Today was the day. Karolina was going to lead a group of people to remove the leader of Natalia’s camp. She took a deep breath and looked around the empty lodge. Soon enough, the lodge would be filled with her team and whoever Aaron could spare. Then, she and Aaron would go over the plan, what little they had of one, and then head out immediately.

As she was waiting, she started to hear a light tapping on the rooftop. It took her a moment to place the sound; it had been a while since she had heard raindrops. She didn't think it had rained since the tutorial started, so it was weird that it was raining now.

Before long, the rain had gotten really loud. She looked outside the window to see that it was absolutely pouring outside. She opened the door, but closed it right away when she started getting soaked. She couldn’t believe how hard it was raining.

Just as she thought it couldn’t get any worse, she heard the distant boom of thunder. Apparently, the tutorial had decided that a sudden thunderstorm was necessary today. Why was this even happening?

She had been in the tutorial for fifteen days, and a lot of things still seemed weird and arbitrary. Why were the camps attacked on the tenth day, instead of the first or second? Why was the weather suddenly so bad today, when it had been uniformly nice every other day?

Her door abruptly crashed open, shaking her out of her thoughts. She turned to see Aaron stumbling into the lodge, soaking wet. Following behind him were another ten people who appeared to be a mixture of archers, magicians, and warriors.

“Hey Aaron,” she said. The nominal leader of the camp wasn’t actually going to go with them, but he had wanted to be there to help with the briefing if necessary.

“Hello,” he replied, wiping at his face. He didn’t look happy. “You definitely can’t go right now. The storm is bad and getting worse. I’ll give the whole group more information.”

Before she could respond, more people started coming in. Thomas arrived first, water dripping off of his glasses. Ada and Natalia followed in quick succession. Finally, just when Karolina thought that everyone had arrived, Selena walked in the door. What was she doing here?

Everyone gathered around the table. The space was large enough for them all to fit comfortably, with plenty of space left around the edges of the room. Natalia stood at the head of the table, next to Aaron.

“The weather is currently preventing you all from heading to the other camp. If it doesn’t clear up soon, we will have to push this to tomorrow,” Aaron said calmly. Karolina hadn’t known that it was that bad. She had seen the rain of course, but the fact that it was bad enough to prevent them from heading out was a surprise. She didn’t bother arguing with Aaron; she trusted his judgment. Other people weren’t as accepting.

“I’m sure we could still get there, even in this rain,” Natalia said. Despite what she was saying, she didn’t seem that confident. Apparently the storm was very bad.

“No,” Aaron said. “The risk is too high. Visibility is poor out there right now, and people could easily get separated or lost. Ambushes by opportunistic monsters are not only possible, but probable. Beyond that, none of you will fight well in this weather. It’s better to wait to do it right than rush in half-cocked.”

Natalia didn’t seem to have a response to that. Karolina cleared her throat, getting the rest of the room’s attention. Aaron looked a little surprised, but he didn’t say anything. She had needed to step up sometime, and now was as good a time as any.

“While you’re all here, we can still go over the plan. When we’re able to go, we’re going to head to another camp that was discovered by Ada. That camp is run by a man named Lucas Weber, who we discovered is killing people in his camp. We’re going to remove him from power, by force if necessary,” Karolina said.

Everyone in the room looked at each other. There were a few whispers, but everyone there already knew this much. That was how Aaron had convinced them to help, after all. It still felt strange to Karolina to be discussing openly attacking another person, but she pushed past it. She needed to get through this.

“When we get there, I’ll open up negotiations. I’ll get Weber’s attention, and try to convince him to step down quietly. I’m not hopeful that it’ll work, but we have to try. If negotiations break down, it will be all of your jobs to handle Weber’s people. We’re going to do our absolute best to avoid any deaths, but if it comes down to your life or theirs, pick yours. Both sides should have healers though, so as long as everybody is careful we should be fine,” Karolina continued.

This made them whisper in earnest. Karolina wondered if she was doing the right thing. Would attacking another camp really lead to less death? She was less sure of herself by the moment. But what would the alternative be? Leave a murderer in charge of the other camp, let him go unpunished?

“Thank you again for volunteering for this. I know that it’s hard and scary, and some of you wish you didn’t have to do this. But we’re doing the right thing. Remember that, if nothing else,” Karolina said. She felt unexpectedly tired, even though she had only talked for a little bit. Talking in front of this many people was exhausting.

“That is everything you need to know right now. So, if any of you want to leave for now because of the weather, that’s fine. We’ll come get you if it clears up enough. Thank you,” Aaron said.

She was surprised when only a few of the people Aaron had brought with him left. Maybe the rest just didn’t want to head out into the rain? As she walked through the room, she realized that wasn’t it. They weren’t leaving because there was no reason for them to. Why go back to their empty cabins when they could be around their fellow guards and Karolina’s group.

She heard two of the magicians talking excitedly with Thomas about the nature of spells. An archer was pestering Ada, asking to hear about the strongest monster she had ever seen. As she looked around, she saw one of the warriors heading towards her, his soul curious about something.

As he got closer, she recognized him. She had helped train him after the attack on the camp. In fact, looking around, she had helped train most of the guards. That was both good and bad. Good because they should have no problem respecting her authority; bad because they were less experienced.

After a brief conversation about the scariest monster she had ever faced (her first kobold), Karolina headed towards the back of the lodge. As she was walking, she bumped into someone. She recognized her. It was Jasmine, the archer she had talked to after Buckley had died.

“Hey Jasmine,” Karolina said. She had just recently learned from Aaron that Jasmine was in charge of the guards, so she was a little surprised that the other woman had volunteered to leave the camp.

“Hello Karolina. I just wanted to thank you for what you said to me after Buckley died. You convinced me to keep going,” Jasmine said.

“I’m glad I was able to help,” Karolina said awkwardly. “I just didn’t want you to think his death was your fault.”

“That’s nice of you, especially because it was my fault. At least a little,” Jasmine said.

“It wasn’t—” Karolina tried.

“No, you don’t have to disagree with me. I’m okay,” Jasmine said with a sad smile. “I just know that if I was a little bit better, a little bit stronger, he wouldn’t have died. Sam wouldn’t have died either. I don’t let it consume me, don’t worry. I just use it to push myself so that I never fail someone like that again.”

“That doesn’t sound very healthy,” Karolina said.

“Maybe not, but it’s working for me,” Jasmine replied.

Karolina didn’t know what to say to that. Before she had a chance to search for the right words, Thomas interrupted their conversation from across the room.

“Hey everyone, I’m going to go try to find an example of lightning mana. You can come with me if you want,” he announced, before leaving.

“I should probably join him. I haven’t found a mana type that really clicked with me, but lightning mana sounds promising. Talk to you later,” Jasmine said, before following Thomas.

Karolina stared after the woman. She wished that there was something she could do to make her feel better, but at a certain point it wasn’t her responsibility. Jasmine had come to terms with the attack, and with Buckley’s death. Even if it wasn’t in the exact way that Karolina had wanted her to, it had to be good enough.

Also, what had the other woman meant about finding a mana type that ‘clicked’ with her? She’d have to ask Thomas about that later. She didn’t have time to think more about Jasmine, as another person was coming up to talk with her about something.

After a brief conversation with one of Thomas’s magician friends, Karolina somehow found herself in a corner with Selena.

"So, I see you've found a replacement for me," Selena said, gesturing across the room towards Natalia.

Karolina looked at the redheaded healer for a moment. After getting some sleep, she realized that the fight they had had yesterday had mostly been her fault. She hadn’t considered it from the other woman’s perspective. She needed to apologize for that at some point, but right now she needed to deal with Selena.

"Replacement is a strong word," Karolina said noncommittally.

"Well, I doubt she has my sparkling personality," Selena said.

"Thank goodness for that," Karolina replied, more honestly than she had intended. Selena actually seemed a little insulted, but her face didn’t show it.

“I suppose I am cursed to be unique,” Selena said.

“Anyway, enough chit chat. Why are you here, Selena?” Karolina asked.

“Well, Aaron invited me of course. After James’ unfortunate passing, he needed a new source of guidance. I was happy to provide it,” Selena said.

“I think Aaron can stand on his own two feet,” Karolina said.

“I don’t know. He’s certainly an able administrator, but I don’t know if he has the spark for—I know, this weather just came out of nowhere!” Selena said, switching topics as one of the magicians walked close enough to hear their conversation. Once she was gone, Selena continued. “Anyway, it’s not an issue. Even though I’m not yet in charge, this is the next best thing.”

Karolina sighed. She didn’t really feel that much emotional attachment to Aaron, and it wasn’t like Selena was hurting him. She decided to change the subject to something more pressing. “Look, I’ve been meaning to talk about… this.”

“This?” Selena asked.

“Whatever this is, what we’re doing now. I wanted to clarify our relationship. I’m pretty sure that I’m the only person you can really talk to here, and I find that I enjoy your company when you’re not extorting me,” Karolina said.

“I never extorted—” Selena tried.

“Yes, you did. Basically, I’m over the skill crystal thing, and your threat turned out to be pointless because of Natalia. I’m okay with letting bygones be bygones if you are. Maybe we could even work our way up to friends eventually,” Karolina said.

She did like Selena’s company, but that wasn’t her only reason. The closer she was to Selena, the less likely she was to be blindsided by her later. Having a friendly relationship might also make Selena less of a potential problem for her.

“Friends, huh? You might be ‘over’ my reasonable application of basic economic principles, but I’m not sure I’m over your betrayal,” Selena said, anger starting to burn in her soul.

“Well, get over it,” Karolina said, unamused. She had compromised enough already. She wasn’t going to apologize for not becoming Selena’s minion. “In fact, I’ll go one step further. I want you to admit that you extorted me.”

Huh. This was the second-angriest she had ever seen Selena. The woman seemed to have a real problem with being defied. Whenever Karolina didn’t do exactly what Selena wanted, she got angry, and that wasn’t how healthy relationships worked. She was honestly reconsidering the whole friendship idea.

When Selena didn’t respond for a few seconds, Karolina turned to walk away. This had been a stupid idea. Just as she was about to take a step, Selena grabbed her shoulder. It wasn’t a hard grip, but it was firm.

“Yes, you’re right,” Selena said. “I don’t like thinking of it that way, but I extorted you by threatening your health and the health of your friends. You’re right.”

Karolina turned around. Selena’s soul was still angry, but it also had hints of… shame? She hadn’t expected to ever see that emotion from Selena.

“Looking back, it was a mistake. It alienated you, and you could be a strong ally. I’m not going to make another mistake by ignoring this olive branch, even if I’m still angry,” Selena said.

Karolina figured that was the closest thing to an apology she was ever going to get. “So. All forgiven?” she asked, extending her hand.

Selena looked at her for a moment, and then clasped their hands together briefly. “All forgiven.”

Karolina stared at the other woman, a little startled by Selena’s acceptance. Hopefully this was a good idea.

“So, what should we talk about now that we’re practically besties?” Selena asked. Karolina stared at her for a moment. How did she get besties out of that conversation?

“You could always tell me about your evil plans for world domination,” Karolina said, deciding to roll with it for now.

“I’ve already told you that I’m not evil. I mean, where are you getting these ideas? That said, you already know what I want, but what about you? What do you want?” Selena asked.

“Well, I know it sounds cliché, but I want to make the world a better place,” Karolina replied, giving her the same answer she gave Natalia yesterday.

“That is incredibly cliché. What does that even mean?” Selena asked, amused. Karolina couldn’t believe that Selena found her goal funny. The other woman claimed she wanted to take over the world, for crying out loud.

“Well, right now it means that I’m trying to save as many lives as possible and get as strong as possible. After we get out of the tutorial and get back to Earth, I’ll be able to shift my focus to more long-term issues,” Karolina said.

“Such as…” Selena prompted.

“Such as the collapse of our current society. Magic and monsters exist now, and that’s never going to change. Our tutorial has around a 50% mortality rate, and if that’s typical it will affect the world even more than the existence of magic. Our old lives are gone now, and they’re never coming back. I want to help make the transition to whatever comes next go as smoothly as possible. I don’t know exactly what the world will look like when we get out of here, but I know I want to help people,” Karolina said. She forcefully shoved down the thought about what that mortality rate probably meant about her parents.

“Karolina! I never figured you for a big-picture kind of gal. Yes, I think that we’ll be great friends,” Selena smiled, genuinely happy for once.

“Great friends,” Karolina repeated dully.

“Yeah,” Selena said. Karolina decided to let that go for now. “Anyway, it looks like Aaron wants to talk to you. Talk to you later, friend.”

Karolina looked away from her new, tentative friend, and saw Aaron heading for her. He reached her after a few moments, much drier than when she had talked with him last. His soul looked concerned.

“I wanted to check in before you left, even if it’s looking likely that you’ll have to delay until tomorrow. Are you really sure about this? I know you said that he has to be stopped, but you’re still going to be attacking other people,” Aaron said.

“I’m sure. I can’t let a murderer remain in power, especially when he’s likely going to continue killing people. I need to stop him from hurting anyone else ever again,” Karolina said.

“Okay. Mr. Schwarz finished a makeshift jail yesterday, before the rain started. Once you’ve either convinced Mr. Weber to step down peacefully or captured him, bring him back to camp. I’m not convinced that the jail is sturdy enough to hold him, but it’s the best we can do,” Aaron said.

“You’re not sure it’ll hold him? I’m not trying to be rude here, but it needs to be able to hold him. The whole point of this is to imprison him so he can’t hurt anyone else. How are we going to do that without a working jail?” Karolina asked,

“This is all very rushed. Mr. Schwarz did the best he could, but he’s never built a jail before, especially not a jail for a person with superpowers. It should work, but I can’t guarantee anything,” Aaron said.

“If we delay until tomorrow, will Robert be able to build a better jail? One that is guaranteed to work?” Karolina asked. She didn’t want to delay, because every day was another day Weber could hurt more people, but she also didn’t want to rush the attack and fail.

Aaron hesitated for a moment before responding. “No, he can't build a jail that's guaranteed to work. Especially when we aren’t certain of Mr. Weber's capabilities. He’s already done the best he can. All I can say is to make sure to be careful, and keep all of our people alive. Use your best judgment on how to deal with Mr. Weber.”

Use her best judgment? Did he mean—a corpse with its brains scattered over a rock flashed into her head. No, that couldn’t be what he meant. She couldn’t. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll do my best to keep everyone safe,” she said.

“That’s all I can ask,” Aaron said. He nodded at her and walked back into the dwindling crowd. Karolina stayed in the back, avoiding conversations. She didn’t want to deal with anyone else right now.

Eventually, Karolina was the only one left in the lodge. It was getting late, but the rain was still coming hard and fast. They had all agreed that they would meet up again tomorrow, as long as the storm had cleared up by then.

The storm had massively derailed their plans. They had originally planned to set out today, to ensure Weber had as little time as possible to react to Natalia’s escape. Now he had had a whole extra day in charge, doing who knows what. They needed to remove him before he hurt anyone else; she just hoped that tomorrow wouldn’t be too late.