Sebastian exhaled heavily, white steam flowing from the holes in his face like exhaust. It was a cool aesthetic, but it made sure he could never really have his mouth completely open or closed. He has to drink certain ways so it wouldn’t just leak from his cheek like a drooling drunk. It inconvenienced him somewhat, sure, but what can you say.

His Ice Vitality slowly flowed and tunnelled throughout his body, noticing more and more pathways for energy to flow along, which ones go faster, and whatever else. Feeling a lot of blocked off or clogged passageways, he had tried clearing them with his vitality; only to feel a heart rending pain that triggered all of his wounds.

Sighing gently as he opened his eyes, his vitality slowly continued circulating through and healing his body. Over the last week, he hadn’t left the grounds of Dallas’ Deals, instead experimenting with his vitality and healing his injuries. The idea was to find out how it worked to better help those who figured it out later on, especially considering Mariah was supposed to wake up soon.

With thunderous cracking sounds, he slowly stood up from what was basically his meditation. No, yeah, it was meditation. Cultivating? Meditation. He was going to go with that one. Sebastian grabbed his saber, walking out to the parking lot.

His appearance got him a lot of greetings and a few sparse nods and smiles. A lot had changed in a week, especially considering a lot had changed just in the first two days.

First, most if not everyone was a higher level. Dallas had reached Lv. 8, and none of the patrol members were below level four, most at level 5. Ken was also Lv. 8, but had stopped levelling so he could try sensing his vitality, often joining Sebastian in his meditations over the last week.

The beasts had mostly stayed away from the supermarket after the defeat of the hivemind, but as time passed the creatures started returning and the patrol group got to level up somewhat.

The knowledge of Vitality and Mana was no longer a secret either, Dallas finally believing it was safe to let people know without anyone going on a power trip, especially considering no one was confident they could survive Sebastian’s enraged onslaught even if they could control magic. Snapping a small spark into existence wouldn’t destroy the swarm of rats, or stop the Vermintide Butcher’s saber from splitting you in half.

The difficulty of gaining the power they dreamed of dashed their dreams of becoming divine beings, yes, but it also motivated them to grow stronger. No one wanted to just lay there waiting for death, and although The Light and Scorn are the reasons they have to put their lives on the line, a lot of them also enjoyed the possibility of recreating themselves in this new world.

Sebastian couldn’t blame them, either. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t relieved about no longer having to buy food, or pay rent, or go to work. Life wouldn’t be so simple for long, yes, and some semblance of society was bound to happen whenever a group was in place, but he’d be different now. It would all be different.

He’d kill what he ate and feel stronger for it. Live wherever he wants based on the strength of ice and blade. Work by fighting. It would be simple. He had longed for simple.

Those who wanted to live, grow, and survive would even eat the rat corpses if it meant getting stronger. The rest would be content with just being grunts, footsoldiers, the labourers. Sebastian’s reason for not wanting to be one was just that.. he didn’t enjoy it. If you wanted to tell him what to do now, earn that respect. Keep people alive. Prove that he should listen sometimes.

He was tired of listening to shitty people.

Glancing around at the scorched parking lot, it had long been emptied out and organized. The cars that could still be used had been parked off to the side, and all the debris was used as a small barricade to create some type of defense from the outside world.

Someone quickly approached with a smile, leading him over to the bulky owner of the supermarket. He was yelling back and forth as trucks were made ready. Gas was being collected, spare parts were being looked for.

“What’s all this then?”

Dallas turned with a smile on his face, as if his day was just made so much easier. He laughed lightly, gesturing for the bladesman to come closer.

“We’re setting up a convoy. We can’t stay here forever after all. And you bringing the doctor back gave me some ideas. There’s no way they aren’t the only family that just holed up there, right?”

Sebastian nodded, letting the man speak. He understood this, and he had actually meant to bring it up at some point; but the apparent convoy.. that confused him. Why not stay here?

“Think about it. We’re going to run out of food, water, medicine, gas. All for what, to stay in a city that’s clearly dangerous? To potentially be attacked by another bigger swarm, or just a single even stronger beast? We both know that the hivemind was only so weak because it was a monster based on control. What if it was just a single, super strong monster? Too fast, too strong, too smart or cunning?”

“It would kill us all.” Sebastian frowned. “Easily. If it was too fast, I’d never be able to react. Too strong, wouldn’t take a single hit. Too smart, I’d never see it coming. Neither would anyone else. We’d be royally fucked.”

“Aye, we would. So we’re moving. For now, we’re just heading to the edge of the city, collect people along the way, defend the convoy, then find somewhere to go. We’ll help people find their family along the way.”

“And if a crazy amount of monsters sense the hundreds of low level people walking along? The dozen groups of seven or eight Lv. 7 beasts that would smell fresh meat?”

“Well that’s what we have you for, ay? You, Ken and I will each take a zone. We’ll make a sort of triangle. It’ll be a real thin triangle, but it’ll be one. We’ve got a quite a few of our own patrolmen to fill the gap, too. None of us slacked while you sat and slept inside you know.”

“Fine, fine, I get it. When’s this happening?”

“Soon, while we still have the food for it. We’ll scavenge what we can, but if we wait for the food and medicine to run out first, we’re screwed. Early bird gets the worm, we need to go.”

“So it’s just security work for me again, hm? I can live with that. I’ll keep working on my meditation technique in the meantime. Anything else?”

“Not much, just that Ken got himself Sword Expertise, Inept like your Saber Expertise. Rich got himself Inept Blacksmithing as well. We’re starting to figure out how skills work.”

“Great, I’ll be needing a new weapon soon anyways.”

The bladesman turned to leave with light steps, his body seemingly stronger than ever, the diet of vitality rich rat meat and any other meats that would go bad quickly. He seemed much more robust, his aura almost ice cold as a side effect of strengthened Vitality.

“And Sebastian!” Dallas called out, before hesitantly mouthing out some words that sent shivers down his spine.

‘We’re afraid of the Sewers’

Sitting down quietly inside the makeshift infirmary room, he greeted the nurse with the best smile he could give, before relaxing against the wall. He had always preferred sitting on the floor for some reason, and he won’t stop now.

“Her Vitality is strengthening. She’ll wake up soon.”

Sebastian spoke to the nurse idly, who nodded with a somewhat shocked expression before running out to get Zach. He was getting real tired of seeing shocked expressions or startled expressions. Why can’t everyone just get used to the new world like he did?

He didn’t question that he could feel stronger or weaker vitalities now, so why did they have to look at him like some weird fantasy being whenever he acknowledged it? It’s probably just a side effect of heightened Perception and a stronger Vitality anyways.

The man grumbled silently as he waited patiently for the woman to wake up. He’d be the first to admit he thought Mariah was a coward, but he wasn’t so much of an asshole to not forgive for mistakes she didn’t really make. What happened was Jacob’s fault, he was mature enough to realize that with a calm mind.

His thoughts dispersed when the women’s eyes fluttered open, now a golden earthly hue, like a mix of wheat and hay. It confirmed his guess at least that affinities affect your body in other ways once awoken, so he’d try experimenting in that direction eventually once he settled down his meditation technique.

Her gaze lingered on his face briefly as she stirred from her sleep before forcing herself to sit up against the headrest. She looked a little dazed, but otherwise okay. Nurses had fed her, and one of the kinder ladies had helped with the other issues. He was certain someone had helped him similarly when he was asleep for the three days a week ago.

Nodding with a faint smile, Sebastian patted off his brand new jeans and stood up. He left the infirmary just as quickly as he came.

“You have nothing to prove anymore. Good job.”

Mariah felt like she was stuck in quicksand. Felt like it for a long, long time. Floating in a vast space of pure yellow earth, forever spiralling further and further down. Every once in a while, she’d get some extra energy from god knows where, and it helped her climb her way out. The rest of the time, she sank. And sank. And sank.

So when she blinked and suddenly appeared in an infirmary room, her mind took a moment to bring her back. Remember what had happened.

[Good morning, Mariah]

Looking at the ceiling, she felt her vision clear and her body become restless, as if having stayed still for far, far too long. She had the weird sensation that her body had become heavier, yet not. As if it was the gravity around her that changed, not her weight. The sensation was incredibly confusing, but she didn’t mind it. Instead she delighted in it.

She was quickly snapped out of her revelry as she noticed the man sitting against the wall. Bigger than she remembered, a body much more whole than before, yet filled with marks that will never heal. A chilling atmosphere and ice blue eyes, he hardly felt human to Mariah.

The man nodded at her with a smile, standing up. He was the only one in the room, and his actions confused her. What was he doing? Why was he here? We clearly won, or else he’d be dead. So what’s going on?

Her confusion only grew when the bladesman started to leave, just as abruptly as she had woken up. It was only when Mariah had heard the man speak that she faintly understood what was going on, why the man was here. She felt like the chains on her had been broken, her will unbound and her body freed of the added weight.

“You have nothing to prove anymore. Good job.”

She bawled her eyes out.