She was relieved beyond belief to hear his voice again. Unconsciously, she found herself associating his presence with safety more than she ever did with Derrick. It wasn't hard to imagine why; Noah was selfish and strong, unlikely to put himself in harm's way for someone else or make rash decisions based on others' opinions.
The relief of being safe instantly vanished after discerning what he said. It made her not only relive the traumatic experience again, but it also made her realize something more important.
"You… you could've… saved… Derrick…"
Her voice came out hoarse and strained, making it a struggle to form her words against the dryness of her throat. Noah found it slightly annoying since now it was taking her longer just to speak, and even more so because he could barely understand what she was trying to say.
He considered advising her to stop talking and was about to retrieve one of the bottles of water from his bag for her, lest he goes insane from her annoyingly hoarse voice. However, he realized that she had fallen asleep; the constant fear and trauma she experienced had drained her too much. Now that she was safe again, her body had to shut down to recuperate from the emotional and mental stress.
"Well, I guess that works too…you plan on sleeping as well or should w-"
His words trailed off as he turned towards his spider companion, only to find it no longer moving. Originally, he was concerned that maybe he pushed it too far. No one but the spider knew how much effort was put into jumping such a large distance and pulling itself back with its own web. It now 'sat' near the trunk of the tree,its legs tight tucked in underneath itself. With spiders lacking eyelids, it made for an awkward sight as its eyes remained open even as it slept. The lack of pupils made the atmosphere even more uncomfortable, its eyes always appeared as if it was watching you.
Noah's initial instinct was to rush over and check on it, since if he didn't know any better, he would assume it to be dead or at the very least, dying. Thankfully, the bond was there to help him make out somewhat that the spider was only resting.
"Phew! Maybe that's how everyone else feels when someone close to them dies; man, that's a little bit too uncomfortable for my taste. I guess I'll have to keep watch then…hopefully, that bird goes away sometime soon."
He was unsure how long they would remain trapped under the trees, but for now, he didn't mind waiting. Having the bird circle them continuously kind of benefited as a temporary guardian. Its presence alone should be able to ward off most animals, even those who had evolved greatly like his spider and the bird alike. Although he doubts any of the mindless zombies would care about the figure in the sky as long as they could eat it then they would gladly 'die' trying.
…
As time passed, Noah and his small group were able to get a short time of peace. In the meantime, the first hostile group he encountered, led by Mark, was able to achieve their goal. Unlike Noah who was a loner, Mark held a 'hero's' persona, leading him to choose the route of saving as many people as possible along the way.
From a small group of four, it grew to fifteen by the time he reached the dormitory. Mark was already strong in his own right, especially given the power of his first achievement. However, even though he now had a much larger group, there was a clear divide between the useful members and the leeches who didn't contribute and made it evident that they followed only for his protection. Yet the few who did contribute lightened the load on him immensely. Surprisingly, the 'leeches' still proved to be useful in their own way, they proved to be effective distractions.
Currently, Mark and his original group sat in the common area of the girls' dormitory, joined by another fairly large party led by a female. An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Despite the ongoing chaos that sounded outside it barely had any effect on the mood among the students inside.
Minutes passed without a change while the two groups seemed to be awaiting for someone to break the silence. The heavy atmosphere was soon broken by the sound of metal constantly tapping against the floor, the rate at which it was being tapped increased, reflecting the frustration of the one responsible for the noise.
"Why do we have to hide? We've been given these powers for a reason! We should be getting stronger and then we can save even more! Jas…I just can't agree with it…"
The repeated clunking sound stopped after the source of that sound finally spoke.
Mark had finally found his sister and unsurprisingly to him, he found her in one piece and she seemed to be adjusting to the situation just as well as he did.
But unlike Mark, she didn't become overly prideful due to the powers they were giving. She's always had to be the responsible child and grew up to be the responsible adult, shouldering both hers and her little brothers burdens over the years. She felt that it was justified that Mark wanted to help others, but she also believed he wasn't ready to take on the responsibility. He was ready to bask in the glory of his deeds but he would also have to accept the responsibility for the bad that comes with being a leader. This is why she felt that they should secure an area and wait out for help.
Although her reasoning was sound, she couldn't say that to him directly, she knew that would question his pride and would only prove to make matters worse. Worst case scenario, he would try to prove her wrong and do everything by himself and worry her even more which is why they are in the position they are in now.
Mark impatiently looked onwards to his older sister, a frown mixed with a complicated gaze of deep thought.
His sister, Jas, short for Jasmine, also had similar jet black hair and brown eyes as he did. Unlike her brother, she hadn't gained entry to the school through sports; instead, she was known for her intellectual prowess. Standing tall at 5ft10", she surpassed the average height for girls, increasing her aura of maturity. While she couldn't be described as having a sexy appeal, her warmingly nurturing aura attributed to her womanly charms. Her hair cascaded just past her shoulders, although her hair was naturally jet black, a subtle hint of blue streaks intertwined among them. Three distinct bangs flowed down her face, two on the sides and one at the center, accentuating her gentle eyes. Rather than these traits giving her a fragile appearance, she came across more as a sage.
Her gentle gaze had always been her most noticeable feature until now. What stood out the most in her appearance that even Mark couldn't help but notice was the transformation of her ears. Both were now pointed and longer than normal, leading Mark to believe that she also benefited from the same achievement he did or perhaps she understood something he didn't.
Seconds ticked by without a response from his sister who appeared to be in deep thought in turn. Mark took the time to scan the room, finding many in the room who would most likely prefer her suggestion to hide it out like cowards, a notion that frustrated him to the core. Gripping the hilt of his sword in frustration, he was preparing to denounce all of the cowards as such and to let them know their place. If they were to try to hold it out, who would be the one who'll have to protect them if something gets through? Those like him, who weren't able to get stronger because they were too busy hiding? Fortunately, his sister spoke out before his intrusive thoughts were spoken aloud.
"Ok Mark, we'll do it your way…but!" She had to hurriedly finish his response. Just from her opening statement alone, she clearly could see the sheer terror in the majority of the people there. It was evident that they didn't want to fight or be placed in a position where they could lose their life despite the enticement of powers and strength they could receive.
"I think we should also compromise on my idea as well. How about the cafeteria? I can't say it's the most prominent place to secure a perimeter but it has the most essential daily needs we require, especially food. You're eager to grow stronger, right? Then shouldn't we establish a base of operations? Or were you planning to roam aimlessly without a secure place to rest or regroup if things go wrong? This way we can continue to rescue people and we can wait for help while you and anyone else can help people along the way and continue to get stronger"
The people in the area all sighed in relief, her suggestion seemed like a win win for everyone. Jas couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction when she saw that her stubborn and hot headed brother accepted her proposal. However, she couldn't shake away the discomfort forming in her heart when noticing the subtle signs of annoyance in his demeanor. She was well aware of his personality all too well, yet Mark's recent acts of rebellion made her apprehensive for the future. She was sure that there would be many occurrences of people's character changing or perhaps they were finally showing their true colors. She was worried that her brother was one of those people and that he would do something unpredictable and more importantly, stupid.
They all started to prepare to leave. While everyone else was busy talking to relieve the tension, Mark walked over to his sister to get to the bottom of her ear issue.
"Jas, I've been meaning to ask, but what's up with your ears? Does that mean you got the same achievement then? What did you get?" His excitement couldn't be maintained, no one knows if he was excited to know out of curiosity for his older sister or if he wanted to make sure that he was more unique.
"Let's not discuss it too much until we're alone, but I've received the race called elf…I'm pretty sure it's probably like some of the movies I've seen but I can't be sure. At least to my knowledge, I know that it compliments my summoner class, 'and' I think the new look will grow on me, don't you think?"
Jas made a small attempt to crack a small joke in hopes of livening the mood between the two after their earlier bickering, sadly it was clearly evident that her joke didn't reach him. He was occupied to determine what benefits her race offered her. While he received a skill, he didn't know if a racial trait was a better option than what he obtained. He held a deeper understanding in gaming terminology than she did and he knew that elves in general held a better standing when it came to magic and the like; giving rise to the conspiracy that she had more skills than what she claimed. Seemingly ignoring what she originally said, he motioned closer to her, asking more directly to satisfy his prideful curiousity.
"But…what exactly does becoming an elf do? Does it also give you skills?"
Again, that discomfort Jas felt before was reappearing. She knew he was always stubborn, but he at least respected her more. She had just said that she'll talk about it in more detail later, but not now.
"Don't worry, when we reach our goal we can talk about everything, but not now. We can't slip and accidentally let others know our secrets." She slapped his shoulder as a show of their sibling bond before walking away. She didn't want him to come up with a half-assed excuse on why it's okay to discuss it now, she felt the need to swiftly distance herself, not forgetting to distract his thoughts with words of comfort.
"It's been rough on all of us, so how about we rest a few more minutes before we go?"
———
"Finally… you've already eaten plenty and yet you still stuck around for so long, screw you!" Noah complained as he watched the vulture finally leave after what felt like an eternity of circling them. However, he couldn't help but feel a mix of irritation and relief towards its departure. If it really wanted to, it could've landed on the ground to challenge them and most likely overcome their group, considering their exhaustion. That action alone instilled a sense of dread, just like his spider, the vulture seemed to possess a degree of self-awareness, a trait that didn't bode well for the future.
With the new boon of acquiring self-awareness, it caused it to instinctively feel uneasy about bringing the fight to its prey, putting itself in an unfavorable position. After observing for a while, it finally decided to give up and find prey elsewhere, solving 'one' of Noah's problems.
'But…' he looked over to the spider, still appearing to be asleep, and then to Isabelle who hadn't moved from where she passed out.
'Like, I'm tired too! They are more selfish than I am. Luckily, I have that skill that passively gives me stamina or I probably wouldn't have made it this far. I wish there was a way I could at least carry my monster so I…'
Smack*
"How could I be so stupid! I've seen it so many times and yet I finally realized it now. Maybe the pressure is getting to me…" He smacked himself after overlooking something so obvious. He wasn't sure if he could've used it during his confrontation with Derrick, but it would have been nice to know that he had options.
He slowly got up out of his seated position and walked next to his slumbering spider. Now that he was somewhat out of danger, he could afford to take a moment to appreciate the creature's appearance.
"I wanted a badass monster, but somehow you look kinda cute." Rubbing the top of the spider's head, he wasn't sure if the spider enjoyed it, but he could feel the spider's body slightly shivering. Noah then closed his eyes before he attempted the skill. Just like before, he was aware of how to use it, but having knowledge isn't the same as experience.
As Noah stood motionlessly by the spider, a minute went by, then two. Before Noah was aware, ten minutes passed before a change occurred.