Hey Don, Cel said. Her mental communication reached the Demon through his meditative trance and pulled him back into reality.

It's time to start the night. The kids need their assignments.

Don's peace of mind was shattered as he remembered the awesome responsibility he had foolishly taken on. He was now in charge of no less than 37 sentients. He felt the muscles in his shoulders grow tight, like he was anticipating some kind of blow.

"They should stay in the tunnels where it's safe. I'll go and get some food for them." Don moved to stand when Cel stopped him.

"Wrong!" She chided the Demon. "That's a huge waste of time. You can't and shouldn't do everything for them."

"But it's dangerous out there. I can come back to life, they can't. It only makes sense that I take the risks." Don argued

"They've been living in this jungle far longer than you have. A big part of leadership is trusting your people to do their jobs. Having them sit around all day is the worst choice you could make." Cel explained.

Don had to admit she made valid points. A community could only thrive when all its members contributed to its prosperity after all. He couldn't have his entire tribe sitting idle even if he could provide everything they needed. Don looked around. Sik was at his side and a cluster of ColoColo faces were crammed into the entrance.

"Sik, what did Grey usually have the kids do?" Don asked

The sickly ColoColo shrugged.

"I don't know. I just make potions and salves when they bring back ingredients."

Don didn't give up. He knew that Grey had kept these ColoColo alive for years. He would do well to follow her example. He turned to the group by the entrance and repeated his question.

"Do any of you know how Grey assigned nightly tasks?"

They responded by struggling until they could unstick themselves scurry down the passage. Don wondered what that was all about but got his answer shortly. They came back, pushing a small, sleepy ColoColo in front of them.

"Nap listened to Grey all the time. She knows all the stories and rules!" One of the monsters explained.

Don recognized the name. This was the 'sage' variant that he had spotted on the tribe screen.

"Hello Nap." Don began. The small ColoColo yawned at him.

"Do you know what Grey had the tribe do each night?" he asked. Nap nodded, then she just continued looking at him blearily.

"...What did Grey have the tribe do each night?" Don was beginning to get frustrated with the unhelpful monster. She yawned again before replying in the cutest little squeaky voice.

"They go into the jungle, find food among the trees and eat their fill. If they find potion ingredients, they should bring them back with whatever food they can carry. They can also hunt rabbits when the sky grows bright. Above all, they are to avoid the men in the tower and the bad things in the mountain. The enemy cannot attack what they cannot see."

Her explanation wasn't that unexpected. Don thought he could improve on a couple of points but decided not to mess with a strategy that had worked for so long. Next, she unexpectedly started reciting a short nursery rhyme. The other ColoColo joined in.

"Out of sight and out of mind,

ColoColo heed this rhyme.

When the bad things come to stay,

ColoColo fade away."

Don had never heard anything like it before. There was a rhythmic lilt to the words and they stuck in his head, playing on repeat. He was gratified that the ColoColo seemed to be in agreement that hiding was their best defense. This mentality in combination with their [forest walk] ability should be enough to keep them safe.

"Okay, but there's one thing we need to do first."

Don couldn't just leave Grey at the bottom of a pile of rubble. She deserved better than that. Even if she was gone, and she would never know; don couldn't just leave her body where it was, like some discarded trash.

He led his tribe to the collapsed meeting hall. It was an unrecognizable ruin. A layer of dust had accumulated over the caved-in ceiling. One wall was torn down, making a slope of earth. Still, Don had no trouble finding Grey's body. The memory of the previous evening was burned into his memory. He didn't think it would ever fade.

He dug it out of the rubble and nearly started crying again when he saw Grey's twisted and half-crushed form. Her face was nearly untouched however and looked peaceful. It wasn't contorted in pain at least. He carefully scooped her into his arms before carrying her up the slope and out of the pit. The other ColoColo followed in silence.

Don didn't go far before laying Grey down. He began to dig, scooping up handfuls of dense soil with ease. It wasn't long before his progress was blocked by interlocking roots. Without him asking, the ColoColo helpfully gnawed through them enough for Don to tear the roots out of the ground. It took over an hour but when he was done, covered in sweat and dirt, Don felt like he had taken the first step in repaying the insurmountable debt he owed the old monster.

After he gently laid Grey's body in the hole and refilled it with dirt, Don placed a heavy boulder on top of the small mound of freshly turned soil. He knelt by the stone for a time. Remembering all that Grey had done for him, and all that she had sacrificed for her tribe. he was startled when Nap led the ColoColo in another chant.

"Our ancestors all have their place,

in every breath and every face.

Their lives have shown us all the way,

how to survive another day."

You have shown great respect for a deceased elder of the ColoColo

+100 Reputation Congratulations! You have unlocked the Undertaker Profession!

Would you like to become an undertaker?

[YES] [NO]

Don waved away the notification. He didn't do this for the rewards. The offer wasn't attractive at all either. His goal was to keep as many of the ColoColo alive as he could, not to bury them with more skill. He looked at the ColoColo around him. They looked back expectantly. Don also recognized the fear and uncertainty there.

"Go and do what Grey taught you. Her lessons have served you well, they will continue to do so."

The little monsters scattered in every direction. They bounded over the underbrush, streamed up nearby trees, and were gone in moments, save for a rapidly fading scratching in the branches overhead. Don was left by the grave with Sik, Nap, and Cel.

"Thank you," Nap said, "That was, unorthodox, but I'm glad we did it." She patted the boulder affectionately before speaking a few parting words.

"Rest well Grey. Though you are gone, your story will not be forgotten."

They descended back into the pit which used to be the Meeting hall. Don removed the rubble, searching for Gaz's body but couldn't find more than a bloody smear. He didn't respect the monster like he had respected Grey, but he still felt guilty about killing it. He also didn't want to leave his corpse as the painful reminder or health Hazzard it was bound to become.

Don searched Grey's small stockpile but everything had been crushed beyond recognition. Even her staff had snapped into three separate pieces. He felt bad about digging through her belongings but a part of himself argued that she would have wanted anything she left behind to help the ColoColo instead of remaining under a pile of rocks.

The small group headed back to the alchemy round. Now that Nap was fully awake, she wouldn't stop talking. She told Don a few stories about the ColoColo's past. Most of them were about the exploits of various ancestors but she also informed Don that the refuge was built by one of their allies, not the ColoColo themselves.

Don traced the patterns in the walls of the tunnels with his fingertips as Nap told him about the 'water people'. They were a playful tribe, fond of pranks, who were exceptionally talented at carving stone. They apparently disappeared during something Nap called the 'great uprising'. A time when the mountain range housing the ColoColo's ancestral home grew taller, but the lands of the water people did not rise with them, and the two tribes were cut off from one another.

As interesting as the loremaster's stories were, Don had more immediate concerns. When they got back to the Alchemy round, Sik set to preparing potions and Nap started fussing around with the herbs, ensuring that they were stored properly. Don and Cel started planning out their future and the future of the tribe.

Cel started by bringing Don's attention to his newly acquired Aspect of the Ram.

Aspect of the Ram

Effect 1: Your horns are reclassified as natural weapons.

Each horn is granted +1 damage and +10 durability per character level.

Effect 2: You can challenge rare horned creatures to single combat.

Victory awards you a portion of their strength.

Gain +1 of your opponent's main attribute for every 5 of its levels.

Limit: 1 Aspect of the Ram bonus per attribute

She had never tried to get him to unlock this particular ability before because it was so hard to find rare creatures. It was even harder to find rare creatures that could be killed by a level 0 player. Without any combat skills or even the most rudimentary equipment, Don shouldn't have stood a chance against a level 5 rare creature. He really lucked out when he fell on top of the Jackalope. But the changes didn't stop at attribute, damage, and durability points.

There were three different aspects that Demons could unlock but taking one would permanently lock access to the others. That had the welcome side effect of turning Don's claws back into regular fingernails and his teeth back into a more human-like conformation, more suited to grinding than tearing. It felt so natural that Don hadn't even noticed the change.

His horns, on the other hand, were sharper. When he tested them by pressing on one with his finger, he found that the round knobs of keratin had become broad spikes. They didn't pierce his skin but Don expected them to become more dangerous as he leveled up.

He didn't relish the idea of getting his face close enough to one of those apes to use them though. They probably wouldn't be very useful but he was glad just to look a bit more human again.

Next, Cel discussed her plans for Don's last profession slot. Apparently, the warrior-monk profession was a fusion of two common professions. He would have to unlock the ascetic and martial-artist professions before it became available. He had already somehow unlocked the Martial-artist profession when he defeated Gaz, something Cel was very impressed with. Don didn't know what to do with her praise. It didn't feel like he was the one who fought Gaz at all. It was more like his body moved on its own.

He briefly remembered the confrontation, the power he was able to channel into his leg, and then the sensation of a skull being crushed against his shinbone. Don shuddered and moved the conversation forward. Fortunately, unlocking the Ascetic profession only required that he continue meditating while hungry, thirsty or tired.

Their conversation finally turned to attributes and whether or not Don should try and level up now that his point values were so high.

I'm hardly making any progress at all anymore. Don complained It doesn't really make sense to spend all this time and effort for just a couple more attribute points, does it?

Cel corrected him, slipping back into her role as a teacher, one finger pointing skywards as she pontificated.

It's always a good idea to take extra attribute points wherever you can find them. You can still gain 12 more attribute points, that's practically 2 levels worth. It's going to take a lot more than some safe exercise or meditation to increase your attributes once you reach level 20 or so. Besides, there are special bonuses that can be unlocked by reaching the limits of your training while at the maximum pain threshold. Higher attributes combined with those bonuses will make it much easier to level up in the long run, not to mention survive in general. Giving up at this point will only stunt your full potential and make it harder to reach.

Don wasn't thrilled about continuing the repetitive training but he had to admit that Cel knew a lot more about attributes and levels than he did. Rust, Cel had taught him pretty much everything he knew about the game system. He still couldn't help putting a barb in his agreement.

I suppose if I'm going to feel extra pain, I may as well get all the benefits I can from it.

That's the spirit! Cel encouraged, completely missing Don's meaning, or simply ignoring it.

Given that Agility was the lowest of his physical attributes and it could only really be trained in the open. They headed outside while it was still dark out. Don took a few potions with him just in case.

They stopped at the travois, or what was left of it. Don saw that the packages were scattered, but intact, if stinky. He was happy to find that the nuts inside were largely spared from the potion he had poured on them. Don rinsed them in the water and began shuttling them inside using his inventory. He left them in the entrance chamber but kept the last load of food and followed the track he had made by dragging the travois through the jungle the night before. He found the clearing with it's burnt out tree and after he ate his fill, Don started doing laps.