The group gathered around, their breaths slow and shallow, the weight of the air pressing down on them.
Brandon continued, "Personally, now that you're all listening, I think we should head deeper into the cave."
Milo stood up, his face red and his eyebrows scrunched in anger. "Preposterous! How dare you suggest something so pointless!"
"Shut up, Milo! You're so annoying! Brandon is the only reason any of us are still alive. You haven't done anything for us since we fell into this jungle!" Hope stood up, her face bright red.
Milo grunted as he plopped onto the ground in indignation. His scowl, coupled with his foul odor, pushed those closest to him away. He gripped the handles of his vases.
Mors raised his hand, the bags under his eyes darker than the shadows on the wall. "I agree with you, Brandon. If we head deeper, we might find something useful—or maybe a path closer to the city."
His words reverberated through the entrance of the cave, causing many in the group to smile, hope gripping their weakened hearts. Brandon smiled and nodded.
Brandon then held up the single deer carcass, which hadn't been burned. "We have one deer pelt we can use to upgrade someone's clothes. As a group, let's decide who gets it."
Some members murmured, muttering, "Maybe I should be the one to have it..."
while others were looking around debating who would be the best person for it. Milo shot up pushing people aside.
Milo growled, reaching out to snatch the pelt from Brandon. "Obviously, I should..." His fingers brushed the pelt before Brandon yanked it away, causing Milo to stumble forward and crash face-first into the ground. "You bitch!"
One of the members in the crowd rushed toward the pelt, tears streaming down their face. "It should be me! I need to find my family! I know they're waiting for me!"
Price slugged him in the face, knocking him to the floor. "Stop letting greed take hold of you." He extended a hand, lifting the man up. "I know you miss your family, but the pelt doesn't belong to you."
Rain hesitated, her hand trembling as it rose into the air. Her voice wavered, barely above a whisper. "I... I think it should go to Brandon..."
Several in the group nodded, murmurs of agreement rippling through them. One man stepped forward, his boots kicking up a small cloud of dust with each confident stride. "Yes, our leader deserves this!" he declared, his voice booming with fervor. "He is magnificent, and he alone should receive such a gift!"
Brandon chuckled, his short brown hair swaying as a gust of wind swept through the cave. "I'm honored you think so highly of me, but truth be told, the only reason I'm still standing here is because of Mors." He paused, his gaze drifting toward Mors. "I think it should go to him."
Mors scratched the back of his neck, his fingers fumbling nervously as all eyes turned toward him. He shifted uncomfortably under their gaze.
Brandon's voice carried a steady conviction as he spoke. "My ability lasts only about five minutes each day. For those few moments, I'm strong, unstoppable even. But once it fades, I'm just like... a normal human."
The group shifted uneasily, eyes flickering between Brandon and one another. Whispers started to rise, soft murmurs of doubt trailing through the crowd.
Price stepped forward, his voice cutting through the air like an explosion. "How dare you even think you're on his level! It'd take just one minute for him to wipe us all out, and yet you believe you stand a chance?"
The group shuffled uneasily, attempting to disprove his words. Brandon stepped forward, his voice steady. "Guys... no matter what you think... I will protect you..."
Price laughed heartily, his muscles gleaming with a fine sheen of sweat. "I agree with you, Brandon. The kid needs it the most. He's faster and more agile than all of us, and I think he also has the most potential."
One woman at the back threw a rock at Mors, but he tilted his head back to avoid it. The woman screamed, "He doesn't even have an ability!"
A scowl spread across his face as his voice dropped. "You don't need abilities to survive—just wit. He killed a deer, not with an ability, but with a rusty sword and practically no skill."
The woman fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. 'It's not fair..."
Brandon sighed, rubbing his eyes. "This argument is pointless. I still plan on upgrading everyone's weapons."
His words rang like trumpets from heaven, lighting up everyone's faces. They began gathering their weapons and laying them in front of Brandon, as if performing an ancient ritual.
Slowly the group managed to calm down as they waited for further instructions.
Mors stared at the deer pelt, a wave of strange emotions bombarding him. 'What am I supposed to feel...?'
His hands slid across the rough, pale deer pelt. The coarse hairs pricked at his skin, raising goosebumps along his neck. The cold, lifeless eyes seemed to stare directly into Mors, and the weight of guilt from the kill finally settled in.
Mors looked around as his stomach churned. His gaze settled on Price and Hope, chattering and flirting in a childish manner.
Their smiles tore at his heart as he left the deer behind, retreating into the shadows of the cave. A gust of wind rushed past, and an old woman sat next to him, her scent not of sweat, but of flowers.
She held up a scale, like last time, but with better-looking meat on it. "I know how you're feeling, and it's selfish and quite rude."
Mors sighed as he gazed at the puddle on the ceiling, which had grown since the last time he'd seen it. "How so?"
Woman pushed the meat further into his face. "You should probably make some friends and get out of your shell."
Mors's face turned pale as he looked at the woman. "What did you say your name was again?"
The old woman chuckled and opened her mouth. "You can call me... Ma..." She closed her mouth, a small tear running down her cheek. "Ma...Ri...Da, yes, Marida."
"Marida?"
"Yes Marida... I'm glad your still alive Mors."
Mors looked at her, a shadow crossing his face. "You sound familiar, but I don't know why."
The old woman stood up, leaving the food in his lap. "I'm going to listen to the plan we'll make in a second. Are you going to come?"
Mors looked at the departing woman, then down at his food. "Yeah, let me eat real quick."
Mors grabbed the steak with both hands, the warmth returning color to his fingers as he scarfed it down. The meat lingered on his tongue, reminding him of home.
Mors rubbed his stomach as he reached the group gathering around Brandon. Looking for Marida, he wrinkled his nose as the body odor bombarded him.
Brandon stepped over and stood by Mors. He announced, "We shall go into the cave and see if there's something we can retrieve to increase our odds of survival."
Some members of the group groaned as they gathered around Milo, who was scowling and grumbling the most.
Brandon continued, "I upgraded your weapons as fast as I could. Also, I found out that if you focus on your weapon, you can create a shield of light in front of the weapon's tip, where I swapped out the spear or sword heads."
Brandon reached down, handing each person the weapon they gave him. The spears had glowing spear tips tied on with rope, made from pieces of antlers, while the swords had pieces of antlers stitched into the points.
Many of the group waved them around, creating small squares of light in the air that acted as shields.
One of the group members reached his hand through the light shield and gasped. "This isn't a shield!"
Price shouted, his voice cutting through the growing commotion. "They only block what we call elemental or energy attacks!" He created a shield, pointing it toward Brandon. "Allow us to demonstrate."
Brandon reached his arm up, slowly pushing it through the barrier, then pulling it out. The crowd fell silent. He ignited his hand, shooting a small burst of fire that rolled off the shield, dissipating.
Rain looked confused as she glanced at the shield, then back at Price. "I used to play video games, so I understand elemental, but what is energy?"
Price chuckled as he rubbed his head. "Sorry, I should have explained. Energy just means you can't use your ability until you gain energy, I think... For example, my ability requires me to take damage."
Milo groaned as he lay on the floor. "Get to the point..."
Price continued, ignoring Milo. "The more damage I take, the more power I have. However, I don't have an ability if I don't get damaged." He then walked over to Mors. "Mors, please cut my arm slightly."
Mors did as instructed and slid his sword across his forearm, leaving a streak of blood running down his arm. Price clenched his teeth as the pain bombarded him.
Still clenched his teeth he showed the wound to everyone. "As you can see i have been hurt, now i have one of two ways i can use the energy i just gained, one i can create an energy sword that releases slashes or the other way."
He held his arm up, the blood soaking back into his skin, leaving only a small scratch. The group's mouths dropped open, followed by collective gasps.
Price continued, clearly enjoying the attention. "I can partially heal myself, though it doesn't fully heal me. I'm not going to swing the sword, though, because I don't know how to control the amount of energy I release."
Brandon stepped forward, showing the coat to the group. "Lastly, I have here the thin coat, which will go to Mors. It will create a shield around him in case he needs it, though I couldn't upgrade his sword for obvious reasons."
Mors reached out, holding the coat, which reminded him of a ninja outfit without the hood, and smiled. His fingers brushed along the thin layer of fur, prickling as they touched. The shiny pieces of horn were carefully stitched on.
He stared at Brandon, who had a slight smile on his face that he was attempting to hide. Brandon held out his fist, which Mors promptly bumped.
Brandon turned back toward the crowd and, with a booming voice, announced, "Let's head into the cave!"