Welcome to the Moonlit Forest. This is a combat/siege mission. In this mission, you and nine other groups will be working to defend against waves of enemies. Tutorial Points can be gained by repelling waves, crafting, and by killing enemies. Struggle For Supremacy.


    The moment they materialized, the group found themselves standing in a large clearing, surrounded by a shadow-drenched forest bathed in a faint, silvery glow. Ancient trees towered overhead, their gnarled branches forming a canopy that barely allowed the moonlight to pierce through. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and the faint metallic tang of... something unnatural. In the distance, faint howls echoed, low and guttural, sending shivers down Thomas''s spine.


    The forest loomed like a living thing, ancient and watchful. The faint howls sounded closer now, low and guttural, echoing through the clearing. The air itself felt heavy, as if it carried more than just moisture—like it carried whispers, faint and fleeting, just beyond hearing. Thomas kept glancing over his shoulder, half-expecting to see eyes glinting from the shadows.


    There were forty-five other people standing around them. Immediately, people began to shout, but soon enough, several leaders began to emerge. Overall, the group of Originalus stayed clumped together as the chaos ensued.


    Shouts filled the air as people jostled and argued, their voices overlapping in a cacophony of panic.


    “We need to stick together!” someone yelled.


    “No! We should spread out, cover more ground!” another argued.


    Amidst the chaos, a tall blonde man climbed onto a fallen log, his confident voice cutting through the noise. “Everyone, listen! We need to fortify this clearing—it’s the only open space we’ve got! If we work together, we’ll survive this.”


    His tone was commanding, and slowly, people began to gravitate toward him, forming the largest camp.


    Soon, three camps began to form. One, the largest, with five groups in it, was led by the tall, dashing man with blonde hair and blue eyes, and began once again calling for people to start to prepare defences in the clearing. The second group, of only two groups, and two stragglers from another group, were led by a team that looked like they were from the military, and they confirmed this by saying:


    “Hello. I am Captain James Birch in the Canadian Army. With me are Lieutenant Officer Allison Brier, and Second Lieutenants Gregory Thomson, Jill Green, and Charles Jackson. We are planning on delving into the woods, and taking the fight to the monsters.”


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    The rest of the groups, like Originalus just stayed on the fringes, kind of sticking close to the other non-affiliated groups.


    Then, Jake, fed up with his non-acting group, decided to leave them.


    “I’m going to go with the military folks,” Jake said firmly, his jaw set. “They have a plan, and I’m not sticking around waiting for us to be sitting ducks.”


    Maria stepped forward, her voice desperate. “You can’t go—we’ve already lost one person. We can’t lose another!”


    Jake didn’t look at her, his gaze fixed on the military group. “I’m sorry, Maria, but I’m not just going to sit here. I’m doing what I have to do to get stronger.”


    His words hung in the air like a challenge, and when he walked away, the space he left behind felt like a chasm.


    “No! Come back!” She shouted.


    Thomas interrupted her. “It’s fine, let him go. He’s made up his mind, and now we’ve got to make up ours, eh?”


    As he said this, the leader of the first group, the tall blonde guy, and his group, came over.


    “Hey guys, my name’s Robert, but you can call me Rob.” He said. “This is Tracy,—as he pointed to a tall brunette—Jaxon—a shorter guy of Mexican descent—and Oliver and Olivia, twins—two very similar looking people, also blonde. So, we came over here because we noticed that you guys are down two people. Do y’all want to join us?”


    Thomas, desperately looking around at his remaining group, saw that Maria just wanted to follow Thomas, but Leah looked a bit hesitant. After a bit, she gave him a shrug of her shoulders, which he interpreted as an ‘OK’.


    “Okay, it would be great to join you guys!” Thomas agreed. “I’m Thomas, and this is Maria and Leah.”


    “Sounds good,” Rob replied. “Why don’t we see if we can convince a few more people to join, eh?”


    Just as he says this, a message appeared.


    The first wave will be coming in fifteen minutes. Prepare accordingly, and Struggle For Supremacy.


    A glowing countdown timer appeared in the corner of Thomas’s vision:


    00:14:58


    The seconds ticked down steadily, relentless and unyielding.


    “Fifteen minutes,” Maria muttered, her voice tight. “That’s not enough time.”


    “It has to be,” Thomas replied.


    Rob clapped Thomas on the shoulder, grinning as if they weren’t about to defend their lives. “Glad to have you guys with us. Don’t worry, we’ve got a solid strategy. Just stick close and we’ll make it through this.”


    Thomas forced a smile, but his jaw tightened. It was subtle, but there was something dismissive about the way Rob phrased it—like Thomas’s leadership ended the moment they joined.


    “We should set up barricades here and focus on holding the clearing,” Rob said, gesturing to the edges of the camp.


    “But what if we’re flanked? We need a fallback point, just in case,” Thomas countered, his voice steady but firm.


    Rob raised an eyebrow, his grin faltering for just a moment. “If we’re flanked, we’ll deal with it. These monsters will be too stupid to flank us. Anyways, worrying about retreating is a good way to lose morale.”


    As he walked away to talk to another group, Leah leaned in closer to Thomas. “Do you trust him?” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant howls.


    Thomas hesitated, his eyes following Rob as he gestured animatedly with the next group. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I don’t think we have a choice.”