Joe kept watch for roughly the next three hours. He checked the rift portal from time to time, but it never did anything, and that was too boring for his tired mind to handle. Once they got out of here, Joe needed a solid break. He meditated off and on while waiting for everyone else to wake up, following the mana that his regeneration skill was spreading through his body. It was a trickle that never stopped. Joe had tried to direct its flow several times, but the skill hadn't responded yet.

The berries were more potent, but the mana was unfocused and could only be directed once it was in his body. Despite being his skill, Minor Regeneration moved to its own whims, and any attempt to change that felt like bending iron with his bare hands. In the third hour, Joe gave up on trying and just kept looking at the portal. It swirled with its unearthly cold fire and was almost hypnotic after a while. Diana stirred nearby and broke Joe out of his reverie.

Diana groaned and stretched before sitting up and looking around. Her eyes landed on the sleeping guards first, then on Joe sitting up and looking over the group. He could see the question in her eyes and shrugged while speaking.

"Attribute bonus woke me up. Vigor hit ten. Only one more bump until I can try to level again."

"Of course you did." Diana shook her head for a second before looking at Joe sharply. "Wait what? Only one more, what was the other one?"

"I got Connection from all that time spent moving around the berries energy. It turns out getting the shit kicked out of you is really good for Attribute growth." Joe added a self-deprecating laugh at the end.

Diana shook her head. "Speak of that, could you stop doing that. At this point I'm used to you and it would be annoying to get a new one. How about I figure out how we can do it without almost bleeding out or dying from poison."

"One time," Joe laughed. "The poison only happened one time."

"So far."

Joe pretended he didn't hear her and instead looked around the clearing and took in the group. When he saw his new spear sitting nearby in the grass, Joe took in both its effectiveness and shoddy workmanship. It really was barely more than a knife on a big stick, but it had done a number on him. If he hadn't used magic healing, his shoulder would be out of commission for weeks at best. Then a horrible realization struck him, and the world dropped from under his feet.

"Aww hell, I left my bat out there."

Diana let loose a small snort of laughter and then looked embarrassed at her outburst. Joe ignored her and focused on the important things happening right now. He had liked that bat. It was a great find; they had killed many monsters together, including that damn fox. Then he remembered the treant and made a mental note to get an ax. Guilt at so quickly replacing both his bat and new spear washed over Joe until he realized that he could keep all three. He'd figure it out.

The three others started to stir at Joe and Diana's conversation. Joe used the spear nearby and pulled himself to his feet. He was stiff at first, but his body felt pretty good after stretching. Well, pretty good minus the stab wounds. Joe watched everyone wake up and get themselves together. It only took about ten minutes, and everyone else stood in a semicircle looking at him. Joe squashed down the small surge of irrational social anxiety and pushed forward with the conversation.

"Alright. I hope everyone feels a little better than yesterday. Thanks for the backup. I don't think we would have made it out of there without you folks."

The three guards looked equally pleased and embarrassed by Joe's praise. At least they weren't looking at him with fear. Fear could keep people in line, but it had a minimal reach. He needed people that would keep moving and helping after he had left their orbit. Loyalty and pride were a much better foundation if you had the right people. Joe stopped himself from going down that rabbit hole just yet. There would be plenty of time once he wasn't almost dying to low-level brawlers and monster hounds. First things first, he reminded himself.

"But, it's time for you to get some practice. For Mike and Carl, we need to get you to level two, and we need to work on those bonus attributes for all three of you. Get yourself ready, and then we'll clear out the easy meadows."

The trio's posture stiffened noticeably, but they didn't complain. Instead, each grabbed their gear and weapons before joining Joe and Diana. Joe signaled for Diana to take the lead with a wave of his hand, and he took up the rear guard. He was still healing and didn't intend to fight today unless someone was in danger. As the group approached the first clearing, Diana held her hand up for a halt and motioned for everyone to step back.

"There are more monsters. It looks like the amount doubled."

The guard's faces all paled, and Carl quietly asked a question with evident panic in his voice. "There are eight monsters in there?"

"What? No, there are four. Why would there be eight?" Diana was confused by the question.

Deena was the one to let out a sigh of relief before answering. "There are normally four monsters. Why would there be less?"

Joe could see their rift run going off the rails and stepped in to get things moving again. This was good information. Clearly, the number of people in a rift influenced how many monsters spawned at each challenge point. Now he wondered how many people it took to make that change. The number had just stayed static when he'd brought Diana, so it was more than two.

"I've always come in here alone or with Diana. It's always been two monsters in the first clearing." Joe held up his hands to forestall the questions he knew were coming. "It doesn't matter though. There are four of you and handling the gnolls should be no problem. Just more loot for all of us. Carl and Mike, you need to finish off at least one monster every time if you want to level up any time soon."

"Gnolls? Like in the tabletop games? Why did you call them that, they're so much smaller?"

"Diana has Identify." Joe sighed at human nature latching on to trivia in the face of life and death struggles. "They're a lesser dwarf gnoll or some such nonsense. I didn't name them. Now, can we please focus on the task at hand?"

Joe pointed at Diana to indicate she had the lead and then shooed at all of them with his hands. He walked right behind them, but this room was pretty easy, even with four gnolls. Joe could probably handle it even in his current condition. He didn't want to try, though. He fully intended to use every rest break to eat more berries and try to get back into fighting shape. If things were more challenging now, he thought they might need his help at the fox.

They approached the edge of the clearing, and Diana gave instructions. Instead of baiting them towards the walls, they were going for a simple spear wall with the boys on the edges of a line. The spears gave them reach, and Diana and Deena both were level two. If Joe saw anything terrible happening, he'd step in but wanted them to handle it if they could. If they couldn't, then getting through the fox would be dicey.

"Basic spear wall. Stab the one closest to you before it can strike. Watch out for the people next to you. If Joe can do this solo, I'm sure we can handle this together."

Diana took the center, and they formed a single file line across with Deena next to her and the boys on the ends. Joe hung back behind them and kept his eyes open. He would only step in if someone looked about to be seriously injured. The berries weren't up to quickly fixing those injuries for him, and he had more than double everyone else's Vigor. They stepped into the clearing, and Diana yelled at the gnolls. The little monsters howled and charged.

It was honestly pretty easy. They had longer reach with their spears, so in a one-on-one situation, there was little risk. Mike and Carl's hands were shaking, but they were holding it together. Joe collected the loot, and they moved on down the path. The next clearing came into sight, and Diana led them forward without delay. She yelled and invited their charge yet again. It was a little more chaotic with six gnolls coming at the group this time.

Diana and Deena killed one each before they were even close. The bodies clogged up the area and tripped the gnolls behind them. Carl finished his gnoll after only a few strikes. His grip seemed more sure on the spear, and his hands held solidly. Mike was not progressing as well. He almost completely missed his initial attack. It clipped the gnoll's shoulder, but not enough to arrest its momentum. It dove right at the man with a scream and baring of teeth. Deena's hand had a faint luminescence as he jabbed it in the side of the head. The gnoll tumbled sideways, and Mike stabbed it.

Diana had already pinned her second gnoll and yelled for Deena to do the same. Mike and Carl both stared at the writhing monsters held to the ground.

"Finish them off. You need the experience and the essence." The men moved to comply, though their strikes were sloppy even against immobile opponents. "These are not living things. People and animals do not dissolve into fire when they die. These are monsters. They are scary, but this is the new world, gentlemen. You showed more courage last night than ninety percent of this town. Don't lose it now."

Joe nodded his head. Diana knew the three of them already and was much more comfortable being assertive. That was good. Joe didn't want to think about it, but this world would not be kind if she couldn't move forward under her own power. Frank had so clearly demonstrated that anyone who wanted to be protected would have to pay a price somewhere. Also, Joe didn't want to do the public speaking if he could get out of it. He found that killing monsters was more straightforward than talking to a group of people.

The loot was collected, and they double-timed it back to the start. The three guards looked confused but didn't say anything until Diana told them to take a break while they waited for respawns. Joe handed out a berry to each of them and repeated his previous statements about controlling the mana. Before anyone ate theirs, Mike had a question.

"The monsters respawn?"

"Once per run, at least so far," Joe said. "It's a good chance for extra essence and berries. And, if things go bad it gives you a chance to run back out the entrance. I know they've been running people through here. Is no one talking about it?"

"Other than work camp people, only Frank and the guards are going into the rift. None of us wanted to do it anyway."

Joe shook his head. It was a surprising answer, but it highlighted the situation perfectly. You had one group using human meatshields to amass power, and everyone else was content to let it happen as long as they didn't have to fight. It was the 20th century in a nutshell. That would have to change. Warring city-states would be easy pickings for any established outside power. The system message came back to Joe. They had no rights, and their planet was designated for resource production. They'd have company eventually.

Ten minutes had passed, and Diana roused the troops. She fell back to Joe and let the three guards take the lead. They stayed close enough to help but didn't move in as the monsters charged. Deena handled two gnolls without any trouble. The other two finished theirs shortly after, and they moved on. Joe frowned to himself. Mike and Carl both had non-combat classes, which showed in their demeanor. He knew they could do it, but it would take some time. All three stopped before the next clearing. Diana pointed forward, and they took the hint.

"C'mon boys. I bet you a copper I kill three this time."

Carl humphed at Deena's statement, but a small smile had replaced his unconscious scowl. Mike still looked nervous. After the trio turned towards the meadow, Joe moved a half step closer to Mike. It turned out not to be necessary. Deena immediately activated her skill and skewered both of her monsters in quick succession. The gnolls weren't killed, but they were temporarily out of the fight. Carl tried his best to duplicate her performance and did a passable job. The second one got too close for comfort, but it went down.

Mike had problems. He struck his first gnoll center mass but didn't retract the spear quickly. With his weapon hung up on the struggling monster, the second gnoll could charge him unimpeded. Joe took a step forward, but Deena moved and planted her boot right in the running monster's face. She swore and stumbled, her leg unable to take all her weight. Carl moved in and stabbed the little beast, pinning it to the forest floor.

Deena wobbled to her feet and finished off her two gnolls. Mike had finally removed his spear and killed it with several frenzied strikes. He turned to the last monster, but Carl had already finished it. All three of them stood panting. Deena looked a little pale, and Joe guessed that activating her skill took a decent amount of her available mana. He stepped up behind them and gently clapped his hand on Mike's left shoulder. The man froze, his posture rigid. Joe spoke clearly and calmly, as if he was discussing the humidity, a favorite Ohio topic.

"The Dublin rift had goblins and these ugly little lizard things. They weren't any stronger than these gnolls. I almost died more than once in the calibration." Joe paused to let them process what he'd said. "Fear is normal fighting for your life. Fear will keep you from charging in and getting yourself or other people killed. But, we have to master it. You need to be driving the fear, not the other way around. You are going to be fine."

Joe finished by looking Mike in the eyes. He moved on to each of the others, and they gave him a nod in return. Joe looked at Deena and couldn't help but smile.

"Good save there. Hurts like a bitch to kick something running at you, huh. I did the same thing. Eat an extra berry and focus on your knee."

With that, Joe led them halfway towards the third clearing. They all sat and recovered, and he gave them extra time to let Deena hopefully patch up her knee. Her steps looked firm when she stood, and they approached the next challenge. Diana stepped forward into the group again. She explained the snakes and how the group wouldn't move until they'd spotted both of them. Joe still stayed close, his eyes roaming for surprises. The first two areas were easy. This is where the combat got deadly.

His worry was unnecessary. Diana pointed out both snakes, and they killed them before focusing on the gnolls. Mike and Carl both had to strike monsters with the haft of their spear after they got too close, but no one took more than a couple of scratches. They tackled the last challenge before the fox to similar results. Everyone was breathing heavily, even Diana, as they moved back and let the rift reset. Berries were handed out and consumed. Just before the end of their break, all three guards shuddered before staring at the air in front of them.

"Feels weird, right? It seems to only happen in the rifts, at least so far. I think it happens easier if your essence storage is capped."

Joe saw the question in both the men's faces, and he explained the accumulation of essence and its uses with skills and levels. He doubted they'd killed anywhere close to enough monsters to be full of essence at this point, but the constant practice on their mana skills had still paid out eventually. Joe tested his arm and hip as he stood. They were still stiff, but the healing had made significant progress. He was sore, but everything was usable. That was good because there was no way these four would face that bastard of a fox without him.

"Let's head up to the first boss. We'll stop and observe before moving forward. I'm in the middle. D team, you're on the wings. It's faster than you think and venomous, so use your reach."

"D-Team?" Diana gave him the stink eye, and her nose scrunched up like she'd smelt something nasty. "I don't care what our names are, we're the A-Team."

Everyone smiled, and Deena gave a small laugh. Their nerves were still present, but the nonsensical humor had driven off the worst of it for now. Joe held up his hand to call a halt and looked at the fox. It was bigger, and the tips of its ears were now purple. It also had an extra set of legs, which all ended in wicked claws more at home on a cougar than a fox. Or more like a spider, Joe thought to himself. He took several deep breaths and instinctively reached for his pocket. There was no stone there this time.

"The hard way then," Joe grumbled to himself. "Hey Ugly! Get over here and get some!"

The fox stood and looked surprised if a monster was even capable of that amount of thought. It didn't last for more than a moment before it leaped forward with a discordant snarl. It was on.

All five of them stabbed forward with their spears once the fox was in range. It backed off quickly, though Joe's strike still grazed along its ribs, drawing a cut through the fur that dripped brown ichor. The monster hissed in pain, again showing off its too-wide mouth packed with awful needle teeth. The fox opened all of its eyes and Joe wasn't remotely surprised to see six this time. It screamed at them and dashed forward while the three guards were dazed.

Joe winced at the scream. It was more potent than before, but nothing he couldn't push through. He glanced at Diana, who seemed to be in similar straits. Experiencing the attack before seemed to help buffer the effects. The fox ran towards Joe's left, where the sound had disoriented Deena and Carl.

"Not today you big furry asshole!"

The fox dodged and took another glancing blow as Joe's spear tore through its path. The fox's head turned almost 180 degrees like an owl to look at Joe as he set himself between it and the two guards. Diana moved to flank him, and Joe charged. The fox hesitated in apparent surprise before pouncing forward to meet him. Joe suspected the new fox was stronger than him, but he felt that if he let this fight drag out, it would eventually get one of his newbies. He waited until the monster committed and planted his spear in its chest. His arms ached with the strain, and his shoulder screamed, but Joe held on tight.

"I've got him. Finish it!"

Joe saw his group move to surround the monster whose claws were just out of reach. And then, with the sound of the world's nastiest loogie, It spat a stream of purple disgustingness right at Joe's chest. Joe didn't feel anything at first, and he hoped at that moment that tough skin would somehow protect him. That hope was dashed as a burning spread from the impact site along his skin and down into the muscle below. Joe's muscles tightened excruciatingly, but he held on as the others stabbed the monster over and over.

In a last-ditch effort, the fox plunged forward, driving itself farther onto the spear and closer to Joe. He hung on even as the very tips of its claws drew bright lines of blood along his arms. The poison burned, and his arms bled, but Joe shoved back and made a little space while holding the fox at bay. After a seeming eternity of searing pain in his chest and arms, the fox dissolved into fire, and the weight vanished from his spear. With his burden gone, Joe toppled to his knees and then his side.

Diana was there in a moment, forcing a berry into his mouth. She ordered the others to strip his shirt and try to wipe the excess poison off of him. Her eyes glowed as she activated her skills and yelled at him.

"What did I just tell you?"