Chapter 20: Group Feedback in the Sharing Circle (Patreon)

I found the group exactly where I had left them, which made sense. It was a flat, open space that gave them a clear view in all directions so that nothing could sneak up on them. The only difference was that all of them were sitting down except for Elijah, who was kneeling over what looked like a half-built firepit.

Hemi saw me first and got up to meet me halfway with Hugo still cradled in his enormous hands.

“He’s still breathing,” he said, just as I went into my inventory and dropped a six-foot dead eagle corpse at our feet.

Carefully he transferred Hugo over to me and I placed him on top of the eagle’s body, next to an open wound. Soaking him in the blood would have been faster, but he’d nearly choked before and this time I was worried that the shock of it might finish him off.

The rest of the group watched from a distance as Hugo’s body slowly absorbed the blood’s power. They eyed me too, fascinated by how quickly I had healed from my injuries. I ignored them and stared at Hugo, praying that it would work.

After several minutes, Hugo opened his eyes. He glanced down at the eagle’s body and then looked me dead in the eye and said, “I totally softened him up for you.”

I folded my arms. “You did not,” I said. “You almost got yourself killed.”

“I bravely roused it out of hiding in the skies while you poor land-locked folk hid below.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Oh really? So you got points when the eagle died then for contributing?”

“I… uhh…”

“How about next time you bravely rouse yourself away from the fighting?”

Hugo reluctantly agreed, and I went into party chat to tell him that we would be leaving the group soon.

[Lucas Hudson: Don’t freak out or say anything out loud but we’re leaving the party.]

[Hugo: But they’re setting up camp? They’re getting a fire going and everything. Shouldn’t we wait till the morning?]

[Lucas Hudson: Nah, I passed a silver elevator on my way running back with the eagle’s body. We can sleep indoors tonight.]

[Hugo: What about them? Isn’t it wrong to not invite them too?]

[Lucas Hudson: We’ve only known them a short while. I’m not looking for four extra roommates right now. Besides, I was always planning on leaving the group. At least for now. We can always rejoin later.]

He sighed. [Hugo: Fine. But I’m taking the bed.]

I snorted. [Lucas Hudson: Yeah? You and what army?]

Hugo didn’t respond and instead got up and flew up around the makeshift camp. I understood the impulse. Every time I felt the blood heal me, all I wanted to do afterwards was move around and appreciate what I’d gotten back.

The group looked up when I joined them, except for Sebastian, who had decided Elijah had been too slow in getting the fire going and had taken over.

“Hugo’s going to be alright,” I told them.

They all looked relieved, but Rebecca could sense that I had more to say. “Is there anything I could do to convince you?” she asked.

I shook my head. “We’re going to go hunt on our own for a bit. But we’ll swing back to this area later on incase you guys need more help.”

Hemi frowned. “But it’s almost dark. Surely, we’re better off staying as a group?”

“If he wants to go, let him go,” said Sebastian, who was rubbing two sticks together to try and start a fire.

“Why now?” Elijah asked me.

“Because you guys need to get stronger yourselves and you need better situational awareness,” I replied honestly.

Sebastian threw the sticks down and rolled his eyes. “Spare me the superiority. Just because you’re a few levels higher than the rest of us doesn’t make you better.”

“You wanna know how I got those levels?” I asked, addressing the whole group. “By being smart. I didn’t try to solo a boar that was five levels higher than myself for my first fight. Nor did I try to take on a giant swarm with brute strength, or hide here to let someone else do the work of picking off a wounded creature. It’s like you guys don’t know when to run and when to fight. You’re doing it all backwards.”

“We’re trying,” said Rebecca. “But this isn’t easy for us. Yesterday, Sebastian and I were stockbrokers, sitting in our offices before we blacked out and woke up in this forest. I have no idea what’s happened to my husband or the rest of my family. Why do you think Stephanie freaked out earlier and ran? She’s got three kids and almost had a complete breakdown when the System gave the orientation. She kept telling herself that they must have been brought here too. But we both know that they’re probably dead, just like her.”

Rebecca spared a glance for Stephanie’s body, that lay thirty feet away.

“We were going to bury her,” she said. “But we’re exhausted and we barely have the energy to get a fire going. The only reason we haven’t just rolled her body into the forest is that we don’t want to attract more predators. Look, we might be the last humans left on Earth. If there was ever a time to band together, it’s now.”

I suppressed a groan. God damn it, she’s good. “Alright, I will stay with the party on two conditions,” I said. “The first is that there will be times when I hunt alone and times when you should do the same. If you fall too far behind in levels, then I’m gone because I can’t afford to babysit any of you.”

“And the other condition?” asked Rebecca.

I pointed at Sebastian. “I’m sick of his shit. If he genuinely acknowledges that I saved his life with the boar and apologizes to me, then I’ll stay.”

I’d also changed my mind about taking them to floor 100 too. I can’t just leave them out in the cold if we’re going to be a real group. Convincing them to come with me to the silver elevator where warm indoor beds await probably won’t be hard either. I’ll keep that part to myself for now though. I’m not looking to buy their loyalty anymore than my higher level already is.

Sebastian got up with his axe in hand. “Yeah well, I’m sick of your high and mighty attitude. Maybe you should go.”

The others all looked at him.

“What?” he asked.

“Dude, seriously?” asked Hemi. “He’s been helping us. If it's between him or you staying, then I choose him.”

“Seconded,” said Elijah.

“Enough!” snapped Rebecca. “Nobodies voting anybody out. Sebastian, pull your head out of your ass and apologize.”

Sebastian was about to retort when Hugo said, “arise!”

We all turned and watched in shock as a ghostly version of Stephanie peeled off from her body and stood up. Unlike with the goblin, her weapons from before carried over as she held a version of her bow with a quiver full of arrows on her back. As with Norris, there was also a blank look on her face that suggested she wasn’t really there. I had to believe that it wasn’t really her. That it wasn’t her soul or spirit but instead some facsimile created by the System.

Hugo cackled. “Hahaha! Twilight Conjuring is the best. It buffed my power and now I can hold two souls within me. My ghost army has now doubled in size. All who sought to doubt me must now tremble before my might!”

The group's jaws hung open, and even Sebastian looked shocked. Hemi approached the ghost first.

“Stephanie? Can you hear me?” he asked, trying to get through to her.

“It’s not really her,” I said, trying to salvage the situation. “It’s just a ghost based on her likeness.”

“What did you do?” Rebecca asked, moving threateningly towards Hugo who was more confused than anything.

“It’s part of my power,” Hugo said. “I can take the spirits of the dead and command them. Why? What’s the big deal?”

“That was our friend,” said Elijah quietly.

Hugo looked down at Stephanie’s body. “Oh.” Then there was a pause before he said, “but isn’t it kind of wasteful? I mean this way, the group still has an archer, right?”

Elijah exploded. “What did you just say?!” As he took a step forward towards the crow, ghost Stephanie took out an arrow and drew her bow, pointing it at Elijah.

“Everybody, let’s just calm down,” I said.

“Can’t you just put her back how she was?” asked Hemi desperately.

“It doesn’t work like that,” said Hugo, still not fully grasping how upset they were.

Sebastian was about ready to throw his axe at the bird, and Rebecca and Elijah looked like they might soon follow him. I went into the System menu and left the party. All of them got a notification saying as much, which gave them pause.

“Hugo and I are leaving,” I said. “Nobody try to stop or follow us.”

Hugo left the party a second later and flew up onto my shoulder. No one said anything as we retreated into the dark forest with ghost Stephanie at the rear, walking backwards with her bow still nocked but pointed at the ground. I couldn’t tell if she was on auto-pilot with a simple command or if Hugo was literally watching the group through her eyes. Either way, they remained where they were as we disappeared deeper into the forest.