"Well, ever the asshole huh?" Chelsea said, crossing her arms.
Drake bit his lip, keeping himself from making a snarky comment, and went on with burning the victims of the Goblins instead. Ignoring her and instead keeping conversation with Natto.
"Well, well, I am certainly impressed. You are growing!" she jabbed.
Shut up, I just don't have time to deal with her unless she actually needs something. If you haven't noticed there's more than one army at our doors, and I'm the only one able to fight right now… Drake grumbled, as his mind raced in retrospect of how many different ways he could have told the woman off.
One after the other Drake made burials for the people, leaving the same message on each gravestone.
"...for I will find them justice…" Chelsea whispered as she read the message, "Do you really think you can do that? I saw how strong you are, but you are up against tens of thousands."
"I'm not the only one in the tutorial. There are plenty of strong people still left, just look at the Leaderboard," Drake answered.
"Then… Then you have spare time to save others!" Chelsea suddenly said, raising her voice, a tinge of desperation in it.
Drake turned a brow raised, "Have you looked around? We're surrounded by armies, they have countless numbers replenishing their stock of monsters to who knows what length. And there are invisible monsters just waiting in the wings to climb these walls and kill every single one of you the moment they can. Not only that!" Drake raised his own voice to a growling pitch, "There are people here I owe my obligatory protection to! And you want me to go galavanting around leaving them vulnerable to save more?! Fuck off! I think I've filled my humanitarian quota for the tutorial!"
"Drake… I know you do not believe that," Natto chided.
"Please! I have a friend who needs help! You owe it t-" she stopped as her breath left her under Drake's yellow eyed gaze.
"I don't owe you shit. You may be a victim of circumstance, but so are they," Drake said pointing to the collection of tents, "What makes your suffering any more valuable than theirs? Or theirs!" Drake shouted again, his hand shaking as he pointed down to the graves.
Chelsea tried to speak but Drake wouldn't let her speak as he yelled again, snapping at her.
"I won't hear it! How about you go back and be thankful you're even breathing. Then think about how you can help yourself!"
Drake flexed his aura with his last words, making Chelsea stumbled backwards before she ran off to the rest of the people in the camp, her face pale.
"Drake, you need not snap at her," Natto said.
Drake gripped his hands, before huffing a sigh and getting back to work.
I know.. I know I shouldn't have snapped. My emotions are off kilter even more than usual. It feels more.. Primal like I'm losing my filter and I'm becoming more impulsive to them. I feel more powerful than ever because of it, but I also feel that I'm losing more and more control. I'm starting to become comfortable with things I never thought possible and also leaning more on crutches I thought I long since threw away. Drake explained, slightly shaking at the thought of losing his mind like his father but from something entirely different.
"Well, like father, like son I guess…" Drake mumbled, pouring mana into the earth for another burial.
"This is normal Drake. I was worried, I will admit when it took hold so fast. But from the sparse knowledge I have of Dual Classes from ranking up. It will be like this as you gain and consume more skill stones," she said.
Drake could feel her lifting her nose into the air even though he couldn't see her as she continued.
"Therefor I was entirely correct in having you slowly consume the stones and leave a sub-tree free to have you space your skill intake! You may feel free to praise me. Please proceed with the gratitude, I shall wait."
Drake gave a very lackluster golf clap, it not even loud enough to hear with his earthen rock arm.
"You are no fun…"
Drake gave a grin to that, thankful the little construction was trying her best to keep him both sane and upbeat with her little jabs. Keeping a modicum of normality through their back and forth.
So it really is because of the stones then, huh. I had a feeling they would change a person when you took them, there was no way they couldn't. But I thought the stones mentioned that it only happened with Legendary Stones? Drake thought, grimacing a bit.
"As it is with most things the system does, it is true but it is also not," Natto started, "The non-legendary stones individually do not have the power to change a person to a significant degree."
Drake scoffed, then put a bit too much power into forming the grave, as it went down a few extra feet.
Shit. Haa… Of course they wouldn't put the warning label on the smaller stuff… So essentially because I have double the slots, I'm getting double the poison so to speak? Drake thought.
"That would be the case, yes. As I have mentioned it is normal for individuals with two classes to go through some changes, but you have gotten somewhat lucky with the stones you have acquired accelerating and exacerbating the process slightly. I will go on a limb and say that it is most likely worse for those with Dual Classes on the outside of Tutorials. And most likely the reason there are so few," Natto explained.
Drake raised a brow at the last part.
What do you mean outside of the Tutorial? Wouldn't it be easier for them if… Oh…. Drake mused trailing off in understanding.
"You are correct. And that is the problem. Dual Class individuals are strong. And depending on the combination and classes you receive that can be unbelievably so. But outside of the Tutorial the way classes and skills are obtained and gained are far more structured as I have mentioned. So with you being able to better pick the stones you will consume, rather than it being a life and death decision, where you have no choice in the selection, everyone picks the best of the best chances they can afford."
And that leads to many of them using many Rare and higher stones, leading to more changes?
"Yes. Some of the changes drive the person mad. There are other hurdles for Dual Classes that make them very difficult to cultivate. The experience gain is a perfect example. Just look at the lengths you have had to go through to find adequate experience. You are essentially killing monsters well above your pay grade regularly, just for experience and challenge that helps only slightly. Now I will also say that this leads into why Primordials in high ranking systems are so strong and stay that way. Imagine a person who has all the time, money, and support in the universe, no, countless universes to cultivate themselves," Natto said wearily.
Drake winced.
Ok. We will deal with that problem when it comes. He thought, his mind moving to the races that may be sponsoring the tutorial.
----------------------------------------------------
Drake spent a few more minutes going through the motions of burying the people, eventually coming to the last one.
Well the last arm.
His arm.
"I'll be honest. I forgot I had this thing," Drake said, looking at his arm, a surreal feeling washing over him, "I'm not even sure if I should feel upset that I have it, or thankful?
"It is a little creepy you are keeping your own severed appendage in your inventory," Natto giggled.
"Yeah whatever," Drake replied, slipping the Tattoo Ring from his severed arm's hand, "What do I do with it even?"
Drake was caught up in his decision, but aware of the people now approaching him. He turned his arm still in hand.
"What is it, I'm not particularly in the mood to talk," he asked, his arm slightly dripping at the shoulder, "Ah! I should put this on ice," Drake mused, snapping his fingers as he encased the arm in ice.
No one said anything after witnessing his poor tasting gag, but their eyes, and facial expressions spoke volumes.
Drake just gave an awkward shrug. As he looked over the eight people.
A familiar face stepping forward, as she pointed to the arm.
"I can help with that," Jacqueline said, one hand pointing, her other on her hip.
Drake and Natto both raised an eyebrow.
"Explain," Drake said, even toned.
"I specialize in Active Healing Magic, gov. And one of my Main Class skills allows me to give a right enormous heal that can easily reattach that," she explained.
Drake offered the arm, but Jacqueline shook her head.
"I said I can, never said I will, muck in ya ears or something gov'?"
Drake frowned, "Were the skill stones, saving your life, and feeding you not sufficient?" he said, gritting his teeth behind his mask.
"They were lovely, but didn't ask you to do none of that. Let me land and say you offered those things, and you never said you wanted notin' in return," Jacqueline teased a smirk on her face.
"Fair...…." Drake replied, his brow twitching in irritation.
"Haha! I like her! I can feel your frustration! Let it flow through you!" Natto cheered.
Calm down there Sidious… Drake thought back.
"Well then what do you want, for the reattachment of my arm?" Drake asked.
"A favor," Jacqueline offered.
Drake rolled his eyes, "Yes, I get that. What kind of favor? I'll have you know I don't date women over 30. And I don't like long walks on the beach, sand and salt water freak me out."
Jacqueline's mouth flew open in a gasp and hung there for a moment before she could recover.
"W-what no! I don't want to date you, you bloody fucking moron!"
Drake wiped an imaginary sweat from his forehead.
"Oh, susmaryosep. Thank god. I was afraid I was going to have another crazy bitch following me around," he chuckled.
"W-wha. Huh? Uhh! You know what!? Fuck you slag! You're off your rocker!!" Jacqueline shouted, and stormed off, in a huff.
"That was very funny. Yet also very stupid. Is it best to let her run off like that knowing she can heal your arm?" Natto asked.
It's fine. She isn't going anywhere. And she's already established she needs something from me and it has to be me. Drake chuckled, then looked at the remaining seven people.
"Ok, then what would the rest of you like to ask? I only have so much time before I need to kill some pests again, so please be to the point. I don't mind if you are rude. I'll just be rude back," Drake explained, a smile creasing his face.
The next person to step forward was someone Drake was surprised to see.
She was much shorter than Drake, standing only about his chest. Her hair was matted from sweat and grim, the color dirty blond but from the filth or just the color Drake honestly couldn't tell at the moment. And Drake could see the familiar tattered clothes under the Leather Armor he had handed out earlier.
The difference now was her deep brown eyes were no longer dead, they were lit with a fierce determination. The woman who had tried to escape when Drake had freed her in the forest was no longer there, but instead someone ready to stake her life on something.
[Claire Osberg Level 11]
She looked Drake in the eyes, her voice soft and shaky, but the emotion behind the primal stare she held with him hit him like a ton of bricks.
"I want to help. I want revenge."