While it was not so much closer to Fortress, the river did run deep this far out. Swimming along with the current, unlike on land the water was teeming with life. Though, it was only one kind of life given the schools of identical fish she saw as she went. If not for the circumstances, she would have wondered why that was the case. It was idle thought though, for right now all she was focusing on was fleeing.

  Unlike on land, her speed in the water was fast. While a little weighed down thanks to her armor getting soaked, her STR allowed her to push through the water in a swift, if not rough manner. Occasionally she breached the surface and stopped to look back at where things had gone wrong, though there was no sign of it now. Having lost track of how long she had been swimming for, the Giant Spiders had given up their pursuit a while ago. But, given how Maul and Kaelen were still swimming in the distance, they either did not know or wanted to be sure of safety before making landfall.

  I should have used Scan on it when I first noticed it. If I had, then I could have said something sooner. And then Jackie and Calen wouldn’t be… God, what is going to happen to them? That spider wrapped Jackie up in silk, are they going to be taken back to their nest and eaten. I could have stopped this; I should have not let it happen. So now… now I need to save them. It won’t be easy, and I can’t do it alone. But we can’t just let them suffer.

  It was a good thing she was submerged in water, as her eyes stung with tears as she goes. She doesn’t know a rescue will be made, but she will take part in it. Even if it meant degrading herself to get assistance, she would do it to save Jackie and Calen. After a while of swimming, Maul and then Kaelen head to one of the banks of the river and begin to surface. She follows shortly afterwards, panting as she finally makes land. The warm air feels nice compared to the colder water, though the weight of her soaked armor is uncomfortable.

  “Good we’ve finally lost them. I was worried they were going to follow us all the way back to Fortress.”

  Maul breaks the tension, his voice calmer than the situation calls for. There is some frustration in his eyes as he looks back towards where they had been fighting, but he otherwise remains stoic. Kaelen is less so, a mixture of anger and sorrow. Letting out a shuddering gasp as if one is holding back tears, he speaks up as well.

  “What was that other spider there? It was organizing them, and I saw it spit something at Jackie before it began to wrap her up. Not to mention whatever it did to the other spiders as well.”

  Maul doesn’t answer that question, and from the look on his face it is obvious that he doesn’t know either. That is a relief in its own way, since it tells her this was not something he could have warned them about. Taking a breath of her own, she gestures in the direction of the battle.

  “Whatever that thing was, we will need to fight it. It, and all the other spiders since it probably captured Calen and Jackie. Maul, if we bring this up to Fortress do you think he can—”

  “No, no we can’t tell Fortress about this. Not only would he not mount a rescue, but we may face punishment as well. This… what we are doing is not something that I have heard anybody doing before. So, he may make an example of us for anybody who plans to do so in the future.”

  Aura’s suggestion is cut down quickly, a bit of panic in Maul’s voice as he does so. And as much as she wants to scream in protest and argue against it, he has a point. Fortress more than anybody likely runs things based on strength. If Calen was to be believed, he was level twenty and that probably made him the strongest around. Getting into that mindset, she cannot help but scowl as she realizes he probably would not have any sympathy for anybody who lost and was captured.

  “We have to do something though. I refuse to allow them to be spider food.”

  Gritting her teeth, Aura allows her resolve to fill her words as she locks eyes with Maul and Kaelen. While the former shifts somewhat uncomfortably, the latter returns a determined nod.

  “I can track them down, back to their nest. And now that we know that they won’t go into the river, we could use it to travel around them without direct confrontation. Are we doing this tonight or?”

  The question gives her pause, and she very much considers saying yes. But between her body’s aches from the fight, the exhaustion for swimming so long, and the mental fatigue of everything she knows that would be foolish. Delaying this could be a matter of life or death, but if they went as they were death would be the only outcome.

  “No, not tonight. Tomorrow though, we set out and rescue Calen and Jackie.”

  Maul doesn’t respond, already looking away and towards the direction of Fortress. They may have lost his aid here, but that could be fine. It might be for the best if as few people as possible went to do this. Kaelen, meanwhile, stands tall and has a more confident look on his face than she has seen before. The two of them are resolute in their plan for tomorrow, no matter how difficult it will be.

  After that, nothing more is said as they all begin the march back to Fortress. It is uncomfortable to do so in soaking wet clothes, but stopping to change doesn’t cross any of their minds. No conversation is made as they go, each of them stewing in their defeat and planning what comes next. At some point, Aura finally opens the notifications to see what it has to say.

  The wording of the quest being “Survive” causes a pit of unease to form in Aura’s stomach. It doesn’t bode well for what the spiders may be doing with those they have captured. Even then though, her resolve to save them the next day stands firm.

  After a while, Fortress begins to come into view. However, with it coming into view so too do silhouettes standing by the barracks. The buildings shadow them too much to make them identifiable, but as their own group grows closer one of the silhouettes steps forwards. The three of them freeze as Fortress himself walks into the moonlight. Not donned in armor, instead he wears clothing that seems to be of a higher quality than what the peasants wear. But it tightly hugs his large, muscled body. He crosses his arms, not saying anything or making any moves to go closer. He is waiting just as a parent might when catching their child having snuck out at night.

  Maul eventually gathers his courage and steps forwards first, trying to keep his head held high as he does so. Aura and Kaelen fall into step beside him quickly enough, and Fortress’s expression flickers slightly.

  “Three of you. I was told that you were leading five of you on this little hunt Maul.”

  Voice deep and rumbling, he is speaking loud enough for those still by the barracks to hear. This much closer, the other members of Fortress’s group are visible. Wearing neutral expressions and armed, for the briefest moment a flicker of hope rises inside of Aura. Maybe, just maybe, they will be willing to save the others.

  “T-There were five of us Fortress, sir. However, something went wrong with our hunt. There was another spider out there, one who could spit stuff and organize the others.”

  For now, it was best to keep quiet. Fortress clearly thought Maul had been responsible for this, and she had no intentions to correct him. Not to shift the blame, but more out of protection for the other players. She did not want Violet, Ryse, or Taryn to be drawn into this mess. And had no doubt that Orrin and his group would deny and possibly even throw others under the bus.

  “Hmm, sounds like an evolved form of a Giant Spider. Those kinds of monsters are generally a last line of defense before the head of a colony. Though, I imagine that it was sent out after your previous night hunt cut down on the monster’s food supply.”

  While the information was good to know, Aura inhales sharply at the slight revelation. Somehow, Fortress knew about their other trip out of the settlement. It made sense, given he was waiting here right now, but it begged the question of how.

  “I see… We would have all made it back here with no issues had that monster not been there. As you said, we did go out once before and wiped them all out. It was all so that we could grow strong enough to go on the extermination hunt that normally happens. But because of the, evolved, Giant Spider we lost two of our members.”

  There is a brief pause before Fortress begins to chuckle. His chuckle is echoed by the members of his own squad in the darkness, and Aura cannot tell if that is a good thing or not. A chill runs up her spine at the sound, and a glance towards Kaelen lets her see that he looks uncomfortable as well. At the same time though, with the noise being made a part of her sees an opportunity here as well. Looking towards Fortress, she mutters softly under her breath.

  “Scan.”

  The result that appears above his head causes her to take another sharp intake of breath. 1245 is the number and is mind boggling to say the least. Given what she knows of how maximum HP is gained in this world, and his level being twenty, it is easy enough to deduce that his VIT must be past one hundred at least. Her mind is a bit to panicked to figure out an exact number, but this alone is both intimidating and hope inspiring.

  “That you survived both a swarm of normal monsters and a single evolved one is good. The fact that you were not strong enough to face them and emerge victorious is something that you can improve on. If you continue to grow with this head start, I will pick you to go on the extermination hunt son.”

  While Fortress’ voice has pride in it, the nervous smile on Maul’s face doesn’t speak of relief. More than anything, the comment on him not being strong is what is bothering him. Other than that, there is no acknowledgement of the fact that they had lost two others. Before she brings it up, Kaelen raises his chin and speaks.

  “Fortress, sir. As Maul said we did lose two of our members. We saw one of them being carried away, so it is possible they could still be saved.”

  As he speaks though, the jovial attitude quickly vanishes from Fortress. Instead, he gives both Kaelen and her a hard look. While it causes a bit of nervousness to fill her, she instead stands tall as well to try and show she is not being intimidated.

  “You two… you two are at least members of Maul’s squad. However, if what I was told is correct one of them was a woman from another squad and the final person was a random person. They both came from your settlement as well since you all knew each other. There is no saving them boy. If they were not strong enough to get away, then they shouldn’t have been out there in the first place.”

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  The cold words cause a ringing to be heard in Aura’s ears. Her confident expression turns to shock for a moment, before something else bubbles up. Anger and frustration that she had been pushing back begins to surface as a scowl grows on her face and she speaks up.

  “There is saving them though. All your men ar—!”

  Her words are cut off as Fortress’ hand shoots out. She sees it happen but is too slow to stop him from wrapping a hand around her mouth and nose. His grip is tight, and he begins to effortlessly lift her in the air. Her breathing is stifled thanks to how he is holding her, a heavy musky odor filling her nose. While surprised, she is stunned only for a moment before she reaches up and tries to wrest his hand off her face. If the question of what his VIT had came before due to his high HP, now the question of his STR comes up. As despite all her efforts, she cannot even loosen his grip slightly.

  “I’ve been wondering why it was you had been keeping quiet. I could tell when you came up to get assigned a roll, on Awakening Day, that you had a fire inside of you. And I heard about how you fought hard on your first hunt as well. Unlike so many of the other women in this place, you wanted to be strong. I can honestly respect that and do wish that more women would at least put an effort in rather than just give up and let the rest of their squads do the heavy lifting.”

  His grip tightens then, and despite her struggles Aura cannot help the whimper of pain from the action. While firm, his grip is not actually causing her any damage. What it is doing however, is causing her to slowly suffocate. Unlike when she was swimming where she found she could hold her breath for a while, the panic and struggle she is putting up is stealing it faster. Still, she doesn’t give up, nor does she stop looking at Fortress with a glare.

  “However, then I heard of how you beat Maul there in a spar. While it is true that you proved yourself stronger than him, you also hurt his reputation. And, as a result, my own as well. After all, unlike the others in this place I raised Maul for some years. I taught him enough to set him up to become a leader among those who Awaken around the same time as him. And then you came around and undermined my plans.”

  Even if his voice did not grow colder, Aura could see the fire of anger burning in Fortress’s eyes as he spoke. Barely over the sound of blood pounding in her ears, she could hear someone shifting behind her where Maul and Kaelen stood. Thinking was starting to become difficult as spots filled her vision. She knew she was going to pass out at this rate but still did not stop struggling.

  “Still struggling despite it all huh? You are a stubborn one, and that is something that will need fixing. Maul! I expect you … hunt. Your squad… her. Otherwise… personally.”

  Her hearing began to fade from lack of oxygen, and her vision swimming she doesn’t know what else is being said or who is saying it. Her limbs are growing heavy and numb, as well as the vague feeling something grip her chest firmly. But it is faint, and soon her arms fall limp to her sides from where she tried to force Fortress off her face. Then, everything goes black.

  Eyes flutter and take in a dark environment. Her body is heavy and cold, but Aura cannot find it in herself to move. Through the sound of blood pounding in her ears, there is the sound of muffled talking. The words are incoherent, or was it her hearing? While her breathing is regular now, the exhaustion she had been holding back fully hits.

  “Wha...”

  Muttering some words, the cold is soon replaced by a warmth as something covers her body. Briefly, she sees two familiar faces that she cannot quite place before her eyes flutter closed once more. This time, rather than passing out the bliss of sleep takes her exhausted self.

  It is the sound of many other people speaking that proves to be enough to stir Aura from her sleep. Groaning slightly in her bedroll, she sits up and the slightly cooler air of the room hits her body. Shortly after, the voices grow silent while she rubs the sleep from her eyes.

  “Finally!”

  “It’s about time.”

  “Damn those are nice.”

  As the speaking grows louder, and Aura finishes wiping the sleep from her eyes, her vision becomes solid. The men in her squad have stopped what they are doing and are looking at her. The sleep is still fogging her mind a little, and her gaze roams over them. Eventually it lands on Kaelen who is silently gesturing as if to pull something over his chest. Looking down slightly, Aura’s eyes go wide and her face goes red. Over the course of the night, someone had stripped off her padded armor top. And as a result, her full breasts are on display for the men in her squad.

  Gritting her teeth, she quickly brings an arm over her chest for some covering, but the damage is done. Everyone but Kaelen and Maul are in high spirits at the surprise show, gritting her teeth she brings up her other hand to quickly navigate to her inventory. It is as she does so that she realizes that it is not only her top that has been taken off, but her bottoms as well.

  Thank God I didn’t spring awake. But who… Fortress. He has to be the one responsible for all of this. I don’t know if he personally did it or not. But after everything that happened last night, it just confirms that I need to get out of this place. Calen and Jackie need rescuing, then we all need to get enough supplies to get out of here.

  Pulling the cotton tunic and breeches she woke up in this world out; she dips back under the covers of her bedroll struggle to get dressed. As she does so, the muffled voice of Maul sounds, followed by some complaining from the other men. On getting dressed a revelation is had, while her chest is exposed her torso is not completely bare. Strips of cloth are on her sides and stomach, and after a quick glance at her health shows that she is at full. Whoever had stripped her likely treated her as well.

  Once dressed though, she emerges from her bedroll with a red face. Some of the men are standing at the entrance to the room and look a little disappointed that she is dressed. Only Kaelen is in the room with her, a guilty look on his face. Taking a breath to calm herself, she approaches him with as neutral a look as she can.

  “Kaelen, do you mind explaining why that just happened?”

  While she tries to keep her voice calm, there is some bite to her words. Kaelen flinches a little bit, rubbing the back of his neck and not looking at her as he answers.

  “I… I hoped to wake up before you so that it wouldn’t happen Aura, I swear. But last night, after… after Fortress knocked you out, he pulled Maul aside. I don’t know what he said, but after that Maul insisted on bringing you in and stripping you down. I wanted to protest, but Fortress was standing there with his men, watching. We really didn’t have much of a choice, given what he did to you. Maul is the one who has your equipment.”

  Listening to the explanation, Aura isn’t angry at Kaelen. He was just going along with things and probably would have been knocked out as well if he had not. Reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder, he flinches a bit before she speaks.

  “It’s alright. You were planning on saving me the embarrassment, I guess I just woke up before you could. As for stripping me… I’m more pissed at Fortress than you or Maul. Though, I will be speaking with him to get my stuff back. Take it easy today though, I want to go and save Calen and Jackie tonight.”

  Giving her best reassuring look, her words are spoken with resolution to them. Even with Fortress saying he would not be mounting a rescue, or at least implying it with his actions, she was determined to go and save the others. Her words seem to work with Kaelen though, a relieved smile growing on his face as he gives her a nod. Letting go of his shoulder, the two of them leave the bedroom to the main hall. The other squads are already there, and Jackie’s seems somewhat confused by her absence. But the way her own squad is talking and sending looks her way, talk of what happened will spread. Briefly, she catches the looks on the other two female Soldiers still here. They have not talked or anything, but there are pitying looks being sent her way.

  Her main target though, is Maul. Seeing him seated at the table, she marches over to him with a stern look. Some of the other Soldiers go quiet as she does so, clearly expecting something to happen. Rather than give a show though, she jerks her head towards the door leading outside before beginning to head that way. Maul is quick to follow, and she briefly catches the glare he sends everyone else as he does so.

  The crisp air of the morning helps to cool down Aura’s temper a bit more, and she spots the Runners making their way to the barracks with food. Luckily, Maul steps out soon enough and the two of them go around the corner of the building for some privacy.

  “I spoke with Kaelen already, and he told me that the two of you are responsible for my lack of clothing this morning. He also said that Fortress spoke with you privately and watched you do it. Mind explaining why?”

  The whirl of emotions was a little difficult to keep in check, though Aura kept mentally telling herself that it was because of Fortress that she had been in that situation. Watching Maul though, his eyes drift over her body. While there is some regret in his expression, it is mixed in with other things that are hard to read. Rather than say anything right away either, he raises a hand and accesses his inventory. Soon enough, her equipment starts to appear in hand.

  “Fortress… was not happy that you spoke to him so willfully. He wanted to teach you some humility and had Kaelen and me strip you so that the squad could see you come morning. He was satisfied after we did so and left but warned me that I need to get you in line… or else.”

  Hearing the reason for her humiliation was not that surprising, but she still inhales sharply at it. What is more worrying though is the implication of what might happen soon if she continued to act this way. Even more of a reason for her to begin preparing an exit. Taking her equipment with a nod, the mention of healing her was not brought up. Kaelen had not said anything either, but she is not about to bring it up right now.

  “Well, I have no intention of finding out what this ‘or else’ of his is. If it will cause less trouble for everyone, then after we rescue Calen and Jackie I will… change my attitude. I won’t give him a reason to do something like this again.”

  Being ambiguous about her plans for escape, a look of surprise flashes across on Maul’s face at her mentioned intentions to rescue the others. He looks like he is grappling with something for a minute, before finally speaking.

  “That… that is something I can’t help you with. Fortress was glad that I have grown stronger because of what we did, but he warned me. Said that what we’ve done may have stirred up the monsters, and that they would be more aggressive. He said that if you intend to do this, that I should make the right choice and stop you.”

  That was a little surprising to hear, and made her wonder if Fortress had some concern for his son. Whatever dynamic they had was a complicated one for sure, but even with the warning Aura would not be deterred. Giving a sad, but firm, smile to Maul, she shakes her head.

  “Thank you for the warning, but I am going. If you try to stop me from doing so, I guess we will be fighting. Unlike last time though I will use my magic, and you’ve seen how devastating it can be. I was not going to ask you to come either but consider this for a bit. Strength is what matters in Fortress, I know that well enough. Your father is the strongest person here, but does that mean you should not get stronger? He sits in his home all day while you have been out there fighting. Is he telling you to not join me because he worries about you? Or because he worries that you may one day grow stronger than him?”

  After that, without another word or look she turns away from Maul to head back to the barracks. There is thick tension in the air as she does so, and for a moment she is worried that he will take advantage of this. Her back is to him, and she outright stated that she was going to go against his fathers’ orders. Now, more than ever, would be a time to start doing what he said and bringing her in line. The tension passes though, and she turns the corner without anything happening.

  Shortly after doing so however, she comes face to face with Violet. A tired and worried expression is on their face, and her gaze flickers over Aura’s shoulder to where she had walked with Maul. Without waiting to see if he was going to come around though the distance is crossed and Aura finds herself being hugged.

  “Aura, what happened? I noticed Jackie wasn’t in the hall. And when I went by earlier for some of my duties Calen wasn’t there either.”

  While there is some panic in Violet’s tone, they are not trembling. And given the soft circles being made on her own back, it is clear that Violet is trying to offer some comfort about what may have happened. Returning the embrace softly, she begins to talk of what had happened on the night hunt. Of the quest appearing just before the fight, of the organized way of fighting the spiders were doing, and of the stronger spider which defeated Jackie.

  Some tears fall from her eyes as she recounts the difficult decision to flee rather than save Jackie, and of how Calen sacrificed himself to ensure she escaped. Recounting all of this in the open might not be the best idea, but the words are whispered enough that few should hear. When it comes to the confrontation with Fortress, she doesn’t speak of it. Instead, she emphasizes how she and Kaelen are intending to go out tonight to save those who were taken by the spiders.

  At saying that though, Violet stiffens. Aura does her best to assure them that they will be safe and cautious, though it doesn’t cause any relaxation. Pulling back from the embrace a bit, she is surprised at the firm and determined look in Violet’s eyes.

  “If you are going to go and save them, then I’m coming to. Even the best plans can go wrong, and it will be too dangerous for you and Kaelen to go alone.”

  “Violet, no. It will be more dangerous for us if you are there to. You still haven’t even learned Mana Bolt yet have you?”

  The flinch tells Aura that she hit the nail on the head there, but even then, the determined look doesn’t disappear. A sad smile joins it though, and Violet’s next words have a bit more weight to them.

  “Maybe, but I am going. I am sure that Ryse will go as well if I bring this up to him. Look Aura, I can tell you are beat up about this. But you and Kaelen do not need to shoulder all of this yourselves. While probably not for you or the other Soldiers, Calen has done a lot for the rest of us to keep morale up. And Jackie… I know she has mixed feelings about me ever since my Charm skill was revealed. I tried to talk to her the day after, but she ignored and shouted at me. Despite all of that though, she was there for me on that first day with you. So, I will be going with you to save them. Even if I need to charm you to let me do it.”

  The resolution in the words is firm, and Aura is taken back. Back to when she was younger and declared to her parents that she would be a Firefighter someday. They had not tried to talk her out of it, no. Instead, they made sure she understood all the risks that could come from following such a career path as a woman. Physically, she was held to the same standards as a man, and it had been difficult. But she had persevered back then, and looking at Violet right now she smiles.

  “Alright, alright. No need to threaten me with a good time. You can come along. And… yeah maybe finding out if Ryse is willing to go to is smart. Go and tell him to meet Kaelen and I at the building tonight. That way, we are a little more hidden when we set out to rescue Calen and Jackie.”