Just like the last time I tried exploring the wide plains for treasure, I have run across nothing in the first hour. Walking ahead of the indistinct chatter going on a ways behind me, I have spotted a few trails through the grass, but no actual animals, sticks, or even interesting rocks. Just dirt, grass, and a slight feeling of pointless caution.

Anything that would make for good prey must be hearing the group back there and getting far out of the way. That or they can smell us. I mean, I can't smell everyone behind me, but that might just be the lack of wind. I haven't seen any showers or baths set up around the camp yet, so the ever-present smell of sweat and butchered animal underneath a haze of stew-smell is probably sticking to everyone. You get used to smells after a little while, so it hasn't been on my mind, but it would explain the quiet.

It's about time to turn around and check in so that I'm not assumed missing.

I could just holler back, but a quick chat and an answer of where exactly we're headed would be nice. Just walking away from the dot of a cathedral in the distance is getting mind-numbingly boring.

I'll just-

RustleRustle

-freeze in my steps for a moment and

HSSSSSSSS

-drop to the ground.

Deja-vu much?

Pumagator in the underbrush ahead of me, circling.

Alone? Maybe. It's cut me off from the rest of the group for now.

It's tongue flicks out as it crouches low. Another pounce?

HSSSSSSSS

It jumps at me, lower this time. I roll to the left, swinging my sword up where I was as I do. The blade catches in something, twisting my arm backward as the pumagator's weight carries it across the ground I was just laying on.

It's glaring sideways at me, hissing as it does. I caught it below the shoulder.

With a yank, my sword is free and I'm pushing myself up to my feet.

The cat doesn't give me time for that, leaping the shorter distance at me, canines dripping with saliva as it lunges.

This time, a wide swing as I stumble backward hits with more than just the tip. It's smile widens as the head jerks to my left from the impact. A thick splatter of blood colors the yellowed grass as I fall back on my ass.

Rage, but tempered with specks in intelligence flicker in the beast's eyes. It wants to jump on me again, but it knows better now. Twice sliced thrice cautious and all that.

It circles around me as I hastily push myself back onto my feet.

We watch each other, my bruises smarting as its blood drips off the end of its chin. I could go on offence, attempting to end it now, but it has quick reactions. Even when I cut it in the mouth it was twisting away from me.

So we wait, hoping for a moment of weakness, hoping for-

KZAAAAAAP

-one of the members of the group to send a lightning bolt directly into the pumagator's side.

Toasty.

The cat is twitching on the ground as Magnifica steps past the mage to decapitate it. The ease with which they dispatch it makes me just a bit envious. I mean, I would have taken care of a cat like that in moments too if I could shoot electricity out of my hands. Instead, I'm stuck with an uncontrollable imp that doesn't listen to me and gets eaten by pumagators instead of killing them.

I mean, sure, he lasted way longer than I could against a pack of them, but still. I want a refund.

"You alright over there Omni?"

"Yeah, yeah, just bruised my arm, and my ego."

I mutter the last part. Being bitter and self-pitying isn't the type of thing to share. I'm certainly not going to grumble about the imp out loud.

"Hmm, bruises you say?"

Oh no. Doctor Lewis and the rest of the group caught up.

"Yep, no injuries so you can stay over there far away."

"But bruises could keep you from dodging the next monster, so why don't you just-"

"Nope nope nope. Being exhausted from your. . .healing. . .would be way worse. I'm fine."

The light in his eyes dims a little, but he's still walking closer.

"The extent of exhaustion depends on the injury, so you don't need to worry about that."

Nooope. Just keep backing away from the crazy man.

"What about your own exhaustion? Shouldn't you save your power in case of real injuries?"

At that, Magnifica actually pays attention and stops grinning at the situation with her arms folded.

"Is that true, Doctor Lewis?"

". . .Well, technically my power drains me a bit, but just healing some bruises is almost nothing. . ."

He tries to wave it off.

I have an idea though. It's crazy, but it just might work.

"Is healing one large injury or many small ones more draining for you, Doctor?"

He looks back at me, blinking for a moment.

"Many small ones would be more draining, but why do you. . ."

"Well, that means we should try to maximize the effect by waiting for larger injuries before using your heal."

I'm grinning now.

"Right, raid leader Magnifica?"

"He's right, even if his reaction is a bit suspicious. You should wait to use your healing for larger injuries for now. If we had a backup healer it wouldn't be a problem, but with only one, resource management is a priority."

". . .damn. Fine, fine. I'll wait. Shouldn't omni be off getting into trou. . .shouting ahead right now?"

. . .

"Anything to report, Omni?"

"Nope, just boring grass. I think they can smell us and are staying far enough away. Are we going anywhere in particular besides away from the cathedral?"

Magnifica nods.

"We're going to make an arc heading in a circle around the cathedral at this point. Next time, we can go out on the trail we take back and continue the circle."

"Pie wedges?"

"Exactly."

And with that, I'm back off into the lonely, boring, grass.

Keeping half my attention for any sounds of creeping animals, I take the time to inspect my sword. Blood coated, but no nicks in the blade, which is good. It didn't feel like it hit any bones, but it did stick in the pumagator's side when I initially hit it. The impact in its cheek might have scraped the jaw a bit, and it certainly hit the teeth, but that felt smooth when it went through.

This is a pretty good sword, especially since it was made of bone. The enchantment must do something to the durability of the blade, keeping it in good shape. Speaking of, I should really clean it off.

This isn't a first, since goop monsters in games would leave traces of residue on weapons, but there hadn't been any realistic blood that I remember. At least, not with the settings that I kept things on. The smell of the blood alone was giving me a bit of a queasy feeling now that I think about it. This place is too real.

Cutting some grass with the sword, I paused for a moment to wipe most of the blood off. Then I took my sleeve, some spit, and rubbed the rest of it off. I wish I had something better, but I didn't. It wasn't like my jumpsuit was perfectly clean right now anyway.

Whenever the crafters get around to making new clothes, they will be mobbed by the dirty masses. The first one to make a shower or bath will probably become rich. Maybe I should mention the thought to the triplets. . .but for now I should pay more attention to the grass. I really don't want to get hurt out here with Doctor Lewis just waiting behind me for a chance to use his itching magic.

Thus, we walked all day. The sun slowly traveled downward, and we grew thirsty, hungry, and incredibly bored. I only ran into a few rabbits, but with one sniff at me, they ran off into the brush before I could get a yell out. I'm thankful not to be skewered again, and it's much more reassuring that they didn't stick around in a suicidal rage like a normal game-monster usually would, but it is frustrating to have nothing to really do.

There were trees to look at, but they were usually picked clean of anything interesting already. There were animal trails through the grass, but I wasn't allowed to follow them for very far before we had to go back to the patrol route. There was even a few real attacks in the rear that I never got to see since they were over quickly.

As we trudged back into camp, sun hanging low in the sky, the only thing that went right for me in the whole trip was the fact that I came back in one piece and without being subjected to any itching-torture magic.