They sat together, backs against the tree as the dim light of sunset descended into the dark of night. Neither spoke. Elena chewed through her horror while Harvey stewed about being compared to Gary. He knew she’d said it in the heat of emotion, and he shouldn’t take it as an insult, but he couldn’t help feeling revolted that it was even a possibility.

  Gary was vicious to friends and foes because he wanted to feel powerful. He wanted control. He wanted money for stupid steak dinners and energy drinks.

  Harvey was vicious, too.

  As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t deny it. But he didn't want power as a sword. He wanted to use it as a shield. He’d stomp and shoot anything or anyone to protect the people he cared about. He wanted to be a person his friends could rely on, and he was useless in a place like this if he didn’t have the power to fight against the tides of danger coming their way.

  A chill ran down his spine as he sighed, leaning his head back and feeling the cold bark poke into his neck.

  He’d always been the one to stand up for other people. Even as a kid on the playground. He’d sit with the people alone in the lunch room and fight to make sure everything was fair. It used to drive him crazy that nobody else seemed to share his idyllic worldview, where everybody just followed the rules, but his mom had taught him that it was good to stand up for what’s right, even when nobody stood beside you.

  Children held on to childish ideas, but in this case, he was happy to hold onto the fantasy that life could be fair someday. Maybe The System would open new doors. It already proved it cares more about a person’s actions than their background.

  For now, he’d have to take solace in the fact that even though he hadn’t been marked as a Born Protector like Julian, he wasn’t a Born Killer like Gary either.

  His mind raced, but his clothes still slick with blood reminded him he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Literally or figuratively.

  His wounds had already scabbed over, and he marveled at how quickly his body healed with his increased vitality. Injuries that would generally take days or weeks to recover from were safe to walk on in a matter of minutes and were completely gone in hours. It was useful because, with his lack of fighting experience, he took a nasty hit almost every fight. He’d still be level 3 if every injury left him bedridden.

  Testing his wounded ankle, he was met with a dull ache instead of sharp pain. Clambering to his feet, he stuck a hand out to Elena.

  “I know it hurts, but we gotta get moving. I can carry you back if you need me to.” Harvey offered.

  “No, I’ll be ok.” She replied. It may not be as high as his own, but her vitality was well beyond the previous human limit of 10 already. She walked with a limp, but maintained a good pace as they picked their way down the mountain.

  “How are you feeling? Any better now that the adrenaline’s gone?” Harvey asked, moving towards the light of the bonfire in the distance.

  “Still pretty shell-shocked, but I guess a little better. I never expected a fight like that. Every other Bloodrunn I’ve seen charged straight into Gary’s sword.” She replied.

  “Yeah, being hunted in a sea of blood mist was not on my bingo card.” Harvey sighed. “The forest is getting stronger, and it’s only going to get worse. That’s why we need to get stronger too.”

  She said nothing, avoiding his gaze as they walked. He wasn’t sure if it was the cold night air or the awkward situation, but goosebumps covered his skin as he struggled to find the right words.

  “So, I saw you level up. Did you happen to double up and reach level 5?” Harvey asked, clearing his throat.

  She didn’t speak, but nodded yes.

  “Perfect. Why don’t we go to the loom and get your first skill before everyone settles in for the night? I’m sure it will help you feel more confident to have another tool in your belt, and it couldn’t hurt for the people sleeping in the church to see that more of us are growing every day.” Harvey suggested.

  “Sure, that’s a good idea.” She replied in the same mousy tone she’d had when they first met.

  It pained him to hear her slink back inside her shell. He’d really connected with her today, but she was protecting herself from him again. Maybe he’d pushed her too fast, but she couldn’t afford to wait. Hopefully, her first skill would boost her spirits. After all, getting Fangbreaker had been an enormous confidence boost for him.

  Stumbling back into town, they saw a gaggle of tired veilstriders milling around the fire, eating dinner and resting from a long day. Many shared bloodstained wounds similar to his own, with most being part of the wall-building crew. There must have been another attack, but the doctor with the healing skill was tending to the worst of the injuries. Harvey saw the leader of the building crew and rushed over, Elena following behind.

  “I’ve got the first batch of nails ready for you. It’s not a lot, but now that I have a better idea of the process, I should be able to get you more tomorrow.” Harvey announced.

  “Hey, anything is better than what we have now. Thanks, Harvey!” She replied, following him into the forge, where she poured them into a leather pouch.

  “Do you have any idea what happened to the wall crew? Looks like a lot of people got hurt.” Harvey asked.

  “Pretty nasty bloodrunn attack. Snuck up on Jennifer, and before anyone could react, there was blood mist pouring out. The patrol got there fast and was able to fight them off before we lost anyone else, but Jennifer didn’t make it.” The woman answered.

  “Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear that.” Harvey sighed.

  “It feels like tragedy is just part of our lives now. Hopefully, this time she really did end up in a better place.” She agreed, giving a gentle wave as she left.

  Harvey knew she was right, but his stomach still sank at the thought of losing someone else to the forest. The news had not helped Elena settle after their own close encounter, and he wished he’d waited to ask.

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  Without a word, they left for the church.

  He’d made a lot of progress today. Not only had he gotten his profession, but he’d gained two more profession levels and another class level. He knew it would be hard to catch up to Julian and Hannah in the short term, but he’d found his own momentum.

  Stepping inside, he explained the skill creation process.

  “Look for the combination that glows brightest, and take your time. This is your first real step, and nobody’s going to rush you.” Harvey said.

  “Honestly, you’re kind of rushing me,” Elena replied.

  He scratched the back of his neck and gave an awkward smile, backing up as she placed her hands on the orb. Rainbow light seeped out, and her eyes grew sharp as she stared ahead. He knew she couldn’t see him anymore, the translucent mist completely isolating her so she could focus on her skill.

  He smiled as her eyes softened. He couldn’t see the memories in front of her until she added them to a potential combination, but it looked like she was taking the time to enjoy a walk down memory lane. Most were still outside eating, but a few veilstriders who had come to lie down joined him on a pew as they watched with amazement.

  The first memory to appear was the scene of her shooting down from the tree at the bloodrunn pinned under Harvey. It was joined by an image of Gary holding another skewered on his sword, hoisting it in the air like a trophy with a wicked smile on his face.

  He was surprised to see it and wondered if the system had a way to incorporate things you had seen others do, and not just your own accomplishments. He’d only ever considered using his own experiences in his skills, but if you could use other people as a baseline, it might be possible to follow in someone else’s footsteps.

  Could someone use an experience of being healed by the doctor to create their own healing skill? Could a memory of his fangreaker shield be copied to create their own version of it?

  He had no idea, but there was a lot more to consider the next time he was in front of the loom. He’d bring up the idea in the next town meeting and see what everyone else thought.

  The scene of her knocking away the bloodrunn, leaping at Harvey, joined the mix, and he considered the type of skill she would get. There wasn’t exactly a theme he could use to guess its effects, but they were all combat-related and would likely give her a potent weapon to defend herself.

  He waited for the collection to float into the loom, but they just floated there. She waited for a long time, pain and fear on her face, until the memories began to disappear one by one. She replaced them with the scene of her drawing on his table that morning. Another memory of winning an art contest with a radiant smile on her face joined it, followed by an image of her painting a live portrait of her brother as he stood in front of her. Harvey saw them laugh together as James struggled to maintain his pose while Elena painted.

  “Oh no, what is she doing?” Harvey muttered.

  There was a chance the loom thought this combination was better for her, but he doubted it. There was no way a skill like this would help her in the heat of battle. Even if it were some ability to paint equipment or attacks out of thin air, she wouldn’t have time to use it with a carrionwing diving at her head.

  “She’s making a painting skill? What is that going to do?” Another veilstrider asked.

  “What a waste.” A man scoffed.

  Murmurs spread through the crowd as they tried to figure out what the skill would do. Most doubted it was anything good, and Harvey was glad to know she couldn’t hear them right now. Her face relaxed, and a genuine smile appeared for the first time since the hunt as the happy memories floated in front of her. With a nod, they floated into the loom.

  Spools in a myriad of colors began feeding thread as it worked, the image of an easel supporting a canvas with the half-painted face of her brother appearing in moments. When it was done, it floated over and sank into her chest as light burst out to meet it.

  Harvey clapped as the rainbow haze retreated into the orb, clarity returning to Elena’s eyes as her weave connected to the sigil. Now that the decision was made, he needed to do his best to reassure her.

  “Woohoo! Nicely done, Elena!” Harvey encouraged. Eventually, the rest of the veilstriders followed suit.

  She smiled faintly, waving her hand aside as she joined Harvey.

  “Come on then, show us what you got!” A woman said.

  Without a word, a screen appeared in front of her, displaying the sigil and her new skill.

  “That sounds awesome! I can’t wait to see you test it out.” Harvey smiled.

  “I know it’s probably not what you were hoping for, but I’m happy with it,” Elena replied, slightly embarrassed.

  “I wasn’t hoping for anything other than you getting some confidence back,” Harvey replied. “Now you can give yourself a boost next time!”

  Her smile faded at his mention of another hunt, and he realized there may not be a next time. What if she refused to go hunting now that she had a support skill like this? Maybe she could keep leveling if she got essence when people benefited from her skill, but it would be nowhere near fast enough to keep pace with him. He prayed her refusal of a skill to kill monsters wasn’t a refusal to keep growing.

  “We’ll have to see.” She replied. “Thanks, everybody.”

  A few more congratulations followed behind as they walked to the store. Just as they reached the door, Gary walked out with a plastic to-go bag and a soda can.

  “There you are! You never showed up, so I had to buy my own dinner.” Gary barked.

  “Sorry, I was…” Elena began.

  “Doesn’t matter where you were, just come with me. You can get the rest of your chores done after we eat. Thanks for babysitting today, Scoutmaster.” Gary said, turning to walk home.

  “Chores? You’re giving an adult woman chores?” Harvey asked incredulously, turning to Elena. He was surprised when she left to follow Gary home, not even waving goodbye.

  “You live under my roof, you follow my rules,” Gary replied, nonchalantly.

  He sat stunned as they disappeared around the corner, leaving him alone. He shook his head and went inside, buying his own dinner and an axe to chop more fuel for the forge. 625 merit poorer, he joined the group chatting around the fire and mingled until it was time for bed.

  He couldn’t shake how strange his day had been. He’d made a lot of progress with Elena, only for her to ignore him the second Gary called on her. He knew she wasn’t a massive fan of him, so why did she let him walk all over her like that? He rolled around, struggling to get comfortable in his sleeping bag, lying on the hard wooden floor. The sleeping arrangement hadn’t really bothered him before, but for the first time, he struggled to fall asleep.

  Hopefully, she would come back to the forge tomorrow, and he could figure out what was going on with Gary.