Tutorial.15

"Well, hello, my name is Charles." – He said in a friendly voice as he looked at the group, his eyes stopping on Beatrice for a second before continuing. – "We saw the smoke from your fire and decided to investigate – no need to worry. We don't intend to fight anyone. So, who are you?"

The man spoke confidently and had a relaxed expression on his face. Observing the situation, I noticed that Charles' group outnumbered us by a significant margin. There was no way I could trust in winning a fight against so many enemies if things went south. If a fight broke out, it would be a one-sided massacre, or we would scatter like leaves in the wind, with a real chance that only I would escape safely, while the others would be hunted down one by one. Fighting was definitely out of the question.

"It's good to see other humans finally!" – Lucas replied with a radiant smile, stepping forward. – "My name is Lucas, and these are my colleagues from before this so-called tutorial. May I ask why you've sought us out? We also have no desire for unnecessary conflict."

"Ha-ha, of course not! We, humans, were made to stick together!" – Charles responded with an exaggerated laugh, but soon adopted a more serious tone. – "My group and two others, very similar to yours, decided to join forces to get through this purgatory that calls itself a tutorial. Of course, we need all the people we can get, so we would love for you and your friends to join us."

Lucas immediately noticed how he used the term "forming a team." One didn't need to be a genius to see that there was clearly only one leader in the group ahead of them. Charles might claim it was a team formation, but it was clearly a simple assimilation.

Lucas didn't let his thoughts show, but continued smiling as he nodded, "It's good to hear that other groups are doing well out there. Can I talk to my colleagues first? I'm sure you understand that a decision like this is best made unanimously."

"Of course! Of course! No rush!" Charles agreed, though Lucas made it clear that those were just words. They had to find a solution quickly.

Charles motioned for us to stay where we were while his group allowed Lucas to step back a bit. He gestured for me and the others to do the same. During this time, I kept my eyes fixed on the other group in case they tried anything suspicious. I noticed Charles throwing a glance at Fatal Shot, who had been standing by his side since the beginning. That Fatal Shot took a step forward, clearly trying to listen better, taking advantage of his sharp perception. Was he second in command?

When we had moved a bit away, Lucas turned his back to the other group and came over to us.

"What do you think of them? A larger group would be safer, and I think their offer is…"

He continued speaking positively about their proposal, but while he was talking, I quickly looked around and crouched down, writing a few words on the ground with my fingers:

"They can hear us."

"I have a bad feeling. I think this is going to go wrong somehow."

"Be careful."

Lucas nodded, already expecting that. That's why he kept his true thoughts hidden. He quickly wiped the words away with his hand, acting as though he was just brushing dust off his shoes. He continued talking while receiving reluctant glances from those around him.

"… but we're familiar with each other, and it seems we work well as a team. There are also certain disadvantages to larger groups, such as a greater need for food, and that could end up attracting some of the stronger beasts or something like that."

The others also noticed the scribbles I made on the ground, and while they agreed with what Lucas said, it was clear none of us liked the situation. We all had a bad impression of Charles and his group.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the other Fatal Shot subtly shake his head at the middle-aged warrior, who frowned at our response, apparently unexpected. However, he quickly masked his scowl and put a smile back on his face before approaching us again.

"I understand if you're hesitant, but working together is in everyone's best interest here."

"Certainly it is, but…"

At that point, Charles turned directly to Beatrice, who was a little behind us, interrupting Lucas.

"Young lady, you wouldn't happen to be a healer, would you? I'd be very grateful if you came with us."

Beatrice seemed shocked and confused, unable to say anything before Charles turned back to Lucas and the rest of us.

"Your companions don't have to come, you know? They can, but you can also come with us alone – safety in numbers and all that. I can promise you an appropriate position in our group and make sure we do everything we can to keep you safe. There will, of course, be plenty of supplies. If you just come with us, I'm sure we can settle this amicably."

Even I, with my terrible social skills, could pick up on the underlying tone in that sentence.

.

.

.

The mood of the conversation shifted, and the smile on Lucas' face vanished. I was also working at full capacity, analyzing the situation. Should I catch them off guard and shoot the man? Even if I tried, I didn't have confidence in making the shot. And even if I hit him and somehow managed to kill him, the chances were that I'd end up badly if the other side retaliated – or, more precisely, when they retaliated, because I seriously doubted they would accept having their leader killed without responding.

Beatrice also seemed incredibly nervous at this moment, hiding a bit behind Xavier, who had a stoic look on his face. The situation was tense, to say the least. She didn't seem at all willing to respond positively to his... 'invitation.'

Charles looked on with a slight smile, but his eyes were still cold. The ones behind him also seemed to have become tense, hands near their weapons. He finally spoke again, breaking the silence before we reached a breaking point.

"I'll be honest with all of you, healers are scarce in this place. We had one, but he died an hour after entering the tutorial. Three groups, thirty people, and only one crappy healer," he said, spitting on the ground, clearly frustrated. "So, young lady, I'm serious when I say you'd be treated well. We need you a lot more than you need us."

He turned back to Lucas and continued.

"You agreed that we humans were made to stick together, right? We don't have a healer. We only have a handful of healing potions. There are no medical supplies, no hospital, no doctors, nothing. Doesn't she have the responsibility to help her fellow humans? I want to settle this peacefully with everyone leaving happy, but I don't exactly have a choice here. We need a healer, one way or another. We just need the healer. The rest of you are free to choose what you want to do."

"Just know that her joining us is non-negotiable. Not having a healer is very risky in this place, and I've already lost many good men and women unnecessarily. If you and your companions join us, you will be treated like everyone else. We'll form hunting groups based on ideal configurations, with the healer naturally joining my own group. I can even promise that if you don't want to fight, we'll offer protection as long as you contribute in other ways. Just think carefully."

Charles seemed to have finished speaking as he once again gave them space. He had put the ball in their court, and now the question was what to do...

They could try to run, but they were clearly outnumbered, and their levels were much lower. I had the feeling that most of the opposing group was level 5 or above. They had said they were out of healing potions, which indicated they had fought quite a lot. Fighting was out of the question.

The second option was for me to join them. I didn't like this option at all. I had a bad feeling about them. I didn't doubt that Beatrice would stay unharmed, but what about the rest of the group? Would they be used as meat shields or something like that? They clearly wouldn't allow us to act autonomously, fearing we would leave with Beatrice.

The third option was simply handing her over. They'd probably let us go, since, although hunting humans was valuable, they were much more dangerous than beasts in most cases. Besides, we'd have to try not to antagonize Beatrice more than necessary. I doubted anyone would want a healer who only wanted to kill the people she healed. Or worse, if she refused to heal.

Needless to say, I wasn't a fan of simply handing her over. One of the reasons was that we'd end up with the same problem that Charles' group was currently facing. I was hesitant to express my thoughts when Evan started speaking.

"Maybe we should go with them. Imagine not having access to any kind of healing or medicine in this damn hole. That would drive even the best of us to desperation. We don't even know them, why are we taking such an antagonistic stance?" I looked at the others, many of them nodded, while others remained silent.

I could easily see Charles smiling in the other group, clearly approving of the direction the conversation was taking. Evan was right, though; they were clearly desperate. Who were we to reject helping the other group? Without a healer or healing potions, a single bite or claw wound could get infected and rot, making even small scratches and injuries fatal.

I also thought about my own goal. I had decided that I wanted to try to help my companions learn to defend themselves. If we joined a larger group, we'd be significantly safer from the beasts.

According to Charles, Beatrice, one of the few people I actually cared about, would definitely be safe. I didn't doubt the middle-aged man when he promised he would do anything to protect her. Who would be stupid enough to irritate or kill a walking hospital in a forest full of dangers?

However, I wasn't at all open to letting her go alone. That would leave the other eight without a healer. I also had serious doubts that Beatrice would agree to leave us behind. Especially Lucas.

As the discussion continued, Charles and his team waited patiently, as the decision to join was slowly being made. But there were still reservations. How would they be treated? Would they be considered outsiders? What reason would Charles have to keep them around after he had already gotten his hands on Beatrice? The predominant fear was that they would be treated more like hostages than members.

....

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