Nathan took his position next to the medical tent beside Lilly, facing the North trail. Iliya, Asahi, Johanna, and Alexander were also on his side while the rest of the players faced South. He briefly made eye contact with Maya in the other group as she surveyed the players’ positioning. She gave him a slight nod of her head. He noticed her jaw was still set though. He figured it was her way of saying they could put aside the previous drama for the moment, even if she was still annoyed, since they had more important things to deal with.

A glance at his EP counter showed he had 28 EPs. He hoped he wouldn’t need to spend any in the battle so he could begin using his fusion skill on their weaponry afterward. Providing better weapons for their group was one of the unique ways he’d be able to significantly contribute. There were plenty of other players who excelled solely at combat so that he didn’t need to shoulder that burden alone.

He hadn’t been in place for three heartbeats before a bestial roar silenced all forest noise around them. He’d only heard the sound once before while they were foraging in the creek. It was the roar of a mutant tier 2 bear.

Accompanying growls echoed after it, indicating the bear was being escorted by an unknown number of banewolves. Their poisonous claws he’d already become acquainted with.

He soon spotted three wolves padding down the trail towards them from the North, red eyes glowing in the shade of the forest. The larger form of the bear and its impressive antlers followed behind, trotting along with that powerful bumbling gait that bears tended to have. Nathan had already seen how fast one of these monsters could move though.

He risked a glance back, confirming no monsters were approaching from the South. The other group of players were already moving up from behind to give his side support.

“Oh God, not again,” Iliya cried out.

Nathan remembered how terrified she’d been the first time they fought a bear. They were certainly intimidating. “It will be no problem,” Nathan assured. “We’re stronger and have a lot more backup this time around.” His broken nose made his voice sound more nasally than he would’ve liked but there was no helping it. He wasn’t about to waste his EPs using First Aid on himself even if his condition made him sound more comical rather than confident and commanding.

Nathan didn’t have a particularly strong desire to be the one giving orders, but he also couldn’t let the group fumble around losing crucial time while they sorted out who was in charge. He’d stick to the general battle plan Maya had laid out earlier. She’d placed Nathan in charge of his side for this particular battle. Of course, she’d done so before his recent drama with Harrison, so he could only hope the other players’ cooperation hadn’t changed. In addition to Maya’s general plan of where everyone was to stand and who was in charge, his smaller team of three had also discussed a more specific plan for dealing with another bear if they met one.

He raised his voice to be heard by everyone. “Stay mobile against that bear and keep out of its way. It’s fast, but isn’t agile enough to turn quickly. These spears are weak against its tough hide so Iliya’s sword with her Thrust skill will be our best attack. Lilly, only you and me have a crowd control skill. Since you’re maxed out on EPs, I ask that you act first. If you can throw a rock and Stun the bear, it’ll be vulnerable long enough for Iliya to give it a fatal blow. I’ll use my Snare skill as a backup if that doesn’t work, and you can beat it to death with your mace while it's tangled in vines.”

Nathan turned to the other three players on his side. “While the three of us deal with the bear, the rest of you pair off with a wolf each.” He looked over his shoulder at the reinforcements Maya and Harrison were directing behind him. “South group, try not to get in the way since there’s not enough room for maneuvering if that bear decides to charge. But be ready to support any player that needs it. Thanks!”

“Hai,” Asahi said before moving to the far left to engage the leftmost wolf.

Alexander took the middle wolf, still using a spear even though he unlocked Blade Weapons. The spear’s superior range made it a more effective weapon against most monsters than the knife tucked into the waistband of his armored leather skirt.

Johanna reluctantly faced the rightmost wolf, her spear trembling while she did so. Nathan could hear her muttering something angrily under her breath but couldn’t make it out. He decided he’d rather not know since he didn’t need the distraction.

Overall, Nathan was relieved his plan had been heeded. It was not a sure thing the players would still follow his orders, given the reputation loss he’d suffered moments before. He’d half expected Asahi to take over command given his obvious disappointment in him. But the man seemed content to follow. Nathan guessed that as long as his plans remained reasonable, the man would keep listening. Luckily, the players who’d made it this far tended to be the practical sorts.

Nathan briefly considered having one of the reserve players switch out with Johanna given her lack of experience and confidence, but decided against it since this was the only way for her to gain said experience.

Before he had a chance to rethink his decision, all three wolves charged forward in unison. Further back, the bear continued to waltz toward them but didn’t seem in any particular rush.

Asahi was the furthest forward so met his wolf first. His spear expertly pierced its face with a wet crunch.

Alexander thrusted at his wolf as well, but missed its vulnerable locations as the wolf shifted its body, his spear grazing its front shoulder instead. The wolf didn’t slow its charge even as it veered towards Johanna instead, having singled her out as its choice of target.

Johanna, who like Alexander had a different weapon than matched her weapon skill, only surface wounded her own wolf as it blew past her spear tip. She let out a strangled scream in response as the two monsters bore down on her.

Nathan reacted to rush forward, but was moving in slow motion compared to Asahi who was already on an intercept course, the man’s speed enhanced by his passive Quick Step skill. A red energy glow surrounded the soldier’s leg as an impossibly strong front kick caught Alexander’s wolf in the side. The creature was violently thrown off its course from the added strength of the Power Kick skill. Whether by design or accident, Nathan couldn’t be sure, the wolf projectile collided with Johanna’s original wolf. The two wolves tangled in a heap as they fell off the trail into the underbrush.

Nathan slowed when he found himself unneeded. The two squirming wolves were regaining their feet as an angry roar snapped Nathan’s eyes back to the trail. The bear stood outrageously high on its hind legs before slamming its front paws back to the ground. Then it charged.

“Finish off the wolves,” Nathan shouted at the players. “Lilly, Iliya, get ready.”

Johanna, Alexander, and Asahi moved to the edge of the underbrush to deal with the wolves, leaving the trail open between Nathan’s team of three and the bear. The three ran forward so they could engage the bear far enough away from the players fighting the wolves. The bear crossed the distance quickly, intending to plow through their ranks with its massive bulk like a bulldozer.

Iliya dodged left while Lilly and Nathan went right. Lilly shouted a skill activation and a yellow orb of energy flung from her hand at the beast. When the skill imbued rock impacted the bear’s hindmost leg, Nathan averted his eyes before he could be blinded by the flash of light.

The bear cried out as its legs locked up from the Stun skill. Its momentum and massive bulk were suddenly unsupported and the beast crashed into the ground. It slid forward, leaving a furrow in the trail a yard long behind it.

“Iliya, now!” Nathan shouted. He held his own rock ready in case he needed to use an emergency Snare.

Iliya screamed out in Bulgarian, the word sounding more like an angry curse than a skill activation. It must’ve actually been the latter since a silvery glow surrounded her scimitar as she used her Thrust skill. She professionally stabbed downward at the monster’s neck from behind, her Blade Weapons skill obviously assisting with the practiced ease of the movements. The tip of the blade pierced easily through the thick hide, and the wicked curve of her blade ensured there was plenty of internal damage inflicted. The blade exited out of the bottom side of the bear’s jaw in an explosion of gore and viscera as she sunk her blade in flesh all the way to the hilt. Iliya spat at the creature before jumping back in case it still had some fight left.

“Holy Mother of God,” Alexander said as he witnessed the destructive skill from beside Nathan’s side. He and the others had apparently already dealt with the wolves and now stood gawking at the smooth teamwork the two women exhibited.

Lilly was already moving, swinging her mace down on the creature’s head. As she landed blow after blow on the creature, Nathan realized they didn’t have much time left.

“Alexander, your harvesting skill!”

The man blinked at him before comprehension dawned on his face. The man quietly spoke Russian and a silver glow surrounded him as he stabbed the bear in the side with his spear. The spear didn’t penetrate, but the silver energy the weapon channelled flowed directly into the creature anyway.

As Lilly continued to hammer its head, the bear never disappeared even though life had obviously left its body. Alexander had successfully used his Monster Harvesting skill before it could pixelate.

“Hurry and help me,” the Russian man shouted at the crowd of players as he pulled his knife out of his waistband. “Only three minutes to harvest. You all want to finally eat some meat I think, no?”

His words had the desired effect on the ravenous players and they rushed forward. It soon became apparent that getting through the bear’s thick hide was a problem. Harrison and Alexander were the only two players with knives so there unfortunately weren’t many suitable tools for butchering.

Maya called out, “If you don’t have a blade, knock off its antlers or bust out its shark teeth. Maybe yank out its claws too.”

Nathan nodded at the wisdom. They needed to try and test every part. There was no telling what might be needed to forge a new fusion recipe.

Nathan wasn’t ashamed to admit he contributed little to the harvesting efforts other than supervising. Given his anxiety with blood, it wasn't something he’d ever be able to excel at nor would he want to. He was just glad there were plenty of others who seemed eager to do the task.

Iliya yanked her scimitar free from the bear’s neck and then began hacking at the thick hide on the flank of the creature with a gleeful expression. Her boosted strength made her cleaves frighteningly more powerful than her smaller muscular figure would even suggest. Blood splattered on her new dress as she worked and most of the players moved far away from her to the other sides of the creature. Nathan didn’t know what to make of her intense enthusiasm for the grisly task given her general apathy towards other things. He even wondered if he should be concerned. Then he chuckled when he remembered she was the player who was generally most passionate about finding more food. Even soiling her dress wouldn’t keep the woman away from having herself a bear steak.

Before it even seemed like three minutes passed, the bear began to glow, its body converting into glittering pixels. Then it vanished, leaving the ground depressed in an outline of where its great weight had lain.

Iliya held a large bloody chunk of bear flesh above her head in triumph. “Oh God yes!”

The players let out a collective cheer, as if their team had just won the World Cup and Iliya was hoisting the trophy for all to see. The only difference being this trophy was covered in blood and gore that was dripping down her arms. In literally any other circumstance, the bizarre sight would have felt right at home in a horror movie. Despite his aversion to the sight of badly hacked raw meat, Nathan had to admit he could feel himself being swept up in the exhilarating rush of their overwhelming victory.

Players clapped their hands on the backs of Asahi, Lilly, and Iliya, who were seen as the main heroes of the battle. Alexander’s harvesting skill earned him some praise as well even though he’d nearly let his wolf kill Johanna. The trio of Alexander, Gabriel, and Ava in particular were the most ecstatic about the one-sided victory. Nathan grimly supposed it was because one of their previous group’s players had died the first time they’d met a bear, so seeing one so easily defeated had to be vindicating on some level.

Nathan was glad for the high morale not only for how it would help their group’s psyche in general, but also in how it would make it easier for the other players to forgive and forget his own embarrassing fight with Harrison. Now that the adrenaline of battle was wearing off, the pain in Nathan’s face and nose was returning to him.

Nathan looked around, noticing every player had glowing wristbands, including himself. That was good, not only the players who did the fighting but also the players who contributed to the harvesting would receive participation credit. Nathan hadn’t really done either, but the nanites must’ve found his efforts in directing the battle plan sufficient to credit him.

He sat down and opened his interface to see how many NPs he’d receive. He didn’t expect any other rewards given they’d already fought these particular monsters before. He supposed Johanna would receive a skill, since she was the only player who hadn’t fought a tier 2 monster yet. If he remembered right, she’d even get to pick between two choices. He smiled as he remembered that was how he received his own Snare skill. Iliya would likely receive the Monster Harvesting skill as well since she was their only other Metal Prime.

He blinked in surprise when there was more than one message waiting for him.

[Your (13) participating group members have been awarded 1.5 NPs each for the defeat of three tier 1 monsters and one tier 2 monster.]

[Due to your continued efforts to lead a group of players, your leadership experience has reached a milestone. You have learned the Group Leader I skill.]

[Group Leader tab is unlocked.]

Nathan’s brain felt like it was electrocuted when the unexpected skill learning began. He was only slightly annoyed he hadn’t a proper chance to psyche himself up for the pain, but he supposed it didn’t make a difference given how awesome the reward sounded. Once the process was over, he hastily opened his character sheet to see the new skill description.

[Group Leader I: Requirements - Mental 120. (Apply one group leader status effect to up to six players including self. Range: 100 meters.) (Gain +1 Mental.)]

[Upgrade requirements for level II: 50 NPs, Mental 132.]

So he was officially recognized by the nanites as a group leader. The fact there was a hidden counter for leadership experience was fascinating. It hinted there could be other hidden stat figures as well. He supposed leading his team against the mini-boss at the Fire Obelisk had given him more experience than the other team leaders had been able to earn which was why he was the first to gain the skill.

He also noticed the skill boosted him up to 123 Mental which he had mixed feelings about. He hadn’t gotten used to being at 122 yet. Unlike the Physical stat changes, it was quickly becoming apparent that Mental stats required more adjustment time for him to become accustomed to their changes.

He briefly considered how the Group Leader skill was a Mental based skill, meaning it would be best employed by their highest Mental stat players. Nathan’s own Mental stat was currently only average among the players. Emma, Maya, Ava, and Asahi were their four highest players in the Mental department. Of the four, Asahi and Maya were the only two who had exhibited confidence as leaders. Maya was already a team leader, but the other group leaders like Alexander, Harrison, and Nathan wouldn’t be able to upgrade the skill as high as she potentially could.

While he supposed having a high Mental stat was required for the skill’s upgrade purposes, it wasn’t necessarily a great indicator for a person’s ability to actually lead. Being a leader took certain aspects of Mental that might not be reflected by just a high Mental average. As meek and quiet as Ava was, he couldn’t imagine the Scottish girl being an effective group leader, at least not as she currently acted. Maya’s personality was her polar opposite in almost every way.

He shook his head. He could spend all day worrying about his Mental stat and accomplish nothing. He pushed all such thoughts aside and selected the new Group Leader tab to read his options.

[Designated Group Members (1 / 6):]

*[Player D-1423 (Nickname: none)]

[Choose one of the following group leader status effects to set as active. The choice may only be changed once every full day and night cycle:]

*[8% boost to speed and acceleration.]

*[10% boost to reflexes.]

*[10% boost to physical defense.]

*[5% boost to all five elemental resistances.]

*[20% boost to debuff resistance.]

*[1.5x boost to natural recovery effects.]

*[8% boost to EP regeneration.]

*[15% boost to all NP gains.]

How was he supposed to choose between the eight incredible options? Not only would he receive the benefits, but five other players he designated would as well as long as they were within 100 meters of him.

The first five choices had direct combat applications, an immediate boost to his team’s power. He could already imagine how boosting his entire team’s speed could allow them to overwhelm the enemy before they had a chance. Asahi had just demonstrated how good speed could be. It was also a way that Primes could gain access to abilities normally counter to their affinity, such as Metal Primes gaining speed buffs which were normally only provided by Fire skills.

The last two options interested him even more than the combat skills, since they would provide a long term benefit of growth. They were still in phase one of three of the arena which meant they were very much in the early game. Increasing his EP regen rate would allow him to use his fusion skill more quickly to improve the entire camp’s weaponry. The other players without crafting skills would find it useful to be able to use combat skills more often too.

But the increased NP gains was his favorite choice. It held no immediate benefit like the EP regen bonus, but the extra NPs would allow the players to upgrade their skills quicker and purchase better weapons once they built the vendor. This would have a snowball effect, since the faster they gained NPs to become stronger, the easier it would be to stay in small groups to farm even more NPs separately from the main group. And unlike Maya’s Quick Study skill which only gave her extra NPs for non-combat rewards, this option would increase any type of NPs gained. It was the first time he’d been offered a chance to improve their farming capabilities and there was no way he was going to pass it up.

Since he had the ability to change his choice once a day, or possibly after every twenty-four hours, he felt more comfortable with his choice of the 15% extra NPs than he would’ve been otherwise. He could switch it over to a combat effect later, perhaps in phase two after they’d used it throughout phase one to maximize their NP rewards.

He selected the boosted NP gain option and it became highlighted. He toggled back over to his character sheet and found a new listing under his Status Effects called Group Leader: NP Boost.

Lilly and Iliya were obvious choices to join his group for the NP benefits, but who else? If he had to guess, players could only be a member of one group at a time. He needed to figure out if membership was permanent or not since it would drastically change how he approached adding players.

He glanced around at the others. Several players were already grilling the bear meat in the cooking pot with Alexander directing them. The way the gathered players were celebrating, it was as if they’d already been returned to Earth and were having a massive barbecue welcome party.

Maya sat to the side of the trail cross-legged, looking like she was meditating of all things. She didn’t look in his direction once, for which he was both disappointed and relieved.

He spotted Harrison dragging a massive log across the trail about halfway up the hill between the tent and the fire pits at the bottom. Nathan was surprised he was already working on the makeshift barricade instead of joining the others in the cooking revelry. For what little he thought of the man’s personality, he had to admit he was a hard worker. Harrison glanced at Nathan, but the man’s face remained neutral before looking away as he continued his work. Nathan supposed it was the best attitude he could expect for now given the freshness of the fight on their minds. He’d take indifference any day over outright hostility.

He soon found that both of his two teammates were in the process of learning a skill. Lilly had the Buildings skill still pending on her interface from before while Iliya was gaining Monster Harvesting.

The Kenyan woman was the first to finish and sit up. Nathan waved and caught her attention. Once he explained the gist of his new group skill, Lilly immediately agreed to officially become a member. The extra NP rewards were an attractive selling point.

They figured out they needed to touch wristbands together and it would give him an option to add her to his group. He confirmed the addition and her player ID appeared on his Group Leader tab. When he focused on the ID, he was given two different options. He could add a nickname, or remove her from his group. He blew out a sigh of relief that group membership would be flexible and not permanent. He was free to add anyone now.

Once Iliya finished her own skill learning, she eagerly agreed to join his group too. Ever since she learned NPs were like money for buying things from vendors, her reluctance about farming for them melted away. She also seemed eager for Nathan to get it over with so she could join the others cooking the meat.

He gave nicknames in his interface to each player, using their first names. Keeping track by only their player IDs seemed too impersonal, not to mention he didn’t want to memorize each player by a string of numbers.

After adding his current team, it left three spots open with a big question of who else to add. He decided to add others soon but not right at that moment. His team had already planned to do one more foraging trip that afternoon and he needed to add at least one more player to their team. The single bear steak wouldn’t be enough food for everyone and stomachs were mostly empty all around, including his own.

Getting away from the main group might be good for him personally too. His tension with Harrison was stress he didn’t need right then. Not to mention the awkwardness of needing to explain himself to Maya and Asahi who took the greatest offense to his ill-timed fight. He wasn’t looking forward to either conversation.

He decided they would leave as soon as Lilly purchased one of the buildings with her skill. It was better to leave sooner rather than later, given that the monster attacks were growing more dangerous by the hour. He calculated Lilly would regain enough EPs long before the next attack. Since her Buildings skill was Earth affinity, it would receive a 10% EP reduction thanks to her chieftain’s headdress making it only cost 27 EPs. The Stun skill she’d used in the previous battle also received the discount so her current EP total hadn’t taken as large of a hit as it would’ve otherwise.

He wouldn’t mind having a hat of his own if it would work similarly with Wood skills. His fusion skill was unfortunately on the expensive side.

Thinking of his fusion skill, he checked his EP counter to see he had 33. It was time to fuse his first weapon for 30 EPs. The beaver horn and leather strap were still being traded around between the players so he’d need to track it down. After glancing around and not seeing the components anywhere, he spotted Jackson walking out of the medical tent.

“Hey Jackson, do you know who has the beaver horn right now?”

The tall boy halted, pointing back inside the tent. “I just gave all the parts to Emma. She’s trying to teach Matias, I think. Don’t think she’s having much luck though.”

Jackson moved down the hill again with strong purpose, whether to go help Harrison build the barricade or to watch the players cook the bear meat, Nathan didn’t wait to see.

He entered through the tent flaps to find Emma sitting beside the shell shocked Peruvian man with a spear held between them. The man stared at the spear like it was a coiled viper. Zhang laid on the other cot, still unconscious and awaiting Emma’s EPs to reach 40 again.

The French healer glanced up. She visibly winced when she took in his battered face. “Nathan, your nose is clearly broken. Why haven’t you used First Aid on yourself?”

“I don’t have the EPs to spare.” When he saw her outstretching her hand towards him in response, he quickly added, “And neither do you. Please save them for Zhang since his condition is higher priority. I will live.”

“At least let me add the yellow flower root to your nose and face, your voice sounds awful. I could try realigning your nose as well.”

He almost accepted her offer before he had a sudden inspiration. “Wait, do you think if someone else were to set my nose, they might get the First Aid skill too?”

“Perhaps,” she said, her expression turning thoughtful. “At the least, they might get an NP reward. But would you really want them to? I don’t mean to sound rude, but I imagine they may do more harm than good. I only know the bare minimum myself.”

Nathan nodded. “I’m willing to be a guinea pig if it gets us another healer. Anyway, how’s it going with Matias?”

Emma glanced at the nearly catatonic player. “He is a Wood Prime so is eligible to learn the same fusion skill as you. I hoped that by gaining the additional +2 Mental stats from the skill, he would heal his mind as easily as the Physical stat gains heal our bodies. But unlike earlier when he cooperated in adding NPs to the building construction, now he seems completely unresponsive.”

Nathan briefly wondered if the man could hear what was being said about him. He didn’t seem to be listening, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t. Nathan would try to be as tactful as possible in his presence. “That is a good theory. Maybe the problem is the spear itself? Given the circumstances of his trauma, it could be a grim reminder of what happened to his group. He doesn’t look comfortable near it.”

Emma peered at the man and nodded. “Oui, I think you are right.” She spoke soothingly to the man as she slowly moved the spear away from him. Matias visibly relaxed even though his vacant expression remained the same.

She turned back to Nathan, “I will let him rest for now. The bonus recovery of the tent might help him enough to be able to attempt something similar later. After I use Advanced Healing on Zhang, I will also attempt my skill on Matias to see if it will help. I will test every possible method at my disposal until he is well.”

Nathan smiled, appreciating how lucky their group was to have someone deeply committed to the well-being of others. He carefully accepted the sharp beaver horn and leather strap from her and exited the tent. Once outside, he sat down to start the fusion process.

He was honestly unsure if he should fully assemble the spear or not before using his activated skill. He also had been noticing for a while that others could invoke their skills using a quieter voice than he had been using. He was becoming embarrassed everytime he had to shout at his patients when using First Aid on them. This would be a good chance to test two birds with one stone.

“Equipment Fusion,” he spoke calmly.

Nothing happened. He wasn’t sure if it was because the spear wasn’t already assembled, or because he tried to use a different tone when using the skill. Since he needed to be sure which aspect caused the failure, he raised his voice and shouted in his usual manner, “Equipment Fusion!” The three components remained where they lay and his EPs didn’t change. Several players from down the hill glanced at him but went back to their own business when they saw nothing attacking him.

He determined the spear needed to be fully assembled before using his new skill. He quickly wedged the spear tip into the hollow base of the beaver horn, and began expertly wrapping the leather strap around it as his survival skill had taught him.

Once the beaver horn spear was assembled in its vanilla form, he quietly said, “Equipment Fusion.” He was once again disappointed when it didn’t work. Even though others could use skills by talking in a calm manner, it seemed for him he actually did need to put more emphasis into speaking his skill activation. Whether it was an issue of his mindset or the nanites were just messing with him, it was hard to tell. He supposed all those years of watching anime had corrupted his expectations of how to use magic or skills. The nanites simply wouldn’t accept anything less than his most honest attempt to emulate what he’d seen, even if it was over the top.

He sighed. “Equipment Fusion!” he shouted as he held the spear out before him.

Energy from his core began to spiral and flow out into the weapon. The energy gave off a living sensation he’d come to recognize from the Wood element. The green glowing mist permeated out from the spear before a mild green flash made him blink. Then the spear subtly shifted. The crude wooden shaft of the spear became denser and more polished. The blotchy discoloration of the beaver horn disappeared, leaving a gleaming ivory finish. The wicked point and edge of the horn visibly sharpened, a feat he wouldn't have thought even possible. The leather strap binding it together fused and melded into the wood and horn, the entire construct becoming one seamless weapon.

He swung the improved spear in a practice form his weapon skill had taught him. He found the balance of the spear was good, much better than before. He opened up his glowing interface and checked his messages.

[You have fused a beaver horn spear: +32.5% modification (no additional effects or affinities gained).]

*[Component quality: -28%.]

*[Mental stat: +30.5%.]

*[Wilderness Survival II: +20%.]

*[Enemy Compendium (Horned Beaver): +10%.]

So he’d improved the assembled spear by 32.5% from its vanilla base components. Not a bad result given the component quality had lowered the fusion improvement by 28%. He’d need to use a better pole than the goblin spears or find a better binding material to achieve a better result. The fact Wilderness Survival and the use of his Enemy Analysis skill on the beavers had given modifiers was an unexpected bonus. It meant future discoverable skills could potentially synergize with his crafting too. The only downside about the revelation was his new obligation to use Enemy Analysis on everything. It was just one more way his EPs would be spread thin.

He glanced down towards the fire pit as players clamored excitedly around the cooked bear meat. Alexander was attempting to cut it into pieces with his knife to share among the players, and kept shouting at the players to back up and give him space. Iliya looked like she was willing to climb over his back to get at the steak.

Nathan walked down the hill, carrying his improved spear with him. He easily hurdled the log that was serving as the base of their new barricade, and soon joined the crowd. Alexander refused to hand any meat out until he finished cutting it into fifteen shares, one for each player including the two patients in the medical tent.

Once he finished cutting the meat, Alexander said, “The first piece is for Iliya. Both because she was the one to remove the steak from the bear, and because it will hopefully get her off my back.” The players laughed, while Iliya was already too busy scarfing the meat down to respond.

Nathan accepted his piece when it was his turn. It was about four bites worth. As amazing as it tasted, it was disappointingly too little to satisfy his hunger. The small amount was a tease, but he didn’t complain about it. He was just grateful he had anything at all to put in his belly.

The only player who refused her piece was Maya, which drew shocked glances from the others. She gave hers to Iliya, who didn’t even bother to pretend to be polite by refusing first before ravenously consuming it.

As Maya walked away from the group, he thought it might be his best opportunity to talk with her about his fight with Harrison before she got involved in something else. Of course, he didn’t want to start the conversation abruptly so asked her something else first. “Hey Maya, if you don’t mind me asking, why didn’t you want your share? You have to be as hungry as the rest of us.”

She glanced at him, taking a moment to study his swollen face before answering. Her tone was light and conversational, for which he was relieved. “Oh that, it’s because I’ve never eaten meat before. I’m afraid if I eat an alien bear today, my digestive system won’t know how to handle it. I would rather go hungry than become sick, although if I get hungry enough I might risk it later anyway.”

“Never eaten meat before?” Nathan asked. He had trouble wrapping his mind around it.

She smiled at his expression. “Of course. While some hindus eat meat like chicken, pork, or lamb, my family hasn’t eaten meat going back for as many generations as we know about. The only exception for my family is fish and shellfish meat, which is why I have no problem eating the crawfish. I personally don’t attribute any religious significance to any of it one way or the other, it was just how I was raised. You could say I’m ethnically hindu, as opposed to religiously. But that doesn’t change the fact if I were to eat bear meat today, it might make me violently ill.”

Nathan nodded, finding the information interesting. But it wasn’t what he was building his courage to talk about. They were both walking up the hill, and had gotten out of hearing range of the other feasting players. “I wanted to explain myself about the fight with Harrison. Lilly may have oversimplified, possibly even misinterpreted, what happened.”

Maya arched an eyebrow. “You and Harrison could’ve gotten someone killed, and not just yourselves. I’m all ears if you somehow have an acceptable excuse for that.”

Nathan winced at how easily Maya cut to the heart of the issue. “Not really. I know it was a mistake. I just got so angry at how he was treating Iliya. She’d told me moments before how she was…” He trailed off as he realized he was about to mention her daily abuse back on Earth. He knew the Bulgarian woman had placed her trust in Nathan and Lilly when she’d confided about it, so it wasn’t his place to share. Instead he said, “She told us something deeply personal about her past so that when I heard Harrison talking about her in such a belittling way, it boiled my blood. I had to stand up to him. These Mental stat changes are disorienting, and mixed with my anger and the amount of violence I’m being exposed to here, things just got out of hand before I knew it. I promise it won’t happen again, at least for my part. I can’t speak for Harrison.”

She nodded, frowning slightly as she listened. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, let’s just forget about it. Holding grudges is a luxury we can afford in our old world, not this one. If you can’t control your urge to confront another player, at least pick your timing better. Not minutes before a monster attack.”

Nathan blew out a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

She began laughing for some reason.

“What’s so funny?”

“Your voice, you sound silly even though your words are serious.”

Nathan chuckled. He decided right then to see if Maya wanted to try learning First Aid. Her team didn’t have a single player with the skill and her high Mental would make her one of the best candidates for it. Not to mention her Improved Heart skill increased her EP regeneration rate which would allow her to make the best use of a healing skill.

“Want to set my nose?” he offered.

Maya’s expression mirrored her thought process as she considered the implications. Her eyes went wide at her conclusion before she smiled gleefully. “Yes I would.”

Nathan removed the yellow flower root from his pocket and tossed it to her. “You should mash this yourself so the nanites give you a hundred percent credit for the action. It should increase your chances of gaining the skill.”

She grabbed a random rock, notably not Mr. Rock, and began turning the root into a paste.

He then had another idea. “Wait, you might want to join my group for the bonus NPs before you do all this work.”

She paused with the rock in mid-air. “What bonus NPs? Tell me everything.”

He read his Group Leader skill description out loud and showed her his new interface tab with his options. Maya’s envious expression proved deeply satisfying.

“That’s brilliant. I’d probably have gone with the EP regeneration choice myself.”

“That’s because you already have Quick Study II giving you bonus NPs. In fact, the NP bonus would likely stack with your skill making it even a better choice for you.”

“That’s true. But the EP regeneration boost will stack with my Improved Heart skill too.”

He chuckled. “Man, your skills are just not fair.”

She laughed. “I know.”

“Anyway, do you want to join my group before you set my nose for the NP bonus? I can drop you off the group right after.”

She took a moment to consider before shaking her head no. He had a moment of surprise before she knowingly smiled and explained. “Being in your group might mess up my own hidden leadership experience.”

“I’ve already checked, I can remove group members at any time so you should be good to earn more experience as soon as you leave,” he assured.

“I worry that my leadership counter might be wiped entirely if I join another group, even briefly. We didn’t even know the mechanic existed fifteen minutes ago so who’s to say how it works? I’m not sure I want to take that risk for an extra half of an NP at best. I likely have the second most experience after you if I were to guess.”

He nodded. He might be hesitant experimenting in her place too. He supposed it was her choice whether to take that gamble or not. “Fair enough," he conceded.

Maya finished making the pain relieving paste so she applied it to his entire face, generously smearing it around his nose. The soothing effect of the root was almost instantaneous.

She then gently gripped his nose. “I’ve never done this before so it might hurt.” Then she squeezed as she firmed up her hold.

Before he had a chance to advise caution, he heard a crack as blindingly intense pain caused him to cry out. The constant exposure to torture had improved his pain threshold considerably or else his reaction might’ve been a lot less dignified.

A few moments later, he recovered his breath and gingerly touched his nose. It hurt worse than before, but he no longer felt the constant sense of wrongness. He wasn’t sure if she’d done it correctly or if he’d have long term problems from it, but he could breathe better. He smiled in relief. He’d need to use First Aid on himself at some point to ensure there was no permanent damage from the amateur procedure, but he had other priorities for his EPs for the immediate future.

“You sure you’ve never done that before?” he asked her jokingly.

“Never,” she confirmed with a grin. “Bet you couldn’t even tell.” She looked down at her wrist seeing a new glow emanating from it. Her grin widened. “Thanks, Nathan. I know you could’ve given someone else the opportunity instead.”

“No worries,” he said. “I thought your team needed to have someone with First Aid too. Anyway, want to go ahead and see if you got the skill?”

“I will check in a few moments,” she said. She pointed at his spear. “I’d like to check out your fused weapon first before I’m knocked out.”

He proudly held out the product of his fusion skill. “A 32.5% beneficial modification.”

She accepted it, her expression intense as she studied it. She then test swung it through the air and her excitement grew. She smirked as she looked back at him, “Promise me you’ll make the next one for me and all will be forgiven for your fighting.”

He laughed. “Didn’t you already say ‘let’s just forget about it?’”

She grinned. “I don’t recall saying anything like that.”

He chuckled. “What about the players who are actually harvesting the monster parts? Not that we’ve even discussed it, but Alexander has more claim on my next fusion than anyone.”

“He’s a Metal Prime. He can barely even use a spear,” she reasoned. He could tell by her mischievous grin she was making her case more for fun than being serious.

“That doesn’t change the fact he still has to use one,” he countered, enjoying that they could still banter with each other.

She adopted an exaggerated contemplative expression before saying, “How about this, if I can negotiate a fair trade with Alexander, perhaps giving him rights to the next sword or loot I acquire, and he agrees, then will you fuse me a spear?”

He smiled. “Assuming Alexander agrees, then it’s a deal.”

They shook hands. He hoped she wouldn’t notice how sweaty his hand was, but then he had to laugh when he realized her hand was even more grimy than his.

He found it oddly symbolic of their life now. He looked forward to the day when clean hands were the daily norm again. Though he supposed they would need to get them much dirtier before that day would ever come.

As they finished shaking, he glanced at the back of his hand, noticing the blood still caked on his knuckles from his fight with Harrison. He thought about the promise he’d just made about fighting. If unclean hands were to be a given, he’d just have to make sure they were only dirtied by his enemies, never by his allies again. He just had to hope his allies would always feel the same way.