Chapter 15: Breaking the Ice

The sun was setting, casting long shadows across Ethan's living room as the four of them settled into an uneasy silence. Karis leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and eyes scanning the room like she was waiting for an ambush. Lucas was sprawled across the couch, one arm thrown over the back, while Naomi perched on the armrest, absentmindedly adjusting the fletching on one of her arrows. Ethan sat cross-legged on the floor, tapping his pipe against his palm.

"Well," Ethan said, breaking the silence, "if we're going to be a party, I guess we should, I don't know… act like one? Maybe learn more about each other? Team-building exercises? Trust falls?"

Karis groaned. "We don't have time for this."

"We just formed a party," Ethan shot back. "I think we can spare five minutes to figure out if we even like each other."

Lucas grinned. "I'm in. Trust falls sound fun. I'll catch you, Ethan."

"I was joking," Ethan said, but he couldn't help smiling. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to get to know each other a little. Like, why are we here? What did the Forge take us from? You know, fun bonding stuff."

Karis's eyes narrowed. "Our pasts aren't relevant to surviving the Forge."

Naomi shrugged. "Maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to understand who you're fighting with."

Karis looked like she was about to argue, but Lucas jumped in before she could. "Alright, I'll start," he said, sitting up straighter. "My life wasn't anything special before the Forge. Just your average guy working as a construction foreman. Decent job, decent pay, nothing too exciting. Then one night, I fell asleep, woke up in the Forge, and barely survived my first encounter. Been trying to figure it out ever since."

Ethan tilted his head. "Construction? That explains the shield thing. You're used to heavy lifting."

Lucas grinned. "Something like that. Guess all those years of carrying bricks paid off."

"What about you?" Naomi asked, her gaze flicking to Ethan. "You've got that 'reluctant hero' vibe going on. What's your story?"

Ethan hesitated, tapping the pipe against his palm. "Not much to tell. I'm just a guy who's really good at being average. I've spent most of my life bouncing between dead-end jobs and avoiding anything that looks like responsibility. Then the Forge showed up, and… well, you know the rest."

"That's not all of it," Naomi said, studying him. "You're downplaying something."

Ethan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. My mom passed a few years ago. Cancer. After that, I kind of… checked out. Stopped trying, stopped caring. I guess the Forge decided I needed a kick in the ass."

The room fell quiet for a moment, the weight of his words sinking in. Then Lucas spoke up, his voice soft. "I'm sorry, man. That's rough."

"Yeah, well," Ethan said, shrugging. "I'm still here. Guess that's something."

Naomi nodded, a flicker of understanding in her eyes. "It is."

"What about you?" Ethan asked, gesturing to Naomi. "What's your deal?"

She leaned back slightly, her expression guarded. "I was a freelance photographer. Traveled a lot, lived out of a backpack. The Forge showed up one night after I'd spent hours editing photos in a hotel room. First fight nearly killed me, but I figured out pretty quickly that I was good at keeping to the shadows."

"That tracks," Ethan said. "You've got that ninja vibe."

Naomi smirked faintly. "I'll take that as a compliment."

They all turned to Karis, who remained silent, her expression unreadable. Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Your turn."

"I don't do this," Karis said flatly.

"You don't 'do' what? Talk? Be a person?" Ethan said, leaning back on his hands. "Come on, Karis. You're part of this team now. Share something. Anything."

She hesitated, her jaw tightening. For a moment, Ethan thought she might walk out. But then she exhaled sharply and said, "I was in the military. Special forces. Spent years following orders, doing what I was told. The Forge is… different. There are no rules, no command structure. Just survival."

"Military, huh?" Lucas said. "That explains a lot."

Karis shot him a look, but Ethan jumped in before things could get tense again. "Okay, so we've got a soldier, a photographer, a construction worker, and… whatever I am. Sounds like the start of a bad joke."

Naomi chuckled. "And what's the punchline?"

Ethan grinned. "We'll figure it out when we're not being chased by giant murder wolves."

The room fell into a more comfortable silence after that, the tension easing as they settled into a rhythm. Lucas and Ethan exchanged lighthearted banter while Naomi occasionally chimed in with a dry remark, her humor quieter but no less sharp. Even Karis seemed less rigid, though she remained mostly on the outskirts of the conversation, observing more than participating.

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As the evening wore on, Ethan found himself struck by how strange this all felt—this mix of camaraderie and impending doom. He'd spent so long isolating himself, convinced he didn't need anyone, and now here he was, surrounded by people who were starting to feel like allies. Maybe even friends.

"Alright," Karis said eventually, breaking the quiet. "This was nice, but don't forget why we're here. The system isn't going to give us a break. The next quest could drop at any moment, and we need to be ready."

Ethan rolled his eyes. "And here I thought you were starting to enjoy yourself."

"I enjoy survival," she said sharply. "Anything else is secondary."

Lucas stretched and stood, grabbing his shield. "She's got a point. We should call it a night and get some rest."

Naomi nodded, standing as well. "Thanks for letting us crash here, Ethan."

"Anytime," Ethan said, walking them to the door. "And by 'anytime,' I mean don't make this a habit. I'm not running a hotel."

Naomi smirked, and Lucas laughed. Even Karis cracked a faint smile, though it was gone almost as quickly as it appeared.

As they left, Ethan leaned against the doorframe, watching them disappear down the hall. He couldn't shake the feeling that something big was coming—something that would test not just his strength, but the fragile bonds they'd begun to form.

"Guess we'll see if we're as good as we think we are," he muttered, closing the door.