Despite their reluctance, the mages began tending to their wounds. Meanwhile, Randy walked over to Jack, who now carried Fratley slung over his shoulder. Jack gave Randy a silent look, as if asking what now?
"Bring Fratley back to the settlement. Tell Jane to take care of him, and get the others to help move the corpses.
As for me…" Randy turned to Seraphina. "Hey, crazy witch. I've got another proposal."
"Oh? What is it? It better be good," Seraphina replied with a smile.
Meanwhile, Jack had already started walking back toward the settlement.
***
"Urgh… my head hurts," Fratley mumbled as a familiar ceiling came into view.
"Careful, you're still on painkillers," Jane said in a soft tone.
Fratley tried to sit up but quickly realized he couldn't move. His eyes flicked to the IV drip beside him, filled with dark red blood.
"Oh yeah, forgot to tell you," Jane added with a faint smirk. "The painkiller's side effect, it paralyzes you for a bit. You'll be able to move in another three hours."
"How long was I out?"
"Almost two days…" Jane gave him a warm smile.
"Don't feel too bad. For your first outing, this is a decent result. I've seen worse. Actually, most die on their first fight."
Fratley's lips twitched. Her words reminded him of what Randy said. 'He still has one lung…' 'FUCK!'
"Umm… Jane. What happened with my lungs?"
Jane let out a soft chuckle. "Don't worry. I already put a new one. But your fingers were a problem. Couldn't find any donor with the right size."
"No thanks. Forget it," Fratley sighed, glancing at his hand. Two fingers were gone, his little finger and index.
Even with his psychopathic traits, he still clung to some values from his old world. Just imagining himself using fingers harvested from a corpse made his skin crawl. He knew if he saw them every day, he might spiral into something far darker.
But given everything he'd learned about this world so far, it was probably only a matter of time.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. With how insane this world was, it was either adapt, or die.
"Where're the others?"
"Your mom went after Randy. Haven't heard anything from her since.
As for Jack and the rest, they're busy as usual. Jack's probably knee-deep in his butchering pile, Ben's tinkering with that new wand we got from the mage, you might actually be able to use one of them. And Karen… well, she enjoys living near her plants more than with us."
Piecing things together, Fratley asked, "Is Randy going to the ruin? Last time we talked, he said he found one."
Jane gave a slow nod, her gaze turning distant and a little melancholic. "Probably. From what I've heard, he's heading there with High Mage Seraphina. Your mother's likely tagging along too."
"With those three, everything should be alright, right?"
Jane sighed. "Don't underestimate ruins, Fratley. They're filled with things beyond your imagiation.
You never know what kind of monstrosity you'll face inside. Undocumented Exo-Frames, mutants, or even… Arachnids."
"Arachnids? Spiders?"
"Well, most of them are spider-like. But technically, they're any giant mutated insect. Very dangerous.
They move fast, have strong armor, and are laced with acid and toxin attacks. But that's not the worst part…"
"Their numbers," Fratley said quietly. "I remember reading about them in my mother's simulations."
Jane gave a nod. "No matter how strong someone is, they still have limits. If they're outnumbered, they can die like anyone else.
Honestly, I'm not too worried if they're in the open forest, they can always escape. But inside a ruin? It's easy to get trapped."
'So it's just like a dungeon in the games I used to play,' Fratley thought. "Who built these ruins?" he asked. "Some kind of ancient civilization?"
"Who knows. There are plenty of theories. Some say aliens, others claim it was an ancient civilization. Personally, I don't care. If it's useful, that's enough for me."
That made a lot of sense. Fratley finally understood why technology in this world felt so weirdly mismatched.
They had deep-dive VR simulation tubes that could accelerate learning and training, but no handheld communication devices? The answer was simple: someone found the simulation tubes with manuals still intact.
It was like giving a drone to a caveman. Most would smash it, but a clever one might figure out how to use it. Still, that didn't mean they'd know how to build a motherboard from scratch.
'Which means communication tech probably exists somewhere, just hoarded or monopolized by some big faction. If we could find one…'
As a former pilot, Fratley knew just how critical communication was. Even in open skies, planes could crash without proper coordination. Radar, GPS, tracking, so much relied on it.
'If I'd known this would happen, I would've spent more time learning how it all works instead of just taking it for granted.'
Jane stood and stretched. "Alright, I've got things to take care of. I'll leave you alone for now. You gonna be okay?"
"No problem," Fratley replied casually.
"Really?" Jane asked again, her gaze locking onto his.
"Yes, why?" Fratley tilted his head, not understanding why she was pressing.
"Oh right, I forgot you have the psychopath trait," Jane said with a chuckle. "Makes sense you're fine.
Sorry, it's just... most people who survive something like that tend to snap. Last time someone did, they burned half our settlement."
Fratley blinked. "Wait… what!? Who?"
Jane smiled faintly, her tone turning oddly cheerful. "No need to worry. Jack put a bullet in her head.
She was his wife, went mad after losing her twins. It's been a few years, but… yeah, don't bring it up around him. He's still sensitive."
Fratley stared at her in stunned silence. 'Excuse me!? Are you sure I'm the one with the psychopath trait, Karen!?'
Jane stood up, brushing off her coat. "Alright, bye, Fratley. I've got a lot to do."
As she walked out, Fratley sighed and leaned back. "I swear, everyone here has that trait... Must be mandatory to survive out here."
But then he remembered the apprentice mages, their panic, their fear, their hesitation. Maybe not everyone in this world lived like the settlers did.
He chuckled to himself. "Well not my problem. First things first, gotta figure out how to awaken as a mage. I cannot stay like this if I want to survive."