“This came from some kind of pheasant monster… But at least it’s not volley stag meat! Cooking with Pyromancy is kind of hard, so sorry if it’s dry or something!” Colt smiles as he presents an earthen plate with slices of darker bird meat arranged on it.

My stomach groans with hunger now and I grab several slices at once, sitting down on the floor to eat. “Thank you, I’m starving.”

“Woooah slow down, you haven’t eaten in two days and you want to eat all of that at once? Small bites, Lucas.”

Frowning at him, I bite off a significantly smaller piece of the meat and have some of the assorted fried vegetables he decorated the plate with.

Colt smiles as I grin in appreciation at the flavor. Not the best food Colt has ever made, but the pheasant is well-seasoned and the roasted vegetables all give it a nice, varied flavor.

“I figured out how to cook them so that the magical aspects don’t come through. As much as I’m sure you want an assault of different food-buffs right now, I figured you’d enjoy a normal meal.”

Nodding, I smile at him while chewing and give a thumbs up. Swallowing, I indicate to the plate. “So, how do you cook it so that it’s not a magical dish?”

“Oh, that’s easy it turns out. It’s just intent! Nothing special at all. You just have to want to cook it without magical aspects.”

“Oh. Neat.” Digging back into my plate, we sit in silence as Colt brings up roots through the floor, practicing his control over them, giving me something to watch while I eat.

Finishing what I can of the plate, plenty of the food is left over. My stomach simply can’t handle more right now.

“All better?” Colt looks up from his magic practice.

“Mhmm…” My face must be one of pleasure because Colt looks pleased.

“Alright, time for you to see the world.” Colt grabs my hand and pulls me up off the floor with him. With a small hand gesture, all the roots he had summoned up retreat through the floor and the wood seals back over the spot.

“That reminds me, you need to show me all of your elemental skills. I have something I want to try once I have mana again.”

Colt quirks an eyebrow at me. “Oh? What’s the plan?”

“Well, once I have all the basic elements, I’m gonna try to figure out some more complex ones. I think if I understand the basics, I can probably apply it to learn more. I already have ideas from when I made that steam cloud to signal you guys for Grandis.”

“Sounds like a plan then, I’d be happy to show you!” Colt reaches for the front door, swinging it open. “Welcome to Portland! Or what’s being rebuilt of it so far at least.”

The transition from indoor lighting to outdoor lighting takes me a moment to adjust to, but then I can see people all over the place working on rebuilding the city.

“Why didn’t we all just move somewhere that still has houses?”

Colt thinks for a moment before shrugging. “Some people did leave, but a lot wanted to rebuild on this foundation, it’ll be easier to fortify a new area against monsters. Look over there, the northern walls are basically done.”

Squinting in the distance where Colt pointed, I can see people on top of walls, some using Geokinesis to shift the earthen barriers into place.

“When I wasn’t building this house, I was helping teach people Geomancy, or I guess in their case Geokinesis, they probably don’t have the perk to modify it yet.”

“Wow, I really have missed a lot, haven’t I?” My mood drops slightly, a sense of disappointment filling me.

Colt takes note of my mood. “Oh! Well, not that much, just our house being built, and some walls around Portland. In uh, sort of good news, sort of bad news, we have a preliminary headcount. Did you know Adreanell is like, incredible at counting?”

“Is she? Probably a Perk or something. What’s the headcount like?”

“This is from a little after the Grandis fight and some people have left since then but… 21,461.” Colt’s head drops, his smile shifting to a frown.

“...But Portland’s population alone should have been way higher than that, not to mention the other towns Brandon abducted people from. I didn’t see that many bodies…” A dark pit settles in my stomach as the reality of what our world has become sets in.

“Oh god, and Brandon. Colt, I killed a man.” Collapsing to the ground on my knees, my body shakes. Some people nearby stare at us but I ignore them for now.

Colt’s voice is tight and clipped. “Apparently, most of the time when a monster… kills someone… the body disappears. It just sorta converts into energy the monster absorbs. From what we could figure out, only people who died from the injuries afterward and not a direct blow didn’t have this happen to them.”

“Lucas, about Brandon… You had to. These people were going to die sooner or later. It was just a matter of time until the population was chipped away during Brandon’s collection trips for the people. You saved them. You have the mantle to prove it.”

Colt’s voice doesn’t sound any surer than my own thoughts, but I can tell he’s trying to convince the both of us.

Taking a few deep breaths, I stand up and dust off my legs. Trying to think about it rationally, I push back any regrets I might have. “It had to happen. You’re right. I’ll just have to learn to deal with that.”

Taking note of my clothes for the first time, they’re way too big for me. “...What am I wearing anyway?”

“Oh. Your clothes from the fight were pretty torn up and… pretty bloody. I had to put you in some of my clothes after I cleaned you up, I can’t access your hold.” Colt glances at me awkwardly, a small tinge of green meeting his cheeks.

Realization hits. I grin wickedly. “Oh, you enjoy the view then?”

This comment causes Colt to blush heavily and he glances around to make sure no one was listening in. “Lucas! We’re in public! Besides, I was more worried about making sure you were okay and… and ...yes.”

Laughing, my mood has risen now. “Okay, okay, I’ll be good. Or not.” Pulling him close, I bring him into a kiss, shocking him, but he allows it for a moment.

Peeking past Colt, the crowd near us is giving a few looks, but most people turn and go about their work.

Looking at one woman with a spear strapped to her back, I note her apparent farmer’s tan, built arms, and her long, brown hair pulled into a practical ponytail. Meeting the eyes of the tall, wiry brunette, recognition strikes us both.

“...Lucas? Is that you?” Breaking out of the kiss quickly, all blood drains from my face.

“Colt, you need to turn around. Now.” Colt looks at me in confusion before noticing my face and turns around to look.

“...Mom?”

“Colt!” She slams into Colt, hugging him fiercely, tears welling in her eyes. Her face looks younger than I remember, even crinkled in happiness and tears.

“Oh my baby, I was so worried. You left and I couldn’t find you, and then your father… Never mind that for now.” She pulls Colt closer and I almost think I hear popping noises.

Colt creates a small distance between him and his mother. “Wait, what? What did… Michael do?” The air cracks with power as Colt refers to his father by name.

“...D-Don’t worry about that. We’re here now, he’s not.” Mary Kaine’s face contorts into one of fear and paranoia.

“No, tell me what he did.” The wind around us howls, kicking up dust.

Mary’s face slackens when Colt’s words hit her. “He beat me and locked me in the basement. He blamed me for you leaving.” Her voice is a controlled monotone before her face returns to the state of fear it was in before.

Colt no longer looks angry, instead, he looks scared. “Mom I’m… I’m sorry. I don’t- I don’t know what I just did.” His eyes fill with tears.

Mary’s expression changes to one of concern and she pulls Colt close, resting his head on her shoulder. “Shhhh… It’s okay… We can discuss whatever has happened when you’re ready. I don’t blame you. It was out of concern for me, wasn’t it?”

She leans back, lifting Colt’s chin with her finger. “Perk up, won’t you, Colt?” She gives him a warm smile.

He looks down, not meeting her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Colt, I said I don’t blame you. Please look at me.”

He glances up, looking into her eyes.

“Now give your mom a smile, won’t you?”

His lips rise just slightly.

“That’s better now, isn’t it?” She gives a light laugh, causing Colt to laugh off a bit of the awkwardness as well.

She turns to lock eyes with me. “I do believe I’ve seen something you may not have wanted me to see.”

Warmth fills my cheeks and my skin tingles as sweat breaks out on my back. “I uh, um. We were just…”

She turns to Colt. “Does he treat you well?”

“Yes, momma.” Colt has reverted to younger titles for his mom in embarrassment.

“Good, that’s all I care about.” She pats him on the shoulders, hugs him once more, and steps back slightly. “Lucas, if you don’t mind, I’d like to borrow your boyfriend for a bit. I believe I have some catching up to do.”

She grins at Colt, enjoying the blush that comes to his cheeks as he looks to the side. “Moooooom…” Colt groans in embarrassment.

“Uh, yes, I mean, no I don’t mind, Mrs. Kaine.” I cough as my voice catches awkwardly. “Of course.”

“I’ll uh, see you later then, Lucas. ...I can show you the house I built, mom. If you’d like?”

“That sounds lovely.”

The two of them walk back toward the house. Colt turns his head and mouths a “sorry” as they walk away.

‘...Well, what do I do now? Oh, right. Argo. I should find him.’

Picking a direction, I start walking, hoping to someone encounter Adreanell in this massive, mostly unfilled plot of land.

My hope is that Adreanell will likely be near the wall, as she wanted to show Argo around and that seems to be the only place with any activity.

Taking in the sights around me, everyone is chipping in one way or another, and houses are being built. So far it appears most of them are only at the foundation state, with a few having some walls up.

Basic, large, earthen structures have been erected to provide shelter to those who would be homeless otherwise, but these wooden houses are clearly the future structure.

Taking note, many of them appear to be gravitating toward the house Colt built. ‘Our house.’ My heart warms at the thought.

Just then, a few people approach me. A brunette man among the group looks at me with a hard gaze, but it softens. “We’d just… We uh… We were just...” The shorter, sandy blonde haired girl next to him elbows him in the side.

“H-hey! Ahem. We wanted to… thank you. We all said some pretty nasty things to you, but you were just trying to help. Most people realize now after you killed that giant knight that our way of living wasn’t... sustainable.”

The sandy blonde cuts in. “Yeah we just… we were adjusting, we’re sorry to have thrown all the blame on you.”

My expression shifts to one of surprise. “Woah, woah, woah. Yeah I killed Grandis, but I caused a lot of your guys’ problems too. If I hadn’t… taken out the king… those monsters wouldn’t have… gotten so many people.”

Trying to phrase how I’m feeling as lightly as possible is proving difficult.

Their expressions shift to mournful ones. The other girl, one who I distinctly recognize now, steps out from behind the brunette man.

“Wait… You were… With the king.” Memories come back of the leashed young girl with a curtain of black hair reaching her thigh, it’s been cut to a short bob now.

Her eyes become teary. “I was… It was… Awful. Indescribable. He was doing something to our heads… I don’t know how Cassandra wasn’t affected. He… did things.” She breaks into a sob and the sandy blonde girl pulls her into a hug.

Anger with no target anymore builds in my stomach. “He… He can’t hurt you anymore.” My rage finds a conduit, shifting to a protective instinct. A golden glow alights my body. “Nothing will hurt you anymore, I’ll make sure of it.”

The people in front of me, as well as those around us, look at me intently. Silently pulling up my status, I’ve apparently unconsciously boosted my Charisma with the Mantle of the Hero.

Eyes stare me down from all over, making me feel awkward now. Unfortunately, I can’t get the golden glow surrounding my body to disappear. After a minute of more and more people gathering around me, I finally manage to push down the golden glow with my will.

The Charisma boost remains, making me feel strangely… confident.

Addressing the crowd, I meet the eyes of as many people as possible. “Each and every one of you has survived this ordeal. And for that, you’re all stronger. However, I earned something from that fight that I believe I need to take up for real now.”

“The threat of monsters is not over, I’m not sure it will ever be. As we’ve learned, even with The Construct, our fellow man can be a monster we have to fight too. But from this day forth, I will do my part to keep each and every one of you safe.”

“But I won’t just keep you safe by protecting you. I’m going to make sure all of you have the ability to protect yourself. This is The Construct. The monsters that threaten us won’t determine your Fate, you will. You will learn to Construct your Fate!”

Releasing my will, the golden glow of the Mantle of the Hero bathes me in light once more. There wasn’t the uproar of applause I was hoping for, but the people around me seem to have a strength to their gaze that wasn’t there before.

I’ve woken them up, and hopefully, the message will spread. They aren’t tied to a king forcing them under his protection, and I won’t allow them to stagnate under my protection.

“Woah, what’s with the crowd? Excuse me! Pardon me! Oops, sorry! Oh, nice to see you, Margaret! Lucas!” Adreanell steps out from the crowd, pushing her way through with a strange, clay stroller.

“Lucas! I’m showing you affection!” My anchor launches out of the stroller, slamming into my face. A gasp travels through the crowd as they see the person who just gave a somewhat inspiring speech get clocked by an anchor at high speed.

Adreanell fusses over me but her voice is overpowered by Argo’s excited chirping.

“I missed you, Lucas! I was so worried when you wouldn’t wake up! Lucas? Are you sleeping again?”

Groaning in pain, I sit up and regard Argo. “Oww… Argo, you can’t just jump at me like that buddy. Wait, how did you jump to me?” The pain in my face is already clearing up as my hefty HP regen restores most of the admittedly small amount of damage.

“I leveled up, Lucas! Now I can come back to you any time I want!”

Rubbing my face, my hand comes away with a small amount of blood. Frowning, I wipe it off on my shirt. ‘Sorry, Colt.’

“Okay, that’s great and I’m happy for you Argo, but can you not aim for my face next time?”

“But Lucas, I love you! I see you and Colt smush your faces together all the time and-”

“Let’s not get into that right now Argo! I can explain this later, do you mind going back to earring form for now?” My back becomes heated and sweaty with embarrassment once more. The tips of my ears feel hot.

The anchor seems to sit in heavy contemplation for a moment. “Okay!” Argo shrinks down as he snaps back to my ear, attaching to the fish hook.

Looking around, the crowd that has gathered is staring at me in stunned silence. “Oh, that was just… my talking weapon. That’s a thing now too.”

The crowd shifts into chattering with each other with only small glances at me, mostly toward my ear. Adreanell grabs my hand while they’re distracted and pulls me out of the crowd.

“Figured you could use an out there, Lucas! You were beginning to look like a tomato! What was with the golden glow?” Adreanell’s rapid-fire dialog brings me out of my earlier embarrassment slightly.

“Oh, Mantle of the Hero. You got the perk too, right?”

“Yup! Looks like we’re pretty special now, you and I.” She grins widely at me. “I hadn’t tried it yet! I have to say I’m delighted it’s so flashy.”

“I somehow did it on accident there, I didn’t mean to.”

Adreanell considers for a moment. “Well, maybe it was because you were feeling heroic in that moment? Or feeling like how a hero should feel? I don’t know. I haven’t tried the Mantle yet. It’s only once a day so I keep feeling like I should save it just in case.”

“Yeah, I was gonna do the same, but… whoops.” Shrugging, Adreanell and I start to walk and talk.

Remembering, I turn to Adreanell excitedly. “Oh! Good news, Colt’s mom found us!”

“Wait, really?! Oh my god, I’m so happy for him! I want to meet her later!” Adreanell looks around as if she’ll see his mother right now.

“Sure sure, I don’t think Colt would mind. She did uh, catch us kissing.” Glancing to the side, I feel the tips of my ears get hot once more remembering it.

“And? How did she react?” Adreanell leans in closer, clearly invested.

“Well, actually. I think she’s totally okay with it. She just asked if I treat him well.”

She slaps me on the back. “Well, then you have nothing to worry about, Lucas! This is great news all around!”

“Yeah, that’s true. Hey, have you seen Becky? I wanted to check in on her. You know, see how she’s handling… everything.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s been handling everything… interestingly. Here, I’ll show you.”

Adreanell leads me through the in-progress city, walking through alleys and the remains of streets on the ground. We chat lightly about nothing important until we reach the edge of what was a forest.

It isn’t any longer, trees have been cleaved, leaving only stumps behind. Following the path of destruction toward parts where trees still stand, we find Becky, cutting away. A layer of sweat covers her body as she flips around, slicing down trees with a single Trim.

A group of people is standing around, collecting any downed trees together and carrying them back toward the city.

Clearing my throat, I address Becky. “Uh, hey, Becky.”

She stops her movements, turning to me, eyes icy. “What?” Her tone is deadpan.

“I just… wanted to check in on you is all. To, y’know, see how you’re doing after… all of this.” I vaguely gesture towards the city.

“Fine.” She turns back around, her scissors glowing blue, preparing to fell more trees.

Adreanell steps forward. “Becky, we know everything isn’t fine. And that’s okay we just-”

Becky turns around, glaring at her. “I’m fine.” Her stare cuts through to the core, silencing Adreanell. She turns back toward the trees.

Frustration builds in me, but I stamp it down. Walking up to Becky, I lay a hand lightly on her arm. “Becky, please, just talk to us, okay?”

She shrugs my hand off of her, shifting her glare to me as she turns around once more. “There’s nothing to talk about. I told you I’m fine.”

“Come on Becky, you and I both know that isn’t true. I’m still dealing with some mental shit myself. You don’t need to stay so locked up all the time. We’re your friends! We’re here to help each other!”

Becky’s expression shifts from annoyance to anger. “Lucas, I said I’m FINE!” A line of razor-sharp energy bursts forth from Becky. It’s too fast for me to even react, the Skill cuts deeply into my chest, toppling me over.

Becky looks at me in fear, realizing what she’s done. “Oh god, Lucas!” She reaches into the bag of holding strapped to her belt before cussing. “Shit, I don’t have any healing potions. Adreanell, do you have any?”

“Yeah let me just... “ Adreanell’s eyes unfocus as she checks inside her Personal Vault. She produces two red potions, handing one to Becky.

“Lucas, can you use your healing perk?” Becky looks me in the eye, concerned.

“No, he’s still mana burnt from the fight with Grandis! Potions will have to do.” Adreanell uncorks hers, bringing the bottle to my mouth.

“Lucas, I’m sorry.” Becky’s eyes fill with tears as she pours the healing potion over the deep gash in my chest.

Between their two potions, they were ones that Colt made, the bleeding stops and the wound seals up somewhat.

“Thank god you’re tough, Lucas. That was a deep cut.” Adreanell pats my shoulder, smiling awkwardly.

You have gained the resistance: Slash Resistance (1/100)!

Groaning, I sit up slowly with the help of Becky and Adreanell. Adreanell goes to assure the people near us I’m fine and give Becky some space too. “Think we could talk now, Becky?”

She looks at me guiltily. “I guess… Maybe everything isn’t okay. Brandon hurt a lot of people, and I… I didn’t even tell you all what I knew! I knew this city was here, I just didn’t say anything! I was… I was scared.”

Giving her a warm smile, I pull her into a hug. “It’s okay Becky. We don’t blame you. We saved the city in the end, didn’t we? I found Brandon myself, I’m not sure what you could have done, he was strong, even for Colt and me.”

Becky’s body shakes against mine as she finally allows herself to sob. “I don’t… deserve this. You guys should… you should hate me. If I had told you more, maybe fewer people would have... been hurt.”

Hushing her, I hug her tighter. “It’s fine. We all make mistakes. I talked to another of Brandon’s… women today. She told me he had some kind of control over you guys. It’s understandable that you were scared.”

She simply continues to cry as I reassure her. In a few minutes, she awkwardly shifts. “Umm, Lucas?”

“Yeah?”

“I just realized you’re… getting your blood all over me.” Becky gestures to her tank top and shorts, the shirt is white and the shorts are simple jean shorts. Both are now stained with blood.

Looking down, my clothes are drenched red. “Oh god, oops. Sorry!”

“It’s f- you know, this is fine. They’re just clothes. I’ll… I’ll be fine.” Becky laughs, breaking the tension, her shoulders drop, no longer holding the stress of before. She continues laughing, a joyous tone.

Not laughing at anything funny, but just her way of finally releasing all of her pent up feelings. After she’s done, she meets my eye. “...Thank you, Lucas. Maybe sometimes I just… need a push.”

Smiling at her, I wince as I stand up. Looking to where the group of people was before, Adreanell already shooed them all off. She’s trying to look busy, polishing a coin in her hand as she not-so-subtly glances at Becky and me.

Addressing both of them, I grin. “How about all of us go find something to eat?”

“Sure, Colt still owes me dinner.” Becky allows herself to mimic my own smile, just slightly.

“Sounds good to me!” Adreanell already begins her walk, causing us to follow suit.

We continue on toward the city, our city, to start our new life. After we get something to eat.