The air is thick and heavy as we make our way into the suburbs. Despite Chloe’s strongest healing magic coursing through the adventurers, one woman, about Lindsey’s age, did end up succumbing to her wounds not long after Chloe’s magic gave out. The wounds were too grave, the internal bleeding and damage to organ structures too severe. Had Chloe had a stronger spell, one that could revive people from death’s door, then perhaps she could have been saved. But it appears that as it is now, even Chloe’s magic can’t restore someone whose [Health] has dropped to zero.

  It weighs down upon her. Her eyes are sullen, her stare distant. Even though she never knew the woman, she grieves all the same. Proof that she is a kinder, more compassionate person than I.

  The others speak of Caroline warmly. A few knew her from before the System. Most didn’t. By and large, these adventurers are just people. None of them have any sort of military background that they’ve mentioned. Just everyday people with civic commitment, who saw a need to protect their fellow compatriots and banded together to do just that.

  I do, however, see a few pieces of System-registered gear on some of them, Stefan’s massive saber chief among them. What I don’t know is whether these folks got their gear through some sort of [Crafter] or [Mechanist] class like my own, or if they’ve also done their fair share of dungeon diving. I want to ask, but discretion tells me to wait.

  We arrive back at the lodge after about half an hour of walking. We’re greeted with a smile and a slew of warm faces who eagerly welcome us in and offer us snacks and water. Warm faces that gradually fall as they see Caroline’s body, pale and lifeless, yet still warm from the afternoon sun. One woman in particular, perhaps a sibling or her lover, rushes over, tears streaming down her cheek, wailing like a banshee as she cradles the deceased’s body in her arms.

  Chloe, angel that she is, casts her [Angelic Blessing] spell upon both her and Caroline's body. I doubt it does much in terms of stats, but from personal experience, the warmth and golden radiance her magic exudes is a pleasant sensation that invigorates and soothes wearing minds as well as bodies.

  The tears don’t stop flowing. An older gentleman begins to chant a prayer. Heads lower, and some join in with the man’s invocation. I listen in solemn remembrance alongside the others, standing just beside Chloe near the back of the room. Her hand slips into mine, and I give it a gentle squeeze as the friends of the departed say a few words, admiring and thanking Caroline for her dedication and the sacrifice they each know they might be asked to make.

  I wish it didn’t have to be that way. It’s not fair to anyone that Caroline and so many others have been killed in attacks that never had to happen. And I can’t help but feel some of the responsibility for their deaths, though I dare not even implicate as much aloud. Not because of my inability to stop them, but because my arrival might have brought the System with me. And as a result, imperiled potentially every life in all of the universe.

  After about an hour of solemnity, Caroline’s body is wrapped up in cloth and brought to a room in the back. The woman who cradled Caroline’s body is still distraught, her entire face puffy and red. Her tears have only stopped flowing because they’ve seemingly run out, and plenty of others in the crowd have shed their own to make up the difference.

  More than anything, I think I understand a little better why Mrs. Jacobs— Chloe’s mother— was so put out with our decisions to keep exploring dungeons and Towers and other such peril. Because she knew that we could have met exactly this fate. Intellectually, I’ve known it as well, even if I’ve hidden behind the maxim of ‘not taking a risk is itself a risk’. I suppose I’m just the latest example of teenagers thinking they’re invincible.

  Chloe again buries her face in my chest as the group slowly disbands and returns to whatever tasks they have in the… Adventurer’s Lodge? They said they were the Red Pack Adventurers' Company earlier, but they never specified what they called their headquarters.

  The two of us make our way to one of the tables away from the center of the large central room. The chamber itself is rustic, heavy inner walls with the look and feel of rich and dark hardwood. A quartet of fans spins overhead, and in the background is the low churn of the air conditioner blowing cool air inside.

  Our meal consists of apple slices and turkey sandwiches with mustard on whole wheat bread. For the first time in over a month, I indulge in a can of soda— orange soda, specifically. Not one of my favorites; I much prefer the sweet spiciness of a good root beer, but it’s… not bad. Far more thick and syrupy than I remember after so long without. Worse, I think it’s actually dehydrating me instead of restoring my vitality. Maybe good in the future as an occasional dessert treat, but not as my go-to beverage of choice. Not anymore.

  Chloe reaches for a water bottle as well, seeming to share my opinion on the matter.

  About halfway through our meal, Stefan and Lindsey rejoin us, sitting down on the opposite side of the table. They both greet us, though I’m unable to respond until I finish chewing the large bite of zesty turkey in my mouth.

  “Miss Reed over here told us that the two of you are interested in dungeon diving?”

  “I am,” I say. “I don’t want to speak on Chloe’s behalf on that, though. What I will say is the three of us–” I motion toward Lindsey as well. “–cleared a dungeon just outside our hometown about a month and a half ago. In addition to some valuable treasure that doesn’t seem to exist outside of the dungeons, there are some pretty substantial Experience boosts associated with clearing one.” I pause for a moment to take a drink of water. “Better that people like you all clear the dungeons and get those rewards, rather than have them fall into the hands of those less inclined to noble intentions.”

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  Stefan nods slightly. “A reasonable point that you make. There are two dungeons I know of, each not far from here. One on the north side, and the other to the south of the city. Were we of greater resources and manpower, I would love to accompany you for myself. As it stands, however, we’re woefully undermanned, and with our unfortunate loss today, we’re going to be that much more shorthanded. I know that it’s more than a bit of an imposition on all three of you, but we could really use your help with some… issues we’ve been having lately.”

  He trails off a bit as he says the word ‘issues’. I can tell just by the intonation that it’s something far from pleasant. Before I can ask what he means, Chloe’s already on it.

  “What kind of issues?” she asks. “Like what we… earlier?”

  She can’t seem to form the words. Considering how hurt she was just from seeing it all unfold, the powerlessness she felt and still feels I’m sure, I can understand why. I give her hand a gentle squeeze under the table. It’s just with my mechanical hand, so I’m sure it’s not quite as gentle or comforting as it might otherwise be, but it still seems to help as she flashes me a forlorn smile.

  “I’m afraid so,” Stefan says. “I wish I could tell you that the man we fought against earlier today was a one-off occurrence, but it’s been happening more and more these past few weeks.”

  “Did it happen right away when the System arrived?” I ask. “Or was there some later catalyst behind this attack?”

  “I wish I knew. What I do know is that there’s a group of… I don’t know if I’d quite use the word ‘cultist’, but that’s more or less what they are and how they operate. They call themselves the Order of the Wilds. They claim that the System is an omen sent from the beyond, urging them to strike out against and destroy civilization, returning humanity to what they call the natural, primal state of being. That man was one of their members, at least to the best of our knowledge.”

  “What other information can you tell us about them?” Lindsey asks. “We talked about the basics a bit ago, but can you give us any details? Who their leaders are, where they operate, levels, abilities, anything that might help.”

  “Wait… You’re seriously considering going after them directly?”

  “Isn’t that why you’re asking for our help?” I ask.

  “I couldn’t ask you to throw your lives away like that.”

  “Isn’t that what you’re doing right now?” Lindsey says. “From what it sounds like, you all are at your breaking point just putting out fires and trying to keep the city from falling to these Wilds folks. But in the end, as long as you’re just addressing symptoms and not dealing with the root cause…” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “You’re just asking everyone here to throw their lives away in a slow grind of attrition.”

  I still hear the words. Chloe does as well, her eyes of sorrow now filled with fierce determination. Not bloodlust or even anger, but the sort of righteous indignation of one who has been wronged, and whose quest for vengeance is good and just. Especially after earlier, if she feels so strongly against these cultists, then I will stand by her side through it all. Here I am, supporting things I’d never have thought to do so three months ago. For Chloe’s sake, if nothing else.

  Stefan is left speechless by Lindsey’s proclamation. He opens his mouth to object, but no words come out. He stutters once, then twice, then finally shakes his head with a sigh.

  “You can’t say things like that, Miss Reed. You’re military, you should know the importance of morale.” He speaks in a whisper, pain and grief and anger in his voice. “Caroline isn’t the first one to die in the fight. She won’t be the last. Right now, we continue fighting because we’ve all got friends and families that we’re trying to protect, but if you go around telling people that all the work they do is as good as useless…”

  “I agree with Lindsey,” Chloe says. “The three of us ventured down here to the capital to see what was going on in Red Clay City, to learn more about our new world, find more dungeons and towers to explore… But most of all, to help people. And I think the best way for us to help people is to find out what’s going on with this cult and bring an end to it once and for all.”

  I've never seen Chloe with this much determination in her eyes before. Though I can't imagine she'll like the gruesomeness of what it'll take to effect that outcome.

  “It won’t be that simple,” I say. I almost don’t recognize the words coming out of my mouth. Wisdom from my past life, I wonder. “It won’t be enough just to find this cult leader and bring them down. We’ll have to figure out what they want, what they’re being promised, and try to address those root causes. Otherwise we’ll put down one cult only to have it replaced the next time someone picks a [Cult Leader] class.”

  “And how do you propose to do that, Miss Sera?”

  Miss ‘Sera’? Not ‘Miss Mortensen’ to Lindsey’s ‘Miss Reed’? It doesn’t bother me either way, except for the bit of disrespect that comes with still being seen as a child. I disregard the possibly-unintentional slight.

  “We’ll have to figure out what needs aren’t being met, and what the cultists are being told about how they plan to fix the problems that have the people in crisis.” I think back to my own home life. About how people in my neighborhood frequently turned to drugs and gangs as a way to cope. And gangs aren’t dissimilar from cults, when one thinks about it. Usually associated more with drugs and criminals than new age religious movements and forces of personality, but it’s usually not the people with a steady job, warm, loving family, and a bright outlook on the future who get involved with either.

  “As for what those needs are? Food, shelter, clothing, safety, family and belonging, positive outlook on the future. Hope. A lot of things that people could be searching for, and depending on which of those needs the cultists are targeting, we’ll have to adjust our strategies accordingly.”

  “I see,” Stefan says. “I don’t know how much we can do about all that, but we can worry about that once the immediate issues are taken care of and the people involved are made to pay for what they’ve done.”

  Chloe and Lindsey both nod. I very tepidly follow suit.