We were much farther away from our original camp and back in the more swampy sections of Tob, us both having decided that the moment we could we needed to fucking book it after I brought up to Todone that whatever put the Lizardman in his current state is likely still out there and still pissed. I'd opted to take the deerhide down and bring it with us, as I didn't want to just leave it behind to be ruined by animals. With the sun just now beaming down on us, that makes this day six. And with me, dragging an unconscious crocodile on a basic sled. Because Todone said, and I quote, 'your Mawfish, your problem'. Whatever, at least it gives me more exercise. I didn't enjoy doing it either, but he is tied up to mollify my warty friend.

"So uh… Todone-"

"Quiet," He stated simply.

We made a few more steps through the moist and grassy muck of the swamps before I decided to open my mouth.

"I know you're angry at me-"

"Rightfully so,"

"-and while I get the gist of it I don't know the fullest extent of it… what I want to know is why do you hate them so much?"

"I don't hate them any less than someone should hate a leech. It simply is".

"Okay, now I value my honesty whether it be of opinion or fact on a subject quite particularly, so I want you keep that in mind as I wholeheartedly share this with you, but isn't that line of thinking a little fucked up?"

"Have you ever lost someone close to you, because of someone else's actions? Simply because they chose to bring harm to those loved ones for their own sake? Do you know what it's like to have lost someone so close to you that the moment they were gone it was like a part of you was ripped out of your body? And all you could do was scream in agony?"

Bright sunlight beamed through the funeral home windows. It should have been rain bearing down on them instead. What happened hurt. It hurt so much that I just wanted to break down and cry, destroy every single piece of furniture around me in blind rage. But I couldn't. Not with her here.

"We are gathered here today, to mourn a loss to us all. A great soul, though misguided and fighting his demons, ultimately succumbed to those shadows and dark thoughts…"

She's the one that put those 'demons' there in the first place.

"...He was a soldier, a brother, an uncle, and most importantly a father. Your very presence here, each and every one of you shows that despite the mistakes he had made, he was in the end forgiven…"

Those 'mistakes' were because of her damn twisting of the situation, of manipulation and deceit. She sucked him dry of every ounce of life he had even after the divorce.

"...So as he is forgiven in life, so too may he be forgiven by the Lord, as the good Lord may see that he…"

Fuck this guy preaching, there wasn't anything that needed to be forgiven in the first place. As I was opting to block out his droning, I caught her there, out of the corner of my eye. It was only a glimpse as she was getting up for the restroom, but I saw it on her face, reflecting off of a decorative mirror in the funeral home. She wasn't even remotely sad, she didn't care. I swore I even saw her smile, but it was gone so fast even I'm not sure.

"... yeah, actually… I do…" I replied sadly, the weight of the sled feeling much heavier now.

It was silent between us now, only the early birdsong and morning frog croaks signaling their own slumber to come. Our footsteps were slow and steady, yet they seemed so much louder now with the lack of speech between us. It's funny, really. The only times I've ever been sad is when it's sunny and nature is blooming. Of course, I was brought out of my thoughts when the lizardman started to stir.

"Cough cough cough… what… where am I…?"

"Ah, the stray's awake…" I said, letting go of the ropes and coming up to the prone lizardman. "Sorry you're a little tied up at the moment, it's more for my companion's sake than mine".

The lizardman was doing his best to look up and around, but his current position made that difficult for him. Still, he at least saw me, and that seemed to make him sigh.

"Human. I see… I must admit I did not expect to see your kind this far into the forest. So human, what becomes of me?"

I shrugged. "Eh, that depends on a lot of things really, the options are pretty vast there. Let's start things off slow and simple. Name's not 'human', it's Nolan. What's yours?"

The lizardman looked me in the eyes, seemingly searching for something before giving his answer reluctantly. "Zarusosa. Zarusosa Shasha. What happened to my party?"

I raised my eyebrow at that, and I could see Todone off to the side and out of view was curious. "... you were alone, poisoned and bleeding out… how many of you were there?"

My answer seems to have drained the life out of him, and he slacked down onto the sled.

"... There were twenty three of us…"

My eyes widened at that, and I turned to look at Todone who was gawking at the number. I had to look back at the lizardman just to make sure he was dead serious, but his demeanor didn't change. "What the fuck happened?"

"I wish I knew…" He spoke softly. "It was late, we were coming back to our village from a hunting trip… they must have smelled the meat of the game, because the beasts ambushed us in the dead of night. We could only catch glimpses of them, they moved so fast. Each of us managed to deal some injuries and even killed a few of them, but the other ones…I had to run, to warn someone of those monsters".

"Jesus…" I muttered, looking at Todone. "Can you think of anything that could do that?"

"Maybe Haglocks, but those seldom leave the bottom of the lake even at night. I can't see them coming this far out".

The lizardman, despite his pain and shock, seemed distracted. "Not many outsiders know about the Haglocks in the lake. Who is that?"

The toad boy stepped up into the lizardman's view, leaving him stumped. "I am Todone, Son of Kodrotti. You will address me as such".

"... a human working with toadmen? Hehehehe… the ancestors certainly have a sense of humor it seems, for I've died and been treated to a strange joke".

"Eh, he's good enough company when I'm not talking him out of letting certain lizardmen bleed out in a forest," I remark. This seems to get a laugh out of the old lizard while the toad merely grumbles.

"And the human has a sense of humor too! If the circumstances weren't so dire I would shake your hand, but as it stands right now…"

"You can't really stand at all, yeah…" I said, motioning to his tied up form before letting out a deep breath. "Unfortunately, humor aside, it seems all three of us have a problem now".

"How so?" Todone asks carefully.

"Whatever the fuck did his hunting party in is still out there, and that's a pretty big issue for all of us if they have your scent," I answered, and that made his eyes widen.

"I knew we should have left that damn lizard!" He yelled. "Now we're going to-"

"Todone, hush!" I interrupted, making the toadman close his mouth in surprise. "Even if he hadn't come, odds are they would have found our scent sooner or later. And if those things felt confident about taking on a hunting party of over twenty lizardmen, where the hell do you think that would put us? Quite frankly, this is better, as not only are we aware of a threat but we also have a third man to help us when the time comes. All we can do is roll out and get ready, and quite frankly this is motivation to get around to making that dedicated base I've been telling you about".

The toadboy grimaces, but holds his tongue.

"Look… I know that you clearly lost someone to them…" I said softly. "But at this point it's a matter of survival… we have to cast aside our differences at least for now, alright?"

"... Fine…"

I sigh, leaning down to the lizardman. "I'll go ahead and cut you loose now".

The old lizard chuckles, and proceeds to flex, making the ropes binding him snap off. He then manages to get up and attempt to stretch, before wincing at the still healing wound on his chest. I, meanwhile, was a mix between annoyed and impressed. Todone was glaring daggers at me. All I could give him was an apologetic look.

"How the hell was I supposed to know he could snap rope like that?"

"It is not your fault, your bindings were actually well made," Zarusosa complimented. "But I am a Talent holder. I can will my scales to become jagged and razor sharp, capable of shredding the strongest of wood with them".

While I didn't get what that had to do with 'Talent', I still understood he could do something most of his kind couldn't.

"Fuck, and you still had to run?" I asked. "Yeah, let's not hold our breath on an easy victory when those things come around. You're sure at least some of them are dead?"

He nodded. "I never saw much because of their speed, but this I know at the very least".

"Whelp, guess we got that going for us," I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. "So is this the part where you run off to your tribe and leave a couple strangers to die, or do you think the odds of bumping into whatever the hell tore you guys up alone is worth it?"

The lizardman grimaced at that. "If you didn't have a toadman with you, I would offer room at my village, but-"

"As if I would want charity from a salamander that would slither off into the bushes and leave his kinsmen to die," Todone huffed, moving closer to the lizardman.

I saw Zarusosa's scales raise from his arms and glisten, stepping forward. "Listen you tadpole-"

"Alright, that's enough!" I shouted, placing myself between the two demihumans and only slightly wincing at the cuts I felt digging into my hand from Zarusosa. "Both of you jackasses back off and shut the fuck up! Todone, don't antagonize the lizardman that could shred you like a leaf! And Zaru, the boy's lost a lot to the lizardmen, so try and have some patience with him! Now if you wanna leave, I'd do so right now without a fight, but if you wanna help us get revenge for your kinsmen stick around while we get things prepped. Todone, if you wanna survive whatever the fuck that thing'll bring, if this guy sticks around you must at the very least tolerate his existence! Am I clear with the both of you?!"

The both of them looked at me for a moment, then at each other long and hard. Slowly, I felt the jagged scale points retract from my hand, making me internally sigh in relief. I brought both of my hands down, and muttered a light {Cure Wounds}, rubbing the now soft and pink skin of my palm.

"Listen…" I began, turning to Zarusosa with my arms crossed. "I know you must be worried sick about your tribe, perhaps you want nothing more than to return to them after what happened to your party, but if these things do in fact have your scent then… how well do you think your tribe will fare against such an assault?"

"... In truth, those warriors were most of our able-bodied fighters..." He said softly, averting my gaze. "Odds are that my people will starve. This was one last effort on our part to stave off the inevitable, something that all of our tribes are dealing with at the moment… but it is not as if I would fare much better with yourselves. I see before me a young toadman and a human. You would tell me my odds would be better with yourself?"

"Well you tell me. Does a man capable of planning, laying traps, and casting spells like {Lesser Restoration} with a toadman that fights like it's a dance sound decent enough to you?"

The old lizard seemed slightly intrigued now, but not enough that made me feel confident. "Being a caster of the Second Tier certainly proves your experience with the arts, but I doubt it will hold for good".

I smirked, though I was inwardly curious as to how he even knew there was a tier system to the magic. "Even when you don't know my whole list of spells?"

"Hmph, very well. What do you know?"

I gave a brief summary of my known spells, my mentioning of knowing {Frostbite} seeming to make him more observant of myself. He was also interested in my {Protect from Poison} as well, and rightfully so considering his poisoned condition.

"I'll admit, those spells are certainly beneficial in facing what we fought, but do you truly believe you are capable of facing off against the beasts?"

I could if I had a few days and spent that time bug hunting, but explaining level ups wasn't exactly something I could do with tribals. Or maybe… maybe there was a way I could string this? It's a little risky though, and I'm not sure how they'll see me.

"I… have a couple of trump cards up my sleeve… we all better sit down for this one," I began slowly, preparing myself mentally for the fact that I was going to make a genuine bullshit. They nodded, deciding to sit with me in the moist grass. "I didn't exactly want to mention it at first, but if we're going to face whatever these things are then we need to be honest with each other. I carry… knowledge on how the world works. Old knowledge, shared down my family for many generations. Tell me, have either of you killed a lot?"

Todone and Zarusosa now looked thoughtful, both of them looking intently at me.

"Yes, I've killed plenty of creatures of the lake in the past. What of it?" Todone answered.

"Have either of you noticed that, after killing a certain amount of creatures, you feel… stronger? Like a second wind almost?"

Zarusosa's eyes widened. "I know what you speak of. I always thought it was simply strength that came from overcoming your own personal limits… you mean to tell me there is more to this?"

I sigh deeply, hoping that I can try to ham it up. No going back at this point but I really don't wanna die just because the three of us couldn't take it. It's not as though my Patron explicitly forbade sharing knowledge at least. "Yes… my family has referred to this knowledge as 'Experience Theory'. There are three aspects of an individual which contribute to their whole culmination. The mind, body, and soul, all three of which carry their own form of essence. The soul is us. It is our hopes, dreams, and innate persona. It carries with it everything that defines what we are, and the essence which forms and fuels it is itself. The body is our form. It is our will made manifest upon the material world, allowing us to roam and hunt, learn and grow. The essence in which fuels the body comes in several types, magic and stamina being the most common. The mind is our memory. It carries our every experience, whether it have been crafting spears or trained our body through a hellish regime. The essence in which fuels the mind is experience".

Both of them were shocked. As far as explaining a video game system as something… spiritualistic, I think I did a decent enough job.

"What does this all have to do with killing?" Zarusosa asked me.

"When a persona dies, the essence which fuels the three aspects is no longer needed. Like blood leaking from a corpse, it seeps into the environment. The soul makes its way to the afterlife, the body is used to fuel all life around itself, but the mind? The essence of the mind is tricky. Usually, one may pass their own experience onto others indirectly, through teaching and stories. In the end the majority of it simply ceases to exist, burned off and lost forever. However, there exists another method. When two personas clash, whether it be beast against man or man against man, so too do all of their respective aspects. Whenever something dies in peace, all three of these leak out peacefully into the aether. In the process of a clash of death however, with the aspects intertwined…"

"... it provides a means for the experience to leak off in the direction of the victor, like a predator enjoying its meal," The aged lizardman murmured, just loud enough for us to hear.

I nodded. "As I said, this knowledge was a heavily kept secret by my family. The only reason I share this is if I die then all of my family knowledge will be lost forever. And you must understand that there is more to this than simply killing to gain experience".

"How so?" Todone asked this time around. I rubbed the stubble on my chin, thinking about how to explain this one before I was reminded of a similar metaphor about religion.

"Think of your experience like a cup of water…" I began. "Your cup itself starts small at birth. As you learn and grow in experience, so too does your cup, as well as every other thing's cup, living or unliving. When you fill that cup to the brim it doubles in size, and thus in exchange you require more water than before if you wish to fill it to the brim again".

"Which means we cannot simply hunt the same creatures over and over again," Zarusosa interjected. "This makes incredible sense. But if the cup increases in size each time it is filled, then the only way to fill it regularly is…"

"To constantly seek stronger foes. To fight enemies on par with our strength, or even greater. And the stronger we get personally… the fewer of those strong foes exist".

"Correct," I nodded. "However, there are other means of gaining experience, this was but the main method. Remember when I said crafting spears and training provides experience?"

Todone's eyes brightened. "The difference in skill between our artisans was often the time they had to hone their craft! Or that was what we thought was the case. But if it's actually the quantity that affects our knowledge and understanding then all we would need to do is repeat our actions again and again".

I nodded. "Thankfully there's plenty of clay out in the open marsh and we still have to put the chitin and leather to use, but we still have options to increase our strength and skill. Now keep in mind that crafting itself provides a different kind of experience and would push us more towards being suited for whatever craft we take, but it will still provide us with raw experience to grow ourselves as a whole, leading to at least some output regardless".

"In other words, physical training would better suit us as warriors," The toadboy stated.

"Correct… now hopefully you both can understand why this was a closely guarded family secret".

Todone seemed to be unsure, but Zaru nodded. "If this knowledge fell into the wrong hands…"

That was when Todone's eyes widened. "I see…"

I nodded to the lizardman in turn. "Please, the both of you, I beg you to keep this knowledge a close secret to yourselves if you can, though I am not blind to the fact that one should never lie to their family. Should it come to it when you must speak of this, keep this knowledge a secret in your own families".

Zarusosa was the first to rise from his seated position, "Very well, on the blood of my fathers and the blood of my sons, I, Zarusosa Shasha of the Greenclaw, hereby swear this knowledge shall never see the light of day outside of my family".

Todone scoffed at the lizardman, but said nothing to him as he began to rise. "Todone, Son of Kodrotti, hereby swears upon the spirits of his ancestors and the Great Lake Mother that this secret shall never be heard so much as a whisper by my tribesmen, my own blood an exception".

I was the third to raise, slowly with a soft smile. "I thank the both of you, truly. I know this must be no easy feat to ask of you".

The old lizard scoffed. "Think nothing of it, it is obvious why such knowledge should be kept a secret".

I sighed in relief externally, though inwardly?

I was cringing at how much I made myself sound like a fucking cult leader explaining this shit.

Nolan Potts, Human (Karma: 50 [Neutral]) [14/15 Spell slots used]

Classes: Brawler (4), Ranger (3), Druid (2), Clothier (3). Total Level (12).

Spells (Druid): Frostbite, Entangle, Create or Destroy Water, Guidance, Jump, Cure Wounds, Dust Devil, Protect from Poison, Hold Person, Spike Growth, Lesser Restoration

Spells (Ranger): Animal Friendship, Speak to Animals, Ensnaring Strike

Gear: Canvas Clothes (Sturdy, Weathered), Oak-Handled Brush-hook, Canvas Coyote Pack of Holding, Bundles of Herbs (Medicinal), Bundles of Chitin, Pot of Tannin, Bundles of Smoked Bug Meat, Dried Deer Hide, Bones, Bone toolkit

Items of Note: {Humble Beginnings}.

Party Members are as follows…

Member One: Todone, Son of Kodrotti, Toadman (Karma: -30 [Neutral])

Classes: Toadman Warrior (8), Brawler (7), Total Level (15).

Member Two: Zarusosa Shaha of the Greenclaws, Lizardman. (Karma: 110 [Neutral-Good])

Classes: Lizardman Hunter (10), Warrior (9), Ranger (5), Total Level (24).

AN: Well, at the very least Zaru and Todone aren't killing each other, so hopefully they'll have enough time to work together and understand that there's more to each other than hate. Also, it really took me a second to think about how to explain 'experience' to a people that wouldn't know a vacuum tube from a Pringles can, so I'm hoping it came off decently enough.