3 Assembling a party

Satoru looks up to the radiant sky taking in all that has happened to him since he left his old world as Jason and became anew in this one. In the span of hours, he already fought level 5 and level 8 monsters. Well, they were heavily weakened by each other but he still got the exp anyway and that's all that counts in the end.

Speaking of exp he opens his menu wheel and sees gold letters in the middle reading the words Level Up. Level up to Level 2 was a lot easier than he thought but that's how it usually goes in RPG games. It will progressively get harder of course but that doesn't matter right now all that matters is that he leveled up. He focuses on the words and it brings him to an overview of himself with a screen to the right of him showing all his skills and abilities. He accepts the level causing his hit points to jump from 21 to 31, along with his magic/cursed energy increasing with his level. He notices also that there is no stamina bar on this system so looks like he can't get tired which is a good thing even though he wouldn't be able to.

The next screen shows his abilities level up to level 2, so it seems they only grow with his level which means he is definitely prioritizing level up. Other than that level 2 doesn't really give him that much so he accepts all that was given to him and leaves the screen. He looks over his character in the character sheet and notices a buff on him that says in the zone and it lasts 10 moves. This must be because of the black flash he hit on the Mind Flayer, no wonder he feels euphoric right now. It won't last long though which is a good thing he doesn't want to operate at 120 percent at all times.

He leaves the screen and begins walking forward going over his abilities. Blue will definitely be his main form attack especially since his other abilities are really for crowd control. Blue is still broken in itself so it shouldn't be too much trouble. He continues walking forward running up on a dead body and of course, he loots it without thinking twice but as he looks up from the body he sees an unconscious person not too far away. It's Shadowheart from the ship, how in the world did she survive that fall?

He makes his way over to her inspecting her body when the object she had grabbed in the ship catches his attention. He could take it from her but he decides to gently shake her awake. After a couple of shakes, her eyes shoot open.

"You're alive. I'm alive. How is this possible...?" She gasps slowly lifting herself up off the ground. She quickly puts the object away fully focusing her attention on Satoru.

"Yeah, how are you alive exactly? That was a long fall to have zero injuries at all." Satoru ponders surveying her body up and down getting closer than he realized. He was mere inches away from her face still trying to understand how she was alive.

Shadowheart backs up uncomfortable and answers his question. "I remember the ship, I remember falling... then nothing"

"Hmm ok that's weird wait did you also have that blue energy surround you before u hit the ground?" Satoru questions. Whatever that was protected him from hitting the ground and the same could be said for her. He needs more information to come up with a thesis.

"What blue energy?" Shadowheart tilts her head confused. He can't help but admit that her confusion and held tilt is rather cute to him. He will focus on that later.

"Never mind then. Do you know what happened to our gith friend Lae'zel?"  He asks. If Shadowheart had survived she 100 percent did as well. This is just a hypothesis and he is hoping he's right about it.

"You might want to reconsider calling her a friend - looks like she ran off without us," Shadowheart states. Satoru can't help but notice her disdain for the gith. That will definitely be something they need to work on for her. Sensing she doesn't want to keep talking about it he will move on.

"Next question do you know at all where we are?" he questions. Being from another world of course he will have no knowledge of what this place is and it's good to get as much knowledge as possible.

"No... I don't recognize this place. But anything's an improvement on where we just came from." She answers. "First thing's first we need supplies, shelter, and most of all a healer. We might have escaped but we still have these little monsters in our heads"

"Wait you want to stay together?" Satoru's face slowly shows a smug grin. "Maybe you are growing to like me."

"It's out of necessity." She shuts him down quickly. Looks like they aren't that close yet so he will keep working towards it. "We need each other and we both know what's at stake. I can't think of better company."

"I see your point but don't worry I will break through that sexy icy exterior you got," Satoru smirks noticing the slightest of blushes appearing on her face. Progress has been made. "All right let's get going."

"One thing just before we go. I wanted to thank you again, for freeing me. It would've been all too easy for you to run right past my pod, but you didn't. I'll remember that." She nods her head in appreciation as something catches Satoru's attention in the top left of his vision. It says Shadowheart approves. Wait does he have an approval rating with her that's good to know. Just like a Telltale game.

With that they move forward but not before he sees that he has a party function now on his system. He couldn't ignore it as it took up his whole vision as a new function. He focuses on it and a part menu pops up. It shows him four slots on his part with him and Shadowheart taking up two of the slots and it looks like it's time for her to level up too.

Would you like to automate party members leveling? With this, they will level up according to what best suits them

Y/N?

Without hesitation, Satoru chooses yes. He may be able to see all their potentials and classes he feels that they should decide what's best for them with their levels as he will do with himself. Maybe he can get her to teach him some spells as it was stated in the JJK manga that Satoru was good at anything he tried and magic is a lesser form of cursed energy so he should be able to learn all sorts of magic because it can't conflict with his special cursed energy abilities.

As they make their way to the beach Satoru loots everything he can finding food gold and weapons all good things that will be needed.

"I've been meaning to ask. Are you blind?" Shadowheart speaks up.

"Oh yeah, I forgot I have a blindfold. I wear it so women don't fall for me immediately when they see my eyes." He jokes causing her to roll her eyes. "No, but seriously it's cause I was born with a special type of eyes from my people. It's called The Six Eyes and long story short. It helps me bring the magic cost down to almost zero so no matter how many spells I cast I'll never run out of magic power and it breaks down anything I see into information that I can absorb especially one's magic and abilities."

"What?! That's quite the set of eyes you have." Shadowheart exclaims. "And I assume the blindfold is to stop the flow of information to your brain from overloading you?"

"Yep right on the nose. I knew you weren't just a pretty face." Satoru flirts but it only falls on deaf ears." moving on I want to know more about you."

"Why there is nothing wrong with a little mystery." She smiles.

"Yeah, I guess if it's private I won't push." He says and another Shadowheart approves and appears in the top left of his eyes.

"Thank you I feel we will get along perfectly besides from your constant flirting." She walks forward leaving Satoru to sigh. Yeah, breaking her shell will be a mission in itself. "Those brain creatures are ahead get ready."

Satoru hops up from the dead body and walks ahead of her. They get in the line of sight for the intellect devours and get ready to fight. Satoru notices the words surprised on top of all the intellect-devoured heads. Thus their turns are used to try to understand the situation. This fight will end easily. He casts a blue point in the middle of the devours and the point of convergence sucks the three of them in. Shadowheart reads the situation and casts a guiding bolt to the middle of the three of them simultaneously killing all three.

"Nice Shadowheart. We make a good team." Satoru raises his hand for a high five, She stares at him but ultimately decides to give him a high five. He smiles brightly at her reciprocating it. "Looks like you're warming up to me already."

"In your dreams." Shadowheart retorts.

"Oh, so I'll be dreaming about you now. I can't wait." Satoru jokes

"You never miss a chance to flirt with me do you?" Shadowheart moves on walking past the dead creature's body. Satoru just laughs and goes to looting all the bodies around him. They walk forward to another side of the beach. He loots the crates finding thieves' tools and a trap disarming kit which will be useful.

They continue to move forward up the hill where Satoru notices a man ahead of them from far away. "Hey, shadow heart you see that man over there right? Wearing a black and purple outfit with white hair and abnormally large canine teeth. "

"How in the world can you see him that good we are still far away from him?" Shadowheart stops looking Satoru up and down.

"My perception is amazing and would be even better if I took off this blindfold but that answers my question at least I know I'm not hallucinating." Satoru laughs and moves forward towards the man.

"Hey, I need some help!"

They walk up to the man who now has their full attention. "Hurry, I've got one of those brain things cornered." He states and turns to Satoru. " There, in the grass. You can kill it, can't you? Like you did the others."

Satoru looks at him wearily at that statement that left his mouth. He said like the others so he's been watching them all this time huh? He turns to where the guy pointed to and notices it's a boar. "It's a boar. So are you gonna explain that statement you said? Kill it like I did the others." Satoru interrogates.

"I was hoping you were a nice soul." He responds pulling out a dagger from his pocket. Satoru chuckles to himself unwavering in his stance against the elf. "I just need information. I saw you scuttling about on the ship. You're in league with them, aren't you? Those tentacled - argh."

The mad rives in pain falling forward as their minds connect. Satoru mind twists as he looks out of unfamiliar eyes, prowling dark, busy streets. He tries to hold the memory, but it fades to the worm. The light. The fear.

"What was that? What's going on?" The elf asks his eyes noticeably dropping his feigned aggression.

"Yeah, that thing. It was a little present given to us by the mind flayers. It's the parasite. I connected me and Shadowheart then now you." Satoru explains with a yawn this is boring. It's like he is going throughout the prologue but hopefully, it gets better.

"Of course. Why would it be anything else, I see they took you too. I saw it during whatever just happened." He gives Satoru a charming smile surveying his body. His look almost gives off a predator stalking their prey. "And to think I was ready to decorate the ground with your innards. Apologies."

"It's fine to tell you the truth I was about to do the exact same to you if you didn't explain your story." Satoru waves him off. In the corner of his eyes, words pop up saying Shadowheart approves. Progress is progress.

"Ah, a kindred spirit." The elf smirks. "My name is Astarion. I was in Baldur's Gate when those beasts snatched me."

"I'm Satoru Gojo and this lovely half-elf to my right is Shadowheart." He introduces them both.

"A pleasure. So do you know anything about these worms?" Astarion implored.

"Well from what I heard from a very loud gith it will turn us into mind flayers," Satoru explains. "Personally I think I would be a quite handsome mind flayer if it comes to that."

"Can't you take anything seriously?" Shadowheart chimes in for the first time since they met Astarion.

"Wow, I thought you went mute with how long it took you to talk." Satoru jokes causing a tic to appear on Shadowhearts' head. "I'm kidding Shadowheart I just like messing with you. Anyway yeah, that's the gist of what will happen to us."

"Turn us into - ha. Hahaha!" Astarion begins to laugh slowly starting to take in the situation that they are in. "Of course, it will turn me into a monster. What else did I expect?" He stops for a moment surveying his thoughts. "Although it hasn't happened yet. If we can find an expert - someone that can control these things there might be time."

"How about you travel with us and we can find out together. Trust me being on my team will definitely get you to where you need to be." Satoru smirks.

"Full of ourselves are we? Very well, you know I was ready to go at this alone, but maybe sticking with the herd isn't such a bad idea." Astarion lips curve into a small smile. " And you seem like a useful person to know. All right I accept. Lead on."

Satoru deadpans to himself all he had to do was say yes not give him a monologue. Astarion joins the party and he can view his stats. It seems he is a level one rouge but what surprises him most is that he can already level up. Satoru hypothesizes that anyone who joins the party is brought up to the party leader's level.

Astarion deals with his level and Satoru surveys his group. He has a healer and a rouge. All together there is a damage dealer, someone who deals with sneaky damage, and a healer. Maybe he can get one more damage dealer or sort of a tank. Maybe but he will see. He leaves his thoughts and begins walking forward when a perception check is successful and he turns to the left and immediately goes toward the chest. All loot is good loot.

He moves the rock out of the way and opens the chest which has 30 gold in it he takes it immediately and goes back the way he came. The group continues to walk through the ruins of the ship fire blazing and dead intellect devours everywhere. So many Kenjaku's. They continue to move forward and Satoru spots a mind flayer.

"If it isn't a dying Squidward." Satoru chuckles.

"A dying what?" Astarion moves forward tilting his head.

"Never mind him. That thing's bound to be dangerous, even if injured. Best be careful." Shadowheart warns.

"Don't worry careful is my middle name." Satoru gives her a cartoonish thumbs up and skips over to the dying mind flayer happy as can be, but then he stops. It seems like he has some of Gojo's personality too. He keeps moving forward and stops in front of the mind flayer.

This is the thing that abducted him. He could end it's life here and now if only he wasn't overwhelmed by the feeling of compassion. Why in the world is he feeling compassion for this thing? If anything he feels hate for it.

Yes, he feels hate. And he deserves to be punished for it. He should be whipped- made to bow before this creature in shame. It's possessing his mind, forcing him to .... love it  But then the feeling slips. The creature's mind seems to focus elsewhere. Satoru immediately breaks free from its grasp and crushes its body whole with one blue. That will forever be enough of that.

That feeling was very weird but if his parasite is connected to the mind flayers will he be able to have control over people's emotions and thoughts just like that? That's food for thought but for now, it's time for the three of them to continue to explore his new world.