as he followed me, easily catching up to me with his large steps even with his initial freeze, shocked not by my combat proficiency, but by my choice. "Wrong question," I said with a chuckle, not stopping even for a moment. "What do you mean, wrong question?" he stammered, even skipping a step as he followed me. Behind him, Silas was following silently, but only because Karak gestured for her to stay silent. "You need to ask, where are we going? And the answer is, we're going back to the camp to rest." "But … we need to stay here and kill the beasts," he explained. "That's our mission." "That was until we had suffered a dangerous situation without support, leaving us dangerously weak against what was going on," I explained to him, but he seemed not to catch what I was leading to. "Do you trust me?" I asked directly. "Well … yes," he answere
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