"Wake up!"
Tank swings my door open with a loud crash, glad I fixed it. I grown as I get up
"its too early for training"
She laughs as she pulls me up. By the arm
"training waits for nobody!"
She drags me along to mage's place. He stands at the door with a slight smile and his sword on his shoulder.
"I see you had to drag ■■■■ out of bed again. Did you get hit again?"
Tank scoffs with a dramatic expression
"that was one time! And why do you keep mentioning that? Their the one who hit me."
Leader walk over and leans on the door frame with a grin
"you got smacked by a sleeping person, in the face too like a dork."
She looks at me for help
"you're the one who leaned over me"
she gasps faking outrage.
"Betrayal! From my own cohort"
I lean down facing down leader. I lift my practice daggers, I made them myself. I dash forward being met with leader halfway. I duck under a slice, using it to stab at his chest, he blocks it with the handle of his halberd, I slice with the other dagger.
He grabs my arm with one hand and he swipes my legs out from under me, I use ice to make another foothold to not fall to badly off balance. Using one foot i keep the halberd in place and I stab at his hand. He let's go in time to not be hit and I jump back. When he moves forward again he slips on the ice and falls over onto his face.
"Ow...."
I cover my mouth cracking up. Tank bursts out laughing, mage looks away trying not to laugh. I walk over and I help him up
"i guess I win"
He huffs
"I guess you do, forget this happened"
Tank slaps her knee
"we aren't forgetting this one boss!"
I see mages shoulders shaking trying not to laugh.
"Oh come on guys"
I laugh
"i guess you've got another story about you."
He sighs and shakes his head.
"I can't believe this, another story"
I eat some awakened monster jerky as tank as mage spar. She hides behind her shield as she rushes him, he jumps to the side, he thrusts his sword right at her face. Its blocked by a barrier and she hits him with her shield sending him flying. He rolls on the ground
"that.... that didn't feel too good."
I crack up, leader is trying not to as well.
"Seems I win then!"
She walks over and helps him up. Leader nudges me I glance i at confused. He smiles and shakes his head
"get a room love birds!"
The two quickly separate, ohhhh that makes sense.
"Oh come on. You can't be saying stuff like that man!"
Mage looks away covering his face.
"You can't be serious."
I follow them as they go to sell the bones of their latest kill.
"You aren't getting a discount just because your from the bright castle"
Leader shakes his head
"we can't be giving out discounts like that"
Tank chimes in annoyed
"Yeah, guard or not we need the soul shards too. One soul shard for 3 bones"
The guard scoffs
"you're all scamming me I'm sure Gunlaug would hate to see it"
Mage steps forward
"oh I'm sorry but these have been personally hunted and prepared by us. If our prices are too low then we can't keep getting gear for ourselves."
The guard looks him over
"you've all got memory weapons and armor, what do you even need?"
He sighs sadly
"well we live in the outersettlement so we need to keep our homes up to date or they might be destroyed. We also need water and ways to cook our food. Us outersettlement hunters have to try so very hard to keep everything up to date"
he shakes his head
"it really isn't cheap"
The guard looks more unsure
"well let's me see the bones I'll think of buying them if their work good enough."
Mage smiles
"thank you kind guard."
I toss a screwdriver to leader
"how does this keep falling off?"
That table has broken way too many times now
"maybe its more then the screw"
I walk over and I look at the area around the screw
"looks rotten to me. Why don't you get a new table?"
Tank laughs
"what like leader has the time?"
Mage looks up from studying the language of the ruined city
"I mean we could try to find one together"
leader smiles
"well definitely could and I'd appreciate if you do."
I go home, the hovel creaks but its still so much better I look over at the wall and all of the holes. I should fix those, probably. Oh maybe I'll ask for them to help me make a target for me to practice with. I fix up my bed and I lay down desummoning my armor. I'm cold but I'm... mostly used to it. Its hard to get used to not feeling warmth now is it?
I quickly get up as I summon my armor and daggers. Is it another attack on the outer settlement? I leave looking out at the path to the city. I notice my cohort leaves their hovels at the same time as me. We move towards each other stopping in the middle of the road.
"It sounds big that's for sure"
Tank summons her shield and leader his halberd. Mage summons a small light and we see a large spider, a stronger version of those spiders i fought in my first days here.
"Its a fallen version of the iron spiders"
I look at them, they all have grim expressions.
"Do you all think we could win?"
Leader shakes his head.
"Hey dont be like that, we're one of the strongest hunting parties, we should be able to drive it off."
Tank really doesnt sound convincing this time.
"It will likely be fine. We may not be able to kill it but we can drive it off"
Mage may look as cool headed as ever but he seems worried.
"No-no-no you aren't allowed to die, you cant die- this isnt happening you cant be dead. This isnt possible its- its not possible"
I hold leader- no Adam desperately. This cant be happening it shouldn't be possible no- this isnt happening. I reach over grabbing mage- Luke and tank- Kelly. Their not dead they cant be, they just... they just got knocked out in the fight.
"I drove it off, i did it. You all can wake up now. Its safe again please wake up you have to"
I swear it seems colder. So much colder. Everything is a blur this isnt fair, if the guards had even slightly helped we could have won, they.... they would have lived. I hear clinking as ice falls to the floor, my tears are being frozen as they flow.
After, I dont know how long I make an ice sled putting them on it I cover them with a snow blanket as I slowly move to the edge of the outersettlement. I slowly make a fire I pick them up one by one and I put them in it. I put their hands together, i hold their hands as their bodies burned. I stay there until the fire goes out even then I only go back to my hovel when day arrives. I lay there in bed curled up injured and bleeding but alive.