The four sat in silence for a long moment, listening to the gentle hiss of the lantern burning. So much had happened in a few short hours, and now they had seen firsthand what the second chance at life they had been given really meant. A chance to fight an army of undead that they were hopeless to defeat unless something changed fast. They were better equipped, had a horde of monstrous beasts backing them up, and clearly understood the tapestry much better than they did. Harvey felt like he could still hear hammers beating in the distance, even though the vision proved the army was still hundreds of miles away.

  “I should’ve just let that dog tear my throat out. Would’ve been a quicker death than what’s coming.” Gabe lamented.

  “It’s not hopeless.” Julian snapped back, annoyance Harvey hadn’t seen from him flashing across his face. “It’s been less than a day, and I’m already level 5. My strength has tripled since I arrived, and I got a notification saying I can create my first skill at a Loom… whatever that means. Who’s to say how strong we can become by the time the army gets here?”

  “Good for you, doesn’t change a thing for me. I’ve been chased around this god forsaken forest since the minute I got here, and as soon as I thought I had actually found somewhere safe, I had an arrow pointed at my face and zombies pouring out of every broken window.” Gabe began to yell before a harsh stare from Hannah reminded him of what happened the last time he lost control.

  “None of that matters now. We’re alive, and we can help you get stronger.” Harvey began.

  “You don’t get it!” Gabe yelled, tears welling up in his eyes. “I’m done. I don’t deserve to make it out of here, and even if I did, there’s no way I’m getting past those spiders.”

  Harvey watched as Gabe tucked his head between his knees and began shaking, barely muffled sobs filling the room. He wondered if Gabe was dealing with the same stain he was. Walking around with 1 willpower made every sight and sound in the forest feel like a snake waiting to strike, but now that he had a few levels and 10 willpower under his belt, it was getting easier to approach things rationally. The workbench groaned as Harvey moved to sit beside him.

  “Gabe, I’m going to share something with you that I’m embarrassed to admit. I’m here because I killed myself today.” Harvey explained, his voice dwindling to a whisper.

  “So what, I don’t care,” Gabe replied, his voice breaking.

  “I’m telling you this because that decision showed up as a stain on my legacy. I don’t know exactly how the stats work yet, but that stain lowered my willpower by 5 points and filled me with this overwhelming fear that I still can’t explain. I would be long dead by now if Julian hadn’t shown up to save me, but with his help, I was able to level high enough to increase my willpower. I went from a single point all the way to ten, and I can honestly say I don’t feel as scared anymore. He can help you, too. You just have to push through the fear you’re feeling right now,” Harvey encouraged.

  Gabriel’s angry red eyes looked up at Harvey as he spoke, and softened when he shared the legacy screen showing his Severed Thread Stain. They sat together for a moment, a heavy silence hanging over the room until Gabe let out a sharp exhale.

  “Damn it, man, I’m not scared. I’m ashamed.” Gabe finally relented.

  “About what? Can you tell us what happened?” Julian pushed.

  “I had only been here for a few minutes when this dog started chasing after me…” He began, choking up as he recounted the experience.

  “The same thing happened to me.” Hannah shared, encouraging him to continue

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “Well, I panicked. I turned and ran faster than I’ve ever run before. I’ve been around stray dogs my whole life, but there was something different about this thing. No fur, just muscle and fangs. I was weaving through the trees, but the thing was gaining on me, and out of nowhere, I ran straight into this woman. She was a little older, probably early 40s…”

  The air was thick with anticipation. Harvey could guess what happened next, but nobody wanted to say it out loud.

  “I was moving pretty fast, so we both ended up on the ground. We were all tangled up, and I pushed off her to get back to my feet. I kept running until I heard her start screaming behind me.” Gabe took a long pause as he struggled to get the words out, tears once again flowing down his dirty cheeks.

  “The bloodrunn got her.” Julian sighed

  Instead of answering, a blue screen appeared for the group to see.

  “I kept running, and she kept screaming. The farther I got, the louder she got. I never looked back. I ran until I found this place, and you guys know the rest.” Gabe finished.

  “I’m sorry, Gabe. Nobody should have to experience that. Sadly, I don’t think this forest really cares what happens to us. The best I can say is that we understand your struggle, and we’re here for you.” Julian said.

  Gabe said nothing as they all sat around the lantern, putting his head back between his knees and staring at the floor. When it was clear the conversation was over, Julian walked to the other two and signalled to move outside.

  “Let’s give him a minute,” Julian said as the door closed with a creak. “I need to tell you guys something.”

  “What is it?” Hannah asked.

  “After the vision. I got two notifications I haven’t seen before. The first one I already mentioned is that after reaching level 5, I can pick a skill the next time I visit a Loom.” Julian began.

  “A loom? Like the machine for making fabric?” Hannah asked.

  “I guess. I’m not too sure about it either, but the second one says that the Tapestry has recognized Veil’s End as an unclaimed outpost, and since I’m the highest level of anyone here, I can claim it for myself.” Julian continued.

  “Do it. That could start answering a lot of questions for us.” Harvey urged.

  “Are you sure? I don’t think this should be MY town. I think it should be our town. Where we gather as many people as we can find, and figure out how we’re going to get out of here.” Julian added.

  “It’s going to get claimed by someone,” Harvey began, “might as well be you. There’s a real possibility that we need an outpost to keep progressing. I don’t really know what a Loom is, but my guess would be that an outpost is the best place to find one.”

  Julian looked at Hannah, a raised eyebrow signalling he wanted her opinion.

  “I trust you. I think I speak for both of us when I say we’re going to follow your lead either way. Might as well make it official if it means The System will help us out.” Hannah added.

  He hesitated for a moment, looking between them and the town around them.

  Harvey gave a reassuring nod. Even if the criteria were something other than levels, he was glad Julian would be running things. Wasn’t the saying that the best men to lead are the ones who don’t want to?

  They watched as light began radiating from the maze of black lines covering Julian’s body, with a concentration gathering on the back of his right hand. As it receded, a new tattoo depicting a lone tower standing atop a rocky hill appeared.

  “Looks like I got another Mark,” Julian said as he revealed the screen.