Lamar and Drake talked for a few more hours as the sun set in the distance, eventually, the two decided to finish the conversation up tomorrow.

Lamar would come back in the morning with his equipment and more patience than he had today.

Drake had spent the majority of the time explaining more of what he knew about the system, and what could possibly happen outside of the tutorial, more specifically what he could do to help him and his sister once they were out of the tutorial.

He may or may not have also kept jabbing the cyclopean because it was enjoyable to tease him, which wore on the poor crafter's mental state.

But Drake had already cemented that Lamar was a man of his word and would not go back on it once they had come to an agreement.

Drake waved Lamar off as the night had settled in a few hours already. Lamar waved a very large middle finger over his shoulder.

“Good man that guy, well, good cyclops I mean,” Drake said.

Giving a bit of a stretch he gazed around the camp. It seemed that most everyone were in their tents by now, save Bjorn who was walking around.

Drake raised his brow as he spotted the not as large as Lamar but still quite enormous man crossing his path.

“Bear, what are you doing?” Drake asked then spotted a figure he picked up on his aura sense behind him.

“Ah.. Adam here said Shigure needs to see me,” Bjorn answered, thumbing to the pencil man.

“Yes, Lord Shigure is deciding what to do about…” Adam gave a terse glance at Drake before turning back to Bjorn, “Our squatters. Also he wants to decide how to proceed within the tutorial,” he continued, looking back to Drake, a slight red shimmer in his eyes as he did, “It would seem more and more people are going…. Missing.”

Drake pressed Adam with his aura, giving a scowl for added effect.

“Are you insinuating something?” Drake asked.

Adam visibly jerked, his shoulders beginning to shiver, but he still smiled back at Drake despite the body reaction.

“Of course not. I would never,” Adam answered, “I am simply saying that the folks that have gone missing have increased with your appearance. Whether that is a coincidence or not, who am I to say?”

Before Drake could press the issue, Bjorn shook his head, taking Adam by the arm.

“Knock it off, Adam. You’re lucky I haven’t killed you, and Shot here has a shorter temper than I do. So unless you actually want to die, I’d shut the fuck up bro,” Bjorn cautioned, then looked back at Drake, “I’ll be fast so no worries.”

Bjorn gave Drake a quick nod then dragged Adam with him toward Shigure’s Outpost.

Drake watched as the two walked off into the distance until he was unable to make out their features in the dark, turning his head as he stretched out his aura and sighed.

“Is everyone really that much of a prick, or is it the system bringing out the worst in people,” Drake asked aloud.

“The system surely has a part in it. But certainly, that thing is just a rotten one,” Natto replied.

“Well,” Drake digressed, feeling out the camp with his aura, “Seems like everyone is where they’re supposed to be and there are only a few people on the edge of the circle, but that’s normal now… Guess it’s time to just sit and practice till something happens.”

Drake moved back into his tent, taking a seat on the floor as Natto popped out onto his shoulder, then rolled out onto the bed with some snacks in hand.

“Natto,” Drake began to ask, “This might be a weird question but how likely is it I won’t be human anymore when we leave the tutorial..? If I can even be considered human now that is,” he said, chuckling warily.

Natto paused mid-bite into her snack, her face stiffening then relaxing as she sighed.

“What brought this on? Normally you are so aloof and laid back about these things,” she asked back.

Drake looked up at the tent’s ceiling, his hands conjuring elements that he molded and shifted as he thought.

“I was just wondering is all. I was thinking about my family again. My youngest brother is 14, so he won’t be in the tutorial, thankfully. But that has me thinking about what he will think of me when I meet him again ya know? Is he going to recognize the… the monster I’m becoming? I don’t think he’s old enough to understand that what I’m doing is because I don’t have a choice but I’m more worried about how they will all feel once I see them again. Am I still going to be my mom’s little boy? My brother’s older dependable bro? Or am I just going to be a monster they and I can’t even recognize…” Drake professed.

Natto scoffed.

“You are thinking too much, you maroon. You are far from being a monster. The Multiverse is filled with tyrants and unspeakable evils. And I am reiterating, real evils. There are powers that be and command universes like they are children playing in a toy shop, killing billions just for the fun of it. You are no monster. At least not yet,” she said softly, “I do not know of your family well enough to say, but… I do know you and what you have done here, what you have been forced to do. No one can fault you for such. And I, will not let them. Your family has seen you through hard times already. What is a little system compared to that?”

Drake blinked confused, his magic extinguishing as he did.

“Wow, that is the nicest thing I think I have ever heard you say. Are you dying or something?” Drake asked.

“Shut up!” Natto blushed, throwing a roasted nut at the back of his head, “I am simply stating a fact! If your assistant does not stick by you, then who will? For all our bickering I am still your ally, no matter how much you incessantly irritate me with every fiber of your being!”

“Awe, Natto. I didn’t know you cared.”

“Shut up!”

“It’s ok to talk about your feelings. I’m here for you.”

“I said shut up!”

Drake laughed, as he relaxed, his shoulders slackening as he formed a small magic circle of white between his hands.

He molded and melded the ice magic, making a small group of figurines to represent his family. His mother, youngest brother, younger brother, and his father. All happily laughing together.

Natto scooched forward to see the piece, looking over his shoulder.

“That is quite detailed,” she muttered.

“Well, I did use to draw for a living. Switching from 2-D to 3-D is a bit weird but, I think I’ll get the hang of it. At least I can get some of the details right, and the ice makes it easy to sculpt,” Drake replied looking at the figurines.

Before their conversation could continue, Drake felt a large group come to the end of his senses, forcing him to snap his head in that direction.

“That is a bigger than usual group…” Drake mumbled.

“How many are bigger than usual?” Natto asked, hopping onto his shoulder.

“I count about 20 that I can feel. Might be monsters? Or the Ghouls from before, I can’t tell…” Drake answered, “I’m going to wake up Hudson, let him know to set up sentries.”

Drake quickly exited the tent, making his way hastily to Hudson and Tom’s tent, entering without notice to wake them up.

“Tom, Hudson!” Drake shouted.

“W-wha?!” Tom yelled, grabbing his blanket and throwing it off.

“The fuck are you doing idjit,” Hudson spat, exiting his bed half-naked.

“Bunch of monsters, maybe Ghouls are gathering outside, I need you to set up some more sentries, get your big boys out as well just to be safe. I’m going to go check it out myself.

Drake took no more time to explain as he shot off disappearing.

“Did you get all that?” Tom asked.

“I heard set up the lil ‘uns and that’s all I needed. Get dressed you damned fool,” Husdon scoffed, taking out his clothes and armor from his inventory.

“Someone isn't a morning person…” Tom mumbled.

 

---

 

 

Claire was aimlessly staring at the top of the tent, the sound of Sherry snoring and mumbling about dinner in the background.

She let out a sigh.

“How much longer are we going to be doing this… I finally found a guy I like and I can’t even do anything until after the tutorial…” she lamented.

Putting her hands up into the air, she remembered Drake’s body warmth and embrace, a small smile creasing her lips.

“Maybe I'll sneak into his tent… He wouldn’t mind right? We’re practically dating since he hugged me,” she snickered, slowly getting out of bed.

“Food…?” Sherry suddenly said, snapping to attention.

Claire yelped softly, the surprising movement making her recoil. But she quickly collected herself and sighed.

“Is my nickname going to food or something…? Well, I am kind of a snack…” Claire joked to herself before turning to Sherry, “No, I’m just going out to take care of some business…”

Sherry nodded, “Ok, say hi to Drake for me,” she grinned, then plopped back onto the bed, the sound of her snoring getting louder with each breath.

Claire was shocked, her mouth opening wide and closing.

“Is it that obvious…?” she said, shaking her head, but making her way for the tent entrance nonetheless.

She began to hear the rustling of tent canvas as she exited, only briefly seeing Drake exit Hudson’s tent from her and Sherry’s across from Drake’s enough to notice him leaving the area.

“Where is he going?” she pouted.

“Claire, you’re awake?” Tom said, asking the obvious.

“Um.. yeah I just couldn’t sleep. What’s going on?” she asked back.

“There’s some monsters a little way off so Drake went to take care of them. Shouldn’t be a problem but he asked Hudson to put up some more sentries, might want to stay inside or go find the others just to be safe,” Tom answered, giving her a wave as he went to another tent.

Claire sighed, crossing her arms.

“That guy just keeps going off on his own… I wish he would ask us for help more often…”

“The strong do not pity the weak, unfortunately, dear woman. But you will work well for your intended use,” a raspy hissing voice said from behind her.

“Wha-?!” Claire tried to exclaim before a hand shot out from the tent pulling her back into the dark.

 

 

---

 

 

Drake took long strides forward toward the grouping of people, almost making his way there in a matter of seconds thanks to his Lightning Endowment.

But something was wrong, the group he was moving toward continued to run. They were not outrunning him but their fleeing made it take longer than it should have for him if only by a few seconds.

Finally catching up to the group. Drake saw what he had expected. People of pale skin, sunken eyes, and tattered clothes. Ghouls.

“Poor people..” Drake said sympathetically, his eyes gazing on the pack of monsters who were once humans.

“Do not pity us fool,” one spat, pulling a blade from his side.

“Oh, they can talk? And it’s rude…. Were you mean before or after being turned into a thriller reject?” Drake asked, forming a javelin of white fire in both his hands, trying his best to get some information out of the monsters.

“We will tell you nothing! Our job is already at its end,” another hissed.

Drake’s neck hairs stood on end as his eyes widened.

“What did you say?” Drake growled.

“Fool, we have done our job. Kill us if you wish, but it wi-” one tried to snap, but its head was torn from his shoulders by a searing white heat.

Drake threw and expanded his javelin, enveloping the twenty or so monsters in a brilliant white glow as they shrieked and screamed. All of them melting and turning to ash on the ground.

 

[You have subjugated Ghoul - Mary Winshaw Level 12] [Experience Earned 30,000 TP awarded]

 

[You have subjugated Ghoul - Alexander Gigliano Level 14] [Experience Earned 40,000 TP awarded]

 

[You have subjugated Ghoul - Joe Koy Level 11] [Experience Earned 20,000 TP awarded]

 

[You have subjugated Ghoul - Dwane Cavalier Level 10] [Experience Earned 10,000 TP awarded]

…

 

..

 

.

 

[Subjugated 27 of 100 Converted Ghouls [F Rank]

[Rewards: Experience, F-Grade Accessory of your choice]

 

Drake had already taken off back to the camp as the notifications rolled in and his quest updated. He only prayed he wasn’t too late, and that his foolishness hadn’t cost him his friends' lives.

Drake canceled and recasted his Endowment in an instant.

“Flash Step!” he shouted as his Lightning Endowment empowered him again, this time many times stronger as he made the journey back in a fraction of the time.

Spreading his aura he looked for anything out of place, noticing only one tent that had what seemed like a struggle going on.

Sherry! Claire! Drake shouted in his head, as his feet moved with unprecedented conviction towards the tent.

Drake shot past the entrance of the tent, coming to the last fraction of the struggle in progress. His eyes took in the surroundings in a mere moment, his Adrenaline Acuity going to work.

He saw blood on the floor, ripped and broken clothes and equipment. Sherry on the ground, blood dripping from her head, as she lay limp. Drake’s eyes met Claire’s as she was being sucked into a shimmering magic circle, a pale and gangly hand wrapped around her mouth. Her eyes showing abject horror.

Drake rushed forward, his hand outstretched as he was barely not in time. Claire vanished into the circle as it disappeared.

Time froze for Drake as his hand grasped at the dirt, his body beginning to shake. His mind a pot of emotions quickly boiling over as his mouth motioned from the tensing of its muscles.

A guttural roar infused with aura and mana pierced through the camp.

“NOOOO!!!!!”

Drake howled, his aura and mana-infused scream going wild as he drove his fist into the ground.

A fraction of a second later his head snapped to Sherry.

Drake’s anger only rose as he moved to her, pulling a potion from his inventory that he gently slipped into her mouth.

Sherry coughed but was still well enough to swallow the liquid on her own. 

Drake could see the gash the blood was coming from visible close as he placed her on a new bed carefully.

His mind continued to swirl in chaos, but on the outside, he was calm and collected, his eyes glazed over as he looked in one direction.

Shigure’s Camp.