The man lunged
Marcus' eyes were wide, his mouth open, he had just barely shifted his stance before the blade was already moving toward him. It wasn't a clean movement - it was more like the man was falling toward him in a desperate attempt. However, in that moment, Marcus couldn't help but think this was so unnatural.
This wasn't normal behavior, no-one starts killing after one small dispute.
The man edged closer to him, Marcus started to move, his hand reaching for the axe strapped across his back but...
He was too slow.
The knife edge was already a few inches away from his chest.
Then, a flash of purple and white light tore through the air.
Splitch-
The sound seemed to echo into the ears of every onlooker. The smell of burnt metal filled the air. The knife fell first, digging into the sand. The man flopped forward, his arm still reaching out toward Marcus, his body jerked a couple times before falling face first beside Marcus' boot.
Smoke curled as purple energy crackled from a hole in the side of his neck. Blood sputtered out, staining the sand which he lay.
Silence.
The lights flickered as everyone was shocked at what had just happened.
Olek stood frozen near the edge of the ring, his staff raised forward, his hand trembling. The residual glow and crackle of mana shimmered faintly on the end of his staff before dying out.
"...Shit."
He didn't say it loudly.
But it was enough for anyone close to hear.
He hadn't meant for it to be like that.
He was aiming for the hand - or even the knife. He just wanted to knock him off balance or scorch his arm to make a point. But the spell didn't behave like he'd imagined it, it wasn't like pulling the trigger of a gun, it was like uncorking a pressurized bottle, like champagne.
It was volatile, and the mana exploded forward faster and harsher than he'd initially anticipated. The power build up threw his aim off, tearing through the man before he could recalibrate.
Carla's voice broke through the voices in his head, "Olek... did you-?"
He didn't answer. The fact he'd just... killed someone, hadn't quite settled in his mind which was replaying the sound, and how the man fell.
The crowd erupted a moment later, shouting in shock, some where cheering, whilst others stood there in stunned silence.
Marcus looked down at the corpse at his boot, the mana reflected in his eyes as it dissipated. He slowly turned his head around the crowd - his gaze met Olek's own. He wasn't angry, just a look of understanding.
He saw the shocked expression, the shaking hands, the racing thoughts.
And he saw something else few others had shown since he arrived here - raw potential.
In Olek's eyes, three screens floated in front of him, confirming and... Rewarding his actions?
[ You have killed one | Level 0 Warrior | 127 EXP received. ]
[ Achievement Acquired: Tutorial's First Blood | +2 to all stats. ]
[ You have leveled up | Please check System screen for additional stat points. ]
He immediately felt the difference. He felt invigorated physically and mentally, stronger and more focused.
Confliction. That was how he felt. He had just killed someone where 12 hours ago he hadn't even been in a fight before. He would be sent to prison and chastised for years upon years if he were back home. Yet here... he wasn't just let off, he was rewarded for killing another human being.
He was now Level 2. Probably the highest level among every person in this tutorial. Not because he killed beasts, lead the group to success, but killed another student.
'That's... a bit fucked up.' He thought to himself.
The crowd dispersed around him, he looked over at Marcus, only now noticing he'd been staring directly at him, and Olek stared back.
Neither spoke for a moment, the crowd quietened, before Marcus simply sighed.
"I was hoping that no blood would spilled today. I do not blame you for doing what you did, in fact, thank you for perhaps saving my life." He walked toward Olek, offering out his hand. "Can I get your name?"
Olek hesitantly grabbed Marcus' hand, the feeling grounded him back into the moment. "Olek. Olek Bjorn." He said quietly.
As their hands shook, his thoughts became clearer. He had killed a man - that much was undeniable. He should feel guilty, ashamed of stripping a man of his future, but instead, he felt clarity on what the System wanted from them.
It wasn't murder to the System, it was survival. It had rewarded him for it. That told him exactly what type of world he was going to be stepping into.
The act of killing was not a consequence, but the currency of power.
Whilst everyone else was still thinking the was a test of morals, Olek already understood the truth - the game had started, and he had just gotten one foot ahead.
Marcus leaned into his ear, his voice low enough so that only Olek can hear, "Tell me, Olek... do you think you could help me with something?"
Olek's eyes narrowed, suspicion written all over his face. "Depends what that something entails."
Marcus didn't change his tone, he was calm, but with a little hint of urgency. "Listen, right now, you've got the most weight to throw around here. Everyone, saw what you did." He emphasized the everyone, "They're fearful of you, and because of that, they're more likely to listen to you, the one who has the balls and skill to kill a man with a single bolt."
"But I can tell. This isn't a position you want. Otherwise you would've been more vocal since the start."
Olek tilted his head, saying nothing, but interest clear.
"See, I do want it." Marcus continued, "That whole stunt of mine was to grasp it, but... it didn't go to plan."
"It's not just for power's sake, although that is a part of it, but because this mob of dolts needs direction before it tears itself apart, or worse, dies of thirst and malnutrition. If you stand beside me - just for show - we can get this shit moving. You don't need to be the head, just... lend me that fear they've got of you."
He nodded his head toward a particularly tall dune nearby. "Come with me. From that dune, I'll speak to everyone. You just need to stand behind me - with your back straight and staff tall."
Marcus was right. Olek didn't want the responsibility of leading a camp of unorganized students through a desert. And - people feared Olek, he could see people shuffling through the crowd away from him, hushed murmurs about the magic he showed, and those gagging at the body on the floor.
If Marcus wants to take the reins, Olek had no problem letting him do this - so long as he gets them out of this hellish desert alive.
Olek valued the position of being an important individual, over being the revered leader.
He gave a small nod, his expression blank. "Alright, lead the way." He said simply.
Marcus didn't miss a step. He turned, parting his way through the crowd with confidence, like he was already the established leader of this caravan.. Olek followed close behind, people backed off as he walked through, people averting their eyes when they met his gaze.
'I don't really like this feeling." He thought to himself.
He'd always been someone in the background doing their own thing, never standing out other than his results. He had few friends, and no enemies.
But right now, it felt like he was being watched, like the lecturer professing to the hall.
A constant murmur of noises rolled through the camp.
"What was his name? Olek?"
"I've never seen him on campus before..."
"You're forgetting the point! He killed someone."
Olek ignore the whispers, as much as he hated the attention. Power to him seemed like a strange thing, intoxicating in small amounts, but can be so suffocating when you didn't ask for it.
They reached the top of the dune. From there, he truly felt the weight of attention for the very first time. One thousand heads, scattered make shift tents, everyone biting their nails as their gaze followed them.
Marcus stopped at the peak, he turned his face to the crowd, holding a torch raised high that he borrowed from someone he passed by. The murmurs came to a stop as the noticed him gaze down up them all.
"Everyone," He began, he was loud, not shouting as his voice was carried by the winds and empty space. "You've all seen what has just happened. A man died tonight - Over a bottle of water!"
He continued, "Look at us. If this is how we start, none of use are going to make it to the end of the tutorial. The System has already highlighted that there is enough out there," He gestured toward the endless dark dunes, "that really wants us dead anyway. We don't need each other to fill that role for us."
He let it sink in before going on. "You can forget about trust. We're not going to find that in this wasteland. We're strangers - students, teachers, office workers, whoever the fuck else we were before this. But right now, right here, the only thing that matters is arriving at that Accord Beacon, alive."
He turned slightly, enough for his torch to highlight Olek's form. The crowd's attention shifted instantly.
He put his free hand on Olek's shoulder. "This man," Marcus said, his pacing deliberate, "Saved my goddamned life. You all witnessed it. It hadn't pierced that mans neck in time, I'd be lying dead on the floor beside him, staining more sand."