Best laid plans.

I push through the tent flap, squinting in the early dawn light. There’s a bit of a bite to the air, vestiges of last night's chill, but if the pleasant heat yesterday evening was anything to go by it shouldn’t last too long. When my eyes adjust to the light, I look down to see two slightly amused faces and two worried ones sat around the campfire. Feeling a little self-conscious, I say, “Errrrrrr, morning everyone.”

Mum sighs, but proffers me a small smile. “Hi sweety, I’m glad to see you up and about. You had us half scared to **** when you passed out last night, especially considering…” She trails off, looking at Emily with a mix of worry and sympathy. Guilt burns inside as I look at those gathered around the fire. I had been stupid, jumping into things I didn’t understand based on made up knowledge from books and games, even if that knowledge had been weirdly accurate so far. Things did go my way… this time, but what about next time?

I glance around the assembled group, seeing nothing but downcast expressions and tired, worried eyes. A palpable aura of glumness hangs over everyone, the excitement of arriving on our new world, receiving our equipment and spells, and the rush provided by our first level up (I could see in the party interface that everyone was at least level 2), had taken some of the sting out of losing our home, but it wasn’t hard to see that the double gut punch of Em’s affliction paired with me passing out without warning had caused morale to take a nosedive.

I shake my head. Sometimes plans had a way of turning on you and biting you on the ass. I had fucked up, plain and simple. Well, I had stepped into the role of our not so merry band’s leader. Time that I acted like it. Looking round at the gathered faces, I steady myself, then say, “I assume by now everyone knows about what happened last night?”

I receive solum nods from everyone in response, so I continue, “First, I have some good news.” I turn to smile at Emily, then say, “I’ve earned a medical scanning Ability. The how… is not important. The important bit is that the scan tells me that the disease is non fatal and is also fairly slow acting.”

After a few heartfelt sighs of relief, I say. “I… I acted reckless, and…” “yeah? NO SHIT!?!” Eyes widen in surprise and heads turn to the source of the shout. I wasn’t sure who I expected, but it sure as hell wasn’t calm and collected Lisa. She springs up out of her chair, face a thundercloud of rage and frustration as she stalks towards me. I can only watch her approach, stunned into inactivity by the uncharacteristic outburst.

She stops, mere centimetres in front of me, and glares up at me. “What the fuck were you thinking?!? First of all, not getting us up was bullshit. You took everything upon yourself. Over what? A worry that we’ll lose sleep and not be able to help? Newsflash buddy, Earth was fucking destroyed yesterday. Everyone I’ve ever known is ether dead, or scattered god knows where! Do you really think I could have slept after that?”

She takes in a series of deep, ragged breaths, and my heart breaks as I see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. “And then what happens? You take it upon yourself to do everything, without even considering reaching out for help. You did what you always do, charging headfirst at a problem as soon as the first solution pops into your head, rather than spend a little extra time looking for other ways. We… we thought you were fucking dead! You apparently passed out with no warning and wouldn’t wake up, no matter what we did. All of us were terrified, but Em was fucking distraught. Can you imagine how guilty she felt? Thinking you died trying to save her?”

The words hit me like a physical blow. I look over at Emily, but she refuses to meet my eyes. Everything that had happened inside the tent this morning played over again in my head, seen through a different light. I remember how both women had clung to me and had not let go, even after we were all awake. I had thought it teasing at the time, but was now seeing it through fresh eyes.

I had been so distracted by that stupid Quest that I had missed that rather pointed nature of the questions both Em and Ash asked, and had brushed off their concerns. Guilt swells as I remember why I had been distracted, and at that moment, I felt like the biggest piece of shit in the world. I meet Lisa’s eyes, which soften as she sees how hard I am taking this.

She sighs. “I know you were only trying to help, but we’re all in this shit together. You helped us all yesterday, but now it’s our turn. You don’t have to take on every problem by yourself, it’s totally ok to rely on us, you know?” Her tone is brimming with frustration, but there is something else there, too. Deep beneath the bluster and angry words, I could sense a real vulnerability that took me by surprise. All my family cared deeply for me, and I had really worried them.

‘Time to mend fences.’ I step forward, scooping Lisa up in a hug. She tenses for a moment, clearly not expecting the move (apparently the end of the world turns you into a hugger. Who knew?), before burying her head in my chest. Looking at everyone in turn, I say, “You are right, I fucked up. I jumped into things when I should have talked to you guys first, and I'm sorry.” I turn to look at Em, and continue. “I was just so worried, we had no idea how serious this thing was. But looking at things now with a clearer head, it was stupid not to tell everyone straight away.”

Em finally meets my eyes, then says, "It's not just your fault. Both Ash and I agreed not to tell Lisa or mum, not until they woke up, anyway."Her downcast expression turns to one of frustration as she says, "I... I fucking froze again. I had no idea what the hell I would do. And then there you were, with a plan to save the day, again. I appreciate it, I really do, but I don't want to be the damsel in distress here, helpless until you swoop in to save me."

I nodded at her words. She had a valid point, one that needed to be addressed. “You guys wanted me to lead our little party, and you have no idea how much that meant to me. I was so **** to do right by everyone that I never stopped to consider reaching out for help. But that needs to change, we are all in this thing together, so if any of you feel like I’m making a mistake, or that I am getting too full of myself, please don’t hesitate to tell me, or deliver a swift kick to my rear end, whichever floats your boat.” My shitty joke drew a few small smiles, smiles that only grew as Ash said, “I'll remember that.”

From then on, the conversation lightened considerably. Supplies were retrieved and breakfast was cooked as I went over the Skills I had learnt last night (without speaking of the ding test) as well as their merits. I pulled up the Advanced Quest I had received to cure Em, breathing a little sigh of relief when it looked as if passing out didn’t count for the ‘don’t sleep’ objective, then shared it with the group. I got a well deserved second earful when we re-read the description and found out that one tier allowed for the creation of a Life or Water spell. Turns out Lisa also received Water magic. Whoops...

Determined not to make the same mistake twice, we spend the next few minutes compiling a list of the spells and affinities each of us unlocked with our starter sets. We all take turns showing and explaining our spells. It seems like just the ticket to improve the group's mood, and it’s not long until we make a show of it, cheers accompanying each fresh flash of magic.

First off is mum, who’d unlocked affinities in Earth and Fire magic. Her first spell, 'Minor Earth Spike', did exactly what it said on the tin. The spell packed a little bit more of a punch than my attack spell, but also cost more Mana and took longer to cast. Her fire spell was an interesting one. The spell was called ‘Minor Aura of Fiery Retribution’, and would reflect a portion of any damage dealt to her back at her attacker. It only lasted for a few hits, but it was still the perfect spell for a tank.

Lisa’s affinities were Water and Air magic. For her Water magic, she received the same Ice Shard spell I did. As for Air Magic, she got a spell called ‘Minor Gust’. The spell blasted a tight column of air out of Lisa’s palm and seemed ideal for knocking back single targets. I was immediately ‘volunteered’ as a test dummy, and got knocked on my ass more than once for my troubles. Down the line, the spell might also be useful as a method to clear gas or smoke, but not until the cone widened somewhat.

Ash’s affinities, as she had told me last night, were Dark and Air magic. Her Dark spell was another single target attack spell, but unlike the rest of us, it’s Mana cost and casting time relied on the amount of ambient light during casting. Casting it in direct sunlight was prohibitively expensive for the damage it caused, but the spell was deadly if cast from shadowy or dark places.

As for Air magic, Ash had received a spell called ‘Minor Wind-walk’, which amounted to a wind-based haste spell. After she told us this, I politely reminded her I had asked her to tell me if anyone had any utility spells yesterday. She called me an idiot, asking me if being able to pass the ketchup slightly faster warranted mention as utility spell. Honestly? She wasn’t wrong, but I could have done without the pantomimed demonstration all the same.

Emily got access to Fire and Light magic, and was the only one of us that chose a staff as her main weapon. She grumbled slightly at not being able to tell the stats of the weapon, so I suggested an appraisal style skill was a useful skill for us all to learn, a suggestion which was met by exaggerated by good natured groans. For her Fire magic, she received a simple attack spell named ‘Minor Firebolt’. The spell was slightly worse in terms of damage when compared to my Ice Shard, but came with a chance to set targets on fire, causing damage over time.

Her Light spell was interesting, and I could see it having lots of potential. The spell was called ‘Minor Light Bolt’ and would summon a ball of light that was flung at a target. Rather than causing any direct damage, the spell would cause a bright flash to appear wherever the spell hit, potentially blinding opponents momentarily. The only pube in the peanut butter was that the spell was a little indiscriminate with who it effected, blinding friend or foe alike.

After I had finished my own demonstration, we sat down to discuss our next move. To me, it seemed we had two choices. First, we could wander off into the wilderness in a random direction. We may get lucky and come across the help we needed. Alternately, we may roam into a den of monsters and get eaten, it’d be luck of the draw.

Or, we could stay put, at least for a time. I would continue working on my cure spell, enlisting help as and when I needed it, and the girls would work on gaining useful Skills. Progression this early on was considerably easier than it would be later, and a levels worth of Attribute points could mean the difference between life and ****.

Eventually, caution won out, and we decided as a group to stay put for now and see what we could accomplish. It was decided that if we hadn’t made much headway by lunchtime, we would move on and see what we could find in the forest. I was happy with the decision. I had been specifically holding off on my Mana sight Ability, worried about unforeseen consequences. To me, it seemed the Mana sight Ability, and the information I might gather from it, was the next step towards creating a cure, a viewpoint which everyone shared.

After we reached our decision, our impromptu meeting broke up, and everyone split off to do their own things. Lisa and Emily got real close and stared at each other, trying for the Analyse skill. Saying it was funny to watch was an understatement, but I didn't stay long as I still had shit to do. Ash wandered back into our tent to begin meditating. Mum kept watch, generally keeping an eye on everyone as well as our surrounds. As for me, I had big plans. Before any of that started though, I made myself a coffee, then found a quiet spot to sit, intent on doing some well required character management. The first thing on the list, clear my notifications, or more accurately, notification.

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You have been offered a new Quest!

*Warning*: This quest is not being offered by the System and instead has been offered by a god of lust.

Quest available: In the pursuit of pleasure!

Description: Due to your questionable actions in a pervious Quest, you have gained the interest of a lust god (or goddess). They found your antics amusing, but can also see a great potential in you. They are offering the chance for you to gain a Profession based on their domain, or at the very least, a useful Perk and Ability. Most of the objectives are hidden, but simple. All you need to do is follow the desires of your horny little heart. There isn’t even a time limit!

*Notice from the System*: It is highly recommended that you read the information offered on Professions before you accept this quest.

Objectives:

• Lose your virginity. (0/1 V-card punched)
• Hidden objective.
• Hidden objective.
• Hidden objective.

Rewards:

• +20000 Exp
• Access to the Hedonist 'Profession'. (you may turn this Profession down with no hard feelings)

If you complete this Quest but turn down the Profession, you will also receive:

• X1 Perk.
• X1 Ability.

Penalty for rejecting this quest:

• The Quest-giver will think you’re boring and will lose interest in you. (-2000 reputation)

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‘wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn’t that.’