The thrill of staying alive

Before John could find good footing or realize what was happening around him, he felt a surprisingly firm grip on his shoulder pulling him aside. It was Henrietta. "Listen, Jojo, I don't know how long I can keep you safe, so just stick right next to me, and scream exactly from where it came when you are being hit, alright?" John nodded, only to realize a second later that she couldn't see him.

"Yeah. I can..." She twirled him around, to dodge a bunny's jump. Shit, she was fast. But Naomie was even faster. Before the little animal landed, she managed to grab its ears and throw it headfirst into its boss version, killing the smaller one in the process. "Invite Naomie to my party." John whispered, but saw the window pop up in front of her nonetheless. Please accept, or all this danger will be for nothing.

She extended her finger and pressed something. There it was. His sheet popped up and she was listed as his second party member. Alright.

She looked a bit annoyed, as she casually grabbed two more bunnies and wielded them like nunchakus, smashing them into other bunnies.

Enemy defeated:
Gained +28 EXP * 0,3(boss battle spawn)*0,5(no interference from you)*1,33(Level difference) = +6 EXP

The message popped up four times in quick succession, prompting John to let his guard down and look at his character sheet. If each of the normal monsters gave 28 EXP, before adding level bonuses, then farming these outside of a boss battle would mean he got 19 EXP for each kill Naomie delivers. And given how fast she deals with them, he could...

John didn't get to finish that thought, as he was suddenly smashed sideways into one of the beasts himself by the guiding hand of Henrietta. He probably would have gotten a panic attack if it weren't for the fact that the low HP of that monster killed it upon collision. Also, his Gamer's mind most likely had something to do with his calm thoughts.

"A warning would be nice next time," he grunted and peeked up at the cause of his latest crash. His eyes went wide in shock. Her face was pale, one eye twitched and the knife she must have pulled out from somewhere was shaking in her hand. "Oh my god, are you hurt?" He tried to come towards her in worry, but her angry glare froze him in place.

What was going on with her? Had she been hit? No, her HP were still full, so she couldn't be hurt. Wait, hurt, that's it. Her powers demand of her to hurt herself. That meant that when she moved him around or pushed him, she must actually have saved him from attacks that were meant to hit before she turned back time to help him dodge, but she couldn't do this much longer.

"Naomie, focus on the big one. Henrietta has to get out of here! We are trapped 'til it's dead!" This turned from a simple xp-farming to mind break risking survival real fast.

New skill: Chain of commands, Level 1

He wanted to read it, but no matter how useful that skill might be, Henrietta's health had priority now. He kept on the watch, trying to dodge as well as possible by himself. However, it was rather hard to concentrate on anything besides Naomie, who had decided that the best idea for taking down the boss was to jump on its back and **** it. Weirdly enough, it worked. The bosses health slowly ticked down.

It had become a matter of time. What would run out first: Henrietta's abilities or the monster's health. The moment it took John to form these thoughts was apparently too much, as he felt a hand on the back of his head pressing him forward and towards the ground again.

His face was pushed in the dirt with ****, followed by a voice so full of spite, he almost cut himself at it. Not that the -14HP from her save wasn't enough. "Maybe you just stay down so you stop being in the way,you worthless piece of meat."

She had a point. If he stayed on the ground, she probably could really guard him better, but it made him feel even more useless than before.

-13 HP/second

He felt a sharp pain in his leg and as he looked down he saw why.

One of the rabbits had decided that jumping was too risky, given the two monster slaying ladies around. Instead, it started to munch on his leg. His first instinct was to scream for help, but as he considered the state his teammates were in, he just bit down and tried to handle it on his own. He took aim with his unscathed leg and kicked the bunnies head.

5 HP damage.

For fucks sake, he had kicked as hard as he could. The damage ticked on him a second time and he managed to kick it off. As good as they were, he didn't feel as happy about the gained EXP as he did before.

Caring more about her than himself right now, John disregarded his low health and turned to look at Henrietta. She just stood there, seemingly trying to relax herself. Good. She hadn't noticed the attack.

CRACK

John almost jumped up as he saw the boss land on the ground next to him, Naomie having one foot on its head. John didn't get to ask for any advice or update, as the eye to eye confrontation with the boss stunned him like an electric shock. Luckily for him it was quickly resolved by a popup.

Boss defeated
+28 EXP *88 (boss monster) *2 (first time kill)*1,33 (Level difference) = +6573 EXP

PLING!!!

PLING!!!

Level up x2
You are now Level 9
You have 12 points to spend on attributes

Achievement...

John pushed the windows aside. There were more important things right now. Namely getting Henrietta out of the barrier. He stood up and walked towards her, sacrificing the barrier to make sure that no more monsters attacked them.

"Are you... okay?" He asked, only to be greeted by her back. She turned around and walked off before he got any closer.

"I'll see ya later," she called over her shoulder as she walked off, either automatically or conciously leaving the group as well.

John watched her, about to run after her as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Naomie had stopped him.

"Why did you bring her in this danger?" The tone was aggressive and challenging. Or, given how she used this tone 99% of the time when communicating with him, maybe it was just her voice for people she disliked.

"It was her idea. She said she wanted to train me!" John defended himself against the allegations.

"She usually doesn't fight." Naomie stepped next to John, explaining herself.

"I figured. Given her powers cost, I wouldn't be thrilled to use it either." He kept his gaze on the leaving Henrietta while replying.

"You have no idea. If you know her debt, then she probably won't mind if I tell you this much. She hates storing the power. Who wouldn't? Torturing yourself just in case you might need it later doesn't seem a good idea to me either. Instead, she charges it midfight. Every time you needed her help just now, she took her knife and probably cut open her stomach for it. Her powers let her body heal again, but her mind doesn't. I won't ask you to promise not to let her fight anymore or anything stupid like that. I am not an idiot and given the situation we are in, it wouldn't be possible for you to keep it anyway. But, just think that for every hit she saves you from, she feels it hit her. I can't see why she would do that for someone like you."

A long silence. John already assumed that much, but having a confirmation made him feel worse about it. The added insult was nothing he cared about by now. "Say, Naomie, do you know the people I am supposed to impress? How strong are they?" If nothing else, those levels better be worth it, if their cost was this high.

"I can't tell you. I don't know who will be there after all. But, if the rumors are true, then you better get strong fast, because they most likely will be so far out of your league, you'll need two collars not to die." He swallowed. Given the strength Naomie had just again proven to have in this fight, he would put it as a long term goal to be at her level, and if she was putting them this high, he saw his hopes drown in front of him. The 12 skill points he got would be a nice start, but far from enough to impress the faceless mass of people who even scare Naomie.

"Thank you for telling me," he said with a monotone voice and walked back towards the castle. Only halfway there did he think of checking the loot and achievements he got for the boss kill.

Achievement: Who's the boss now?
Kill a boss!
...or let him be killed in your case. Kinda makes you the boss of that group, right? Fuck you for making my prepared achievements not fit your case!
+500 EXP
+1 in every attribute
-1 in Charisma for making me angry, and I know you want to invest in that stat!

Loot recieved:
Item: Holy Hand grenade
Effect: Throw the Holy Hand grenade at any time while in a hostile Illusion barrier. The area of effect is a radius of 150 meters. The area of effect can not leave an Illusion barrier. Every creature inside the area of effect dies instantly. You will not recieve any Loot, EXP or rewards from the creature. If there was a boss creature, it will be considered your first kill, so you won't be getting another bonus if you try it again later.
Rarity: Epic
Note: Every creature that was not created inside the Illusion Barrier but entered it will not be affected by this Item

Achievement: Fuck that shit I'm out
Have someone leave your party without disbanding it.
HAHAHA, oh god you can't even keep a party together, how do you plan to even stay alive? Maybe this will help to keep them interested.
+1 END to all members in your party

Achievement: Stay back - Defense - Charge!
Give commands during a life or **** situation that will be followed despite there being no **** to do so by the other person.
I have to say, you did this one pretty fine. For once. Maybe next time you won't even have to almost die so people consider your opinion!
+2 Attribute points to spend