Noah drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point he was vaguely aware of being carried and heard muffled talking, though he couldn’t make out the words. He remembered being set down and then sometime later feeling the cold water on his body. Someone squeezed his hand and whispered into his ear.
“It’s going to be alright. Keep fighting.”
Julie smiled as she looked down at the man who had saved their lives. He had rushed in like a Viking, war cry and all. He had defeated all of the wolves by himself, and he was human the same as her. He bled and hurt just like she did–she had watched him do exactly that as he groaned and winced over the last few hours. But he still chose to save them and he did save them. She had never felt so helpless as when the wolf had sunk its teeth into her brother’s arm and then again when another attacked her. When the man had finally finished off the wolves and turned to her she recoiled from his extended hand. I’m so stupid. She remembered the look on his face as he withdrew his hand. She had made her savior feel like a monster.
Julie steeled her resolve. She wouldn’t be useless next time. She had gotten that notification and knew what it meant. She could become stronger. Seven more XP and she would reach level one. Julie returned her focus to the task at hand. She had made the boys, Kyle, and his friend, give up their shirts to serve as bandages and was now tying the last of the strips around the man’s calf. They had half carried, half dragged the man to the stream where she then cleaned out the wounds. The boys couldn’t handle the blood but it didn’t bother her. She would have become a nurse in just two more months if not for the apocalypse. Part of her felt cheated that she put in all that work and it would never be official. On the other hand, she wouldn’t have to work nights or deal with entitled patients. The man groaned as she pulled the last knot tight. She would save him, that was the least she could do.
[10 XP Gained]
She smiled at the confirmation of her suspicion. Killing wasn’t the only way to move forward in this new world.
[Level 0 > Level 1]
She assigned her points in the obvious places. One point each to Intelligence, wisdom, and willpower. Classic magic stats. If this world had magic then she would become a healer.
Noah woke up cold and wet. His whole body protested as he sat up.
“Wait! You shouldn’t be doing that!” Julie yelled as she saw him stir. Noah jolted in surprise, causing arcs of pain to flare across his back.
“Agh…” He groaned. He looked up at the young woman who wore a scowl on her face. Right. The fight.
“Hi. I guess you’re the reason I’m alive?” Noah managed.
“I am.” She responded, her scowl replaced by downcast eyes. “It was the least I could do.”
“Thank you,” He said, smiling up at her. She stepped forward and stretched out her hand.
“I’m Julie.”
“Noah.” He replied, shaking her hand. “Are you guys okay?” She tilted her head back and forth.
“Not really.” She started as she sat down across from him. “Kyle, my brother, was bitten in his arm and my foot is a little messed up. But mainly it''s the fear. Kyle’s friend, Matt has been in shock since we appeared here and Kyle is just hanging in there.” She paused.
Noah listened, now understanding why she had been the one fending off the wolves. She was the kind of person he could appreciate. No training but she didn’t hesitate to jump in front of a bunch of vicious beasts for her brother. He made up his mind.
“What do you plan to do next?” He asked. She looked at him without a clue. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
“Uhm. I don’t know.” She said, glancing at the boys a few yards down.
“I…” Noah raised his hand to cut her off.
“Would you like to come with me?” He asked, straight to the point. She hesitated, her brow furrowed as she stared at her feet.
“All of you I mean, just to be clear.” Noah blurted. She gave a small smile.
“Are you sure?” She asked. “I will do my best to pull my weight, but I honestly don’t expect much from the boys.” Noah sighed.
“Look, Julie–I’m not going to ditch you guys for something like that. At some point though, they will have to adapt. If they need some help getting there, I’m happy to be part of that.” Noah didn’t notice the tears that welled up in her eyes.
“I even had a fire last night, it might still be salvageable if we get to it quick.” He said enthusiastically as he started thinking through their next steps.
“When I left this morning there was more meat by the fire, though I doubt it''s still there. I could go collect one of the wolves for dinner though.” Noah paused as he met Julie’s eyes.
“Noah, thank you.” She exhaled, a crinkle at the corner of her eyes. He released a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
“You’re welcome.”
They gathered themselves and shared the plan with Kyle and Matt. They seemed to be agreeable enough and together they made their way toward his camp. When Noah had motioned to fetch one of the wolves, Julie stopped him.
“Noah, I don’t think we can manage the extra trip in our state.” He looked them over.
“You’re right. Let''s focus on getting set up first.” He agreed. On their trip back, he had time to feel out his wounds. In his mind he knew that he shouldn’t be walking, between the calf and back injuries, he shouldn’t be alive at all. Yet for all the blood he had lost, he just felt a bit under the weather. Hungry though, he was very hungry. My constitution increase must have had a dramatic impact. Now curious, he summoned his status.
Status
Name: Noah Denter
Race: Human
Grade: F
Caste: Dust
Gate: 1
Path: Novice
Level: 9
Strength: 15
Dexterity:14
Constitution: 29
Intelligence:11
Wisdom: 13
Willpower: 14
XP: 5/10
Essence: 0
Stat points available: 0
He let out a low whistle, drawing funny looks from his companions.
“Sorry, just looking at my status after the fight.” He explained. “Actually, did any of you get XP from the fight?” He asked on a whim. Kyle shook his head and Matt didn’t seem to hear.
“I got 3 XP from it!” Julie shared, “And 10 from treating you!”
“Huh. I suppose that makes sense. I got 47 XP from the fight so we must have shared the XP from the wolf you hit with the frying pan.” Noah surmised. Julie looked at him in shock, obviously having done the math.
“What level are you?” She asked, squinting her eyes at him.
“Level 9, almost 10 really.” He replied easily. “Had a few run-ins before you guys and crafted a couple of things. I was only level two before the fight though.”
“Right.” She shook her head like it definitely wasn’t right.
They strolled into camp and found a small wisp of smoke trailing out from between the rocks. Noah immediately went to it, getting on his hands and knees. He gently blew on the ember as he added twigs he gathered on their walk. To his surprise the rest of his breakfast was still there, just sitting out in the open. He put the pre-roasted wolf hunk back on the fire and announced the joyous news to the group.
Julie and Kyle gave a little cheer but the real shocker was Matt. He cried. Full on, alligator tears cried. No words, nothing. Noah opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before deciding to let it be. He rinsed his hands in the stream and used a sharp bit of the flint to cut strips of meat from the roast. He handed them out to his excited diners. They ate like greedy scavengers and he did his best not to laugh as even Julie seemed to give in to hunger. This is good. This is why I trained. Noah thought as he looked at his new companions. If he did it once, he could do it again. For the first time since the world changed, he wondered why it was he who received the vision. Was it just a fluke or did someone out there look for a person like him? For six months he was the crazy, drugged-out, homeless guy that no respectable person would listen to. It had been hard but it was all for this.
He looked each one of them in the eye and smiled, pausing to make sure they knew he was looking right at them.
“Welcome home.”