The Manaverse

Northwest of the Slatewell Safe Zone

Granite City

Jut only allowed himself a few minutes respite after his fight with the Minotaur. The last thing he wanted to do on the heels of a victory was be caught unaware.

As he picked up the Minotaur's nose ring, a few mana chips, and the Minotaur's club, stuffing them into his Inventory one by one, Jut thought over the fight. His party was right when they told him the Minotaur Monsters were slow. He hadn't expected them to be that slow, though. With how ripped they looked, Jut thought they would be faster than he was. However, if that were true he'd be dead right now.

Something else Jut considered was how much the damage from Magical Strikes contributed to his victory. The soldiers at the mall were firing guns at a Minotaur and they only managed to damage the beast's armor a little bit. Every strike empowered with his skill cracked this Minotaur's armor drastically in comparison. By the end of the fight, the beast's gear was in tatters wherever he had focused his attacks.

Was it the "Magic" damage that destroyed the leather armor? Jut thought, more to himself than Alex. Alex responded anyway, the chat box appearing.

No Lore Found.

I would have to say yes. I doubt the Minotaur had any magical resistance. There's no way your regular attacks could do that to his gear.

Thanks, I guess. Jut thought. He disliked how condescending Alex tended to be, but what they said wasn't wrong. He was thinking nearly the same thing. Well, time to check out these stores.

Not going to wait for the crew? Maybe we should go and check in with them first.

And miss the opportunity to find a sweet haul? No thanks. They would be pissed off if I left to join them and another party beat us to the good stuff. Jut thought with a shake of his head.

That had happened more than once. Jut and the party had risked life and limb to clear an area of Monsters just for a group of hunters to sneak by during the fight and clear out the store before they could.

True. I say we hit the food place first. That always gets the best rewards.

There were a few clothing boutiques, an antique shop, and a natural foods store in the small corner lot.

As Alex suggested, the natural foods store was first. Jut grabbed all of the canned pet food. Then, he stocked up with as many credit worthy items as he could. His party had chosen to only eat the Monster meat, as that looked like it would be the primary food staple going forward. That decision was also reached because canned food and water received the highest credit value at the Safe Zone.

Next, Jut grabbed a few changes of clothing in his size from the boutiques. He also snagged some clothes for the party. He seemed to wear through clothes awfully fast now. He wondered if that was because the pre-System clothing had become less sturdy or if he was just not careful enough.

Jut was on his way out of one of the clothing stores when something caught his eye. It was a display with a couple of makeup cases on it. He knew of at least two women who had complained about their lack of makeup. He slid them both into his inventory before hitting the final shop. He was glad they stacked together in one slot.

Jut doubted he would find anything useful in the antique store, but he wanted to check it out anyway.

The first thing Jut noticed was the difference in smell. The antique store smelled unique. It was like walking into history, musky but not unpleasant. It invited him deeper inside which he gladly accepted.

Then Jut saw his own reflection in the full length mirror that was not far into the store. It made him freeze. What caught his eye was his throat. It was turning a deep purple and blue. He was still having problems taking deep breaths and speaking too. Now he could see why. Any longer in that monster's grip and his windpipe would have been crushed. He hoped his offering would appease Isabelle when he sought her out for her healing touch later.

The rest of the store had a lot of cool stuff, but nothing was of use to the Safe Zone. Yet, he did grab a few pieces of artwork and a couple lamps. Worst case scenario, the Safe Zone rejected them and he would decorate their room a bit. He was about to turn and leave when he noticed a weapons display.

On a rack were a few replica swords. A couple were katanas and a few were straight swords. They didn't seem like they would make very good weapons after he tested their edges, but he decided to snag them anyway, just in case. His bat was getting pretty dinged up, and he didn't want to be armed only with a knife if it broke. He really needed to find a replacement and the Minotaur's club was way too big for him to use.

Alex added their two cents.

Maybe you're ready to go up a bat size. I am sure Jonny would give you one as a reward for winning that solo fight.

Very true. Maybe I'll ask him. Jut thought back as he left.

Jut needed to get back to the group. He hoped they could make it to the Safe Zone and back before the food store was cleaned out. If they were going to escort the survivors they found first, which was their chosen priority, he doubted they would make it back quickly so every second counted.

Hours later, Jut and his party were sitting around a makeshift campfire. They were each eating a piece of Monster meat Randy had seared for the group

"That was a good haul. Good find, Jut." Brick said cheerfully.

They were able to get the group of fifteen survivors to the Safe Zone and hi-tail it back to the store with relative ease. No one had looted their find either. They had loaded up multiple shopping carts and wheeled them all back to the Safe Zone before the sun had sunk too far on the horizon.

Jut smiled. "Thanks." His voice was very quiet and raspy. It hurt a bit to breathe still, let alone speak. Isabelle hadn't been around when they passed through on their drop-offs.

"You're lucky you aren't dead..." Jonny said firmly. "How many times are you going to let your guard down?"

Jut slumped in his chair. As soon as Jonny had seen his throat earlier, he had chastised Jut about letting his guard down. Despite knowing Jonny was only worried for him, it still rankled that he wouldn't drop the issue. He had berated him for hours now.

Larry tapped Jonny and shook his head, making a gesture across his throat that seemed to mean cut it out.

Brick spoke up. "Larry's right, Jonny bro. I'm sure Jut gets it by now."

Jonny gritted his teeth and shrugged. "I will not allow anyone in the group to die due to lack of attentiveness."

Larry gestured frantically for a few seconds with a stern look on his face.

"I know he's a newb and it wasn't like he was taken off guard. That doesn't change the fact that he almost died." Jonny said reasonably.

Randy spoke up, still watching the meat as he cooked more of it for later. "Even if he had died, it would have been our fault. What if a Monster had jumped on him from the debris during the fight? Newbs, Hell, no one should go into fights like that alone."

Jonny only shrugged again but didn't argue. After a few moments, the burly man's expression softened.

"I guess I am being a little harsh. Here, Jut. It looks like you need a new weapon." Jonny then pulled a new metal bat from his pocket.

The head of the bat clunked loudly against the asphalt when Jut wasn't ready for the weight. It was heavy, heavier than Jut thought it would be.

Jut examined the bat closely. It was a solid, tan metal. Feeling the body of the weapon, Jut noticed something odd. It had a stone-like texture with no brand names carved into it.

"Where?" Was all Jut could manage to say with his damaged throat.

Brick chuckled and slapped Jonny playfully on the shoulder. Jonny, for his part, looked embarrassed.

"This big lug made that by hand. Guess who finally broke down and used his Skill Orb?"

Jonny waved Brick off. "And of course, I got a skill called Smithing." Despite sounding annoyed, Jut could see the man's pride in the weapon he held. It was excellent.

Jut stood, sliding the bat into his inventory. He offered Jonny a hand to shake. When Jonny clasped his hand, Jut pulled the man into a quick man hug.

"Thanks. Will use." Jut wanted to say more to express his gratitude, but couldn't manage it. Instead, he pulled the bat out again and began practicing the swings Jonny had taught him.

Jonny nodded and got his own Minotaur club out and practiced next to Jut for the rest of their break. It wasn't too long before each member of the party joined them. They eventually packed up, hoping to get at least one more load out of the natural food store that afternoon.

Back at the Slatewell Safe Zone

The party each pushed the shopping carts they had confiscated into a parking spot the casino staff has designated for that purpose. They had just turned in another inventory load and cart loads of supplies. Each was sitting on a hefty balance of food credits.

"Man, Brick. I thought you were crazy when you suggested we only eat Monster meat, but looking at the food credits I have now..." Randy trailed off with a goofy grin on his face. "I can totally find a sexy honey to take on a date for real food."

Brick chuckled. "I just want to use my credits for beer. It's are getting to be quite expensive."

The group was about to part ways. A hollering voice made everyone around but Jut scurry away like hamster Monsters. An angry woman tended to have that effect, even after the end of the world.

"Hold it right there, mister!" Yelled the irate Healer.

Jut froze in place, flinching. For some reason, Isabelle only yelled at him like that. Others who were hurt worse than he was were given a kind and caring tone, like from her pre-System videos. He wanted that voice. Instead he got...

"I heard from Wendy that you were hurt pretty badly!"

Jut couldn't see her yet. It was a mass of people who were parting down the middle he saw first. He contemplated dashing off but knew he couldn't get away. Even his traitorous dog had abandoned him, Gunther following Brick into the crowd.

The only one who was willing to brave the coming tirade was Lily. She perked up and became excited, even as the verbal fury approached.

Then she arrived. Isabelle used her biblical ability to part the sea of survivors and emerged into the space around Jut that had appeared with her first words. Isabelle had her hair tied back and she was wearing scrubs. Her glare could melt iron while freezing the sun. In quick, small steps, she crossed the distance. She immediately gasped when she saw his neck.

"It's worse than I was told," Isabelle said, irritated. She leaned forward and looked closely at his neck.

Jut tried to hold his hands up and gesture to her that he was fine, but one raspy sound from him had her batting his hands away. He looked up and sighed, letting her have her way.

"Wendy and I will be having a discussion about what serious means later. Come. We have to look at this more thoroughly." Isabelle hissed. She immediately grabbed Jut's arm and began pulling him in the direction of the medical tent she was in charge of.

The next thing Jut knew, he was sitting on a stool, looking at the medical tent's ceiling. Isabelle was gently examining his neck. Her healing spell was not good enough to eliminate the damage to his throat entirely.

Jut's health bar stopped going up at eighty-five percent and Isabelle still had mana left.

"That Minotaur got you pretty good, didn't he." Isabelle said flatly.

Jut was able to respond now, but his voice was still hushed.

"I got greedy. I'm sorry if you were worried." Jut said. "I will be more careful from now on. This was a lesson I took to heart."

Jut touched his throat gently as Isabelle leaned back. He had been sincere. It was a lesson he didn't ignore. He just wasn't good enough at fighting to let himself get cocky. He looked back at her.

Isabelle had a concerned expression and was looking right at him. "How many times do you need to learn the same lesson? It's dangerous out there."

Jut inhaled to retort angrily, yet, he held his breath for a moment and changed his response. She was right.

"I hear you. I promise. I am being more careful now." He said softly. "This wasn't the same. I'm not taking the same risks and I have learned a bit. But, I can't not take any risks..." Jut shrugged.

Isabelle turned away from him, crossing her arms. She didn't respond right away. When she did, she sighed loudly.

"I know. Just..." Isabelle turned to Jut again, the same expression of worry on her face. "Please, Jut. Find me instead of waiting. The sooner I can apply healing the more effective it will be."

"Really?" Jut said, standing up. "How so?"

Isabelle shrugged. "I'm not sure how. I just see nearly identical injuries often. The ones I am able to heal sooner repair themselves faster and further than the others. There could be other factors involved, but I don't know what they are."

Jut nodded. "I won't wait next time. Thank you again, Isabelle." He grabbed her hand and shook it.

Isabelle blushed softly at his touch, which Jut missed.

"It's what I'm here for." Isabelle said as she pulled free gently.

"Okay. I'll see you later." Jut gave her another smile and turned to leave. Just before he crossed the threshold, he stopped. "Oh, right. Here. I figured you would want this, so I snagged it."

Jut held a square, flat case out to Isabelle who took it gingerly. When she realized what it was, she smiled widely.

"Thank you so much. Where did you get it?" Isabelle asked as she opened the makeup case, examining the contents closer.

"At a clothing store up the way. Is it usable?" He shrugged, not sure what even came in it.

"It is perfect. Better than what I have left." Isabelle smiled and closed the case.

Jut smiled and waved. "Great. See you later, Isabelle."

Isabelle watched him go, blushing harder.