Ch 61
Matt waited patiently as the man weighed his words before finally asking a simple question.
“Can we trust your group?” he inquired.
Hearing the question, Matt could only manage a sigh before replying, “No, but can we trust yours?”
“We aren’t out here recruiting others, and after a few rough patches at the start, I think we’re doing pretty well for ourselves now,” the man continued.
“If that changes, feel free to seek us out,” Matt offered.
The man raised an eyebrow and asked, seeming disappointed, “Is that all you have to say? Not really trying to sell yourselves, are you?”
“Not to a smug bestarred like you at least,” retorted Greg with a wry smile. “Honestly, you ask the simplest, yet most loaded questions. We aren’t here to force ourselves on anyone—simply making contact and knowing that other groups exist is a big boon. Besides, can you really say that you speak for everyone here? Or, to put it another way, ask me what we offer so that everyone knows that what I’m about to say is the truth.”
“I think you can leave,” the man said shortly.
Greg’s tone sharpened as he replied, “See, you’re already trying to avoid having your skill used against your own goals. The problem is that your skill can’t be turned onto yourself, so how can anyone know you’re not spouting lies? It must be great to be the only one who can get away with lying.”
At that moment, Matt thought the man was poised to order an attack when one of the women standing aside spoke up.
“Ask him the question,” she urged softly.
Before the man could object, another voice countered, “They will just hide the negatives—”
“No,” Greg interjected. “None of us are great with people, and when we bring a bunch of us into one place, the negatives are fairly obvious. Honestly, being expected to contribute to the good of the group can be a drag sometimes, especially when you have to deal with folks you’d rather not. And it doesn’t help when they have troublesome abilities that none of us fully understand.”
The man persisted, “Fine, then what does joining your group offer?”
Greg’s eyes gleamed as he listed their benefits, “Safety in numbers, access to healing magic, 15-foot walls to sleep behind, and we’re even in the process of tanning hides to craft clothing. I could go on, but the biggest offer is the opportunity to specialize—finding the best path for you rather than being confined by the group. If that appeals, I think you should all at least check out the fort. For full transparency, we have 12 more people nearby, and two of them will guide you back.”
Matt watched as it became clear that Greg had seized the initiative from the other group. The tension finally eased when the woman spoke once more. “Give us about half an hour, then come back. We need to discuss this and vote as a group, since we agreed to follow majority rule. On that note, is majority rule something your group practices?”
“No,” Matt admitted. “At least not yet. Once the fort is fully repaired and the goblin threat has been satisfactorily dealt with, I expect such options will become a topic for debate. That said, we have a policy of not forcing anyone to stay long term. We just ask that if you come, you remain for a few weeks before deciding to leave, provided you receive healing from us.”
“Alright, give us some time then,” the woman conceded.
Matt nodded, turning to lead the others away. Once they were out of earshot, he leaned over to Greg and said, “Good job back there. Still, I have a feeling that adding the guy with the truth ability might bring more trouble than it’s worth.”
Greg chuckled lightly and replied, “Nah, he’s perfect to be paired with Jaelyn when we put together the permanent recruitment group.”
“My place is back at the fort,” countered Jaelyn. “I'm only out here to reach level 4 and choose a path that will enable me to control my current ability.”
“What happens when it forces you to reach level 6?” asked Zara, her tone laced with concern. “Or what if you never manage to get it under control at all?”
“Jaelyn’s knowledge is too critical to leave her wandering out here indefinitely,” stated Matt. “That said, if she can’t master her ability, then rotating her out here for six days and at the fort for two—while constantly switching which companion accompanies her—will work best. This way she can pass on her knowledge while out here, and no one spends too long with her without a chance to reset.”
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“I’ll leave,” warned Jaelyn softly. “Is that really what you want?”
“It might be for the best,” replied Greg, his voice conflicted. “But Matt doesn’t want that outcome—he’s too much of a softy.”
“Jaelyn, if you can’t control yourself, then your leaving is, in my eyes, the best outcome,” stated Matt firmly. “That said, it isn’t what I want to happen.”
“We don’t always get what we want,” commented Zara thoughtfully. “If we did, Greg would have a legion of women fawning over him while Matt would have none. Yet, last time I checked, it was quite the opposite—and still, you never hear the ladies complaining. Although, I suppose Greg’s constant chatter about it could be construed differently.”
“Nah, I’m just making my intentions clear so any woman who tries to get close to me knows exactly what to expect,” answered Greg with a self-assured grin. “Honesty from the start is the only way to juggle multiple lovers without fearing that one might retaliate for my indiscretions.”
“I hope you get your harem and see them all team up on you,” retorted Zara wryly.
“I’d pay to watch that spectacle,” commented Jaelyn with a small, sarcastic laugh.
“Can we please not turn this into a joke right now?” stated Matt, his weariness seeping into his voice. “I’m exhausted, and maybe I’ll just slip away—either reaching level 9 or dying trying to escape all of this.”
At that, the other three fell silent. They hurried over to Steve and updated him and the rest of the group on the situation as they waited. During the briefing, Matt noticed an unusual stillness. Typically, the forest, devoid of non-monster wildlife, hummed with the soft rustle of wind and the occasional scurry of unseen creatures. Yet in that moment, everything seemed eerily hushed. An unsettling sensation urged him to act immediately, and he shouted, “Run!”
In a heartbeat, Matt positioned himself in front of Jaelyn—just as an arrow hurtled through the air, piercing his gut. Amid the chaos, he glimpsed the same woman from before, drawing another arrow with practiced precision. From both flanks, figures from the camp emerged, charging forward. It seemed as if at least thirty attackers were upon them. Fortunately, his group had reacted swiftly; everyone, except for Greg and Zara, retreated along the path they’d arrived by. Clenching his teeth against the pain, Matt yanked the arrow from his gut. At the same moment, Greg unleashed several wind spells toward the ground, whipping up a dust cloud that enshrouded them in precious seconds of cover.
“Stay behind me,” ordered Matt firmly, as he sprinted directly towards the spot where he had last seen the deadly woman.
The moment he emerged from the dust, another arrow zipped toward him, and he blocked it with his arm, which he had instinctively raised to shield his face. As she reached for another arrow, she suddenly collapsed in on herself, struck by Greg's air shot. Before she could regain her footing, Matt was upon her. He drove the arrow, which had been lodged in his gut, into her side, then snatched her bow from her grasp, tossing it into his spatial storage before delivering a swift punch to her face, knocking her out cold.
Afterward, he yanked the second arrow from his arm, wincing at the pain, and turned to see that their attackers had redirected their assault toward those who were fleeing. Slinging the unconscious woman over his shoulder, Matt began sprinting toward his companions. As he ran, frustration gnawed at him—this wasn't a situation where he could simply rely on instinct. If he did, it would lead to casualties on both sides. He had taken a hostage, and he needed to leverage that fact if he wanted to extract everyone from this predicament without further harm. With determination, he mustered all his strength to shout his next words with authority and desperation.
"STOP, OR I’LL KILL HER!!!"
At this point, he was only 30 feet away from the attackers, who were following merely 15 feet behind his group. While not all of the assailants halted, over 20 did, and within five seconds, the remainder caught up. Despite this, the rest of his own group pressed on, disappearing into the distance leaving only himself, Greg and Zara behind as the man from before stepped into the forefront and spoke next.
"Since you're uninjured—and we saw you take an arrow right in the gut—I take it you're the one with healing magic. If so, that makes this simple: welcome to our group. We expect you to be very busy moving forward."
"Did you attack us just to claim our healing magic?" Zara interjected coolly. "That is probably the dumbest thing you could ever do."
"Really?" the man replied. "Even though plenty have chosen healing as their path—and many have even taken secondary paths following that choice—we have yet to find a single one who can actually heal magically."
"I bet they have small camps scattered all over this area, and judging by their behavior, there must be over 100 of them in their group," Greg warned quietly.
"Had Greg not mentioned our additional numbers, I'd wager that you all would have attacked us when we made to leave earlier,” Matt stated thoughtfully. “I should also mention that my regeneration ability is what healed me—it’s why I stand at the front. Even though we only have about 30 of you here, I hold the advantage if this fight turns into a brawl."
"You're a cocky one, aren't you?" one of the attackers sneered.
Matt merely smiled as he ignored the comment, all the while calculating a way for Zara and Greg to slip away safely. Zara then spoke up with a measured firmness.
"He’s nothing more than an overprotective idiot, more concerned with ensuring that Greg and I escape unscathed than with the realities of battle. But let me be clear: neither of us will run. I’ve seen him fight off over 50 enemies at once and still be the last one standing. Perhaps you should consider how much you value your lives before making your move."
Noticing the growing doubt among the attackers, Matt continued to play into their fears with his next proposal.
"I suspect that you have a number of wounded who need treatment and that all of this is merely to secure the healing they require, without the necessity of joining my group. So here's what will happen: I will offer you a chance to avoid needless bloodshed. I am going to take this hostage and leave. Then, for each person you want healed, one of your members will hand over their weapons and follow me as a hostage. After that, our healer will mend the same number of your injured, under two conditions. First, five of your members will remain hostages at all times to ensure you don’t attack us. Second, we will coordinate the assault on the goblins together."
Matt could see the man considering his words carefully while he gripped the woman in his arms, ready to use her as a blunt weapon should anyone make a move. All he could do now was hope that they would accept his deal, thereby avoiding any further needless bloodshed.
