Gale grabbed another fruit from the table. Him not talking already made it awkward. He took a bite of the new fruit in his hand, then noticed Rachel smiling at him.
She leaned in slightly towards him. "So, wanna tell us how you survived out there alone?"
He wanted to facepalm right there. She really had to ask that question after he'd already made himself look busy and not wanting to talk. Everyone looked to him, waiting for an answer.
He didn't even know what to say. Didn't know where to start. As far as he could remember, all he did was survive just the way he was taught to, with extra steps. Lots of extra steps.
He tried opening his mouth, unsure of what words would come out. Anything was fine.
"It… it wasn't easy."
That's right, Gale. Make up something. Make that mouth move.
"The first beast I saw… I thought I knew what I was doing. Dad taught me some moves before. Taught me how to survive off the land. Had my spear ready, remembered everything about how to posture and the stance when fighting a wild beast."
Truthfully, Gale didn't know where he was going with this.
"But when it came up to me and I saw its face and figure, I knew then the things I was taught didn't prepare me for whatever was in front of me. A beast the size of a garbage truck."
"A garbage truck? Interesting comparison," Ollie said.
"Nothing. Nevermind about that," he continued. "The growl the beast made shook my very bones. I fought bears before. But this was no bear. It was like a truck running at you."
"It is true those things are truck-sized," Annett said.
"The first few spears I made sometimes didn't even pierce the hide. Just scraped or bounced off. I had to run. Climbed the nearest tree like my life depended on it. I don't know how long I spent in that branch just to get away from the beast."
Rachel leaned forward. "How did you survive that first encounter?"
"I don't know. It just… happened." Gale really didn't know how to explain. He didn't even know what he was saying. He was explaining the forest predator. Not even the first encounter he had. "And then there were twisted ones. Smart ones. Smarter ones. Different."
Rachel leaned forward. "Different how?"
"They're not natural. Twisted. I mean everything here is twisted in some way, but the ones that can fly… their face is like a human, but they don't got a face. Those ones, I called faceless crows. They're nothing like the ones that walk on the ground. Their scales and feathers mixed together in their skin. No eyes. But they could see you. Their wings were sharp. Sharp enough to cut you open if you get too close."
He swallowed.
"And then there's the blue moon... Have you guys seen it?" Gale looked up at the night sky. "When the blue light turns into a deeper blue, it means it's woken up. It just sits there in the sky, watching, blinking. Don't make a noise. Don't attract its attention."
A child gasped, holding her mouth. He had went into his story telling mode, still not sure where it was going.
"And me?" Gale whispered. "Before my parents abandoned me, they taught me lots of things, like making traps."
Gale continued, "Got hurt by my own traps. Got bruised and clawed by beasts, almost even lost my life a couple of times. It was hard."
Rachel's hand slowly went to Gale's head. He flinched.
"May I?" she asked softly.
Gale paused, then nodded.
Her hand reached his head. The air felt warmer as she caressed his hair. Literally. The air warmed up as he watched her pat him.
It felt nice, even though it made his body stiff. He wasn't used to touch. All he'd ever known were beatings. Mom and dad never gave him physical comfort either.
Then, something in him felt relaxed. For a moment, Gale felt his eyes get heavy, leaning onto Rachel's hand.
"Look at our little nightmare demon getting all soft!" Annett laughed.
Gale pulled back, glaring at Annett. But he wasn't really mad. Part of him, a part he tried to ignore, almost wanted to laugh at her tease.
"So, what was the scariest thing you faced out there?" Ollie asked, leaning forward.
It could be the faceless crow. But he never really fought against it. It would have to be the forest predator.
"There was this one beast," he said in a low voice like telling a scary campfire story. "Bigger than anything I'd ever seen. The size of 3 gar- I mean, much, much bigger than the one that attacked here earlier. Smart, too. It chased me and figured out all of my traps at first. A lot of traps just bounced off of its thick skin."
"How'd you beat it?" Ollie asked.
"Desperation..." Gale said. "I made a network of traps. I don't know how many nights I just spent crafting traps. But even then, it wasn't enough. It ran through the traps. I ran till my lungs burned so much that I thought I was going to pass out. All of the traps I made in the inner perimeter were all used up by that beast. In the end, I had to fight it head on."
Gale looked up at the blue moon through the canopy. "When I think back on it... I was lucky..."
Rachel replied, "You're not alone anymore, Gale."
His mouth opened, then closed. He couldn't find the right words. It wasn't about being alone. It was about survival. Being alone was easier. No one else to worry about. His parents taught him to survive.
Every day meant fighting for his life. Every shadow, rustle, or movement might mean a fight to the death with some forest monster. Every night he had to kill something, or he'd be the one getting eaten.
"All of you don't get it," Gale said. "Every day was a life or death struggle. And here you all are, communing as a community. I don't smell any sense of urgency in this encampment. Being alone? So what? Can't even survive a-"
"Oh, we're surviving all right. But all of us aren't alone," Annett jumped in. "Everyone here has a job. As long as the job gets done, we'll survive."
"And what if that person suddenly gets outed?" Gale said.
"That's why we're here," Rachel said. "The members can handle a beast or two on their own. If they can't, we give backup."
"Yeah. Numbers make a lot of difference," Ollie said. "Besides, everyone is here prepared for the worst already."
"We all know you can survive alone. But at least this can be a place of solace for you, right?" Rachel said softly.
He didn't need a safe place. He just needed somewhere he wouldn't get eaten while sleeping. These people meant nothing. All of this could be just temporary, and they would all die if a beast big enough went at this whole camp. He could live in the forest forever, like he wanted, away from everyone else.
"It's fine. You don't need to reply," Rachel said. "Take things at your own pace rather than force it. Next time, I won't make you stay anymore, so just relax. Take your time to be comfortable."
The group finished eating. The fruit left a sweet smell in the air. People left one by one. Some of the men went to the walls. The children and women went to the resting area that Ollie had pointed out to him before. There was still a bit of noise from ambient chatter. Nothing like the forest he knew.
Ollie came over to his seat. "Hey, if you ever want to talk heart to heart between men, come look for me," he said, waving as he walked away.
Gale watched him go. They had similar heights. He sighed. Ollie was obviously trying to look cool. It was kind of funny, making Gale chuckle for the first time in ages. He used to only laugh when reading his books.
He looked at his harvest, putting it in a sack. The meat felt good and heavy. Food wouldn't be a problem for a while. As he turned to leave, Rachel was right behind him.
"Gale," she said. "Would you… like to come hunt with us tomorrow morning?"
Hunting with others? Weird. Maybe dangerous, but his curiosity piqued.
"How do you keep time in this world?" he asked, glancing at the night sky. "It's always night."
Rachel smiled and showed him her wrist, tapping a watch that gave off a faint glow in the dark. "Technology has its uses."
The watch was another piece of reminder of the world he came from.
"Fine," he said, voice rough. "Wake me up when you need me."
Rachel nodded as her smile visibly grew. "We will. Gale, have a good night. Well… it's always night, so have a good rest."
As he walked away, he felt them watching him. He sped up, wanting to get back to his tree.
Gale climbed his tree and sat on the branch, back against the trunk. He closed his eyes, imagining the tendrils of Breath of the Void spreading out. The sound and smell of the forest calmed him down. This was his world. A place he lived in and loved.
The ambient chatter of the encampment was amplified by the passive skill. The sweet scent of a half bitten fruit floated in the air.
Hunting with a group tomorrow worried him. He didn't know how they would conduct themselves with each other. If one of them got hurt, they could blame him for being the extra variable. It wasn't a comforting thought.
Still, he was oddly optimistic about it. Rachel's soft pats, Ollie trying to be friendly, Annett messing up his hair. These small moments played in his head, strange.
It feels good though.
The night went on, and Gale drifted between alertness and dozing off. His dreams mixed monsters and glowing fruits, sharp claws and gentle hands. He jerked awake several times, finding only the dark forest and the distant sounds from camp.
Time passed slowly, marked only by the slight changes of ambient chatter at the encampment. When the children slept, it became quieter.
He remembered the traps he'd set. They probably caught something by now.
"Gale? Are you awake? Wanna come for a hunt with us?" Rachel said from down the tree.
Gale looked down and saw her standing there. He grabbed a couple of spears. "I'm coming down."
He landed on the ground with a soft thud. Rachel smiled. "Ready?"
Gale nodded, putting four spears on his back, except one. That one went on his hand.
"Let's go," he stepped forward.
Gale scanned every tree for any signs of wildlife. There were multiple of them, but all old. The most recent one was probably a couple of days ago when he saw the markings on the tree.
Rachel walked in front of him. She strolled at a pace he'd find even slow back on Earth.
"Name's John, by the way," the man said, breaking the silence. "These guys said they're looking for an exit, but they haven't found a real one yet. Heard your skills were amazing, did you learn those from your parents too?"
Gale didn't care for John's small talk.
John continued, "You know, Ollie said that they're close to finding an exit. I've got a little one back home, you see. I've been missing her so much. Each day I'm gone, I feel like I'm forgetting her face. And my wife too… we weren't that rich, but her just working alone."
Gale's hand shot up, stopping John mid-sentence.
"Don't talk," he said, voice low, almost gravelly. "Talking about family or anything sentimental usually means you're the next to die..."
After a second of silence, the group burst out laughing. Gale blinked, surprised by their reaction.
"Bro," Ollie wiped his eye. "That's dark."
Gale blushed. He was serious when he said it. It was ominous to talk about such things during dangerous scenarios.
"It's okay," Rachel, still smiling, touched Gale's arm. "We're just not used to that kind of... perspective. That's what they say in books, right?"
Gale nodded.
"This is just a small patrol," Rachel said. "We're checking the perimeter and dealing with any beasts we encounter."
Ollie walked next to Annett. "So, how'd you end up with the United Knights?"
Annett shrugged. "They scouted me... kind of. I agreed to join if they'd let me travel North America once before putting me in training. Big mistake, I guess."
Gale cut in, curious. "How do you fight the monsters with your powers?"
Annett's eyes brightened.
"My abilities are based on time manipulation," she said. "I can mostly just slow down time right now. Could probably do more by learning other schools of craft."
Ollie nodded.
"It's one of the unique abilities you see in Aur," he added.
Gale frowned. "Aur?"
"You don't know about Aur?" Ollie's eyebrows went up. He looked at Rachel. "I thought you two knew each other?"
Rachel stopped smiling.
"We... we didn't really know each other," she said, forcing a smile. "I used to donate to Gale's orphanage. Then my family kept me isolated for a while..."
She paused, looking away. "The day we were transported here, I'd snuck out to make another donation because Ms. Molly had asked for help."
Gale's head snapped up. "Ms. Molly? The staff lady?"
Rachel nodded. "You know her?"
"I was talking to her before... all this," Gale said.
A few moments of silence fell on the group. He felt Rachel had more to say, but didn't pry.
Gale turned to Ollie. "So, what's Aur?"
Ollie looked relieved at the change of topic.
"Aur is a mystical society," Ollie said. "It's made up of weird people who can use weird magic or energy or mana or whatever you wanna call it. In the end, everyone settled for Ether. There are 3 different major factions within Aur. The Path is just one of them."
"Before all of this, I thought these magic superpowers were all just fiction in movies and books," John scratched his head. "Didn't think I'd see it with my own eyes."
"Where'd you think those ideas come from? It's gotta come from somewhere," Ollie retorted.
"Does everyone have different abilities?" John asked with curiosity.
"Nah, each continent usually has something special that they teach. There's standard schools and then more specialized ones. Hard to explain if you don't have it," Ollie replied.
John was mundane. No powers. Nothing special. Gale found it annoying that he was even on patrol with them.
A twig snapped in the distance. Everyone froze.
Rachel held up her hand. Gale's senses picked up something big was coming their way.
Ollie grabbed his gun. Annett's hands started to glow. John crouched down.
Then it all got quiet. Too deafeningly quiet. Until suddenly, the beast jumped out of the bushes. Chaos ensued as they saw what was in front of them.
It was different from any monster Gale had seen before. Seven limbs. Glowing eyes. Somehow, cliched glowing eyes staring right at him.
"Scatter!" Rachel shouted, flames covering her hands.
Everyone moved. Ollie fired his gun, blue tracer trails slicing through the air.
The creature easily knocked away the bullets, catching Ollie by surprise.
Annett hit it with her time slow.