Severance had one eye squeezed shut against Vast's happy assault. His hands buried themselves in soft fur, fur that had been bloody and singed just a minute ago. He didn't even want to imagine what he'd looked like. It must have been awful.

"What happened?" he asked.

Hopefully the Veiled had an idea, because he sure didn't. He felt exhausted, the memory of the horrific experience still lingering in his mind like a fresh, repeating echo.

"After you fell, Vast went a little crazy." Maun shrugged, a little half-smile lifting his lips. "He ended up getting the next lightning bolt, but that didn't stop him from keeping the little golems away from you."

Severance winced at that. No wonder poor Vast looked so beaten up. He turned back to Vast, running both hands through thick fur.

"You're a nutcase," he told the beast fondly. Then he closed his eyes, exhaling heavily. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what happened, but you guys could have gotten killed while I was... whatever that was."

"Do you have so little faith in us?" Maun shook his head, amused. "There's a reason we took you to this particular dungeon, you know. Batin and I can handle it on our own, so no one was in any real danger."

No real-?! Severance's mouth flattened into a thin line. "Vast was almost killed!"

"I see." Maun sat back, and ran a hand through his dark hair. "The furball is what you're really concerned about. It's like we're not even here, Batin. That's rather depressing."

"Vast doesn't have one of those bracelet things," Severance muttered. He grimaced as a rough tongue dragged over his closed eye. It was gross, but he didn't particularly care at this moment.

Maun gave a slow nod. "Well, that's true."

"And what about you, Severance?" Batin appeared by Severance's other side, a tall shadow that gazed down at him somberly. "You were badly damaged to the point of incapacitation."

It's never affected you before. The silent accusation hung over Severance's head, and he tensed. There was no denying something so obvious. He just didn't know what to say about it. Or what he even could do. So he just shrugged.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Maun said, oddly gentle in tone. When Severance peeked up, he saw only a quiet understanding lurking behind that slight smile. "Olen thought it might happen. That's why we're here. To test your limits in a safe environment."

"He thought this might happen? How?" Severance wasn't sure if he should be horrified or impressed.

"Because he's a know-it-all," Maun answered, as if that explained everything. Which it didn't. The narrowing of Severance's eyes had him adding, "I mean, Olen's the expert on this sort of thing. He can explain it better than I can."

No. Severance didn't want to wait. Not for this. "I don't care. Just tell me why this is happening. Please."

Things weren't supposed to hurt in Eliona. He knew that much. It was part of what made Outsiders so powerful; they could run dungeons, fight monsters, and generally risk their lives without, well, the risk. But if he could feel everything, just like a resident of Eliona, how was he supposed to do any of that? What happened if he died?

Silently, Batin stepped back and to the side. This put him at Severance's back, where he quietly regarded Maun. Unaware of this, or that Batin had even moved, Severance tried his best to give Maun what he hoped was an unyielding stare. He didn't want to leave this dungeon until he knew what was going on.

With a sigh, Maun steadied himself with a hand on the ground and settled down into a seated position. "Olen told me of the little chat you had before, when you absolutely should not have come over but did anyway. Smart thinking there, Sev." He shook his head as if terribly disappointed, but sadly, the effort was wasted as Severance ignored it. "So, you know how you're closely tied into the whole System, which makes all of what you Outsiders do possible, right?"

The System again, Severance thought. He nodded slowly.

"Good. That means, in very simple terms, that you've finally grown up and become a real man." Maun smiled cheerfully, as if uncaring that he'd just tossed a lit match into a pool of fuel.

"What" Severance said through clenched teeth, "is that supposed to mean?" Finally? Grown up? Real man? Just what was Maun trying to say here?!

His ire must have come across, for Maun raised both hands. "Whoa, take it easy. What I meant is that the body you're currently inhabiting has sort of, well, become upgraded. Don't ask me for any of the technical details. That's Olen's department."

"Upgraded," Severance repeated softly. He frowned. That was a surprisingly clear answer from Maun, more than he'd been expecting if he were being honest, and much of his irritation faded. "So feeling pain is an upgrade, huh?"

"Isn't it?" Maun gave him a steady look, before his lips quirked. "Pain is a great motivator."

All the annoyance came rushing back in an instant. Severance shook his head. "Sure, because it motivates me to pass out when there's people to heal. That'll go over well."

"A detriment in that case," came Batin's low murmur. "One which we'll have to address."

Maun got to his feet, and brushed off his pants. Dust fell from him in a small cloud. "I'll leave that in your hands, Batin."

"Certainly."

"What's that mean?" Twisting around, Severance craned his neck to look up at the lean shadow that stood unnervingly close behind him. When did the man move there? Vast also looked up at Batin, panting lightly, his sharp canines glinting in the light of the room.

His only answer was a silent stare, in which Batin said not a word. Not a single muscle in his sharp features twitched, refusing to reveal even the slightest of hints as to what he was thinking. After a long moment, Batin gave the tiniest of nods, turned, and walked away.

The System chimed.

Quest Received: Undergo Batin's training

That left Severance baffled. And worried. He had no idea what kind of training Batin had in store, nor did he understand how it could possibly help him.

"Come, let's get back to the House," Maun said. "We'll see if- "

A System notification came, drowning out Maun.

You have received a message from Awesome Dude. Would you like to open message?

"-and go from there."

Severance nodded slowly, only half paying attention to Maun. "Sure."

At once, the message began to play. "Sev! Hey man, I've only got an hour-ish left. If you can't meet up today, then let's try for tomorrow, okay? But you better not disappear on me again! If you do, I'm gonna steal your dog!"

Severance looked down at Vast. As if that was even possible. He shook his head, giving a tiny smile despite the unease weighing heavily upon him. At least some things were guaranteed to never change.

***

Time Elapsed: 03:01:12

When they returned, the clan House had a surprising amount of activity going on. Veiled clanspeople were gathered in twos and threes, engaged in intense discussions. One group headed back inside almost as soon as Severance spotted them, while another—with Hassiba, he noticed her quite easily by the scar on her face— called out to another pair of Veiled men and waved them over.

"What's going on?" He wondered, even as Batin and Maun immediately shepherded him towards the House. Vast paced by his side, appearing more relaxed now that they were back in familiar territory.

"There's been a lot of meetings the past few days," Maun answered, glancing over. "Things have already started to change, and we all have to be prepared."

They drew near the doorway, and Severance slowed just a touch. Was Maun talking about Two Bridges? "For what?"

A familiar figure emerged before they could enter the House, interrupting them. Olen himself stopped just outside the doors. He gave them a brief smile. "Gentlemen, welcome back. How did it go?"

Severance barely heard the question, because he was dumbstruck by the very noticeable black-and-purple bruise swallowing one of Olen's eyes. Someone had actually given Olen a black eye? How did that even happen?

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" Maun didn't seem to notice the horrid bruise marking his fellow clansman's face.

"The quick one for now," Olen's said apologetically. "I've got another meeting in a few minutes."

Maun smirked a little at that. "Heh, you were watching for us, weren't you?"

"No, I just happened to come out for some air when I saw you arrive."

"Of course you did." Maun waved it off. Before anyone could really start to get annoyed at him, he changed the subject. "Short version it is, then. The kid's got all the upgrades. And by that, I mean all of them."

"I see." Olen's attention shifted, and Severance met it steadily. "I had hoped... well, that's past us now, I suppose." With a sigh, Olen's shoulders slumped ever so slightly. He looked tired. And the bruise on his face didn't help. "We're treading on new ground, Severance. I'm sorry. While I do my very best to ensure your safety, it's you who has to bear the brunt."

Severance shook his head. "I've made my choice. It's fine." It wasn't fine, though. It was terrifying, and it was all he could do not to start panicking right there. He took in a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm. "Though I was wondering... I can't, you know, die for real now, can I?"

Olen shook his head once. "No, of course not. You're still an Outsider, Severance. The only way you can die in Eliona is if we remove you from the clan, as I've stated before."

"Okay, that's good. But what am I supposed to do about the other thing? It's not going to be easy doing dungeons anymore." Severance fought the curl of dread in his belly. The thought of being able to feel every little injury was nothing short of a nightmare. How was he supposed to keep a party alive when a mere tickle from a creature's claw had him writhing on the ground?

"Batin will help him," Maun cheerfully clapped Severance on the back. "Don't worry about it, Olen. Let us look after it. You've got a lot on your plate already."

Severance rubbed at his neck, feeling awkward about asking, but he was really curious. "So, what happened to your eye?"

Someone sniggered like a schoolboy. It definitely wasn't Severance and he was pretty sure it wasn't Batin or Olen, either.

If it were possible, Olen deflated even further. "It's nothing important, Severance. I-"

"Oh, you better not let Bian hear that," Maun snickered. "She might black out your other eye."

Eyes widening, Severance stared at Olen. Whoa. This was turning out to be rather fascinating. He remembered the two flirting in front of him before, and they always had seemed to get along. "Bian gave you a black eye? Why?"

It was faint, but Olen's cheeks darkened in an unmistakable flush. "Well, it was, that is, we had a small misunderstanding."

Maun burst out into loud guffaws. He actually slapped a knee, the sound startling. It made Severance look to see what was going on with Maun, and all he saw was the man's shoulders shaking with unsuppressed laughter.

Wordlessly, Severance turned back to Olen. He felt a lot more concerned now, if Maun's behavior was any indication. "Is everything okay?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Olen gave Maun a narrow-eyed look. Then he sighed heavily, as if giving in.

"Bian's pregnant," he muttered.

Severance's jaw dropped. "She's pregnant?!"

Of all things, that had been the last thing he ever expected to hear. Bian was in her forties, for crying out loud. And Olen was at least a decade younger, if not more. How could such a thing happen?

Maun laughed even harder. Tears streamed from his eyes. Even Vast watched him from his place by Severance's leg, his silver ears twitching at the noise.

"It shouldn't have been possible," Olen muttered. His face darkened further in color, and he had the look of a man dangling from a cliff's edge by a single finger. "We thought she was safe, so she didn't take the herbs, but well... we were wrong."

"For such a careful man, you were very careless," Batin spoke for the first time. Even he sounded amused.

Still reeling, Severance stammered, "But how did that even happen?"

Maun stopped laughing just long enough to say, "Didn't anyone have that talk with you, Sev?" and then he was off again, cackling like a loon.

Heat rushed to Severance's face until he was almost as pink as Olen. "Shut up," he muttered, then regarded Olen hesitantly. What did one say in situations like this?

"Uh, congratulations, I guess?"

Surprisingly, Batin backed him up. "Indeed. It will be good to see more children in the Clan."

A pained smile came and went on Olen's face. "Thank you. I ah, I must go. It's time for that meeting. Severance, we'll talk later, alright?"

"Sure."

Olen turned and walked calmly back into the House, yet Severance still got the impression that the man was fleeing. He felt bad for the poor guy, but he couldn't deny that it was kind of funny.

"Wow." He shook his head. "Bian must have been mad." Especially if she did that kind of damage to a man's face.

"Oh, she was enraged," Maun wiped the tears from his eyes. "But she'll calm down soon enough. A child is a blessing, even if the timing is a bit off."

Severance tried to picture the tough Bian with a baby in her arms. It felt strange no matter how he looked at it, and Olen wasn't much better. While Olen was kind in his way, he didn't seem like the nourishing type.

It was going to be something to see, and Severance hoped he'd be around to see it. He scratched the side of his jaw, his fingers encountering a lock of hair before absently shoving it behind an ear. Babies aside, he had something else to look after.

"I need to meet up with my friend," he told his companions. "He's only got an hour left before he has to leave."

"Hm," was Maun's response.

"I'll go," Batin said, not even a heartbeat after.

That made Severance tense. What was with these people? "I can go alone, you know."

"Nope. Can't do that." The amount of pure cheerfulness exuding from Maun was both blinding and sickening.

"Why not? If I get attacked, I'll just respawn here. It's no big deal."

"Ah, but what if they don't kill you, but take you prisoner?" Suddenly, Maun's nose was mere inches from Severance's, and cobalt eyes bore into him with all the weight of the deepest depths of the ocean. "And what if they find out that you can feel, Sev? That they can hurt you? How long would you last before you start telling them everything you know?"

The blood drained from Severance's face. Whatever protests he had died in his throat. That... was a good point. A terrifying point.

Maun drew back. "Exactly," he said, though there was no satisfaction in his suddenly sober tone. "You're vulnerable, Sev. And that makes us vulnerable. I know it's hard to hear, but it's a fact. You know things that the other Outsiders cannot know, at least not yet. And you know enough to give our enemies enough fuel to burn us. So until you get strong enough to keep yourself safe, we'll protect you."

When put like that, Severance had nothing to refute. As an Outsider, who could simply respawn after being destroyed, running into the Chosen or Traders hadn't been much of a worry. But now that he could feel, everything had changed.

What if he ran into Ervante now? What if that creepy figured out his weakness?

Severance dropped his gaze, jaw tensing. For a moment, he kept silent, thoughts tumbling about until they landed on something. He looked up. "Until I get strong enough?"

Maun smiled. He didn't say anything, but he waggled his fingers goodbye and left.

Severance watched him go, feeling a shaky smile of his own tugging at the corners of his mouth. Until I'm strong enough, huh? The amount of faith Maun had in him was absurd, yet Severance couldn't deny that he liked the sound of that.

He turned around. Batin stood silently a short distance away, arms folded and his expression hooded like a hawk. It made Severance glad that this predator was on his side.

"Okay, let's go. But can you try not to creep my friend out?"

Batin's expression never changed. "You won't even know I'm there."

To Severance, it sounded more like a threat than a reassurance. He blew out a heavy breath. Right, then. He glanced down, eyeing the lazy grin that Vast sent him.

"You are staying here."

Vast shut his jaws, grin vanishing. His tail slowly tightened around Severance's legs. He stared back unblinkingly.