Good fucking christ that hurts. I swear, it’s like everything in this damn world has withdrawal effects. Would it be too much to ask for experience to just feel like nothing? Why does it have to feel good to get Power? Fuck the brain and its stupid pleasure responses. I peel myself gingerly off the floor, glaring reproachfully at Lynn, but she looks surprised.

“I… have never seen a reaction like that. Are you well, Amadeus?”

“No.” The words are more akin to croaking than speech.

She nods. “Lauren, look after him a moment, I’ll be right back.”

Lauren nods in assent before coming over to where I’m hunched over in a sitting position, looking at me quizzically. “Don’t you have healing powers?”

“Fuck off.”

“What? You literally healed an eviscerated Werewolf to peak condition, how can you not deal with a headache?”

“I should have you pushing boulders around too.” I mutter, angrily.

“Oh, because I just can’t understand, right?” Her sour tone indicates I’ve hit a nerve, and it takes more effort than I care to quantify to keep quiet instead of making it worse. God, I feel like the flu came and ravaged my insides, leaving nothing but lingering, burning agony. At least it’s slowly going away…

“Sorry, that whole thing took a lot out of me. I meant, if you could see Energy like I can, you’d understand my frustration. According to Energy, I’m totally fine. Nothing can be healed because I’m in peak condition. Yet, I’m in horrible pain. It’s a thrilling mystery, to be sure.”

“All is forgiven. I’d be an asshole for calling you out on being mean because you’re hurting, especially… well, you know.” She shrugs, not meeting my eye.

“Yeah.” The silence is heavy, but not uncomfortable. A lot has happened since Lauren decided to stop being a psychopath (as much), but not very much time has passed. I hope one day she can put it fully behind her, but her expression right now conveys a profound sense of worry.

Lynn returns, bearing a clay cup of steaming liquid, which she presents to me. “Here, drink.”

“Is this…” I sniff the liquid, which smells nice, like boiled leaf water. “-tea?”

She nods. “Made from the same flowers that cause healing. It’s less of a kick than the healing potions, and anyone can make them. The result seems to just speed up regular regeneration for an hour or so.”

Huh. Neat. So, not a potion, but… similar? And not quite the same effect either. Curious. It’s almost as though different brewing methods result in different expressions of the same general effect. If we did the same process with the Mana flower, or the Energy flower, would they stimulate regeneration for those as well? In that case, finding a Stamina refilling reagent would let me optimize regeneration in both Stamina and Energy simultaneously! I’d have almost limitless staying power in combat… as long as the combat stayed within a certain level of intensity.

[Unique circumstances have led to the increase in your Alchemy Secondary Skill! Alchemy +1 (4)]

That little boost, combined with the soothing effects of the drink, does wonders to help my mood. I quickly finish the cup and hand it back to a smiling Lynn. She seems very pleased with herself for the success of the drink, and I should be thanking her for the inspiration, but I don’t want her to think all is forgiven just yet.

“How did you make that, anyway?”

“I dried the flowers, grinded them lightly into little flakes, boiled water, then added them afterwards, exactly like tea back home. Would you like to take some of the leftover dried flowers? I can always prepare more.”

“I’d appreciate that, thanks.”

Lynn’s smile turns into a smirk as she produces and holds out a leather pouch to me. I slowly get to my feet before snatching it away from her, but her smirk only widens at my glower. “Is it so wrong that I know you well at this point, Amadeus?” Lauren’s snickering does nothing to improve the situation, and I huff in feigned annoyance. “You become a leader and now you’re suddenly a know-it-all? Typical.”

“Now?” She laughs coyly. “Now, if you’re sufficiently recovered, I had Seth prepare you travel rations and packs with things you may need. You will find them in Tom’s old forge room. I wish you all the best of luck on your quest, and would appreciate your timely and safe return.” With that, she nods, and turns on her heel before walking briskly away.

I turn to Lauren, eyebrow raised in question.

“Beats me, dude. She probably didn’t want to cry in front of us.”

“Pff, sure.” We probably won’t be gone that long.

Choosing not to dwell on it further, Cerberus, Lauren, and I all step out into the gloom of night. The village is somewhat lit, but it might as well be a beacon of light in comparison with how dark everything around the town is. The true oddity of the night, however, is the distinct lack of Shades. There was no howling, no dark shapes moving in the night… nothing. Who knows if that will last, though. They might be gone forever, or they could be back tomorrow, stronger than ever. I hope Lynn starts building fortifications soon… and lights up the fields around the town. Whatever, her job, not mine. We head to pick up the packs, finding two fairly well made backpacks and one… it looks almost like a saddle with saddlebags.

“I refuse.”

“Come on, they made it specifically for you!”

“Silence, human. I am a warrior, not some Ignaste.”

“Ig-... what?”

Cerberus glowers at me for a moment before answering. “Bearers of provisions and supplies within my people. Massive beasts, powerful, but dull and dim witted.”

“Fine, but if you’re not carrying your own shit, you’ll have to do without. None of us are going to judge you for how you look carrying things, but that’s not true if you end up needing one of us to support you because you’re unprepared.”

His glower deepens. “Come on!” Lauren chimes in. “It’s nothing for you. Your dignified posture couldn’t possibly be lessened by a few packs!” Of course, she only gets a warning growl for her troubles.

“Fine, if you won’t wear the bags in front of your people, fine, I’ll carry them, but once we’re out of sight, if you don’t put them on, they’re going to be left in the forest.”

Cerberus turns his head away, but says nothing. I think he’s pleased. Man, every time I think I’m a prideful son of a bitch, this guy really proves how much I’m lacking in both regards. The bags fit reasonably well around my shoulders, hanging down my front, while the backpack fits nicely in the middle of my back. Lots of straps prevent it from moving very much, so the noise made by walking is minimized. Nice touch, Marie. They just seem a little tricky to get off in a pinch, but I’m sure the plethora of knives and sharp things in the group can remedy that.

With that, we’re ready. In the murky darkness, we set off. I’m rather more burdened than everyone else, with all the packs and Kaythe riding on me, so we move at a fast walk over the fields. We watch vigilantly for threats, but after not finding any, nor having any instinctual warnings, Lauren and I relax a bit. Cerberus remains as paranoid as ever, unsurprisingly.

I quickly find myself distracted by the beautiful sky overhead… it’s not like the night sky back home, but there’s a strange serenity that comes from distant technology. Cool blue lights, slight pinpricks of starlight, and the vaguely identifiable features of the surface of the rings as the careen by without a sound… It took my breath away the first night, and it still does. I wish I had had more time to look at it, but every night between then and now had been spent fighting for survival. And, here I am going off to fight more.

I sigh, but no one notices. Such is the nature of our lives now.

We reach the edge of the woods long before the rings have passed and freed us from the night, but Lauren and I are in agreement about not going in until morning. The light is bad enough during the day, I have no intention of trying to navigate safely in the pitch darkness that stretches before us now.

Ok, it’s not quite that bad, but my vision range is substantially reduced in there, and I still remember how effective those parasitic trees were when they got the jump on us, and that could easily happen again. This logic does little to sway Cerberus, however, who wants to go check on his people. It’s only with great reluctance that he agrees to remain with us until sunrise, as technically he is close enough to them to communicate via their weird mind link, so there’s no reason to actually be there with them.

The air is slightly chilly, and the grass is damp, so Lauren and I stay closer together. The action makes me acutely aware that it excludes Cerberus, and even though that’s something I’m sure he’d prefer, I can’t let that become the status quo.

The only reason I don’t lose a hand when he realizes I’m petting him is because the Energy connection we share makes it a more comfortable experience for him, but that doesn’t mean he looks comfortable at all. I think it might actually be stressing him out, but that could easily be because he’s never been pet before. It’ll grow on him, I’m sure. Plus, he’s probably too distracted making sure everything is going smoothly with the camp to make a big deal out of it, and I’m not going to stop unless he asks.

It’s a lot like petting a horse, but if the horse was a wall of muscle, teeth, and claws. Honestly, even compressed as he is, Cerberus is quite intimidating. His fur is strange, though… it’s very soft in one direction, but in the other, it actually seems capable of piercing my skin. It’s as though each of his hairs is like a single, thin needle. They still bend given enough pressure, and spring back when you stop bending them, but if you hit one dead on? Oww.

His fur/hide must offer some serious protection.

“You can still turn back, you know.”

“And miss this? Hah. Plus, I’ve gotta make sure you stay safe.”

“You too. I refuse to add ‘more dead friends’ to the list of problems I have to deal with.”

“Oh? Dead friends?”

“Stay alive long enough, and maybe that will change.”