Once my character fell asleep, I was kicked out of the capsule and plunged back into the real world. I didn't have much to do, so I passed the time by doing a light workout, taking advantage of the rest like state the capsule puts the body in. because of that, I can almost recover from the stress on my body from the workout just by diving into the game after. It was a trick that most people didn't really think about, simply because those who use the capsule as much as I do, aren't too concerned about keeping themselves fit and healthy.
I was soon done with my workout and had a quick shower. Even though it had only been a few days since I woke up in my younger self, I started to feel some improvements with my body. Though, it wasn't much to write home about, but it was still nice to feel myself improving.
By the time it was all said and done, it was time to hop back into the game.
"…Doing?" A concerned woman's voice entered my ears as I loaded back in. Her voice was broken, so I could only make out the last word she said.
"…Doing much better, thanks to Cain." My ears adjusted in time to pick up the end of what Darith, the warrior said.
Judging by what he was saying, I guessed he was talking about Garth, the injured man. During our evening meal, we all introduced ourselves. The last person was the female hunter, Malane. They were a tight-knit group, so it was only natural they were concerned about their injured teammate.
I listened to them speak for a little longer, but it was just small talk. So, I decided to get up and pack my things away.
"Ah, Cain. Good morning. I hope we didn't wake you?" Darith spoke as he was the first to notice me Potter about.
"Good morning. I slept well, thank you. How is Garth?" I asked in response. I will admit, I only asked out of politeness.
"He is much better, thanks to you. He was awake a little while ago and said he felt completely fine. Though, I convinced him to get a few extra hours." He explained.
"That's probably for the best. What do you plan on doing after he wakes up?" I asked as I chewed on my breakfast of jerky.
"Well, we decided this morning that we will return to Novrad. Plus, we don't know if we will be ambushed again if we continue." Darith explained. At the mention of ambush, my ears pricked up.
"Ambushed? I never did get a chance to ask what happened." I said, wanting to pry a little. Hopefully, they weren't some wanted criminals that I'd get arrested for helping.
"Oh, you don't have anything to worry about, we are law-abiding citizens." He replied with a slight laugh. He probably sensed my concern, or he was aware of the situation.
"We were attacked by a group of fanatic cultists. They tried to jump us and capture us. But with Malane here, we were prepared for them. However, they soon changed their approach when we fought back. They must have decided not to leave any witnesses." He explained. At the compliment, Malane's usual expressionless face twitched a little.
I found the mention of cultists to be troubling, for two reasons. For starters, they were usually high-level and relentless NPCs. If you were marked by them, they would pursue you until either you were dead, or they were. The second thing was that this was still the beginning area of the game. I never heard of there being any cultists in the game until you reach the capital.
"That sounds quite troubling. If it isn't too much trouble, would it be ok for me to accompany you back to town?" I only had a little over a day's worth of travel left. But it was always safer to travel with a group than on your own.
"Ah well, we were going to suggest that to you anyway." Darith poked at the smouldering embers of the fire as he spoke. He seemed relieved that I suggested it first. He must have been more worried about the situation with Garth than I thought.
"Oh, good morning, Cain. Sleep well?" Servose appeared from out of the forest that lay near the plains the campsite sat. I did wonder where he was as I had been awake for at least twenty minutes, but this was the first I had seen him today. However, maybe he needed to use nature's toilet.
After spending a few minutes talking to Servose. It was decided that camp would be broken down, and Garth would be woken up.
Once everyone was ready, we set off. The going was slow as he all headed out, as our injured was still weak from his healed wounds. But I guessed that it wouldn't have a big impact on the travel time, though, we would be in trouble if we got attacked while travelling, as we will have to defend someone else as well as ourselves.
Thankfully, however, by the end of the first day, we were left relatively alone. Apart from the packs of monsters that stalked us through the tree line. However, the path we walked was still in the grassy plains with the forest line bordering us on our left. So, once they figured out that not only were we aware of their presence and that we had the advantage of terrain they gave up their stalking.
Apart from small talk, the evening also passed without anything happening. However, I did help Servose set up another illusion barrier, after which we spoke about Novrad. My new companions told me about the adventurer's guild that they belong to. Of course, I was aware of it as it was typically the place where players get most of their quests and can sell monster parts. However, taking on the guise of the clueless young man, who has spent years training, was going to be of most use to me. That way, I can ask a lot of questions without sounding suspicious.
Dinner was quite fun, as my new party regaled me with stories about their past adventures. From what I could gather, Darith was rather clumsy and would often, quite literally, trip and fall into a nest of monsters. Garth was a ladies' man and for that, he was hated by most husbands, fathers and brothers. And Malane was mostly disinterested in most things. However, she was quite the foodie. Even after finishing her dinner, she would eye others' food while practically drooling.
Servose, however, remained a mystery. He didn't share anything about his personal life and was only willing to talk about his path. But I just put it up to how people treat those who follow the occult.
At some point during the storytelling, I heard some rustling coming from the grouping of trees that we were camping nearby. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who heard it. The ears of the hunter, Malane, also heard it and perked up at the sudden noise. Grabbing the bow that was sitting next to her. She slowly got up and approached the noise with as much caution you would give a dark forest. The others noticed and tensed, seemingly trusting their companion senses.
Garth pulled out one of his daggers halfway out of their sheaths. Darith grabbed the shaft of his axe. And Servose seemed to ready some sort of spell. As for me, I began to collect some of the elemental energy from the firepit ready to cause it to explode and create a distraction.
However, for all that planning, the source of the rustling poked its snout through the brush. Yes, snout, it was a boar. Me and everyone else visibly relaxed. I released the energy, which caused the flame to flicker. The only one who seemed to have noticed was Servose, who must have felt the sudden release of mana. But before he could ask anything, something quick struck him in the chest. The sheer force sent him staggering back a few steps.