The heavy fear gripping them since the Fangmaws hit faded - washed out by the smell of meat frying on hot stone.
Sophie focused hard, her brow furrowed as she cleaned Brans' injured shoulder. Yet wrapping it came next - careful, slow work under dim light.
She used the goo from wide leaves to fix up a quick wrap - her hands moved fast but steady.
Bran lay still, skin ghostly, flinching at each nudge - yet steady now, breaths deeper than they'd been earlier.
Leaning on the bark, he watched her - grateful look in his gaze.
At the same time, Daniel along with Ragnar got told to handle killing the crocodile-like beast.
It got ugly, bloody even - yet that gnawing emptiness inside kept them pushing forward.
They built a fire pit while Ragnar used his strength to haul stones into a circle, then soon after, big pieces of the beast's tail sizzled over the flames.
The smell hit them oddly tempting - fish mixed with something vaguely reptilian, making saliva pool in their mouths.
They ate later on, but old jokes from school popped up again - sort of like a shield, keeping the heavy reality at arm's length.
Ragnar tore into the meat, his mouth full. He stopped, crunching slowly, then pulled a sour face.
"Tastes like rubber," he said, chewing loud, voice half-lost in the bite.
He aimed his dirty blade toward Daniel.
"No disrespect to your abilities but next time please give me a softer piece that has a better flavor, than this!"
Sophie kept her eyes down while wrapping Bran's arm, then shot back in that usual flat tone of hers.
"Be grateful, Ragnar. It's probably more tender than your head."
Ragnar laughed - low and rough, like thunder rolling through the trees, pushing back the dark quiet bit by bit.
"Hey my mind is a precision instrument. This " he remarked, indicating the consumed steak "is a tough penalty."
Daniel cracked a tiny grin - maybe the real deal after ages. The look on his face said it had been forever.
The basic move of eating together, swapping old jokes instead of fights, seemed like something precious from a time nobody remembered.
For a second, they weren't merely making it through - something shifted. Together, not by chance but choice, they moved as one unit.
Later on, heaviness returned - pressing down once more.
One star sank past the edge of the world. Trees sparkled - glowing plants lit up the dark.
A bunch of stars flickered above during the dark hours.
They agreed to take turns on guard, so Daniel moved up - just like he always did - to handle the night slot.
As the rest dozed off, Daniel stayed put near the edge of their small campsite where the dying fire glowed soft orange.
The quiet felt total - just the steady plip of water falling from huge leaves overhead, while Ragnar's deep snoring rumbled through it all.
This moment belonged to him. In here, everything he touched came alive.
He took the F-Grade Vibro-Knife off his belt. Even in dim lighting, you could spot the damage right away.
The blade had a jagged notch - left when it failed to cut through the croc's thick skin.
It was a weak tool, left behind by someone gone. Yet in Daniel's eyes, it became something useful instead.
He shut his eyelids, thoughts drifting beyond the body - into a shadowy sea within. A quiet plunge downward, away from sound, light, shape. Just depth. Cold currents pulling at old memories. No surface above, only layers of silence. Something ancient stirred below. Not fear. Not hope. Just presence.
He focused - not on someone, but on the sword held tight in hand. A single calm command rang through him.
Yes.
A new message popped up on his display - something he'd never seen before.
A warning pops up - absorbing something lifeless. Pick whether to add a tiny bit of saved spirit, or just go with pure energy straight from storage.
Infusion gives specific traits while raw charge boosts things overall. Pick one approach instead
The decision blew his mind. Because now, he could fill objects with qualities from monsters he'd beaten.
He might craft a sword quick as the Crawler or strong as the Crocodilian. Each option felt wild.
Right now, he needed something strong. So he went with the boost instead.
[Soul Assimilation successful on F-Grade Vibro-Knife.]
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (7/10 Remaining).]
A shadowy glow, just for his eyes, wrapped around the edge. As if it beat like a heart.
The metal glinted - steel spilling like quicksilver, just for a heartbeat, then hardening once more.
The dings and flaws along the side disappeared, softened into a clean, sharp edge without a single mark.
A quiet hum came from the grip, then a rush of power.
[Item Improved: Vibro-Knife boosted to E-Grade.]
New stats: attack up by 10. Also tougher, holds an edge longer
Daniel gasped. His thumb moved slow across the edge - cold, odd somehow. Not like before. Denser. Sharper. Threatening.
The chance felt electric. His eyes flicked toward the E-Grade Deflector Vest - found during a scramble through rubble.
He might upgrade it as well, turn it into real protection. Yet some icy, logical corner in his head kept him from acting.
His charges weren't endless - they had limits. Wasting them on small boosts? Not an option, especially since one soul offered way bigger gains.
He knew staying calm was key. Yet waiting felt tough till he leveled up.
The pale sun's first light slipped between trees, breaking across the woods like a quiet announcement it was morning again.
When Ragnar and Bran began to stir, Daniel got up, shaking out his arms and legs. He needed one more shot, just a little extra time - something had to change.
"I'm going to scout for some more of those herbs Sophie used," he announced, his voice casual.
"Perhaps I can locate a breakfast thats not as chewy. I'll survey the area."
Sophie showed up at dawn, poking the flames. She gave him a slow once-over. "Watch yourself," she said, quiet-like. Stay close, yeah?"
I won't," he said - then slipped away from the camp. Vanishing into the misty dawn shadows among the trees.
He walked without noise, yet focused - his mind sharp. One step after another, he stayed aware through instinct.
Soon enough, he stumbled on the thing he wanted - but nah, not spices or morning food.
Lying in a tight spot covered in blood lay two fallen trainees. Their outfits stood out - thick leather paired with rough iron bits, along with helmets sporting horns.
They came from the Viking crew - one tough bunch at the school who thought power ruled everything.
They'd survived through violence - yet met their end by something way more deadly.
Their skin had clear cuts that stood out.
The stillness in the trees, no teammate watching - finally a relief. Right now. A perfect chance, just waiting to feed the hunger deep inside.
He moved toward the first body - a big guy with a heavy, plaited beard. The name on his tag said Sam Larry.
Daniel knelt down, placed a hand on the guy's chest plate - then pushed out his power.
When he pulled in a person at last, a sudden red alert sliced through what he saw.
Caution: leftover awareness found. Taking the spirit of someone who's awakened might hit back mentally.
A strong ability to adapt helps handle broken-up memory. Keep going?
He moved fast.
A sharp jolt, nothing like the steady flow from an animal's spirit, hit his body.
It hit like a storm - shouts from the Blood Bath ringing loud, bitter beer on the tongue, sudden fury flaring out of nowhere.
He spotted her too - close by, quiet spot, just two people talking low near the back of the school.
A chill ran down his spine after seeing that grim photo of a dead guy's life. Jaw tight, he pushed on anyway.
The static in his mind finally cleared. Then, a rush of raw soul-force poured inside.
[Assimilation successful on Awakened: Sam Larry (F-Grade).]
[Consciousness Echo held its ground.]
[Gain: Agility +5]
Got a new skill: Godspeed Rush (F-Grade). For a short time, you move faster and react quicker - after that, you're wiped out
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (6/10 Remaining).]
He went over to the next person - a lady called Zariah Malvek.
He braced for the sound, then tried it again.
This time, a chill of ambition hit him, like nailing the perfect catch, yet a raw sting of being double-crossed burned just beneath.
A rush came on strong, not from luck but from something darker taking hold.
No pride, no glory, just tension coiled tight in his gut. The win tasted sour when trust had cracked wide open.
He pushed it away, focused only on the power.
[Assimilation successful on Awakened: Zariah Malvek (E-Grade).]
[Consciousness Echo withstood.]
[Gain: Spirit +5]
Got this skill: Omnivision (E-Grade). Allows you barely sense life energy close by. Works better if your Spirit stat goes up - range and clarity improve together
[Assimilation Charges Consumed (5/10 Remaining).]
The instant the ability clicked inside him, everything shifted. As if a hidden feeling turned live.
He sensed life all at once. The slow beat in towering trees, then quick glimmers from bugs low down, also a far-off spark of some little creature moving.
Data flowed steady, like a map layered over what you see.
He'd finally got a solid way out, also, something that warned him fast.
He felt tougher, quicker, yet sharper - like something had clicked. Rising up, grip tight on the upgraded blade, he carried two stolen spirits now stuck inside.
He became something fierce, living off corpses, moving farther from the kid his family remembered, yet nearer to the tool he had to become to keep them alive.