《Edge of sight》


 Chapter 1 - On the precipice

    Matthew woke up with a chilling feeling in his gut as he stared at the stone above him. His heart began to race¡ªhe couldn¡¯t remember how he had gotten here. He last remembered being on Ecclesall Road, going home, wondering whether to stop at Sherry¡¯s Bookstore to find something to read.


    Now, he was in a well-defined cavern of white stone, like an ancient temple with blue torches burning above them. A strange silence permeated the air, and the vast space had a still, eerie chill that was cold and uncomfortable. In the center of the room stood a stone fountain.


    It was cut from a black stone and had no smooth surfaces. Instead, the human-like statue had rough, sharp edges¡ªan unpolished creature, dark and chaotic, yet Matthew could still see its form. It was a woman with six spider-like arms, thin and flexible with many joints, and a crown of jagged spikes. Her face was hard to distinguish, but even so, she looked down at him with a gaze of disdain.


    After a few moments, Matthew finally realized they weren¡¯t alone. He turned and saw a dark-skinned young man beside him, admiring the statue and its strange form. He seemed pleased by it. Matthew opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, building up the courage to say something.


    A voice beside them asked, ¡°Sorry, do you guys know how we got here?¡±


    Behind him stood a blonde girl with piercing green eyes. She wore a white blouse and a black slim-fitted skirt beneath a long, light pink robe. Multiple shiny bracelets adorned her wrists, and she carried a fancy handbag on her shoulder.


    She¡¯s well off and seems easy to talk to. She¡¯s confident too¡ªher posture, the direct eye contact¡ªbut she¡¯s also trying not to startle us, forcing a smile. She¡¯s attractive and well-groomed. Her fingernails? Simple, clean, well-filed¡ªno dirt. She probably likes to keep her hands neat.


    He then realized he was just staring. The other guy hadn¡¯t answered either. Matthew glanced at the dark-skinned man, but he was still fixated on the fountain. Turning back to the girl, he smiled apologetically.


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ sorry about that. I don¡¯t know how we ended up here. Your accent isn¡¯t from Sheffield¡ªwhere are you from?¡±


    She sounded American, but maybe she just went to school here. Best to ask in an offhand way.


    The girl frowned. ¡°Uh huh. Where in Wisconsin is Sheffield?¡±


    Now it was Matthew¡¯s turn to look lost. The boy beside him finally spoke.


    ¡°My name is Joshua.¡±


    Matthew suddenly felt self-conscious, as though Joshua had peered into his mind and seen that he had labeled him dark boy in his head. He stalled his overactive thoughts.


    ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Matthew.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jessica, but you can call me Jesse.¡±


    The conversation had somehow transitioned into introductions, but before Matthew could question it, a loud voice shattered the cavern¡¯s eerie stillness.


    ¡°Who are you people?! How did I get here?! Where¡¯s my dad?! My younger brother was in my hand¡ªHarry?! Where are you?!¡±


    ¡°Where''s my phone, what the hell.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are we still in Montreal?¡±


    More voices followed, shouting in confusion. The air filled with a chaotic symphony of fear and desperation. Some people sobbed, others murmured frantically, trying to make sense of what was happening. Faces contorted with panic, red eyes overflowed with tears, and hands pressed against ears in a futile attempt to block out the growing hysteria.


    Joshua looked at Matthew and Jesse, perplexed. Not by the situation, but by the way people were reacting. Yet, he said nothing.


    Everyone¡¯s freaking out. Even I can''t stop myself from being afraid, but Joshua is calm. He looks both physically and mentally strong¡ªtrusts himself. But he¡¯s distant. He doesn¡¯t voice his confusion, just shows it. Can he even speak proper English, or is he just a man of few words?


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    I can¡¯t blame them, though. We have no answers. Almost 200 people, from what I can estimate¡­ it¡¯s a ridiculous number to move without anyone noticing.


    Matthew began scanning the crowd, looking for anyone who wasn¡¯t completely overcome by fear. But even the ones who weren¡¯t screaming showed signs of uncertainty. They weren¡¯t kidnappers¡ªjust quiet panickers.


    Jessica was starting to break down. Distrust passed over her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself, whimpering.


    ¡°What is happening? Why are we here?¡±


    Matthew had no answer. There were no obvious kidnappers. No clear connection between the people gathered here¡ªnationality, race, language. None of it made sense. A deep, unsettling feeling churned in his gut.


    Someone, anyone, needs to take control of the situation. If not, things could get ugly soon. I need to find someone who can reassure everyone.


    He moved through the crowd, searching for a face that wasn¡¯t twisted in despair. Then, he found someone. A stocky boy with brown hair and startling blue eyes, supporting a girl as she wept.


    Matthew rushed over. ¡°Over there¡ªwe can sit her at the fountain.¡±


    The stocky boy nodded, and together they helped her toward the center. Surprisingly, Jesse had followed, and upon seeing the girl¡¯s state, she began clearing a path through the chaotic crowd. They eased her down near the fountain.


    Joshua glanced at them¡ªinterested, but silent.


    Matthew turned to the stocky boy. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The guy was tall¡ªat least six-foot-five¡ªand built like a rugby player. His face was youthful but strong. He answered in a clear voice, ¡°Thanks a lot, mate. My name¡¯s Parker.¡±


    Voice isn¡¯t too deep, but solid. He could probably be loud without straining his throat. Well-kept, deliberate body language.


    Matthew decided to be indirect. ¡°Everyone¡¯s going crazy¡ªunderstandably. If something doesn¡¯t happen soon, people will start fighting. Then that¡¯ll be a real problem to stop.¡±


    Jesse looked disturbed by the thought. The girl they had helped unexpectedly calmed down. Joshua seemed amused. But Parker? He looked resolute.


    He turned to the jagged, sharp-edged statue, then pulled a pair of gloves from his heavy-looking backpack. Without a word, he put them on, set his bag down, and¡ªbefore anyone could question it¡ªbegan climbing the fountain.


    A few people noticed and stared in confusion.


    Balancing himself between the fifth and second hand of the statue, Parker straightened his chest, took a deep breath, and let out a deafening:


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    It was far louder than Matthew had anticipated. Almost everyone stopped and turned toward the massive guy now standing on the fountain. A few stragglers kept whispering, but their eyes were fixed on him.


    Parker wasted no time. ¡°We all don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening! But if we keep this up, someone is going to get hurt!¡±


    With the threat of violence in the air and a shared sense of confusion, this should settle things down. Hopefully.


    Matthew nodded, very impressed, before saying, ¡°This is a good place to speak from.¡±


    Parker heard this and glanced briefly at him before shouting, ¡°If you want to speak, I¡¯ll give you my gloves, and you can climb up and say what you need to! In the meantime, let¡¯s all calm down and take a seat, talk among yourselves, let¡¯s know where we are all from and if anyone we know is here. But panic isn¡¯t going to solve anything.¡±


    He had now lowered his voice as almost everyone was quiet and listening. He looked out to the crowd with a steady gaze.


    ¡°Thank you all so much for staying calm. I believe that we are all civilized enough to work together and figure out what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Matthew nodded alongside many others who were now far calmer. An appeal to their rationality too, he murmured.


    Parker began to climb down, and everyone sat. They subconsciously chose groups of six to ten and began to converse. Matthew also sat, along with the others, forming a group of thirteen. Jesse placed her hand on the shoulder of the girl they had carried here, asking if she was alright. Joshua watched him candidly, while Matthew made an effort to avoid his gaze.


    When Parker was seated, Matthew stretched his hand out to shake his. Parker took off his gloves, shaking out the glassy black stone dust before accepting the handshake.


    As they shook hands, Matthew said casually, ¡°Thanks a lot, man. I¡¯m Matthew, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Parker¡­ I already told you my name, but umm¡­ yeah, I haven¡¯t introduced myself to y¡¯all. I¡¯m Parker, 22, from Queensland . I studied mechanical engineering, and I¡¯m currently jobless. Shocking, I know.¡±


    That earned a few lighthearted laughs before Parker turned to the girl beside him.


    She was slightly shocked at the non-verbal prompt to introduce herself but quickly caught on.


    ¡°I¡¯m Adelina from Algarve. I¡¯m 19 and¡­ uh, I¡¯m not in college yet.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Jesse. I¡¯m from Wisconsin, and I¡¯m in my first year of residency,¡± Jesse continued, assuming they were going clockwise.


    Everyone followed suit, introducing themselves. The group¡¯s tension gradually eased as they followed Parker¡¯s lead, chatting in a more casual atmosphere. Then, it reached Joshua, who had laid back onto the ground.


    Matthew unconsciously added ¡°I don¡¯t think he speaks the lan¡­ Yeah, I don¡¯t think he speaks much.¡±


    But then, realizing it was his turn, he quickly added, ¡°Umm¡­ yeah, I¡¯m Matthew, from Sheffield in the UK. I¡¯m 21 years old, and I¡¯m a statistician with Green Press.¡±


    A pattern was starting to emerge.


    They¡¯re all from English-speaking countries or at least speak very good English. All below the age of 25. All from rather normal or innocuous backgrounds. A sample size for youths without much variance in background. But why were we chosen? And what for? The how isn¡¯t even understandable¡­ that guy Kirk was underwater in a decompression tank, operating an ROV to repair underwater pipes.


    One of the guys¡ªKirk¡ªblurted out, ¡°Teleportation. Or some dream.¡±


    A girl looked at him skeptically before saying, ¡°Teleportation is impossible, but can anyone name something I don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°Bees and wasps inject venom when they sting. Mosquitoes simply bite to feed on your blood. The bumps and itchiness that follow come from an anticoagulant that the mosquito injects to prevent your blood from clotting, which triggers a mild allergic reaction that includes the typical round, red bumps,¡± someone casually blurted out.


    Everyone turned but nodded, partially agreeing that the information was probably true.


    Then they began a series of questions to determine whether this was real or some kind of trick. They checked their bodies for injection marks or bruises.


    Jesse assured everyone there were no signs of being put to sleep using gas or anesthetics. In fact, it wasn¡¯t like they had fallen asleep. It was more like they had just opened their eyes and appeared here.


    ¡°So¡­ teleportation?¡± the boy repeated, and this time, no one challenged him. An almost fearful silence replaced the boy¡¯s sarcasm.


    A fear of what had moved them here¡ªand why.


    A boy, Matiu from New Zealand, frowned even deeper. ¡°What the fuck is that statue, too?¡±


    One of the girls was equally perplexed. ¡°Its form, patina, even the motifs¡­ they¡¯re unlike anything I¡¯ve seen before. Almost alien in its structure.¡±


    There¡¯s something not normal about this situation¡­ which means I can¡¯t just rely on traditional thinking. Sitting here, talking, and establishing a group is important¡ªbut guiding them to action is even more imperative.


    Mum, Heather, and¡­ well, not much, but enough is waiting for me at home. My D&D group. The Terry Pratchett book on my bed.


    He sighed, forcing himself to focus. We¡¯re off the edge now. We can organize. We can figure something out.


    A guy with blond, shiny hair approached them. He was tall and confident, walking through the mass of seated people who watched him expectantly, hoping that whatever he climbed the statue on the fountain to say would point the way.

 Chapter 2

    The young man with dirty blonde hair was rather out there¡ªhis stature, his demeanor, even the way he looked at them. The best way Matthew could describe him was someone who occupied his space. He kept a measured distance between himself and people, both physically and mentally. He was reasonably tall, almost the same height as Parker when Matthew first saw him, but after a mental measure, he decided on six foot three inches. His eyes were a dark brown, and he was languid in his posture, yet exuded a rigid aura.


    The young man pulled on his sparse yet clearly visible beard and asked carefreely, "May I have the gloves? I have something to say."


    Parker was ready to hand over the gloves without thinking much about what the man was going to say when Matthew asked very offhandedly, "You have an idea about where we are?"


    The man looked at Matthew almost like you would look at a noisy fly but said neutrally, "Not a single clue. The name''s Thomas, by the way, since intros were the original assignment."


    Parker, who had originally not been doubtful, now asked, "Then what do you wanna say?"


    Thomas gave an annoyed sigh but said evenly, "I''m gonna get a group of decently strong people, and we''re going to leave the cave through the exit over there."


    Many people stood consecutively, their eyes widening. The templewas massive, its ceiling high, and the torches that lined the walls far above made it difficult to see beyond a certain distance. But they could see a patch of blurry darkness in the distance, where people were standing and looking out at it.


    "Why didn''t anyone say anything?" Kirk exclaimed before running toward the apparent exit.


    Many others followed immediately after. Jesse and Adelina looked as if they wanted to go but turned back to Parker and Matthew, who both had dark looks on their faces. Parker asked, "Why do you need strong people to leave?"


    "I woke up close by and originally tried to leave with several others, but I heard one of them screaming, followed by this ungodly clattering sound¡ªlike bones smashing against each other. So I''m assuming something got them, and I''m preparing to go kill it." Thomas replied in a matter-of-fact way.


    A creature that makes sounds like a clap of bone¡­ a shoebill maybe? But it killed people. How and why is it outside our only exit? To prevent people from escaping? How does he plan on even killing it? it''s killed more than three people who ran out almost immediately¡ªof course, I''m assuming three¡ªit could be more or less.*


    Parker looked dismayed but handed him the glove. Thomas didn''t climb too high and instead stood on the fountain, balancing against the statue before shouting, "HEY!... Thanks for your attention. As we all know at this point, there''s an exit¡ªbut a guard dog. So, if you''re confident in your skills, I say we kill it before whoever dumped us here comes back."


    A lot of people weren''t listening, instead standing in large groups at two points. Matthew surmised there must be some other exit on the opposite side. Some people gathered at the fountain and began speaking when someone started screaming. Suddenly, everyone was screaming, running from the exit Thomas had pointed out. People ran in all directions, but Parker immediately charged toward the exit. Matthew followed close behind, forgetting danger based on two theories he had. He also needed to gain more trust among the people who would be leading them.


    Parker and Thomas both raced toward the exit, deceptively fast, with Matthew and the girls following hesitantly. At the exit¡ªtall and wide¡ªlay a boy with his side torn open, blood leaking profusely from him.


    Jesse quickly pushed her way to the front, screaming, "Give him space!" She tore the boy''s ragged shirt and asked Parker to hold him still before stuffing a piece of cloth into the wound, ignoring the boy''s weak cries. She then wrapped a strip of cloth around his waist, tying it tightly to apply pressure.


    The boy''s whimpers cut through the now silent, watchful hall like a sword¡ªcutting through their doubts, forcing them to face the grim reality. A normal boy, most likely their age, was dying on the floor. A deep hopelessness began to form in their eyes, their bodies forfeiting strength. Matthew watched all of this as usual, taking in everyone''s reaction to build better pictures .


    Parker urged the boy to breathe repeatedly and stay calm.


    How closely related bleeding out and panic are¡­ both inextricably linked, both statistically and mentally.


    Thomas looked on with an annoyed frown. "What did this to you?"


    Jesse glared at him, shrieking, "Let him rest! Don''t raise his pulse, goddammit!"


    Thomas ignored her pointedly and kept his gaze on the boy. The boy''s dark eyes stared into the intensity of Thomas''s bright brown eyes. There was resignation in them. He scanned the room weakly, searching for some comfort¡ªonly to find horror. His eyes settled in that moment, and he smiled weakly.


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    "A fucking monster."


    Everyone stared in disbelief, yet they held their breath¡ªsomething resembling respect for the boy and his defiant smile. Thomas said nothing, waiting as the boy continued,


    "It was like a giant ant. Its body was all white and crusty. No eyes, though, but it saw us when we stepped out. It had¡­ hhhhuh ahhh fuck, it had six legs as thick as me and was as big as a fucking truck. We tried to run, but its jaws spread so wide, and it jumped at us so fast¡­ I was lucky¡­ on the edge of the group. When its jaws snapped, I landed back in the cave hole with just this. But the others¡­ it¡ªit tore them apart. It looked in my direction but wouldn''t enter the cave."


    "Is it too big?" Parker mumbled.


    "The exit''s big enough, but it just ignored me. My head feels light¡­ fuck, what''s going to happen to me?" the boy groaned weakly, his breath ragged and tortured.


    Thomas turned and left the boy, while people began speaking and freaking out, all to the same tune: what was going to happen if they left? What was the inhuman monster? Joshua walked toward the exit, drawing many gasps, but none were brave enough to follow him.


    Matthew and the rest gathered around the boy. Jesse gave him some water, and it began to occur to Matthew¡ªwhat would they do without food or water if they were here for more than six hours? Adelina was praying frantically, while Parker placed a reassuring hand on both her shoulder and the injured boy''s chest, trying to comfort them.


    In that moment, he knew¡ªthey had no choice but to die here or die out there.


    He stood and said, "I''m going to follow Joshua and check what''s happening outside."


    Jesse immediately refused. "Are you trying to fucking die? Just wait here! We don''t have to rush to make any decisions."


    Matthew put on a sympathetic look and said sheepishly, "It''s not dangerous, and I also worry about Joshua. I''ll be right back!"


    "Matthew, wait!"


    He didn''t listen and ran off.


    Now what I need is information. Sitting down would only limit me. And Joshua wasn''t a fool¡ªif anything, he was probably the smartest of all of us. But he had no social skills. Even with limited speaking, Joshua showed a high degree of antisocial behavior, signs of dislike and disconnection from people. It wasn''t obvious, but all this time, he was the one I had been watching the most.


    He finally reached the end of the winding tunnel and was greeted by the strange white lights ahead. The walls were white, with some portions browner than others. The ground wasn''t as smooth, and soft-looking bulbs of glowing moss clung to the walls and roof but not the ground.


    Why don''t they grow on the ground? he originally thought, but the question quickly shifted to why is the moss glowing white? And why is a cave that has never seen human touch so purposely bright?


    The ant-like creatures of this place most likely didn''t need light. So why is there light here at all? He looked around quietly, making assumptions while also searching for the creature. A large pool of blood in front of him and torn-apart limbs scattered about made bile rise to his throat. His nose wrinkled in disgust before he closed his eyes to think.


    The limestone walls and moss suggest water may be close by¡ªprobably on my left where the air is cooler. And most likely insects too. Things like woodlice and cave crickets for food, supplemented with some moss. Is it horrible? Yes. Will we at least not be hungry? Yes.


    He kicked a moderately sized piece of stone loose from the wall and threw it hard against the cave floor outside. Then he waited, his skin cold and breath held tightly.


    Many seconds passed, he got colder and colder. He refused to blink hoping that it would be the difference between life and death.


    He crawled closer and closer to the edge, ignoring everything in him screaming to turn back. There was an eye, partially crushed outside watching him. For a moment he left his body and began to watch the details of the scene


    It could be waiting¡ªjust out of view, just at the edge of the cave, silent and patient. Waiting for prey to cross the boundary, only to be torn apart by its jaws.


    He didn''t move. The anticipation was unbearable. Then¡ª


    "Matthew!"


    Parker''s voice nearly made his heart jump straight out of his throat. He gritted his teeth, then shouted back in a shaky voice.


    Parker arrived shortly after, with Jesse and Adelina right behind him. They were all pale, walking slowly, their eyes glued to the cave beyond Matthew. He had forgotten he was standing at the edge.


    Jesse hissed, outraged. "Come here! Now!"


    Matthew shuffled over, embarrassed, making an effort to appear regretful. Jesse cursed at him for being dumb, smacking his shoulder. Parker, initially smiling sheepishly, turned serious. "Wait¡ªwhere''s Joshua?"


    Matthew froze. He had forgotten the excuse he made for coming here. Quickly, he composed a lie. Thankfully, his head was down, so they hadn''t seen his expression.


    "I didn''t meet him here, but I heard footsteps when I got here. I called out to him, but he didn''t answer."


    Parker clicked his tongue in irritation. "Is he trying to get himself killed?"


    Jesse grimaced as she looked at the bodies and blood gruesomely painting the walls of the eerily shining cave. Serene in its view yet disfigured horrifically . Adelina had turned away, refusing to look, while Parker focused on other things. They all silently returned to the original cavern, sitting near the people tending to the injured boy.


    Parker frowned. "How much water do you have left?"


    Jesse shook her head, frowning. She had cleaned the boy''s wound, given him water, and wetted pieces of cloth to place in his armpits and groin to lower his body temperature. The bottle was big, but not much was left.


    Adelina sighed. "If only that fountain worked."


    She said it casually, but it set off alarms in Matthew''s head¡ªand Parker''s, it seemed. They both walked over to the fountain, where Thomas and a group of ten strong-looking guys stood nearby. The group gave them careful glances but ignored them.


    Parker leaned over the fountain, but Matthew was already examining the ground around it. He smiled. "Moss. And it''s still wet and cold."


    Parker grinned. "So we might still have water, but food is a problem." His gaze shifted to Thomas and his group, deep in thought.


    Matthew, however, was watching a girl. When he mentioned the moss, the others had looked confused¡ªbut she had a knowing expression.


    "If we could find someone experienced in cave exploration, we could find insects or non-toxic lichen to manage," Matthew suggested, loud enough for the girl to hear.


    Parker made a disgusted face at the mention of eating bugs, but Matthew ignored him, walking back toward the group.


    There''s still a lot to consider. Most likely, before we got here, those monsters had to be eating something else. The presence of light¡ªand the fact that they have no eyes¡ªsuggests adaptations for complete darkness. If their prey share that blindness, we could use it to trap them.


    He left under the assumption that the girl would follow. She had the traits of someone who relied on others¡ªno exterior signs of confidence or capability.


    They returned to the others and informed them about the water, telling them to stay put while they carried whatever containers they could find back to the fountain to collect it.


    He had hoped the girl would follow them back, but his assumptions about her seemed inaccurate; he had memorized her face and would find her later. She was still there, watching them. Her eyes widened as she saw them returning with bottles. She took a backpack from the ground and weakly searched for her own bottle.


    Matthew took the initiative and walked over. He crouched down as she watched him shyly, then offered a soft smile. "I can help get water. It might get a little dangerous there. I''m Matthew, by the way."


    She smiled hesitantly. "My name''s Asha. Um¡­ thank you very much."


    She handed him the bottle, and Matthew took in everything he could¡ªmatching details, making assumptions about the best way to act.


    He returned to the fountain, where Parker greeted him with a sleazy smile. Matthew rolled his eyes and smacked his shoulder playfully, mumbling, "Fuck off."


    Then he fell quiet, staring at the black obsidian-like glass of the fountain and the mysterious statue atop it.


    When the water comes, there''ll be a rush. People will lose control of whatever they have left in them.

 Chapter 3- Beyond

    Matthew and Parker ended up sitting for almost three hours. Now, everyone was calmer¡ªsome sleeping to relieve stress and hunger, others just staring at the white marble roof of the cavern. Parker and Matthew talked a lot about their hometowns, families, and eventually, only about football.


    "Bruh I don''t know how to say this but your team has won the prem in twenty sad years." Parker mocked him after laughing for almost ten minutes


    "You think you''re better than us with your lucky wins, just wait the table will change this week." he retorted grumpily


    Matthew needed this time to properly understand Parker before he began to fade into the background of events. He also listened to Thomas'' conversation with his small group. They had three knives and a couple of cobbled-together slings for stones. Occasionally, he left to check up on Jesse and the others. The injured boy, whose name he learned was Jackson, wasn''t doing too well.


    Matthew listened as Asha described her time in the UK for school. She was a very talkative person, her brown eyes playful. Her short brown hair hung just above her shoulders, and she was dressed for rain¡ªleather boots with her black jeans tucked into them, a blue shirt beneath her bright yellow raincoat.


    She had studied forensic science, done a lot of spelunking with one of her uncles there, and knew a little about navigating caves. He appreciated her wide bank of knowledge and decided she would be very useful to Parker and their survival.


    Asha mumbled continuously about toxicology. "The first treatise on toxicology was actually written in Sanskrit and was a study of¡­ I think poisons from plants. Books on biology, chemistry, and even medicine. I always asked him, ''Why medicine? We deal with dead people.''"


    He returned to the fountain and watched it. The jagged, obsidian-like structure was appalling¡ªevery shard looked prime to tear skin. The way the light reflected off it obscured its form, yet to Matthew, it was still clearly visible. The six spindly arms of the statue, the flowers at its feet, and its horrid crown.


    Then he heard it¡ªa suction noise.


    It had been four hours since they arrived, and now the water seemed to flow from the six arms of the statue. Parker quickly sat up, opened the bottle and containers, and placed a cover in his pocket.


    The water started as a trickle and then sped up. They hurried to fill their bottles and close them, tossing them into their backpacks. Around the fountain, others jolted up and tried to cup water with their hands, but they had to lean against the sharp black stone, which proved painful.


    Then the crush of people came.


    They frantically pushed past Matthew and Parker to get water, shoving and clawing. Matthew struggled against the weight of bodies, feeling small beads of blood running down his legs as he was pressed against the fountain, their voices were thunderous and unending.


    Voices hissed in his ears.


    "Move¡ªpass one bottle¡ª"


    Hands pulled at him, tugging at his arms and his bag. Thankfully, his backpack was up front, keeping one hand free to push them off. Parker had no such worries¡ªhis large arms and wide back were hard to get around, and occasionally, he shoved people away, sending them stumbling back.


    Matthew nearly buckled under the weight of the crowd, but he held steady. As the bowl of the fountain began to fill, people abandoned him, choosing instead to scoop water directly. Parker finished first, then turned to him, helping to push others off so he could use both hands.


    Matthew made sure Asha''s bottle was last before they left. He ignored the people asking him for water and went straight to her. He smiled, though he was exhausted and his legs felt like wax.


    "Here you go," he said, handing her the bottle. "You should drink sparingly."


    Asha''s eyes widened at the red stains on his blue jeans. "Your legs¡ªoh God, are you okay?"


    "Don''t worry about me," Matthew muttered. "Let''s go over there before people start asking you for water."


    They moved toward where Jackson was lying, looking terribly pale. Adalina stood and walked toward them briskly.


    "Thank God," she sighed. "My throat is so dry."


    "Good job, boys," Jesse acknowledged before pointing at Matthew''s leg. "Sit down here."


    She poured some of her water onto his wounds to clean them, then tore another piece from Jackson''s shirt¡ªpoor lad was practically shirtless¡ªto tie around it.


    "Just leave it there for five minutes, then take it off," she instructed.


    Matthew nodded, then frowned. "You could''ve used my water instead of yours."


    Jesse shrugged. "I''ll drink from yours."


    They left it at that and drank in silence before sighing in relief. With Asha, their group had grown to seventeen. They expended a lot of water, so some guys went back to the fountain for refills now that things had calmed down. Jesse had Jackson''s head in her lap, tilting it slightly forward as she gave him small sips of water.


    Jackson murmured weakly, "Dad¡­ I''m sorry. I just can''t go with you¡­"


    They all watched him quietly. As they began to care for him, the group''s focus shifted to ensuring his survival. If he pulled through, it could strengthen solidarity. If not¡­


    Even his death could fuel the group''s determination.


    Parker was looking toward the exit with solemn eyes. "Joshua hasn''t come back."


    A somber atmosphere settled over them as they wondered what the guy had gotten himself into.


    "Well he''ll be alright," Parker said, though he wasn''t sure. "What we need to talk about now is food. Asha and Matthew suggested we go out and forage for some insects or plants we can eat."


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    "Insects?" Adalina asked skeptically.


    "The hunger will get to us before the taste, hopefully," Asha said casually. "Some bugs taste alright if we cook them well¡ªkind of like shrimp."


    Jesse narrowed her eyes. "I don''t know if that''s a good idea. What if we get poisoned or infected? There are a lot of things bugs eat that humans can''t."


    "Well, we can deprive them of food for twenty-four hours or feed them something to get their bowels moving," Asha replied.


    You aren''t presenting the idea right. Appealing to expertise won''t reassure them.


    Matthew coughed slightly. "I had to go camping a lot with my mum, so we roasted a few. Not at all recommendable, but we''ve got nothing else."


    Jesse relaxed slightly, though she still frowned in displeasure.


    Matthew continued, "What about moss?" He glanced at Asha, prompting her to continue.


    She nodded. "We can eat those, but we''ll need a lot of water to leech anything out. We also have to boil and grind them first. I know how to identify the ones we can eat."


    She made sure to sanitize and speak of it in a way that isn''t worrying. Quick learner. She''s thorough.


    Parker spoke softly. "The only problem is going out to get it."


    They all turned to the entrance¡ªthe dark passage into the den of the beast. It promised horror, pain, and hidden death. Matthew gulped.


    There''s no easy way around this. If we don''t challenge death, we''ll die from starvation¡ªor worse.


    Parker turned back to the group. "We''ve got eleven guys here. We stay together, watch our backs. And¡ªhope I''m not offending¡ªbut girls, I hope you can help us prepare anything we manage."


    "Are we seriously going out there? I like being alive, and who knows what will change if we just wait a couple more hours?" a boy complained.


    "The army could have already been deployed," a girl added. "This many people being kidnapped is a national crisis."


    "How are we sure there''s anything edible out there? Heck, we just got water. Our captors could be bringing food next."


    "So we wait here for them?" another person snapped. "To do what they want with us? Hell no!"


    "But it''s better than certain death! We could fight people, but definitely not an ant the size of a truck!"


    Adalina chimed in. "What if they control the monsters? How are we fighting then?"


    Silence. Then someone muttered, "We have a higher chance of exploiting some human error than killing those things barehanded."


    "Why are we even talking about fighting?" another voice interjected. "They''re blind. We can just be quiet and escape."


    "If you''re willing to stake your life on that assumption, do it," someone shot back. "But I''m not."


    Matthew had expected this opposition. Truthfully, he didn''t want to be in the first group to leave. It was better to let Thomas take some guys out and come back with info¡ªassuming that grpup stuck to their plan of slow, short-range scouting to find an exit. He would let hunger and desperation force the dissenters into agreeing, using them to scout ahead. He''d also have to find a way to stop Parker from trying to take the frontline.


    It would also be better to split up. Staying together made it too easy for the creature to kill them all in one blow, and they''d be twice as fast. They couldn''t avoid casualties, but they had to make optimal moves when the reward for bad decisions was death.


    The people continued arguing. Those who weren''t even sure of their positions became more adamant that they were right. Matthew let the discussion go on, hoping it would escalate to name-calling¡ªthen he''d get Parker to stop it before a fight broke out.


    But they were interrupted by a raspy cough. Everyone shut up, turning toward Jackson, worried their arguments had disturbed his rest. But the boy was wide awake, and his formerly pale complexion had regained its color. His light brown skin even seemed to have its luster back.


    Jesse shuffled over to him. "Are you alright? Is there a burning pain?"


    Jackson looked up at her, then back to the empty space in front of him. "You can''t see it?"


    Matthew stood and walked over, now incredibly worried. "Is it a hallucination?"


    "No, there''s a screen in front of me saying I''ve received the Blood Bond trait," Jackson announced carefully. "I feel a bit better and¡­ in the trait description, it says I can recuperate from blood loss faster and I don''t bleed out easily."


    Everyone stared at him incredulously. It sounded more like a joke than anything, yet Jackson was actively tapping the air in front of him. He stopped, his pupils shifting slightly up and to the right, then tapped again.


    "It can be minimized. Thank God. Armaments¡­ Wish coin¡­ what the hell is this?"


    Matthew turned to Jesse. "Poison?"


    She looked just as confused¡ªand more frantic. She gently checked the wound and frowned. "His wound isn''t bleeding."


    Matthew looked at it. The blood had seemingly stuck to itself on the wound, like a red window¡ªa clearly liquid window. He looked back at Jackson, who was still fiddling with his imaginary screen. Then, an idea struck him. He looked up to the right¡ªjust at the corner of his vision, a green dot hovered.


    His heartbeat quickened. When did that appear? He reached up, hesitant, and touched the point. It expanded.


    Startled, he fell on his ass and gasped. Holy fucking shit, he wasn''t joking.


    Parker jumped to his feet. "Matthew, are you okay? Is there actually something?"


    Matthew, staring through the partially transparent screen, nodded. "Look up to the right corner of your eyes. There''s a green dot."


    They all started looking, gasping in shock.


    "Wait, I can''t see the dot. How are you doing it?"


    "It''s there! Don''t look up, keep your head straight and pretend you''re peeking at it."


    "There''s nothing there."


    "What do you mean? It''s a fucking game screen with a level banner and some subcategories."


    Matthew ignored the chaos and focused on the screen. It had his name and¡­


    Name: Matthew


    Level: 1


    Health: 90/100


    Stamina: 44/70


    Mana: 10/10


    Stat Cards


    Armaments


    Traits


    Skills


    It was startling, to say the least, but he had played enough MMORPGs to have a limited understanding of what was happening. He tapped on each section, pulling up additional information:


    Stat Cards ¨C They increase your abilities passively. Getting the same stat card twice combines them, increasing the modifying value. At level three, you can draw five stat cards for five spirit essences, and at each progressive level, draw one for two spirit essences.


    Armaments ¨C Tools tied to your soul that aid you on your adventure. They can be obtained by sacrificing Wish Coins at a deity''s altar.


    Traits ¨C Mystical qualities gifted by gods to their followers. Each one is very hard to obtain and sometimes requires trials, but they are all valuable.


    Skills ¨C Special arts imparted on your four primary bodies by the Root. Gain levels using spirit essence and have a chance after five levels to choose a new one.


    My head fucking hurts. This can''t be real. Where the hell were they? And why was there a game screen talking about gods and skills? Is that why we''re here? But how did we even get here in the first place? And why were they only seeing this now, after nearly five hours?


    The cavern buzzed with noise as people discovered their screens¡ªuncertainty, fear, and wonder spreading through the room. Parker, of all people, was grinning. "What is this, a game?"


    Matthew grimaced. People had died outside before even knowing the rules. He wondered how the statistics were calculated. How much exercise would it take to increase his stamina bar? What type of balancing system ensured skills matched levels?


    He asked offhandedly, "What''s your stamina?"


    Parker looked at him, surprised, before answering. "Uh¡­ one hundred. Same as my health, but my mana''s just ten."


    "One hundred?! You have five times as much as me?" Adalina blurted out.


    I have seventy, which is a bit lower than his, but our health and mana are the same. Most likely, it''s scaled down to those numbers rather than quantified. Makes sense for health¡ªbut not mana. I''ll have to wait and see.


    I have nothing else¡ªoh, wait. I have a trait.


    Ariel''s Web ¨C You have been connected to the Root by the Goddess of Spiders. Though dead, her powers crawl through time.


    It seemed useless, but from what he''d seen, most traits would be invaluable. Most likely, this ''Root'' is the system creating the screens, and we''ve all been gifted this trait to connect us to it.


    No armaments or skills yet. Stat Cards seemed very interesting¡ªhopefully, he could level up quickly. But gaining spirit essence was probably not easy. Worst-case scenario, they''d have to fight those monsters.


    No. The worst outcome would be being pitted against humans.

 Chapter 4 - the edge of sight

    Matthew cast his gaze to Thomas, who had a smile on his face, his group talking excitedly among themselves. He looked to the corners, where people wore expressions of angry disbelief. Some were hopeful. They all believed this would change something for them.


    "Wait, this is becoming annoying. Why can''t I see the screen?"


    "Maybe this is some chosen-one type of situation."


    "And you were chosen?"


    "I mean, I''m not a coward, so¡ª"


    "Ohh, fuck off."


    Before the prior disagreement could start again, Parker stepped in, putting his large hands on their shoulders. "What we need now is to know what changed us, not biting at each other''s throats again."


    Everyone gave themselves some grace as Jackson began to sit up. Matthew stepped closer and asked, "You got an extra trait, or do you only have Ariel''s Web too?"


    Jackson looked confused¡ªMatthew hadn''t spoken much to him. He answered cautiously, "I have Ariel''s Web and Blood Bond. How did you know I would have Ariel''s Web?"


    "Just an assumption." It was probably what made them able to see the screens in the first place. Going off that, he wanted to hear the description of Jackson''s second trait. "What does it say?"


    Jackson looked to his screen and described it:


    Blood Bond ¨C A trait given by Ariel. It is a standard blessing among her followers and allows them to live a harsh predatory life. It improves your ability to recuperate from blood loss and makes your blood stickier when exposed to air.


    It was probably beyond invaluable. A trait that highly improved survivability. It also mentioned this Ariel again... Spiders have eight limbs.


    Matthew turned to the fountain not too far from them and then back to his group, who had begun another discussion.


    "This will probably make fighting easier. We can go out and find a way out of here."


    "To die? We shouldn''t jump into what we don''t fully understand."


    "So we wait here? The objective is obviously to find spirit essence and wish coins, and I haven''t seen any here."


    "I know we have to go out eventually, but there''s no need to rush. We can let Thomas and the rest be the first out and hear what they have to say."


    "Can we rely on them like that?" Matthew asked benignly.


    Adalina cast a baleful gaze at Thomas'' group over at the fountain, who were shouting and laughing. "Do you really trust them to come back and share their work?"


    Jesse nodded and noted, "We also need food. It''ll be tougher to do all this work if we wait till hunger is debilitating us."


    Parker clarified, "I think we''re being a little unfair to Thomas, no? He doesn''t seem like a bad guy."


    The group gave him a look that seemed to inform him he was being naive before someone said, "I think it''s a bad idea to go out there. No one has survived, and whatever this sick game is, I don''t think we should play along."


    Everyone was silent for a while. It really did feel like a joke. Their lives had been quantified and given a set of objectives¡ªplaying along felt wrong and unfair. People had died outside without even being told the rules.


    Would things have been different if they knew to take the situation more seriously?


    Jackson cracked a smile. "I understand the sentiment, but I think we shouldn''t behave like we have any say in what''s happening here. Right now, the only way forward is to fight."


    Jackson wasn''t necessarily strong-looking. He looked agile, and his shorts clued Matthew in on how well-trained his legs were. He was tall, buzz-cut, probably Brazilian. Matthew assumed he was an athlete¡ªa real one at least. He also had a surprisingly strong spirit; the determination in his eyes was tangible.


    Parker nodded, his eyes heavy with something. He would be the one to put their lives on the line. It was by far the toughest job, so Matthew made sure to give him a push. "Let''s work together."


    Parker looked at him and smiled softly after a while. "Doing nothing won''t solve our problems. We can''t rely on Thomas, apparently, so we need to get out there and find at least these three things: food and water, wish coins and spirit essence, and lastly, signs of an exit. Food is obviously the priority. My coach always said you can''t take action without energy, but when taking action, be strategic with how you apply energy."


    One of the girls ran her hands through her hair with frustration. "Dammit¡­ So what''s our first course of action?"


    "We should pick who goes out¡ªand maybe how we''re going to escape those monsters." someone explained


    Matthew suggested discreetly, "Too large a group being close together will make us easier to to spot."


    Asha suddenly added, "Most cave creatures that don''t use their eyes to track prey usually use vibrations, smells, or echolocation."


    "There are lights outside the cave, though?" Jackson asked.


    "I don''t know why, but those aren''t natural, I feel. These places being in total darkness is normal, considering it''s underground. It''s too bright," Matthew clarified.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "Moss isn''t even bioluminescent usually. Maybe fungi, but moss?" Asha wondered.


    Jackson held his hand against his chin. "So we split into different groups to become harder targets. We also need to figure out how it locates us. If it''s sound, maybe we could distract it with some music from our phones... oh, sorry, they aren''t here. But still, we can try to trick its senses."


    Asha pointed excitedly. "And traps could work well on it too! Most creatures that don''t rely on their eyes for perception usually fall into traps easily."


    They all began to share ideas, and before they knew it, the consensus was clear¡ªstudy their environment. Whether or not they could hide here wasn''t an option. They even began to laugh a little. Jackson proved to be a tenacious clown, even while recovering from near death.


    Jesse took off both pseudo-bandages she had administered to Matthew and Jackson. With Blood Bond, his injuries might heal easier without the bandages preventing scabbing. Jackson, with a stupid grin, joked, "All those years of training always pay off when I suddenly have to take off my shirt."


    Jesse rolled her eyes. "Shut up, man." Then her eyes suddenly widened. "Joshua?"


    Matthew spun around to see the boy walking by them. Joshua cast them a confused look before his eyes landed on Matthew''s water bottle. Matthew pointed it at him and said, "Want a sip?"


    "Thanks," Joshua said coarsely before taking a very small sip. He seemed ready to leave when Matthew visibly tapped the ground beside him.


    Joshua gave him a knowing smile before sitting. All this while, Parker and the rest of the group watched this ridiculous exchange, perplexed.


    Parker asked hesitantly, "At the risk of being that guy, do you mind if I ask where you went?"


    Joshua looked at him silently. It wasn''t an intense stare but one rather unconcerned with answering. He looked at Jackson, though, and frowned slightly.


    Matthew then interrupted his line of thought. "He was healed by some strange magic screen¡ªwe all began to see it in the corner of our right eyes."


    Jackson stared at him, incredulous, before instinctively glancing up to the corner of his eye. He paused, stunned, before tapping the air and reading through the interface. He stayed silent for a long moment, deep in thought, before saying softly, "I was looking for a river west of here."


    "Did you find anything?" Matthew asked.


    Joshua ignored him at first, sighing before pulling a coin from his pocket. It was gold, and when it caught the light, it refracted in a shimmering rainbow. He tossed it to Matthew, who barely caught it, still slightly shocked by the action.


    Joshua looked at him then, eyes suddenly sharp¡ªserious in a way that was almost frightening. He clenched his jaw, as though weighing something deeply, before asking,


    "Any idea where the altar is?"


    Everyone was now drawn in, the tension between them suffocating in its weight. Matthew''s mind raced. Something critical had just been revealed beyond just the coin.


    This is likely a Wish Coin for armaments. And the altar¡­ if my suspicions are correct, it''s the fountain. It''s the only thing that happened before we began seeing the screen¡ªwe all drank its water. But that''s not even the most important thing I''ve learned. I think I have a greater understanding of Joshua''s modus operandi, and I can use this later.


    "It''s the fountain, probably," he answered evenly. "Everyone who drank its water started seeing the screen. Everyone who hasn''t isn''t seeing it."


    Of course, this was just an assumption, but it made the most sense. Whoever put us here doesn''t want us to die outright. They likely placed us in a space where we can build up strength semi-safely.


    Joshua stared then¡ªa chilling, sharp grin. "A guinea pig?"


    "No!" Matthew quickly refuted.


    Joshua studied him for a moment before abruptly standing and walking toward the fountain. Without hesitation, Matthew got up and followed. The rest of the group jumped to their feet as well, instinctively trailing behind them.


    Parker came up beside him. "What the hell was that? It felt like you guys were about to fight."


    Jesse joined them, her gaze sharp. "When did you figure out the fountain water was special?"


    Matthew gave her an innocent look. "I was kind of scared, so I just guessed. But after seeing Joshua start seeing the screen after drinking, I was fairly sure."


    Behind them, those who couldn''t see the screen had already begun drinking the water they had saved. Some who didn''t have bottles asked for sips, and soon, smiles spread across their faces as they were finally included.


    "He''s right! It''s actually the water!"


    "You lucky bastard! Thank God Joshua came back¡ªgood job, bro!"


    "Wait, that coin¡ªis it a Wish Coin?!"


    Matthew considered his words before saying, "Probably. I don''t know why he gave me one, though."


    Asha grinned, placing a hand on his shoulder as she matched his stride. "He probably read the armaments section and figured it out immediately. He seems really smart, but weird as hell though."


    "Yeah, he probably wanted to repay a favor. What a guy."


    "He made it out and came back. I wonder if he''ll trade us some info."


    They reached the fountain. The water had receded significantly, its flow now sluggish and weak. Some still went to gather what little remained. Matthew drank half of his water and moved to refill it, watching as the murky surface rippled slightly. It was dirty, no doubt from the many hands that had disturbed it.


    Joshua studied the water and the statue before closing his eyes. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two more coins.


    Someone gasped. "He had two more?!"


    He remained still for a few seconds, his eyes shut. Thomas and his group, who had been nearby, moved in closer, watching intently. Then, Joshua opened his eyes¡ªdark irises clear and tranquil. Without hesitation, he threw both coins into the water.


    As soon as they made contact, a brilliant light erupted from the fountain. Colors rippled across the surface, shifting like liquid rainbows. A beam of light shot up unnaturally, streaking straight into Joshua''s chest.


    Then, another.The entire hall fell into hushed awe. Jesse let out a slow, amazed breath. "This is unreal¡­"


    Matthew was speechless. He forced himself not to think too hard about it¡ªsome things were simply beyond human comprehension. But even if he couldn''t understand it, he could appreciate it.


    This was something no one could find unappealing¡ªa truly wondrous, fantastical sight.


    The light faded. And before anyone could react, before the awe had even fully settled, Joshua moved. He cut through the crowd, slipping away like a ghost.


    Thomas snarled. "Wait¡ªgoddammit!" He sprinted after him, but there was no doubt in Matthew''s mind¡ªhe wouldn''t catch him. Even if he did, Joshua wouldn''t tell him anything.


    I''ll bide my time and ask the questions i need to later


    Parker turned to Matthew, urgency in his tone. "Make a wish too, before the water drains away."


    Matthew had already considered his options. Instead of answering, he took Parker''s hand and pressed the coin into it.


    "You''re more capable than me. I trust you''ll use it well."


    Then he stepped back before Parker could refuse.


    To his complete surprise, Parker turned and placed the coin into Jackson''s hand.


    Jackson, who had arrived late and was leaning against Jesse and another guy, looked completely dumbfounded. Parker urged, "Hurry! Wish for something that will help with your injury."


    Jackson hesitated, but seeing the water disappearing, he stumbled forward, raising his hand.


    "Have a clear picture of what you''re wishing for," Matthew encouraged.


    "What?" Jackson looked confused but, realizing Matthew wouldn''t elaborate, simply closed his eyes, focused, and threw the coin into the water.


    The fountain came alive once more, its light stretching toward him.


    Matthew stepped closer and asked, "Is the screen saying anything?"


    Parker frowned, stumbling slightly over his words before finally reading:


    A wish has been made. Though long dead, Ariel will answer. She has stirred the world beyond what eyes may see and called on something to aid you. A devious and playful sword has answered.

 Chapter 5 - A line of ants

    Matthew took in Jackson''s words and let out a soft sigh. He understood a few things more clearly, but even more questions opened up. The world beyond what eyes may see¡ªa strange phrase. Some kind of divine realm? Like heaven? Dead gods that can still answer¡­ things are really getting out of hand.


    Matthew watched as Thomas circled back. He must have seen the light from the third wish and given up on finding Joshua. His expression was carefully neutral, but the overwhelming displeasure was hard to hide as he walked up to them.


    In a subdued voice, he asked, "Mind if I ask what the hell that was?"


    The group tensed. Many were already distrustful of him, and while most of it was emotional bias rather than logic, it was more than enough to react on. The boys stepped forward, subtly shielding their only armament-wielding member.


    Thomas narrowed his eyes at their strange reaction.


    Parker, in a bid to diffuse the tension, stepped forward. "We got a wish coin from Joshua, so we came here to test the theory that this was the altar."


    A look passed through Thomas'' eyes¡ªone Matthew did not like. He moved behind Parker and elbowed him in the back before he could speak further. Parker stiffened, then, hidden behind the bodies of the group, glanced back at Matthew. They made brief eye contact, and Matthew made sure to display a hint of distrust.


    It was brief, barely noticeable. Thomas didn''t see.


    Parker hesitated before speaking again. Thomas, quiet now, was watching him with an intense stare.


    "We talked about it a lot in the group," Parker said, keeping his voice casual. "And we figured¡­ the altar seemed mystical and cool, you know?"


    Thomas gave nothing away, but Matthew caught the slight clench of his jaw and the small, unconscious movement of his fingers¡ªtells that were hard to hide, especially from him.


    Thomas exhaled sharply. Some of his tension eased. "That guy has no sense of teamwork. He didn''t even take a moment to show us the coins or point us in a good direction."


    "He barely told us anything either," one of the boys muttered.


    They were still on edge, unwilling to cooperate with Thomas.


    Thomas'' gaze flickered between the speaker, Parker, then across the rest of the group¡ªthe girls at the back, Jackson leaning against Jesse. The girls seemed uneasy, like they''d rather avoid a fight.


    Thomas switched tactics. "Any idea how the wish works? What kind of armament did you get?"


    His attention shifted to Jackson, like they''d spoken countless times before.


    Jackson shrugged. "Talked about some world beyond, then I got a weapon."


    Thomas'' hands clenched. He shoved them into his pockets. "Can we see it? It''s only the third armament anyone has gotten. But the other''s with that guy."


    Jackson looked around at the expectant crowd and let out a toothy grin. He raised his hand.


    A hum erupted as the space around his palm warped, gold light melting into reality. A shape formed¡ªthen another hum, a resonant vibration, as metal solidified into a sword.


    The weapon''s design was simple but refined, elevated by its materials. A two-handed sword with a black crystal set at the bottom of the hilt. Silver and gold threads formed clouds along the hilt and blade. The edge itself was split¡ªsky blue on the short edge, silver on the long edge.


    A collective gasp filled the hall. Jackson admired the blade, the reflected light casting blue and silver onto his face.


    The murmurs erupted at once:


    "What the hell was that?"


    "A wish coin, I think."


    "What the fuck is a wish coin?"


    "Haven''t you read the armaments section? They''re tools we can get from sacrificing wish coins at an altar."


    "Does that mean this is an altar?"


    "How do you read the armament stuff?"


    "The hell''s wrong with you, bro? I don''t think you''ll last long here."


    Matthew felt like a child for a brief moment. He wanted a cool sword too. He regretted giving up the coin, just a little¡ªbefore reassuring himself that it was the right decision.


    If he had gotten the sword, people would start forming an image of him. And if the group had discovered the altar because he got the armament, their pride wouldn''t allow them to keep it quiet.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Matthew was also the one stoking distrust against Thomas. If Thomas connected the dots, he''d be a target. Originally, Matthew had wanted Joshua to use the wish''s power to strengthen his influence. But he''d have to find another way now.


    Sad, but there''s no such thing as a 100% accurate assumption.


    I was hoping he wouldn''t have time to think, but it seems he had considered this before. When, though? That''s what I need to pin down and understand.


    For now, he had to separate Thomas and Parker¡ªlimit the chance of an information leak.


    Matthew exhaled and said casually, "We''ve actually only been in this cave for what?¡­ eight hours, and we''re already doing magic tricks."


    Parker turned slightly, frowning. Then, facing Thomas, he said, "If you don''t have anything else to say, we have to leave and prepare for our own expedition."


    Thomas looked frustrated. He clearly wanted to ask about the sword''s description and abilities, but the group''s distrust would only get worse if he pressed. In the end, he just shrugged and left.


    Matthew felt a flicker of annoyance. Parker had extended an olive branch to Thomas at the end there. He''d deal with that later.


    They left, carrying Jackson back, drawing hopeful stares from the rest of the hall. People started approaching them, eager for information, looking to join up or get answers about wish coins.


    "Are you really going out there? You could die!"


    "Die out there from monsters or in here from hunger," one of the girls retorted. "One of those is worse than you can imagine."


    "The altar gave us water. It''ll give us food too."


    "You''re not that naive, right? You think they brought us here to chill?"


    Matthew smiled slightly. The assumption wasn''t entirely wrong. The altar had given them water. It was the altar of a god, after all. Assuming it could provide food too wasn''t unreasonable.


    But betting everything on that assumption wasn''t optimal.


    If no food came, they''d be too weak to go looking for it.


    The crowd around them grew. Their eyes¡ªhungry, eager, envious¡ªfollowed them. Some admired them for their sense of purpose. Others resented them for it. Some disliked their certainty. Others envied their luck. That carnal emotion flowed in the crowd.


    Matthew watched quietly.


    Matthew wasn''t worried about all that. He was watching for something else. A hint of danger he expected would come soon, he would have to ensure they were prepared for it . The group''s cockiness was now far removed from their earlier disagreements about going outside. There was an internal force of affirmation that made them feel different from the outsiders.


    He guessed their thoughts went like this:


    How can they not understand the importance of food in this context?


    This dumbass is so naive. The place doesn''t give you any say in what will happen here.


    They don''t even see the true nature of the situation.


    What is this fool even talking about? Asking me what we''re going to do. Figure something out for yourself.


    We can''t allow that weasel Thomas to outdo us. He''d stab us in the back if he grew a little stronger.


    Joshua really is a bad guy, honestly. All these people need help, and he just hoards everything.


    Matthew sighed, but it was still within manageable ranges. Of course, that''s an assumption, he thought. He believed he could still rein in their confidence and ground them before something out there made them crash. He began to choose his words carefully while also looking out for people who might be useful.


    He had no understanding of strangers, but if they looked even remotely useful, he walked up to them and spoke with them. He could now disappear from the group for short periods without them noticing. Asha might glance at him every once in a while, but she wasn''t the type to share her thoughts without reason and respected his privacy.


    Jackson read out the description of his blade to everyone:


    > Blue Trick ¨C A blade commonly used in wars by a tribe of Barbarians. It has a chance to steal the life from your fallen foes to recover. This blade will return a portion of the strength stolen to its master and keep some for itself. If no kills are made, it steals the energy of whoever is wielding it at that time. Increases attack power by thirty and stamina by twenty


    Jesse sighed, visibly annoyed. "Lady Ariel couldn''t give us anything that just heals straight up?"


    "Lady Ariel?! What is wrong with you?" Matthew mused. The people around him laughed while Jesse shot him a cute glare.


    Someone asked, "How is he meant to heal with this? Also, if you keep it summoned like that, won''t it steal your energy and make things worse?"


    Jackson quickly dismissed the armament and frowned before. "Who knows how long it''ll take before I can even use that sword?"


    Matthew looked at him, then asked, "What do you think they mean by wielding at that time?"


    Jackson looked instantly confused and began thinking. Adalina, beside him, and Jesse shrugged.


    "Why does it have to mean anything?" Adalina asked.


    Kirk, who had returned to them, shook his head vigorously. "We have to consider everything for clues. You have to be smart."


    Adalina looked a little pissed but bit her tongue, feeling embarrassed. Another girl who had recently joined them, Jane, glared at Kirk. " what do you mean by that?"


    Kirk''s face quickly fell as he apologized. Some guys rolled their eyes at his instant capitulation, but Matthew was glad they wouldn''t derail the conversation he had set up. He decided to play devil''s advocate to move things along.


    "I mean, she may be right," he said. "I was just thinking the difference between master and wielder was strange."


    Jackson nodded in agreement. "In the stat screen, it says master and rank. My name is there, and Fair is the rank. Could there be a difference?"


    Parker, now more certain of the feeling he had when the description was read out, finally acted. He asked Jackson to summon the blade again.


    Jesse looked worried. "I really hate the whole stealing life nonsense. It sounds wrong."


    Parker agreed. "It''s weird. Give me the sword, Jackson. Let''s see if I can ''wield'' it."


    And so they discovered that Jackson didn''t have to fight to receive the stolen health. They decided to take the blade with them and find something to kill to help him recover.


    Matthew''s next priority was lowering their group''s overconfidence and making them plan in case someone from outside their group followed them to try and extort them. He wasn''t sure how much of a threat they posed, but at the very least, he was certain the enemy had one or two knives.


    Eventually, more people began to join them¡ªmost were people he had picked out and spoken to. He missed part of the strategy discussions but mostly posed simple questions at times to help them move forward or abandon ideas.


    Of course, the malicious intent he had expected from some people began to build. He started trailing them and watching them to understand the threats they posed. He also observed the group from afar, gauging their thoughts, just as he gauged the thoughts of others who were watching them.


    The strategy began to take shape. Parker drew an image on the floor with a charcoal pen someone had given him, and everyone formed a wide circle so as not to obstruct anyone''s view. They made sure to invite people with poor eyesight to kneel in the middle of the circle.


    It was a reasonable plan¡ªmore than good enough for Matthew, who wasn''t a master at organizing people.


    Parker shouted to make sure everyone heard him clearly:


    "Okay, we''ll work in groups of five and focus on the west today to secure food and water. There are three main positions:


    Mapmaker/Navigator ¨C Keep us on track and understand our position.


    Load Bearers ¨C Three in each group to carry most of what we find.


    Messenger ¨C Shuttles between groups and the safe point every hour minutes to keep contact going between the groups.


    All groups will move within ten-minute intervals from the exit. The first group is in charge of placing markers and determining the safe point where we''ll congregate before splitting again. If no messenger comes from a group, we will all return to the safe point and prepare to find them."


    He continued, "Messengers will have the lightest load to maximize speed. Load Bearers will take turns carrying the supplies and Blue Trick every thirty minutes. Don''t push yourself¡ªpreserve energy in case we need to escape. Always be ready to abandon the load if necessary. Nobody tries to be a hero. If you can''t be sure you''ll save someone, just make sure the death toll doesn''t double."


    He began assigning people to groups and designating roles. Matthew couldn''t influence the assignments and ended up as a Messenger. He would have preferred to be a Mapmaker like Asha. Personally, he felt that Messenger came with the highest risk by far.


    They prepared to leave immediately. The time had finally come.


    They stood at the barrier between their safe haven and the pure white hell outside. It was daunting, yet Parker stepped out with only a moment of hesitation, scanning the area before signaling them forward.


    Some people jumped out in exaggerated, playful motions, laughing and smiling. Others were tense and watchful. But to some degree, Matthew felt they were all ready. Of course, how someone acted in the face of death and pressure would be the true defining factor.


    He was one of the last to step out.


    A hand held him back before he could.


    Jesse.


    She smiled at him, a beautifully tragic smile. The girls all looked weak and miserable, watching as others put their lives on the line for them.


    But Jesse smiled.


    Matthew assumed she was someone used to loss as she spoke softly. "Make it back alright, okay? You aren''t all that impressive, so don''t push yourself past what you can do."


    Matthew made an offended face of exaggerated proportions. "You really think so little of me?"


    "Yeah. You''re just good-looking. Not much going for you outside of that."


    Adalina smirked at the joke, and some girls laughed.


    Jesse became more serious. "Remember, we aren''t all that strong, but we''re doing something. I think that''s good enough."

 Chapter 6- Law of the jungle

    They began to leave one group at a time, with a ten-minute gap between each departure to allow for escape if the group ahead encountered something. Matthew was, unfortunately, placed in the first group. Parker had originally been in it as well, but he was moved to the third, along with Asha, to form their best team¡ªstrong load bearers and an actual trained cartographer, Asha, as their navigator.


    The first group was meant to be the quickest. They didn''t carry bottles or plates, leaving their paper, compasses, rulers, and other tools for map-making and marker-setting with the fifth group. However, they were armed. Some had hammers from their work in carpentry, others carried wrenches and pliers from Parker, and someone had a pipe wrench, a crowbar, and flashlights.


    The other groups carried lighters and makeshift Molotovs¡ªethanol in glass Coke bottles. Some wore hard hats and steel-toed boots. Asha had a pair of wire cutters she would use to set and mark traps for an escape.


    Matthew wasn''t too familiar with his group members¡ªexcept for Kirk. His hair was short and brown, and his small, jumpy eyes darted around, watching everything. The mapmaker was named Joey. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and a perpetually gloomy vibe.


    The load bearers were two guys Matthew hadn''t bothered to learn much about.


    They moved cautiously through the tunnel. It was massive¡ªat least twenty feet high¡ªwith limestone walls and bright moss illuminating their path. The jagged ground made for dangerous footing. Matthew made mental notes on smoother escape routes if the giant ant appeared. Loose stones and pebbles littered the path, and he noticed deep imprints in the ground and lower walls¡ªjagged strikes, possibly from mandibles.


    Flowstone streaked the walls and ground.


    Matthew caught Kirk as he slipped on some.


    Kirk glared at the glossy, ice-like rock. "What is that?"


    "Flowstone," Matthew replied. "Usually a sign that water passed through here."


    "Close by?" Joey, the Navigator, asked.


    "Not wet, but it shouldn''t be far."


    They continued in silence. One of the load bearers kept turning back, scratching his forearm. Kirk barely held himself together, jolting at every sudden noise. Matthew could barely hide his own fear¡ªhe fiddled with the strap of his bag, keeping his eyes constantly moving.


    A sharp cracking sound echoed from ahead.


    The jittery load bearer fell backward, shaking. Joey, who was also trembling, yanked him up, snarling, "Get a grip."


    They held still for a few moments before the second, much calmer load bearer said, "Let''s move. We can''t let the second group catch up to us here."


    Joey and Kirk nodded, pushing forward. Matthew patted the shaky load bearer on the back and nudged him along. It felt like a slow march toward inevitable death, something lurking just around the corner, waiting.


    When they rounded the bend, they entered a massive clearing with an even higher ceiling. Signs of battle littered the area¡ªjagged cuts on the ground, cracks in the walls from titanic blows, and patches of blue substance mixed with older, darker stains on the floor.


    A sickly-sweet, rotting scent lingered in the air.


    Matthew observed the scene carefully. Judging by the bloodstains¡ªor what he assumed was blood¡ªthere hadn''t been a major fight here recently. He studied the footprints in the dust and dried water stains. Three tunnel openings lay ahead¡ªone had signs of water, another had fresh prints from something massive, and the last had almost no signs of activity.


    He turned to Joey, direct and to the point. "Let''s check out the middle one. There''s not much activity there. We can use it as a safe point."


    Joey hesitated, but Matthew didn''t wait for a response. He strode forward with careful confidence.


    The more composed load bearer caught up and grabbed his shoulder. "Slow the fuck down. We need to be careful."


    Matthew didn''t argue but continued toward the middle tunnel. They climbed over steep inclines and uneven ground, squeezing through cracks large enough to fit their bodies. The destruction around them hinted at monstrous creatures that had torn through the cavern all the while they planted Markers for the other groups.


    They performed a controlled slide down a slope and finally reached the entrance. Before entering they went around again marking possible escape routes along the way and finding the best path too or from the safe point, they pressed into the cave. Unlike the others, this one was completely dark¡ªno moss. Kirk flicked on their one flashlight.


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    Kirk stayed behind, raising the light to illuminate their path.


    Then they saw it¡ªa nearly human-sized hole in the rock.


    Matthew grimaced. "This isn''t natural."


    The group exchanged wary glances before Joey picked up a rock and signaled to the confident load bearer. The latter took Blue Trick from Kirk¡ªthe sword was given to the first group, for now. He stepped onto more stable ground, bracing himself.


    Joey threw the rock hard into the hole, then stepped back, gripping his pipe wrench.


    It was silent for a short time.


    Then, shuffling. Everyone tensed, breath hitching. Seconds stretched into eternity.


    A clicking sound filled the dark silent cave. Finally, something emerged.


    It was huge and caterpillar-like, had a brown outer shell with mottled green splotches. Its segmented, armor-like carapace resembled stone, and numerous soft-looking legs lined its underside.


    It was sluggish, sniffing for whatever had thrown the rock. Roughly the size of a huge dog, but still unnatural and repulsive. The confident load bearer clenched his jaw, holding his breath.


    Matthew whispered, "Between the gaps in the plate¡ª"


    The creature''s neck plates suddenly clicked. It turned toward his voice.


    It passed the load bearer carrying Blue Trick, its strange plates shifting with each move, producing unsettling clacking sounds.


    Kirk''s flashlight trembled in his grip making the light shake and quiver on the crawling monster. His hoarse breathing was the only sound in the cave, apart from the creature''s eerie movements.


    The load bearer raised Blue Trick, ready to strike¡ªbut his hands were shaking.


    Then the creature stopped near Matthew and rose.


    Its face was a spiral of teeth in a ragged maw. A deep horrible sound coming from its throat


    Dirt and blue blood stained its underbelly, revealing deep, horrible cuts in the soft pink flesh. Rows upon rows of needle-like teeth surrounded a hollow center¡ªdesigned to draw and drink blood.


    Matthew''s heart hammered in his chest. A suffocating wave of terror crashed over him, stealing the strength from his limbs, the creature''s warm and disgusting breath washed over him.


    His mind went blank.


    It had happened once before¡ªthe day of the crash. The day his father died.


    He bit his lip hard, forcing himself to move. He took slow, deliberate steps, circling the beast without making a sound. His limbs felt like lead, it felt like a heavy stone was in his chest.


    The creature scanned the space where it had detected his voice. The plates on its neck shifted, the blood-chilling clicking began again.


    Matthew turned to the still-hesitant load bearer, his expression urgent.


    The man''s red-rimmed eyes flickered with panic, his pupils trembling. Then, suddenly, his gaze hardened.


    He drove the sword into the creature''s back.


    The beast let out a horrifying screech. A sharp, high-pitched resonance tore through their ears¡ªMatthew clenched his jaw as his vision blurred and his ears felt like pins were being driven into them.


    The sword pierced clean through, emerging from the creature''s underside¡ªa feat of incredible strength that shocked everyone, including the one who had wielded it.


    The Loadbearer stumbled back, panting.


    Matthew yanked him away, his head throbbing from the pain, as the creature writhed in agony.


    The creature threw itself into the air and attempted to roll into a protective ball, slamming into the wall with such force that Matthew felt it in his bones. So heavy! If I was still there, it would have crushed me into a bloody pulp. There wouldn''t even be a chance to retaliate.


    The sword driven through its back prevented it from fully forming a ball and rolling around to crush them. Instead, it forced the creature to fall on its side, struggling to get up. It wiggled its soft, pink, bulbous arms and cried out in such a loud voice that Matthew could feel his head shaking. But he knew this wasn''t enough to kill it.


    He ran forward, ignoring Kirk''s shout, and got behind it, grabbing the sword. He pushed it forward along the gap in its armor plates, twisting the hilt counterclockwise. The creature let out another outraged scream before throwing itself back off the ground with defiant strength. Matthew dived and rolled away just in time as the creature launched itself toward him again, crashing into the ground with enough force to send bits of stone flying.


    Pebbles peppered his back, sharp pain stinging every inch of exposed skin. He clenched his teeth, holding back a cry before slowly putting distance between himself and the creature. With the wound had widened, and the sword''s position preventing it from curling up, they were a lot safer.


    Blue blood poured from its body in large spurts. Its cries grew more frantic as it desperately tried to roll up, only to feel more pain and lose more blood. It slammed itself against the wall and ground in a futile attempt to find its attacker. But it was too slow, too weak.


    The group stood at a safe distance, breathing raggedly, drenched in sweat. Eventually, the creature began to slow down, its cries turning weak. It moved sluggishly, an obscene amount of blue blood pooling in a crevice beside it. It twitched a couple times¡­ then finally, it was still. The moving plates on its neck became slack. Dead.


    The load bearer who had stabbed it sucked in a loud, strong breath before letting out a triumphant cry and pumping his fist into the air. Kirk let out a whoop, slapping him on the back, while Joey collapsed to the ground, curling up with his face buried in his lap.


    They heard footsteps. Everyone was tense.


    A hesitant voice called out, "Hey?"


    Kirk smiled weakly before announcing, "We''re here. Still alive."


    The second group emerged, taking in the scene¡ªthe load bearer struggling to retrieve the sword from the creature''s body, Kirk grinning like an idiot, Joey and the other load bearer sitting on the ground looking like they''d aged ten years, and Matthew, covered in dust, nodding solemnly in greeting.


    The second group''s navigator grinned, stumped by what he was seeing. "Y''all are fucking insane."


    Not long after, the other groups arrived. The fourth and fifth had come together, having spotted the giant ant and deciding to stop.


    Parker patted Matthew on the back and muttered, "Don''t ever try anything like that again."


    Asha gave him a backhanded remark. "You didn''t hear the ''don''t try to be a hero'' bit, huh?"


    Matthew gave a crooked smile. "Had to be done. It was too loud. Might''ve called worse things over."


    She rolled her eyes. "Sure." she could see it¡ªMatthew was happy. This was something he couldn''t hide well.


    My body''s still buzzing, like those teeth are right in front of me. I feel¡­ alive? Happy? I can''t say. But I don''t regret that. Sorry, Asha.


    They entered the smaller cave where the creature had emerged. It was a dead end¡ªstrangely conical and smooth in shape. The ground was littered with bones and a soft mound of sand, likely where the creature had been sleeping. Seeing sand here was bewildering, but it seemed like different environments existed within this underground world.


    Why was it here? Recovering from injuries, maybe?


    The group began sharing tools, bags, bottles, and weapons. The fourth and fifth groups described the giant ant, noting that it also used its neck plates to detect sound. It had traveled from the path with signs of water to the one that seemed to have more activity.


    Parker nodded and made a decision. "Groups three and four will follow it¡ªsee what''s there and if there''s any prey we can hunt ourselves. The first and second will go get water. The fifth stays here and skins and harvests the beast. I''ll take Blue Trick, and we''ll try to record what we learned. We''ll need more paper."


    The First group load bearer, who had stabbed the creature, asked "shouldn''t we be the one dealing with the more dangerous path, you know¡­" Joey and the other load bearer gave him a venomous glare


    Parker chuckling "have a rest, if we need you we''ll definitely call you there in a hour"


    Asha nodded. "Messengers meet back here in an hour. In case we need to hide or retreat, we all shouldn''t get caught entering here."


    Everyone nodded and began to move.


    As Parker left, he hit Matthew on the shoulder, giving him a look that said be careful.


    But Matthew had been poisoned by what had happened here. He was still afraid, but there was something else hiding in his heart.


    Excitement.

 Chapter 7 — Light of the abyss

    They were on the move again. The first and second group made their way through the tunnel with an urgent pace, constantly checking their backs. Matthew still felt nervous, and he felt slightly worse off without Blue Trick, but they were well-equipped¡ªfire bombs, crowbars, thin metallic wires, and chains.


    The flowstone here was far more abundant. It was cracked and chipped. Matthew made an effort to gather sharp, narrow pieces and encouraged the others to do the same. He was at the back of the group, while the more confident Loadbearer, who Matthew had learned was named Brian, took the lead.


    He was tall with broad shoulders but had a lanky frame. His light brown hair was almost blonde, and his lazy black eyes held a constant disinterest. He was regaling the second group with an exaggerated version of their fight with the monster.


    The de facto leader of the second group was a tall, dark-skinned guy with short braids. He was absolutely enjoying Brian''s storytelling. The guy laughed heartily before turning back to Matthew.


    "You really ran up on that thing? The balls on you, bruh."


    "He was almost crushed to death twice by that thing. I saw him smiling when it rose up and deadass looked him in the face," Joey added, exasperated. His dark hair hung limp, and his eyes were tired and weak.


    Matthew ran a hand through his hair before shrugging. "No risk, no reward."


    The second group''s leader grinned, pointing a thumb at him. "If he''s gonna be that tough, we don''t have any excuses."


    "We''re a lot more confident now. At least they know that we can survive if we play our cards right. The main thing we need to do now is find someone to lead the monsters away while the others set traps¡­


    The chance of dying is high, though.


    From what I understand, the ants probably nest somewhere in the east¡ªthis area has prey and water. As for the tunnel Parker and the others went into¡­ I couldn''t guess what''s there."


    The others laughed and ignored him. Matthew bent to pick up a good-looking piece of flowstone, then noticed something shining under a crevice. He gulped and reached in, hoping nothing would bite his hand, it was cool and metallic to the touch. He pulled out a wish coin.


    Matthew smiled a little uncontrollably. Ever since Jackson, he had wanted to experience a wish¡ªthat mystical journey through the world beyond what eyes could see. Maybe that''s why meeting that creature was so exciting. Going somewhere that hadn''t existed before, doing something he had never thought possible¡­ It was meant to be exciting. Right?


    He turned to watch his group moving ahead of him. No one had seen him find it.


    Matthew hid it in his coat. Greed was something he didn''t want to make any guesses about. When they were returning to the cavern, he would mention it.


    He stood and increased his pace, feeling the slight tick in his jacket. It was a simple mechanism Asha had suggested for keeping time since they had no technology¡ªa string attached to his back that pulled at a sliding piece of a puzzle sewn into his jacket every time he swung his arm.


    It was an estimate¡ªroughly five minutes per pull. He reset the mechanism and used a marker to add a line on his jacket. That was the eighth line. Only twenty minutes until they had to return to the safe point.


    Matthew urged the group, "Let''s pick up the pace. We only have twenty minutes till the first rendezvous."


    Brian and the others agreed and began walking faster. Before long, a chill began to hang in the air. It was colder, more foreboding¡ªthey were getting closer to the river.


    The leader of the second group smiled and remarked, "We''ll follow your lead till we split up, monster hunters."


    Brian nodded a little stiffly before turning. He glanced back at Matthew, whose eyes were solid and resolute.


    He acted as an anchor for Brian, displaying his trust in him.


    It''s a virtuous cycle, really¡ªbelieve in someone''s capability, and they, in turn, believe more in themselves. They work harder to prove that belief, reinforcing the cycle.


    Of course, the opposite is also true. Negative beliefs held by others can erode a person''s ability¡ªthough that''s usually reserved for those they consider special.


    They soon found another large clearing. It was a steep climb down. It wasn''t dark, but the place was so expansive that the light spread weakly.


    Kirk stared into the new environment, jaw dropping in awe.


    "This is something else."


    ---


    Jesse paced impatiently in the white marble temple, making sure to swing her right arm to keep the fake clock Asha had sewn into her pink robe moving. It was a little sad to let the piece get ruined, but she wanted a sense of time passing.


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    Someone remarked casually, "You should sit down. Wasting too much energy¡ª"


    Jesse''s startling green eyes shut them up quickly. She clicked her tongue and sat, but continued swinging her arm. "I just hope those guys aren''t doing anything dumb."


    Adalina sighed. "You know how boys are. They care more about looking cool than being safe."


    Jane nodded in agreement, turning the book she was reading with three other girls. "Can''t expect much from them. I wish they''d just stay here."


    "I really wish we could have gone too, rather than waiting here for bad news."


    Another girl shrugged. "Not much we could do to convince them. It''s not like they''re wrong. Asha is so cool, though. She''s the only girl they took, and she''s with Parker."


    "No, don''t remind me! That exquisite man is out there facing death with her¡ªnooooo!"


    The girls laughed and continued chatting about the levels.


    "Wishing is so cool. I really hope it''s not just weapons, though. Imagine a magical pair of glasses or a pen that writes your thoughts."


    "But they probably aren''t easy to get. Wishing for things that aren''t necessary for survival doesn''t sound like a good idea."


    "I can''t see the boys sharing wish coins or spirit essence with us anyway. How will we get stronger?"


    "Is there even a point? Just leave it to them. Imagine adding a stat card to my already pathetic strength. Better to give it to hulks like Parker."


    Jane looked up at the girl and shook her head in disappointment.


    The girl frowned. "What?"


    "What do you think is the biggest pillar of authority?" Jane asked.


    Adalina looked up, thinking hard for a couple moments. No one answered till she suggested. "Well¡­ probably people agreeing to follow you. Kind of like Parker."


    Jane laughed softly, a mature, graceful laugh that made Jesse envious. Being that hot and elegant, like some kind of princess, has to be against some law out there.


    Jesse answered, "Ability, right?"


    "What do you mean by ability, exactly?"


    Jesse considered it before saying, "I don''t know. The ability to get stuff done. People accept authority because they need something from them."


    Jane nodded, pleased. Her glossy black hair was straight as a wire, and her clear blue eyes made Jesse feel slightly uncomfortable¡ªunworthy of looking her in the eye.


    Jane leaned back, grinning a beautiful white grin. "The boy''s are really good at getting things done, how good are you?, do you think they need anything from you?"


    "I mean¡­ It''s not like they''re bad people. They wouldn''t do anything, right?" someone asked.


    "It''s Parker. He won''t let them."


    "You really believe that?" Jane chuckled. "Hey don''t look at me like that, I''m not trying to be mean, but¡­ how much are you willing to bet?"


    Silence.


    Everyone looked uncomfortable. Jesse disliked the distrust growing between them.


    "Parker isn''t the only good guy out there, and we aren''t relying on them for long. Just till we get out of here," she said. She had to draw a line in this¡ªif not, it would just make cooperation harder.


    We just need to trust them. They''re out there risking their lives for us.


    "I''m not saying they''re bad people, really, but how will you justify living off their backs? Their deaths when they ask you to? Besides¡­ who among the boys do you really know and trust apart from Parker?"


    Again, no one could refute her.


    We''re dead weight here. Some cooking and menial work won''t be enough. They could ask for more, and before long we''ll¡­


    Jesse gritted her teeth. "Matthew. He''s a good guy. When everyone was worried about themselves, he worried about us."


    Jane frowned. "Who''s that?"


    "He''s the guy with a lot of really black hair, he has a pretty good beard. His eyes are blue too. Wears glasses."


    "Ohhhhh. Nellie and I were talking about him before. He looks like an English teacher, kinda, you know? He also has a little accent."


    Jane still looked bewildered. "Didn''t notice anyone like that."


    "He''s pretty good-looking too. Not flashy, though, and he doesn''t speak much."


    He''s pretty impressive, though! He figured out the thing with the altar¡­ and he had that weird standoff with Joshua.


    Jesse muttered to herself, but she noticed a strange smile on Jane''s face. The pale girl watched her knowingly. Jesse frowned, clenched her fists, and resolved to keep swinging her arm.


    Don''t push yourself, Matthew.


    ¡ª--


    Matthew had a sheepish smile on his face as they descended the ledge into the new territory. This is unreal. There''s nothing like this in the world. This feels like another planet entirely.


    The dark cavern was a hidden world behind white fog. A massive lake pooled at one of its peaks, with a river flowing down through multiple lower levels. Countless waterfalls cascaded with thunderous crashes, their roars echoing even from afar before vanishing into the dense mist. Gargantuan roots extended from the ceiling, plunging into the water before sprawling across the cavern floor. The ceiling itself was obscured, shrouded in mist, as flying creatures darted in and out, swooping down onto the forest-like terrain below to snatch prey. Massive insects crawled across the roots, their forms unnervingly large.


    They''re unrealistically big, and the forest itself is unreasonable. Those leaves look as big as me... Matthew''s gaze followed the water as it wound through the dark forest, weaving between the roots before crashing against the black cavern walls. This tunnel seems endless and huge. It''s shaped like a cylinder so we can see the limit of the walls even though they are so far, but the end is unimaginably far. The ground drops in terraces, too... Exploring those lower areas will be a nightmare.


    The whole group gingerly made their way down the terrace-like cliff, navigating the uneven descent with care. They jumped down smaller drops, slid along sloped corners, and fashioned rope ladders from discarded vines to traverse steeper sections.


    At a certain point, Matthew paused, drawing the last line on his jacket before exclaiming, "Time for a rendezvous!"


    The second group''s messenger frowned, checking his lines. He mumbled something about forgetting to count. Matthew continued, "Let''s find somewhere you can wait while we make our rounds."


    After some scouting, they found a small cave under a rocky overhang, well hidden from the creatures that ruled this place. They stepped inside, dropping their bags and preparing for a fight¡ªjust in case. The cave was small enough that nothing huge could fit inside, at least. They shone their torches into the darker corners where the glowing moss didn''t reach. Then they froze.


    There, lying on the cave floor, was a person.


    The group fell deathly silent. Hands tightened around weapons, the air became thick and suffocating with anticipation. Matthew, gripping a vine he had picked up earlier, quickly fashioned it into a lasso and looped it around his forearm. He lowered his hips, muscles coiled, ready for a fight.


    He was tall and lanky, with dark, messy hair. His hands and forearms were covered in scratches, but there weren''t many other visible injuries.


    He crawled here.


    Brian called out in a loud voice, "Hey, you good, man?" The boy didn''t respond. He was painfully still. And then it became clear¡ªhe was dead. A moment passed. Some members of the group relaxed, while others grew somber, a quiet despondency settling over them.


    Kirk stepped closer, raising his torchlight toward the body. His eyes widened before he jumped back, screaming, "What the fuck, what the fuck¡ªwhat the hell is that?!"


    Matthew barely held back a shiver as the light cast across the corpse''s disfigured face. The skin was impossibly pale, and a gaping hole in his right cheek revealed something emerging¡ªa root, or at least something that resembled one. It was red and slimy, with a pure white flower blooming from its stem.


    Everyone took a step back, resisting the urge to vomit. Joey turned away, while Brian snarled, "This fucking hell. Should we burn him?"


    "We need all we have for fights," someone grimaced in response. Another person picked up a rock and threw it at the body.


    The root came alive instantly.


    The boy''s pale flesh swelled as black veins pulsed across his skin. His arms and legs twitched unnaturally, his body convulsing.


    Then, with a sickening tear, the root in his cheek ripped itself free, flailing wildly in the air. Its stem was no longer soft but sharp¡ªthreatening. He lurched to his feet, convulsing horribly, his body jerking as if electrocuted. His eyes rolled in their sockets, rapid and unnatural, as though something pulled them hard in different directions.


    They ran.


    Screaming, they fled from the cave before turning back to see the corpse stumble, then fall, then struggle to crawl toward them.


    Brian gritted his teeth. "It seems to run out of energy looking for prey. Let''s give it some space. If something flies overhead or comes close, we run inside. Hey¡ªdon''t waste any time."


    The last part was directed at the messengers, who nodded, left their bags, and took off.


    Matthew could only pity the boy. Whatever that thing was... it crawled through his veins. Used his body to find more food after.


    The climate here is extreme, but I thought with the presence of plants, we''d find more herbivores at least¡­ Not that herbivores were any less dangerous, but something that grows inside the bodies of living things is just¡­ wrong.


    There was a lot they needed to tell the others. A lot they needed to warn them about.

 Chapter 8— Rotten fruits

    Matthew and the other Messenger sped through the cavern, relying on memory and the markers he had placed to avoid treacherous ground. He pushed to reach the safe point in twelve minutes, pausing at corners to check for anything ahead before continuing.


    This is exactly why I didn''t want to be a Messenger. He gritted his teeth as he vaulted over a ledge. We not only have to move quickly but also pass the same place twice. The chances of encountering something are way higher.


    The other Messenger behind him kept up easily. He seemed fairly athletic¡ªjust forgetful.


    Finally, they reached the large clearing and made it back to the safe point. They took their time getting to the hidden den, catching their breath from the sprint.


    Inside, Matthew noted their progress in harvesting the beast''s body. The fifth group''s Loadbearers gave them a mock salute as they returned. Meanwhile, the Navigator was making a detailed sketch of the beast''s internal organs, carefully measuring where they congregated¡ªlikely marking weak points.


    The fifth''s Messenger waved them over, where the third and fourth Messengers lounged impatiently, tapping the ground. One sighed as they finally arrived.


    "About fucking time. How far did you guys make it?"


    The second Messenger scowled. "We found a whole new fucking biome. And fucking zombies. That''s how far we went."


    The other three Messengers exchanged skeptical glances before shrugging. The fifth Messenger clapped his hands together.


    "First order of business¡ªwe found spirit essence¡­ I think."


    The four Messengers sat up at the reveal of such precious information.The fourth Messenger stuttered, "You left the safe point?"


    "No," the fifth Messenger scoffed. "It''s the safest place out here. Why would we even¡ª"


    "Then where did you find spirit essence?"


    The fifth Messenger clicked his tongue. "If you''d let me speak for a couple of seconds, I''d tell you¡ªwe found it in the body of the monster outside."


    All four turned toward the beast''s corpse outside the den, its brown and green form being dissected. Matthew sighed internally, his suspicions confirmed. Killing these creatures is essential to leveling up.


    The fifth Messenger pulled out two glowing blue square crystals. Strange markings shifted on their surfaces, the light inside fluctuating like something alive."We found two. They were in an organ John¡ªour Navigator¡ªguessed was probably its heart."


    The group marveled at the crystals before the second Messenger asked, "you didn''t use it?"


    The fifth Messenger scoffed, looking mildly insulted. "Nope. The first group killed it, so I told them it''s your spoils¡­ and the other guy''s."


    All eyes turned to Matthew.


    As the first Messenger, the spirit essence was rightfully his. He briefly considered absorbing it on the spot¡ªthe thought was exciting¡ªbut logic dictated he should take it back and share it with Brian.


    He smiled, brushed his black hair back from his eyes. "Thanks a lot, man. I really appreciate this."


    Slipping the essence into his pocket, he turned to the other Messengers, his expression growing solemn.


    "With that out of the way, we have a warning to give."


    ---


    They told them about the underground forest and its horrifying inhabitants. The Messengers grimaced as the grotesque details of the parasite were described. Matthew warned them against touching it, and the second Messenger quickly sketched the creature in their notebooks.


    The third Messenger gripped his forearm. "We''re out of our fucking league here."


    "We have to keep going. If we stop now, we''ll never get out of here."


    "That guy died out there¡ªalone¡ªin pain so vivid it could probably drive a person mad."


    "Look, no one''s excited to be here," Matthew interjected, "but we have to get the job done."


    The third and fourth Messengers then shared their findings. They had ventured into a spiraling cavern, its sandy ground hiding ambush predators that swam beneath the surface. They described monsters camouflaging against walls, waiting silently for prey, and black-and-red lizard-like creatures that could breathe fire.


    They had stopped when they couldn''t cross the sand and had fled when the fire-breathing lizard arrived. Then they ran into something far worse, the giant ant had come.


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    The beast¡ªarmored like a tank¡ªcrushed the lizard effortlessly. Its indomitable shell resisted every attack, and its harrowing mandibles expanded with cracking, popping sounds, like a hydraulic engine under strain. When they snapped shut, the force shook the earth.


    The ant, unafraid, burrowed into the sand. The sand-swimming creatures attacked, but they were too small¡ªtheir strikes, lethal to a human, were nothing to the mighty ant. It tore them from the sand and hurled them onto the rocky outcropping, shattering their bodies on impact.


    The group had hidden, barely daring to breathe, as two more ants arrived. They swallowed their prey whole before dragging the remains back to their nest.


    The whole time, the group had watched in quiet reverence, stunned by the creatures'' raw power.


    ---


    They debated their next move. The general consensus was that the dunes were too dangerous for now, but the fifth Messenger and Matthew were against abandoning the area entirely. The unique materials¡ªand the possibility of wish coins¡ªwere too valuable.


    Matthew hesitated. Now that he also had spirit essence, he was more reluctant to reveal his wish coins. He ultimately sided with the fifth Messenger, arguing for a slower approach before abandoning the dunes.


    The group exited the cave, high-fiving the Loadbearers of the fifth group before freezing mid-conversation.


    Something entered the cave. There were sounds¡ªhissing, the grinding of rocks, heavy grunts echoing through the dark.


    They tensed immediately, weapons at the ready. Minutes passed in silence. Then, six figures emerged from the entrance.


    Six boys.


    Their faces flickered with surprise before twisting into cruel delight. Then, they marched forward.


    None of them lowered their weapons. A different kind of dread settled over them.


    The fifth Messenger stepped forward aggressively. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"


    One of the newcomers¡ªa boy with dewy olive skin¡ªsmiled widely. His dark eyes gleamed, and his stringy, curly brown hair rested on his shoulders. He glanced around, impressed.


    "You idiots are doing a lot better than expected."


    Matthew watched as his group''s expressions twisted with rage.


    "Who the hell are you?"


    "Get the fuck out before we beat the shit out of you!"


    "Coming in here with your skinny ass, talking like you know shit¡ª"


    "Get the fuck out of here, you wormy fuck."


    The olive-skinned boy''s smile widened into something deranged.


    "Do you numbnuts want to die?"


    The fifth Messenger stepped toward him aggressively, crowbar raised¡ª


    Then, the boy pulled something from his jacket.


    Matthew''s breath caught.


    Is that a gun?


    ¡ª


    Parker and Asha stalked a fire breather, watching its movements. It had a wife of sorts protecting its eggs, the fire breather coiling together lovingly. Asha cooed, and Parker could only ignore her.


    "Its skin and blood is fiery. It''s not like it breathes fire, really¡­ Honestly, it''s more like spitting a ball of spit on fire. When it hits, the liquid spreads over the target and ignites."


    Asha wore her yellow raincoat, a pair of steel-toed boots and thick safety gloves. Yet she drew the beast and its female form, murmuring, "It relies on its sense of smell heavily. Its eyes don''t look all that developed. Interesting¡­ Some of the beasts, like the ant and the caterpillar, sense sound heavily. Others, like the sand swimmers, rely on sensing vibrations. No animals that use the natural lighting of the moss."


    She continued eagerly, "Killing it won''t be simple. We can''t use fire bombs like with the sand swimmers, and getting close comes with the risk of being torched. Maybe by baiting the first fire spit¡­ but up close, it''s still stronger, and contact with its skin is a death sentence."


    Parker, in his usual sweatpants and wool jacket also wore safety gloves in case the fire breather sensed them, listened to her rambling before asking when she slowed down, "What about using water, if we get some?"


    Asha turned to him quickly, pointing and grinning. "They live at those ridiculous temperatures, so cooling them down could be a killing blow."


    Parker found it unnerving that the girl who had just been so enamored by the mating habits of the fire breather was now planning to so callously kill it. He grabbed her and began to leave. They followed the narrow path the fire breather had taken through the sands¡ªmore solid footpaths that wouldn''t immediately call the sand swimmers.


    They had left behind the group to study the movements of the fire breather while the rest tried to study the sand swimmers. The fire breather preyed on them, so the group believed fire would be extremely effective against the swimmers. They also believed water had to be close by, seeing that these species didn''t leave the dune.


    When Parker and Asha returned the group was quiet and tense. They watched the corridor that led to the exit warily, Paul, the fourth navigator, came up to them and said, "The wall crawler moved. We think it''s following us."


    The wall crawler had almost killed the entire fourth. They had been talking when it opened its maw. It could camouflage against walls and was mostly just a mouth¡ªseven slimy tentacles sprung from its dark maw and narrowly caught nothing. Its mouth had many spike-like teeth, its gums were black, and there was a musty, rotten smell coming from its mouth that made them fall over retching. It would have been vomit if their stomachs weren''t empty.


    Parker turned to the Loadbearers of the group who had gone outside to scout far and ensure there weren''t any monsters nearby. Their confirmation was the last thing Parker needed to come to a decision.


    Asha pumped her fist. "Time to hunt!"


    They prepared the fire bomb and attached a long string to the nylon bag. It was a simple plan¡ªignite the string, trigger the wall crawler to open its mouth, then throw the nylon bag in and retreat. They all stood at a distance.


    Paul said, "I''ll definitely get it." He would be the thrower.


    The person who would trigger the trap was a Loadbearer from Parker''s group. Parker grit his teeth and grasped the hem of his sweatpants hard.


    We need to do this. We have no other choice. In the middle of an escape from something, if it triggers while we escape¡­ it''ll kill someone.


    He waited for what felt like hours until Paul lit the fuse, then nodded to the Loadbearer, who clapped loudly and ran. The wall crawler''s mouth opened, throwing tentacles about.


    Paul didn''t waste a second¡ªhe threw the nylon bag into the mouth.


    The wall crawler quickly closed its mouth, and the attackers retreated to the others, eyes wild with fear, they hid behind solid rocks taking cursory peeks to the creature planted against the wall. A second passed, and Paul began to say, "It didn''t¡ª"


    The wall crawler began to jerk violently, its mouth popping open as fire erupted. Brilliant orange light showered the creature. It began to flail around, its tentacles whipping about, brushing the ground carefully before long it began to crawl towards them.


    Asha''s eyes narrowed as she commanded, "It''s tracking us! Get back!"


    The creature fell on its back where it had six short powerful legs and then jumped toward them. The fire in its open mouth made it resemble a moving bonfire. The entire group scattered, running frantically away from the beast.


    It jumped, its seven tentacles whipping through the air, searching for something to grab. Paul rolled away, narrowly avoiding them, then hurled a rock at the ground, the sharp sound momentarily distracting the creature. Without wasting a second, he turned to his bag and signaled to one of his Loadbearers to fetch another fire bomb.


    Parker ran desperately, but it was right behind him followed with short jumps and tracking his scents. Before it could pounce on him, a stone hit it, and a shrill voice screamed, "Over here, you creepy bastard!"


    Asha had called it over, and it chased very willingly. She was a lot slower than Parker, so it closed in on her quickly. Even though she took casual looks back at it her eyes focused on where they had dropped their bags


    I fucked up. This was a dumb idea. I need to do something¡ªanything.


    Parker rushed over, screaming, "Asha! No!"


    She jumped onto a pair of bags and pulled out a bone plate shield they had peeled off the caterpillar monster, hiding behind it. It was too heavy for her to pick up, but it worked just fine. The creature''s tentacles cracked like whips against the shield, its durability held stubbornly. Then they wrapped around it and pulled both the shield and Asha into its fiery mouth.


    Parker paled and fell to his knees. He whispered, horrified, as tears fell down his eyes, "Asha."


    I failed. Why did I think anything could be different? ¡­Ah, who the hell did I think I was?


    He stood and ran to his bag, looking for Blue Trick, which should have been beside it. His eyes were red, harrowing pits of anger and despair.


    Dead. I''ll kill you no matter what it takes. You''re dead.


    As his eyes cleared, he realized Blue Trick was missing. He turned to the monster, which opened its mouth again and fell on its hind feet like it was about to pounce on him¡ªonly to crumple to the ground, still.


    What? It''s not moving¡­ it''s dead?


    Asha crawled out of the beast''s mouth, bleeding from many cuts but grinning nevertheless.


    "It couldn''t hold on to me. I rubbed oil on my rubber coat the first time I saw it. Creatures that invite you into their stomachs take care to kill, crush, or suffocate their prey before throwing them in there." In her right hand was Blue Trick, covered in blue blood.


    She laughed as she stumbled out. "To put it in simple terms¡ªit bit on something a bit sharp."

 Chapter 9 -

    In the White Marble Temple ¨C An Hour After the Groups Left


    Hunger was beginning to affect those who had stayed behind, especially the ones who hadn''t moved much. Some of the boys had been left back to keep the field groups from becoming too large, while all the girls had remained behind¡ªexcept Asha.


    Jesse sat still, tired, swinging her arm as she reset the timer. Her brow wrinkled as she remembered that Asha was the only one they had taken.


    It''s not like I dislike her¡­ Jesse frowned. She''s plain. Nothing special about her. But it''s unfair that they thought she was the only one they needed. Newsflash: Jackson''s only alive right now because of me.


    She puffed her cheeks and exhaled, bored. Some of the other girls were reading novels, but Jesse never liked reading. She barely liked studying. Sitting down with a book just didn''t appeal to her.


    Instead, she studied the high ceiling of the White Marble Temple¡ªthe torches that never seemed to burn out, the arches stretching above her, and the strange symbols carved into the four corners of the hall. She stared at them for so long that she felt she could see a pattern. Opening her notebook, she sketched the first symbol in front of her, then the rest in a clockwise sequence.


    The first and second are connected. The third and fourth feel like another word. Maybe another sentence. Each symbol could be multiple words, like¡­ She tapped her pen against her lips. Like Chinese.


    Rolling her eyes, she shut the book.


    Beside her, Jackson suddenly jerked awake, gasping.


    Jesse was on her feet instantly. The other girls looked up, some moving closer.


    She placed a steadying hand on his shoulder and spoke calmly. "Hey, you''re alright. Relax. Do you feel any pain? Dizziness?"


    Jackson stared at her with wide, excited eyes. "I was just with Matthew."


    Jesse paused, thrown off. Her mind reeled. she couldn''t respond, a girl beside her blurted out, "Wait, how?"


    Jackson fell silent for a moment, his eyes moving slowly as he tried to gather his thoughts. Finally, Jane sauntered over, giving him a thoughtful look before asking, "A vision?"


    "Yes! Exactly! But it''s scattered, I can''t¡ª"


    "It might be Blue Trick¡­ Check your health."


    Jackson quickly pulled up his status screen, scanning it before frowning. "My health went up a lot. I think I understand the sequence of visions now. They''re scattered, but¡ª" He exhaled sharply. "It was Matthew. He stabbed a monster and tore it open. But I was also the worm. I couldn''t see, but I felt¡ªI heard¡ªI used sound to guess how big things were, how solid their bodies were¡­"


    Jesse checked his wound and nearly froze. This isn''t even real anymore. It''s practically gone. From hemostasis to remodeling in an hour.


    Jane crouched down, brushing the ground with her middle finger, her expression unreadable. "Most likely, the transference of life force passed on some of the creature''s experiences."


    Jesse''s mind reeled. Matthew and the others are still out there. Bleeding out. Struggling to get back so I can try to save them. Her fingers tightened around the edges of her sleeves. Could I even do it? I''m mediocre at surgery anyway. I was flunking skills lab and surgical anatomy.


    Jane smiled coyly. "Is Matthew alright?"


    Jackson nodded slowly. "I feel¡­ weirdly angry at him. Is that the worm''s feelings? I remember his voice. I think he was telling one of them to stab me between my armor. Then he used Blue Trick to tear my stomach open and run."


    Jane''s laugh was soft and amused, like sunlight filtering through leaves. "Relax, friend. You''re not a worm. And you were right¡ªMatthew is impressive." She flicked her gaze toward Jesse, watching her out of the corner of her eye.


    Jesse clenched her fists and pursed her lips. "Don''t need you to tell me that." Her voice was tight. What happened to avoiding fights?


    Jane shrugged, still grinning. "Some fights can''t be avoided. It may not be his pride or foolishness¡ªjust circumstance. At least we''ve conquered our first enemy."


    She raised her bottle in a mock toast to her friends. "To many more glorious victories, am I right?"


    ---


    Matthew watched the boy with the gun solemnly.


    This is beyond a miscalculation. This is a foolish mistake¡ªpurely my fault. If I can''t resolve this¡­ I have to resolve this.


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    He knew the boy with stringy brown hair and olive skin. Vasilis. He was from Greece. He had refused to attend Parker''s original meeting, saying, "I don''t like that bastard''s face."


    Vasilis had been alone at first, but another boy¡ªone Matthew had already been watching in case of trouble¡ªapproached him. They started talking about how annoying and pompous Parker, Tuomas and the rest of the groups were. Eventually, they met the other four boys here and planned an ambush outside to take anything the group had gathered.


    Matthew had seen two knives. But never a gun.


    He had assumed advanced technology wasn''t brought here. But a gun wasn''t electronic. At least this model wasn''t.


    He had also assumed they would try to isolate one of them and extort them. I have my wish coin in my back pocket.


    The spirit essence and wish coin in his pocket suddenly felt heavy, and his frown deepened. They''re the only things I''d truly mind losing. In fact, they''re the most important things I have.


    I thought we could at least run. Rely on our superior understanding of the terrain to escape.


    Fuck. His chest tightened. This was a massive mistake. His jaw clenched as he struggled to not let his face show any reactions. Damn it. Damn it¡­ How could I fuck up this royally?


    Vasilis grinned, watching the sudden change in their expressions. "You fuckers don''t wanna die, huh?" He cocked the gun. "On your knees. If you give me a reason, I won''t mind blowing a hole in your dumbasses."


    They all knelt, anger held back. The six attackers corralled them, forcing them to shuffle forward on their knees, kicking them and tossing insults. They lined up all nine of them, with Matthew at the back.


    Vasilis turned to one of his friends and chuckled. "Look at them. So high and mighty before. Weren''t you gonna use that to smash my head in?" His eyes narrowed. "What happened to all that toughness?"


    One of his friends swung a crowbar, striking the Fifth Messenger across the back. The blow was half-serious, improperly angled, so the Fifth Messenger only flinched slightly. He glared up at Vasilis. "We don''t have anything, fucker."


    Vasilis nodded thoughtfully. "Where''s Parker? Hey, check in there for anything."


    "Don''t know," the Fifth Messenger replied stiffly.


    The crowbar struck him harder this time¡ªbefore Vasilis could even signal it. The wielder snarled, "He asked a fucking question, blockhead. You think this is a fucking game?"


    Vasilis smirked, waving a hand. "You heard him. Be straight with me, man. As fun as I make it seem, I don''t like bullying retards."


    The Fifth Messenger groaned as he struggled back to his knees. "He went down a tunnel."


    Vasilis frowned. "He has you dumb bastards. Why go himself?" His voice was suddenly unamused. "Be honest with me. Don''t let this get serious."


    His burly colleague raised the crowbar again¡ª


    "Chill! Jesus Christ, he''s not even lying!" The Third Messenger interjected hastily. He exhaled. "I''ll explain."


    And solemnly, he began to reveal their system to the six invaders.


    ---


    Vasilis laughed uncontrollably. "Loadbearers, might as well call you idiots pack mules¡­ oh god, this is so fucking stupid."


    His friend laughed too, one of them smacked the back of Matthew''s head, calling him a donkey. Meanwhile, Matthew was growing sure that Vasilis would shoot them if they tried him.


    He''s a fucking psycho. To him, we''re probably not worth the thought.


    "So he''s coming back with the goodies, huh? Well, I don''t mind waiting here for that. In the meantime, search them¡ªlet''s see what presents they have for us."


    They began searching them, and all of the messengers kept turning back to Matthew. It was an unavoidable outcome, as they would also feel the despair of losing the essence to this guy.


    Vasilis noticed this and walked over to him. He stood behind and placed the gun at the back of his head, the cold metal uncomfortably pressing against his skull. His voice was polite but demanding.


    "Take it out before I take a look at what you''re thinking in that tiny brain of yours."


    Matthew winced and put on a show of reluctance gripped the ground hard before Vasilis noisily released the safety on his gun. He then took out the spirit essence and gave it to him.


    Vasilis threw them in the air, smiling. "What a good day. Take out the rest, though, before I take them off your corpse."


    Matthew wasn''t surprised. The boy was rather observant¡ªhe had seen Matthew trying to select only the spirit essence in his pocket. He took out the wish coin and gave it to him.


    The others were shocked to see he had a wish coin but said nothing.


    Vasilis smiled widely. "Good job. Nice doing business with you." He slapped Matthew across the face mockingly before walking to the top of the group.


    The second messenger finally snapped. "You can''t take that! You didn''t fight that thing, or even risk¡ª"


    A solid kick to the stomach cut him off. He doubled over, gasping.


    Vasilis grabbed his hair and yanked him up, forcing him to look into his eyes. His grin was sharp, all teeth and amusement. "You''re right, man. I don''t deserve this. I didn''t even risk my life¡ªohh, how could I possibly?"


    His fingers clenched, and the spirit essence shattered in his palm, turning to dust and flowing into his chest.


    "Ohhhh no," he drawled, mockingly. "That isn''t right, huh? I didn''t even work for this."


    The fifth messenger lunged at him from his kneeling position, but Vasilis was faster. The gunshot cracked like thunder in the usually quiet cave.


    The fifth collapsed, clutching his leg and screaming in pain.


    Vasilis looked shocked at his own reflexes but brushed it off, stood, and kicked the fifth in his stomach, growling, "Don''t scare me like that¡­ bastard."


    Some of his people looked displeased that he had absorbed all that essence by himself, but he didn''t notice. Matthew did and kept it to himself, keeping his face of concern for the fifth messenger.


    Should have controlled your emotions. Don''t make that idiot use that gun out here. He doesn''t understand how dangerous noise is here.


    Vasilis flipped the wish coin in his hands. He looked at his comrades.


    "Check their bags for ropes. We''ll wait here."


    He paused for a moment before adding, "Actually¡ªsend the messengers out. Pfft, messengers. Go out and gather things with your fellow pack mules, then come back here in¡­ hmm, an hour, I guess. Maybe two. We''ll blow out your friends'' brains if you don''t."


    He turned to the third and fourth messengers. "Tell your teams about this if you want, but all of you need to come back here with two wish coins and at least ten spirits." He shifted his gaze to the first and second. "Same for you guys. But don''t tell your friends about this. I''m sending two of my associates with you, and if they aren''t the first to cross that threshold unharmed, I kill one of these mules."


    They stood, and Matthew pushed the second messenger along, pretending to support him, towards the particular goon he wanted. They left, and Vasilis shouted, "Good luck, idiots!"


    They began to make it back to their groups, walking quickly. The goon chosen to follow them was Petyr¡ªa tall, burly young man with a buzz cut and a sadistic demeanor. They walked in front of him, not warning him about his footing, but after a couple of trips and slips, he quickly watched and followed where they were walking.


    The second messenger kept throwing him looks of pity and desperation, but Matthew pointedly ignored him. He was very angry¡ªboth at himself and at Vasilis.


    I have to rein in my feelings about that bastard. I''ve already underestimated them once. A second time will be unforgivable.


    He turned to the goon behind him and clicked his tongue in irritation before turning away from him.


    This caught Petyr''s attention as he walked up, leaning over Matthew''s shoulder. "Do we have a problem, donkey?"


    Matthew pretended to be startled and stuttered. "Uhh¡ªnothing. Just impressed at Vasilis'' plan to fuck us over."


    "It wasn''t hard for us to plan against you donkeys," Petyr replied unassumingly.


    "Us?"


    "What!"


    "I mean, it was the gun that did all the work, really."


    Petyr rolled his eyes."Hey, I don''t want to talk to someone so obviously retarded. Keep fucking moving,"


    It was a careful attack at Petyr. Matthew knew Petyr was the one to meet Vasilis first and organize the group. He had probably lost influence to Vasilis'' gun and charismatic nature.


    Matthew turned, feigning irritation. "Wish I could be a henchman too."


    Petyr turned him around and slammed him against the wall, placing his forearm against his neck.


    The second messenger roared in displeasure. "Get the fuck off him!"


    As the second approached to attack, Petyr sneered back. "Stay right there, or I crush his windpipe."


    The second stopped, seething. Petyr leaned in close, eyes burning with sinister amusement. "Small fry like you should learn to stay in their lane. This is your last warning. Next time, I''ll actually crush your windpipe." He smirked. "Vasilis isn''t the only thing you have to worry about. You''ll all be following us soon."


    Matthew coughed weakly. "S-Sorry¡­ sorry!"


    He wasn''t very worried, he had set his chin between the forearm and his neck¡ªhe could escape and dislocate Petyr''s arm anytime. All he wanted was to plant a seed, and he had even gained some decent information.


    Petyr released him, and he rubbed his neck, started walking, and told the second Messenger he was alright, taking the front so that he could let himself stop pretending.


    His eyes darkened, and his face twisted into something malicious and foreboding.


    Let the games begin then.

 Chapter 10 - Dark forest

    Matthew made it to the hidden forest with ease. It was a little uncomfortable how normal walking down a tunnel filled with terrible monsters was becoming, but he was glad to be out of the cramped tunnel and into the expansive forest.


    Petyr couldn''t hide his awe. The green forest was breathtaking. Matthew wondered if those creatures that hunted using sound could even function here¡ªthere was so much noise: water crashing against rocks, loud bird calls from monstrous flying creatures, multiple different roars and buzzes from the beasts of the forest.


    As they neared the rocky overhang where they had left the group, Petyr suddenly stopped, looking unsure. He instructed them, "Go join the group. Tell them about the spirit essence and that Parker said you should gather two wish coins and ten spirits."


    Matthew and the Second Messenger exchanged a glance, both contemplating the idea of beating the brutish boy to death before ultimately leaving, grumbling to themselves. When they got far enough, Matthew turned and called out, "Hey! Stay alive, okay? Don''t want to have to explain anything to your Master."


    He ignored Petyr''s glare and ran to catch up with the Second Messenger, who eyed him warily. "I know you''re angry, but that''ll just start a fight."


    "Fuck that guy."


    The Second nodded tersely in agreement before asking, "How are we going to tell the others?"


    "Leave it to me."


    When they arrived, the two groups were lounging around. They smiled in relief at their return and began picking up their bags. Brian called out, "Let''s talk as we move!"


    As they gathered their belongings, Matthew took a cursory glance at the parasitized corpse before leaving. Too far gone but still useful. He brought out the vine lasso and threw it around the corpse''s leg.


    As he dragged it along, it twitched slightly but was too weak to attack. Brian and the rest looked at him like he was crazy. He explained, "We''re going to burn it."


    "we already talked about this," Joey argued. "Our fire bombs are very limited."


    "We put the corpse in a spike trap, and when we catch something, we burn them both."


    Joey shook his head, completely against the idea. "It''s too dangerous to lug that thing around. Besides, we aren''t sure if the parasite won''t take it over or if getting some food will rejuvenate it."


    "We''ll makeshift spears or something. I just want us to kill this monster."


    They all could agree on the revulsion they felt toward it. Matthew, however, had another reason. He wanted to know if they could get spirit essence from it, but more than that, he didn''t want to leave the corpse like this. He was a kid, unreasonably brought here like the rest of us. He deserves better than this.


    They began to discuss the rendezvous and Parker''s orders to kill beasts for spirit essence and find wish coins.


    "Did you check the beast you guys killed in the safe point for spirit essence?" Matthew asked.


    Matthew frowned. "They''re still looking, but I believe they found us."


    Everyone stiffened, their faces tense for a second before they continued walking, pretending nothing was wrong. Joey, still playing with a plant, asked, "How many are following us?"


    "Just one¡­ Hey, don''t get any bright ideas. They have hostages and a gun."


    Now, everyone was scared, cursing under their breath. They needed to find a way down to the next terrace¡ªa substantially larger area with a river passing through it. There, they could get water and begin their hunt.


    Assuming each beast has two spirit essences in them, five is the minimum number of kills we need to get. Food-wise, if we''re eating frugally, five is already too much¡ªbut we don''t have a choice.


    They worked with annoyed intensity gathering vines and pulling them down occasionally they would the monstrous screech of those flying creatures and hide by the rocks, the bird circle the high rocky on the next terrace, when Brian casually bumped into Matthew.


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    "Ohhh¡­ sorry about that," Brian said. Then, in a hushed voice, "How the fuck are we doing this? Did you drop a message for the Wanderer?"


    "They have something else we don''t know about other than the gun. I left a note for the Wanderer to watch and find out what it was," Matthew replied unseriously, setting down a rock to anchor the ladder. Bending over to catch his breath, he added, "For now, we comply. We need to get them out of the safe point or covertly get someone to Level Three."


    "Why would¡­ A stat card?"


    "With a stat card we get a better advantage, a hunt isn''t about overpowering your opponents, it''s about understanding weak points." Matthew straightened. "Before that, I need you to ignore me for now."


    Brian looked distraught but nodded. He trusted Matthew''s opinion to a certain degree and could see the logic behind it.


    He retreated as the group focused on their descent to the next level, his gaze patiently sweeping over the terrain, noting all the places someone could hide. Petyr was tall and not particularly flexible, making some of those spots impractical for him.


    It didn''t take long before Matthew spotted movement¡ªa head peeking out from behind a distant rock. It glanced around, hesitation creeping into its movements, confusion settling in.


    Then Petyr turned slightly and saw him¡ªstanding far off to the left of the group, just outside his initial line of sight. Matthew smiled mockingly before offering a slow, exaggerated bow.


    They began to descend the tall cliff using the rope ladder.


    The boys cheered and joked as they went down.


    "Joey, don''t look down! You''re doing great, lil bro."


    "Yaaa, Joey, you''re so cool."


    "Shut up! Let me focus, you idiots!" Joey roared.


    They all made it down eventually. It was exciting, to say the least. Matthew had never done anything like that before. They used all their ropes and vines for the descent, agreeing that further exploration might not be possible until they found and killed five beasts.


    They began discussing how they would hunt, but the task seemed impossible. The great flying beasts, the powerful roars of unknown things¡ªmonsters of overwhelming strength and endurance¡ªwere beyond anything they could hope to match. And yet, they were expected to fight them, only to hand over the spoils of their struggle.


    The second group''s leader grumbled impatiently. "We should cut down that rope ladder. Are we seriously going to work for those dogs?"


    "What the hell is even wrong with them? What kind of lazy pricks pull this crap? And why us?"


    "We should''ve waited for them," someone else snapped, boiling with anger. "The fifth group didn''t notice anyone following them. They wasted the most time but can''t even open their fucking eyes."


    The second messenger shook his head vigorously. "That guy''s a psycho. He didn''t hesitate to shoot someone from the fifth group."


    "He shot someone? We need to do something¡ªat least wish for a shield that can take bullets or something."


    "Most shields can''t stop bullets¡ªat least medieval ones. I don''t know about magic shields."


    "We need to be tactical about this," Brian said, trying to soothe the tension. "Stop looking at the ladder. If he sees us here, he''ll know we know. Let''s hide our essences and try to get to level three at least."


    "What about level five?" someone asked. "Imagine if we get a spell that can freeze someone. We could just¡ª"


    Joey scoffed. "Check how much spirit essence it takes just to reach level two¡ªeight. Imagine how much we''d need for level five. We''d have to kill twenty monsters."


    Matthew silently agreed. Reaching level five in two hours was impossible. Even level three was unlikely.


    I only told Brian that to distract him with the possibility¡ªso he''d focus on pacifying the rest of the group.


    Brian and the others switched to discussing the materials they needed. Loadbearers would gather supplies while Navigators and Messengers mapped the terrain.


    Joey and Matthew left deep into the forest, hiding and watching.


    He didn''t have any wilderness survival skills, so he relied on logic. At first, they chose concealed spots to hide, but they soon realized that hiding made it harder to observe the jungle. Instead, they climbed the trees¡ªsomething Joey was surprisingly good at¡ªand moved along the branches.


    They flinched at every sound, ducking instinctively. Small, fast creatures zipped past them, darting between the trees with sharp, high-pitched cries. Joey frowned.


    "Monkeys?"


    The jungle felt suffocating. It wasn''t hot, but oppressively cold, with massive trees arching and twisting overhead. Their shapes distorted the light, turning it chaotic and disorienting.


    The overwhelming white glow of the moss clashed with scattered bioluminescent plants¡ªalgae and fungi glowing faintly in the tree shade. Amid the white, some fungal growth pulsed with an inviting, almost hypnotic red.


    Matthew knew better. If these plants don''t rely on sunlight for energy, then they have another food source.


    The terrain had seven open fields, a high rocky hill with small caves, and a dark murky swamp near the edge that they chose to ignore.


    They had seen, from a distance, a giant half-man, half-snake-like beast with green-gray skin and a horrible face¡ªfour eyes and fangs that spilled from its mouth.


    They focused on creatures they might actually be able to take down¡ªpacks of dog-like beasts that mostly scavenged but fought stronger lone predators for their kills. These creatures had a special love for the red birds. Though they had only seen the birds from afar, the dogs always fought hard for that meal.


    They stalked them from the trees. Joey scowled. "Too many of them, if we come down from the tree we can''t outrun them."


    "Their ears are pretty good too," Matthew warned. They hid behind a large leaf and had cut eye holes to watch the hounds. "They heard that bird''s cries and came to us."


    They had luckily been watching from a tree branch, so they hid before the dogs noticed them. They left the den of the hounds behind, simply marking its location before taking a break in a bright glade.


    The packs were competing. Matthew couldn''t make out their hierarchy, as they hadn''t risked following them back to their dens. After tracking the dogs for a while, they abandoned the chase to avoid getting too close.


    Joey lay on the ground, watching the fleeting light filter through the massive, swaying leaves. He closed his eyes, and Matthew decided they''d take a break here.


    "We should get some water soon and bring it back to camp," Matthew suggested. He crossed his legs and leaned back against a tree¡ªthen suddenly turned, locking eyes with Petyr. The boy, who had been trailing them, flinched and quickly ducked behind a tree.


    Joey, eyes still closed and unaware of the silent confrontation, hummed contentedly. "This place is horrible. A cold forest¡ªwho would''ve guessed?"


    Matthew responded with a quiet hmm, still watching Petyr, who glared at him and gestured for him to look away. After a moment, Matthew turned back to Joey.


    "What do you want to do about the hostages?"


    Joey was silent for a while before shrugging. "I don''t know¡­ Anyway, are you going for Jesse?"


    Matthew tapped his knee and signed, "I''m not really good at that sort of thing."


    Joey scoffed. "Figure it out, buddy. Jamie, second group''s Loadbearer, likes her. He was gonna give her a wish coin before all this."


    Matthew glanced at the resting boys, uninterested. "He told you that?"


    "Yeah. So get off your ass. Jamie''s a cool guy, but if our first group gets her, we''ll look even cooler. I mean, we got the first kill¡­ even if we lost the rewards."


    They returned to camp, dropping off the water they had collected from the river. As they walked back, Joey suddenly spoke.


    "I thought when you first mentioned the hostages, you meant we were better off cooperating with Vasilis." He hesitated, then added, "Not to be an asshole, but honestly, I don''t think they''ll be hurt. I mean, we all still need each other. I''m sure they''ll remember that and let them go."


    Matthew smiled "I think we shouldn''t work off assumptions. I mean you don''t see me assuming Jesse likes me"


    Joey cracked a smile before they started walking again

 Chapter 11 - Small hands

    They continued mapping the terrain, pushing deeper into the overwhelming crush of sprawling bushes. For a bit of assurance, they had gotten some pikes carved back at the main camp.


    One beast they had to avoid was a massive, slow-moving yellow lizard with powerful jaws and a tail strong enough to topple a tree.


    It wasn''t fast enough to chase them, but its strangely yellow hue stood out¡ªodd for a pure ambush predator. Probably poisonous. Its sense of smell and hearing, however, were frighteningly sharp.


    It would spot them and wait in paths they were bound to follow, watching them eerily as they passed by, like it believed they couldn''t see it. Worse, when they turned back, it would be closer.


    Joey and Matthew had fallen over screaming in horror when the massive lizard silently approached without them even knowing, stopping only when they turned. It stared at them, still and waiting.


    For a couple of minutes, they screamed while it just watched. Then they ran¡ªconstantly checking their backs, terrified that it would have closed the gap, its enormous jaws opening to reveal rows of hooked, slimy teeth.


    They tried to forget and turned their attention to the red bird.


    It stalks its prey with sharp eyes that saw through the canopy with ease. Then, with chilling accuracy, it dived down, snatching up creatures with its three-toed foot before lifting them high into the air. Near its nest in the rocky hills, it would let go¡ªdashing its prey''s body against the rocks below.


    The jungle was a standoff between these three powerful predators. The herbivores were either big, armored beasts or fast, monkey-like creatures. There was also a small herd of large, furry, omnivorous chattel that had six legs and powerful snapping jaws, bathing and living close to the swamps.


    The dogs and the orange lizard didn''t hunt each other much. The lizard''s large body and the dogs'' speed were incompatible.


    Both preferred hunting the bird. The bird, in turn, hunted both of them, horribly mauling the eyes and noses of lizards, stealing their eggs, and picking up young lizards to kill.


    It also often swooped down and took a dog or two away in its claws. It held the superiority of always being able to escape but wasn''t that physically powerful.


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    They returned to camp, Matthew and Joey joined in on trap-digging and sharpening logs. Matthew deliberately made small mistakes and kept his distance from the others, letting Joey and Brian handle the tension while he played the role of a mild annoyance.


    Whenever Petyr was far enough not to hear but close enough to see, Matthew casually asked others about the hostage situation¡ªsometimes bringing it up out of nowhere, sometimes repeating the question just to be a little irritating.


    "Ask yourself, man. You''re the one supposed to handle this, that''s what you were appointed for."


    "Man, don''t piss me off. We shouldn''t give these bastards anything."


    Piece by piece, Matthew refined his plan. It was complex, relying on the reactions of at least fifteen people, but based on what he had gathered, only a few more moves were needed before it was ready. After simplifying the steps, he ran it by Brian.


    "That sounds good. Should we talk with the others more about it?" Brian asked.


    "No problem." Matthew stretched slightly. "I''ll be out for a while¡ªneed to take a piss."


    He had two more things to do before he was sure this would work.


    Brian frowned but reluctantly left. Mathhew disappeared once Petyr turned away and attended to his first task, before coming back thirty minutes later to find Petyr.


    He found him hiding behind a tree at a high point maintaining visibility over their camp, he watched the boy in his most open moment. Petyr was openly scared, cursing about the plants, often taking a swig of water from his bottle. He massaged his ankle, annoyed, and caught small herbivores to eat, smiling deeply.


    After learning enough, Matthew circled around and made enough noise for Petyr to discover him. The boy jumped, scared at first, but quickly turned angry.


    "You little bastard, where the fuck did you go¡ª"


    As Petyr charged at him, Matthew pulled a spiked wooden pole from his back and pointed it at the ground.


    Petyr stopped in his tracks, snarling. "Think you''re big and tough now that you have a weapon¡ª"


    "I didn''t come here to be an asshole. I''m just warning you about our hunt. You might want to get to a safer distance and¡ª"


    "Shut up. Trying to hide how many spirits you get, huh? I''m not that dumb."


    "Even if we get more than ten, we wouldn''t give."


    Petyr laughed. "You think you have a choice?"


    Matthew stared at him with dark intensity, stepping closer and raising his pike.


    Petyr grit his teeth. "If you try me, make sure I die¡ªelse I''ll bash your head in."


    Matthew held his glare for a while. "Being a piece-of-shit parasite for your master must be nice."


    Petyr screamed, veins popping in his head. "I''m not your fucking friend! Watch yourself. We don''t want to be scrounging under Parker like you donkeys."


    "So you extort us and play lapdog for Vasilis? You think he''ll share power with you? When he''s at least level five, with a gun and skills, let''s see how your relationship works then." Matthew watched the uncertainty pass over his face "maybe he''ll keep you around for laughs"


    "You think you''re something, don''t you, working with these idiots. You think anyone here cares if you live or die? I''ve been watching you¡ªeveryone here knows you''re worthless." Petyr argued, he beat his hands against his chest "i came up with the idea to fuck you guys over, Vasilis just brought the insurance."


    Matthew walked closer. Petyr''s eyes hardened as he clenched his fists and reached behind for his knife but smiled satisfied.


    "Are you planning on going back to the White Temple after this? Because you won''t know a moment of peace. Vasilis can''t save you either. After he runs out of bullets, you can expect to receive the beating of a lifetime¡ªmost likely an execution. You''ll live out here with your fellow animals."


    Petyr displayed a wide range of emotions during his monologue. Matthew understood his situation a little better. He turned and left.


    "Make sure I''m the first person you shoot."

 Chapter 12 - The seeker

    Matthew and the rest were finishing up their traps, finalizing the main event of the plan¡ªthe pitfall trap. They began setting the trap and placing wood spikes. They covered the walls in oil after placing the wood spikes, covered it with a net, and gathered grasses.


    They were still gathering grass when they heard something¡ªa loud screech and the sound of wind.


    Joey screamed from afar, "On the ground! Don''t let it grab you!"


    They all dived and rolled. Matthew felt the air absolutely hiss as something huge passed over them.


    He looked up and saw it¡ªa four-winged vermillion bird with a long, flowing tail and a wicked-looking beak. It had huge talons on its two feet, and two longer tufts of yellow hair sprouted on top of its head like long ears.


    They all ran to the forest, hiding for cover. The leaves were massive, resembling lilac leaves but curved in like canopies. They hid them completely.


    The peaks of trees were taller than he could hope to climb¡ªalmost forty feet¡ªwith many branches as big as roads.


    Brian scoffed. "The bird came first. The third sequence it is."


    Not too far from them someone made three high pitched loud whistles to send a signal.


    The second group was gathering fruits to examine and setting another trap. Matthew had written down a set of instructions for how this would go, depending on what attacked first, the dogs or the birds.


    He first discussed this to Brian who then told Jamie and the second group


    Matthew and Joey had been subtly baiting the dogs here with their scents and making the pitfall trap in open view to attract the bird


    At the moment small monkey-like creatures with stone-like heads and two tails nested above them and had been watching with interest, they ate the multi-colored fruits of the forest, so the group figured they could too and had been using the fruit to supplement their hunger.


    The monkeys above suddenly fled, jumping between the trees.


    Matthew scowled. "It''s attacking!"


    They all moved as the bird crashed through the canopy, ripping leaves apart and jumping between branches. It let out a monstrous scream, and they ran toward where the second group had prepared for this type of encounter.


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    The first group focused on the falling trap to make it quickly, while the other prepared another trap using the majority of their netting.


    It was meant for things that chased prey, Joey had suggested it after watching the flying beast.


    The beast was relentless, tucking in its wings and chasing them through the undergrowth of the forest. They were only alive because of the obstructions in its way and the maneuvers they employed to confuse it.


    The second group leader appeared from the forest, signaling that they weren''t ready.


    Brian scowled before ordering, "Spread out!"


    They all split up, hoping to circle around and give the second group time. The bird screamed angrily before launching itself off the ground and climbing back up to take flight. They all knew that wasn''t the end. The Red Seeker, as they were calling it now, was very stubborn. Once it decided on catching prey, it didn''t like giving up.


    Matthew and Kirk were running when they heard a crack above. Matthew pushed Kirk while drifting to the side, narrowly dodging the talons of the Seeker.


    They kept running, weaving around trees. Sometimes, when too close to it, they ran around a tree twice to deceive the bird. Other times, when it got too close, they split up, making the bird unsure of what to pick.


    Kirk screamed in frustration, "Rest, you godforsaken bird!"


    The whole time, they were breathing hard, moving only out of fear. Kirk himself needed a vocal reminder of what they were going to do, as his mind wasn''t really there.


    Matthew would shout for them to split, run around trees, or stop and run around to not stray too far from the trap.


    Matthew noticed a tangle of vines ahead and shouted, "Over there!"


    They slid under the vines, and the stubborn, greedy bird ran right into them, getting tangled and struggling violently to free itself.


    Matthew kept running, albeit slowing down, catching his breath. He and Kirk ran while looking for the markers to find their way back to the trap.


    The bird freed itself and charged at them, unbridled anger and malice burning in its beady black eyes.


    Kirk cursed and screamed, "Run, run, run, run¡­ dammit, keep running!"


    Matthew needed no reminder. His limbs were burning with exhaustion, sweat coating his entire body, dripping from his beard and getting into his eyes. He ran like it was the only thing he ever knew.


    The maneuvers for evading the bird became second nature in his body.


    Before long, he and Kirk no longer spoke, executing twists and turns without a single signal.


    All they knew was to struggle to stay alive.


    Finally, they heard a shout. Kirk and Matthew split up one more time.


    The bird followed Matthew¡ªthe easier choice.


    His heart pounded against his chest as he ran, breath sputtering from his throat weakly. But he was already there.


    "Help!"


    Stones suddenly flew, hitting the bird while Matthew coiled behind a tree.


    The throwers were the second group, shouting and calling the bird toward them. It roared angrily as stones pelted its body and charged at them. But just as it reached them, it entered the trap.


    They had taken a while to weave the vines used for the trap and pull down branches to serve as anchors, but it was worth it. The sudden weight of the Red seeker forced the branches up, pulling the bird with the makeshift net.


    They didn''t even bother trying to stab it. They started lighting the fire bombs.


    But the bird screeched and struggled in the trap. Extending its wings with difficulty, the wind began to whisper and form torrents around them.


    Suddenly, it shot up, and the air cried as wind shot out like blades, cutting the trees.


    The second group navigator yelped as the passing wind picked him up and threw him against a tree before he slumped to the ground in pain.


    The bird had unfortunately crashed against a powerful branch that refused to be cut and fell to the earth.


    The branch followed shortly after their collision, slamming onto its leg pinning the angry bird to the earth.


    The second group''s leader, Jamie, threw his fire bomb and hastily ran to get his navigator. The others threw theirs and retreated.


    The bird burned brilliantly, crying out in horrible pain as it began to gather wind to try and fly¡ªonly to fail.


    They watched from a distance as the bird thrashed, its anguished cries echoing through the forest. It whipped its wings furiously, sending wind blades in all directions.


    Even with cover, each gust was strong enough to nearly throw them off their feet, each attack left massive, terrible gashes in the bodies of the trees.


    Matthew turned to Brian. "We''ll go with the second phase."


    Matthew knew their battle would attract creatures. He had suggested plans to Brian that worked with this inevitability.


    Since the bird was the first to attack, the sound of its cries would draw the scavengers. As soon as the bird grew too weak to retaliate, they doused its flames with water from the river.


    Then, Jamie stepped forward. Gripping a long, sharp stake, he drove it into the bird''s now featherless chest, ending it.

 Chapter 13 — The monarch

    Soon, they heard barking. The sound spurred them to move faster.


    There wasn''t a second to rest. Immediately, they began tying vines to the Red seeker, dragging it toward the open field where they had set the pit trap.


    Blood and sweat poured from their efforts, but the bird, now lifeless, came easily.


    They reached the pitfall trap and placed the Red seeker''s body behind the trap.


    They picked up the heavy bone shields they had made from the caterpillar and the wooden shields carved from the forest''s massive branches.


    Meanwhile, the messengers ran ahead, setting trailing strings on fire.


    Loud barks and sounds of many hungry things echoed through the forest. Then, the six-legged hounds came.


    They were mangy, black beasts resembling mastiffs with blood-red eyes. Their claws and fangs were massive, and from their shoulders grew four jagged horns that protected their necks.


    Two additional horns curved forward from their heads, shaped for impaling and tearing apart prey.


    The hounds barked furiously, enraged that their favored meal was being blocked. They stalked closer, and the shield holders tightened formation.


    The dogs began spreading out, looking for an opening¡ªonly for the lit fire bombs to explode, surrounding them in a ring of flames.


    The dogs outside the fire fled, but seven remained¡ªmore than enough.


    They barked wildly, glancing behind them for an escape, but there was none. Only one section of the fire circle remained open. The one right behind Matthew and the rest of the group


    So, they charged.


    They snapped at the six shield bearers, trying to get around or leap past the shield wall with their six powerful legs, but were met with the remaining group members, who jabbed at them with wooden pikes.


    The fight dragged on, the dogs growing increasingly impatient as they failed to break through. The dogs were tricky fast and dangerous, they had to maintain a closed wall while defending bites at their ankles


    Each time they lowered to defend their ankles the remaining people behind them had to stop the hounds from jumping over the wall with warning jabs.


    The shieldbearers were wrought with sweat, their bodies trembling under the strain. Behind them, Matthew felt like a puppet, each movement defying the crushing fatigue that clawed at him. It was obvious in everyone¡ªespecially those who had been chased by the Red Seeker.


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    By all rights, they should have collapsed, their bodies betraying them, succumbing to exhaustion. They had every reason to sit down and say, Enough. We''ve done all we can.


    But they didn''t.


    They kept moving, pushing past the limits they once thought unbreakable¡ªbeyond the horror, the anguish, the madness of their situation.


    With every strike against the hounds, they poured their hatred and desperation into each blow¡ªfast, vicious, and unrelenting.


    Then, the moment came. Matthew ordered, "Now!"


    The shield wall suddenly parted.


    The dogs saw the opening and took it instantly, rushing through. They barked and snapped as they passed, but the wooden pikes kept them in line.


    One by one, they plunged into the pit trap.


    All except one¡ªwho scrambled at the edge, about to escape.


    Joey shoved it in with his pole, exhaling hard before collapsing to his knees in exhaustion.


    "Damn my life," he muttered.


    They watched with disgust as the dogs began ripping the parasitized corpse apart, taking care to avoid the flower and tear its stem apart, finally ending the creature.


    They all stood above the pit. The dogs barked at them, struggling against the oil-coated walls, trying to climb out.


    Four people held long, sharp pikes. Two threw in their last fire bombs, turning the pit into a fiery hell, filling the air with anguished cries that chilled their already pained, tired hearts.


    They twisted their faces in reluctance before they began stabbing the dogs with the long poles. Whenever one tried to climb, someone would kneel near the edge of the pit and use a shorter pike to stab and beat them back down.


    One of the dogs was stabbed in the eye. The squirming, skin-crawling sensation startled the loadbearer with the short pike, making him let go of it. Joey clicked his tongue.


    "Get it together, man. We can''t waste those."


    The loadbearer kept his eyes on the burning pit, disgust, regret, and anger passing through him before he exhaled and replied despondently, "Whatever."


    Joey frowned, wanting to push the matter, but Matthew patted him on the back.


    "Something is over there."


    He alarmed the group, pointing toward the movement of trees in the distance.


    They doused the fire and began cutting apart the prey, leaving the butchering to the loadbearers who had experience. They supported them, lifting sections of bleeding meat, pushing the blades through tough portions. Some of the meat had to be abandoned after a long disagreement¡ªthe butchers claimed it was spoiled in their hurry.


    They packed so much that their loads became too heavy. Matthew carried little, since they had another problem¡ªthe Second Navigator seemed to have sustained a concussion. Matthew supported him as they retreated toward their rope ladder at the edge of the stage.


    As they ran, the trees moved and trembled. The monstrous sounds were getting closer.


    Kirk swore repeatedly. "No, no, fuck No! We can''t abandon all this for whatever the fuck that is!"


    One of the loadbearers shouted in rage, "Navigators, were you fuckers sleeping? No monsters the size of a building were mentioned!"


    Joey snarled, "Shut up, you stupid¡ª! We mentioned nothing like that because there wasn''t anything that big! How the fuck do you think we''d miss that?"


    The cowardly loadbearer from Matthew''s group was crying uncontrollably.


    "I want to go home! God, please help me! I¡ªI don''t want to die!" he shouted hysterically.


    It kept getting closer. Matthew''s heart chilled. Would they abandon their supplies? Would he leave the Second Navigator? whom he struggled to carry?


    Soon, cold logic would overpower the soft part of his heart that struggled and screamed against it.


    He closed his eyes, barely holding back a scream of frustration as hot tears streamed down his face.


    The treeline parted.


    The overwhelmingly massive beast passed by.


    It was midnight black, its fur short and straw-like. Its large head had six alien, maroon-blue eyes.


    It was quadrupedal, with massive forelegs, larger than its hind legs, similar to an elephant. But its tusks¡ªtwo powerful, shining masses¡ªwere inscribed with strange, glowing arcane patterns.


    Matthew couldn''t even comprehend the size. He had seen elephants in South Africa before, unstoppable masses of flesh capable of trampling anything in their way. But this¡ªthis was indescribable.


    The trees he had once admired for their sheer mass were pushed aside like grass by the horrifying bulk of the creature.


    This isn''t even normal anymore. How can something like that even move? It''s like a walking building.


    They all fell to their knees, overwhelmed by the indescribable awe and horror of the beast.


    This wasn''t like the monsters they had killed.


    It was a monarch¡ªsomething that needed no intelligence like humans but couldn''t be insulted with the moniker of a mere beast.


    Its majestic black form blotted out the sky, its glowing white tusks shining like weapons of Armageddon.


    Escape?


    Impossible.


    The monarch looked down at them and cooed softly, a sound like a blue whale''s song. But its voice didn''t deafen them¡ªit swept over them with a weight that permeated their entire beings, filling them with an invisible authority.


    And then, the monarch turned and continued walking.


    They remained silent, watching its massive form move away. They held their breath in quiet reverence. Some bowed, crying with immeasurable gratitude.


    They hugged each other¡ªthankful for the warmth of the living, for the light still in their eyes, illuminating the dark forest.

 Chapter 14 - Red sands

    Parker was having a very bad day. Today must have been the longest of his life.


    The sequence of events that led him here required he make decisions and push forward despite not knowing what to do.


    He was tired¡ªso very tired. Not physically strangely enough. Even with the dune''s strange heat and the constant running and baiting they did, they couldn''t kill much.


    The Sand Swimmers did not fall for their fire traps. The traps weighed too little, so the creatures ignored them.


    The Salamanders¡ªtheir current nickname for the fire-breathing lizards¡ªwere nigh unstoppable. They had no ranged weapon to combat it, and they couldn''t get wood or water from the groups in the dark forest, so they were stuck with only one kill, that being the Wall Crawler.


    Worst of all was the annoying thug that Vasilis had sent to observe them, who found endless avenues to berate and annoy them. His name was Yohan, and he seemed to compensate for his small stature with exaggerated bravado. His cinnamon-blond hair was curly and bushy, and his brown eyes always jumped around with malicious glee.


    They all sat around a dark cave that had a fire pit illuminating it''s wall.


    Asha swung a big nylon bag around, catching air before sticking it down another hole a couple meters away from the small cave and pressing the air out to stoke the fire.


    Asha smiled, satisfied. "Never made a fire pit before. This is so cool," she gushed to Paul.


    Paul, who had suggested it, blushed. He explained, "My dad took the whole family camping a lot. Always hated sleeping out there, but the fires and camp songs were always fun."


    The fire pit was fueled by dried Sand Swimmer dung, paper, and a linen shirt to keep them together.


    Asha had also insisted they use fat from the dead Wall Crawler to fuel the fire, but Paul had disagreed, saying they didn''t want to attract Salamanders.


    The fire was also built in a small rocky cave to trap smoke and heat, the meat hung above the fire pit on a net.


    The dunes themselves were already hot enough¡ªthey only needed the fire to cook the Wall Crawler''s meat and a massive grasshopper creature that they had found nearly dead


    The grasshopper that had come from the deeper cave was caught briefly by a Sand Swimmer but escaped, later dying from its injuries near them.


    They had carved the creature up but found no spirit essence. One of the Loadbearers had remarked, "We probably need to kill them ourselves to get rewards."


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    Their other spirit essence was hidden from Yohan and the Messengers when they returned.


    They simply lied that they had found the Wall Crawler dead. Asha was allowed to absorb her rewards, and the Wall Crawler giving out four spirit essences put her very close to level two.


    Parker watched the meat roast while everyone argued about how to hunt the Sand Swimmers.


    Someone suggested carefully, "Let''s use Blue Trick to cut some heavy rocks down. If we can trick it into coming up¡­ maybe we could tie a rope around the rock?"


    "To get it up from the sand? Can we really pull it out?" a guy questioned as he struggled to enjoy the coarse, dry meat of the Wall Crawler.


    There was another few seconds of thinking before another person announced, "What if we tie the fire bomb around the rock?"


    The fourth Messenger shook his head indifferently. "It will just explode around the rock before the Sand Swimmer swallows it."


    "How are you sure about that?"


    "It''s an educated guess based¡ª"


    "So you don''t actually know?"


    Paul stepped in before an argument started. They were all hungry, angry, and beyond tired.


    Parker himself was having trouble keeping his eyes open as his eyelids became heavier than rocks. He stood, tired of feeling useless and having nothing to contribute to the conversation.


    "Gonna take a walk," he mumbled as he left.


    He swung his feet hard and shook his head vigorously. His body was worn from running, crouching against rocks patiently, and really just sitting around.


    His older brother had never liked moving around and always compared Parker to a faulty car that couldn''t stop.


    He had always taken it as a compliment, but now it was rather a reminder that there was nothing they could do.


    He walked up to the Messenger of his group, who was watching the perimeter, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Sub out, get some food. I''ll keep watch."


    The boy smiled and gladly took his offer.


    Parker watched the strange spiraling tunnel with displeasure. The ground rose and fell unpredictably¡ªcertain sections were sand while others were brown rock.


    They had theorized that the sand went under walls and even the hard rock sections they stood on, as the Sand Swimmers sometimes passed through places where sand seemingly stopped.


    The beasts also knew when things were close to the edge of the sand and could jump out to try and drag things in.


    It was likely they swam under hard rock and observed the vibrations before waiting at the edge.


    Throwing a rock wouldn''t work¡ªif it was heavy enough, they would have to get close to the edge.


    Parker sighed and once again felt dumb.


    He heard footsteps but didn''t turn. He quietly hoped it was Asha and not someone else coming to complain about the situation and how they missed home.


    He was still angry at the short Indian girl, but he would swallow his anger and forgive her if she could come up with a plan that would save them.


    He finally turned, and it was Yohan, stalking towards him smugly smiling.


    Parker gave him a cold glare, but the pompous boy was undeterred by the obvious displeasure at his presence.


    Parker wondered if the boy could even take a hint. He was annoying and would say things out of turn, interrupting others without even caring about the obvious hatred everyone in the group had for him.


    His high-pitched, scratchy voice cut into Parker''s ear, indifferent to Parker''s obvious desire to ignore him. "I was wondering where you went. Coming here to slack off when everyone''s working?"


    Yohan, maybe not consciously, knew how to press Parker''s buttons in a maddening way.


    He held his tongue, forcing the fiery rage in the pit of his stomach down, but Yohan continued talking.


    "When are you guys going to do anything? At least that Matthew guy looked like he''s someone who gets shit done. I really wanted to go with them, but Petyr, that crazy bastard, has such a short fuse."


    "You can leave anytime. We don''t want you here," Parker grumbled.


    Yohan sighed, he sat beside Parker. "But can I really? Vasilis, that crazy bastard, is so scary I don''t want to piss him off."


    Parker turned to the shorter boy, inquisitive. "If you''re so scared, why work with him? He shot someone!, and his first thought when thrown into this place was, ''Hmm, how can I make things worse for others?'' How does that make sense?"


    Yohan tutted at him disappointedly. "Obviously because he''s someone who gets shit done. At least he is now, is what I feel. He''s kind of like you."


    "No, he is not!" Parker replied forcefully.


    Yohan rolled his eyes at him. "Your ways of doing things may be different, but it''s the same ideology. ''Things must be done, and I''m doing it.'' People like me or Asha worry about the technicalities and little things, so we can''t make decisions. Right now, Vasilis is stronger than you, so I''m simply making a logical choice."


    Parker clenched his jaw, realizing what his first mistake was.

 Chapter 15

    Parker''s face became more grim as he began to realize how stupid he had been.


    Asha doesn''t want to say what she thinks because she''s not sure. And here I am, waiting for her.


    Yohan lowered his loud voice a little, becoming fidgety and looking uncomfortable. "Speaking of Asha, have you guys, like...?"


    He didn''t continue, and Parker was very confused. "Have we what?"


    "Come on, man, don''t be like that. Like, how many of you have, you know¡­ had her already?"


    Parker''s blood turned cold as he understood.


    He froze, his eyes wide open as he watched Yohan, who seemed impervious to Parker''s obvious shock.


    Yohan kept talking, asking how she felt and if they all went at once or if you had to talk to her a lot to convince her.


    Parker''s stomach felt like a rolling ball of sludge, and his legs felt weak.


    Yohan, again undeterred by his reaction, continued, "She seems like the looser-around-boys type, so I''m not as scared of her as other girls, but you know¡­ I don''t want to step on your toes. Are we all allowed to have a turn, or should I just back off?"


    Parker stumbled over his words. "Are¡ªare you serious?"


    Yohan seemed impartial to his response and shrugged. "I mean, I don''t usually like her kind, but she seems like she would be a good time. Nice hips, and her waist is small. Not much going on up top, but¡ª"


    Parker''s hand wrapped around Yohan''s neck, his eyes devoid of anything resembling rationality as he began to squeeze the life out of Yohan''s scrawny throat.


    "If I see you close to Asha, I''ll throw you into the sand."


    He held on for a couple of seconds, watching the boy struggle, his eyes red and his raspy pleas for mercy barely audible before releasing him and walking away.


    He charged up to their camp with undisguised anger.


    He began by informing them, "We won''t get anything without putting ourselves in danger."


    "We have to lure one into jumping out by going to the edge using someone as bait. Someone else has to get in close and wait for the Swimmer to jump out."


    "Of course, we''re hoping that it won''t sense that person and jump for them, but we have to do something. Get the spirit essence, and we''re definitely not giving those bastards anything."


    Paul looked conflicted. He was happy to move forward but not ready to test Vasilis'' hand. He confessed hesitantly, "I don''t think we should gamble with that madman."


    "He won''t shoot them. No matter what he feels, we need each other. Driving a line between us all will only bite him in the back." he snarled as Yohan returned "Also, tie that bastard up."


    They immediately grabbed him and smiled as he resisted, pushing his head into the ground roughly as he protested and begged.


    "You''re making a mistake¡­ Vasilis can be rational, but he doesn''t care about killing a few people to get what he wants."


    They ignored him and began to talk.


    Parker volunteered to be bait, but everyone disagreed.


    Asha quickly informed him, "Right now, you''re probably the one with the most attack power among us. With Blue Trick''s attack buff, you''re the clearest choice for the attacker."


    Paul agreed, nodding vigorously. "But it doesn''t have to be that dangerous for the bait or attackers anyway. They swim in the sand under us right now, so if we create a lot of vibrations using the metal sword, we can lure them away for us to set up, then lure them back for the trap."


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    They refined the method a little and got to work, luring the beast from the place they chose for the hunt.


    They tied a rope just above the crossguard of Blue Trick where the pressure of pulling wouldn''t yank the sword out of the Swimmer''s body. They also picked a second attacker, seizing a sharp metal pipe from Yohan.


    The irritating boy complained as they took his weapon, but they gagged him with a dirty sock.


    Two attackers would stab the Swimmer on both sides, and then the whole group would pull them out of the sand using the ropes attached to the weapons.


    The final wait was painfully quiet and still for him. Parker and another Loadbearer stood at opposite sides, waiting for the bait.


    Paul had volunteered to be bait since no one else wanted to and stepped up to the edge. They smiled at each other, and Parker let out a silent whoop to hype himself up.


    He was strangely unafraid.


    He knew at any moment something could rise out of the sand¡ªfour massive brown spikes in its mouth. It would clamp around his head, crush his skull, and drag his corpse below the sand.


    But he wasn''t really afraid. Rather, he was jittery with stalled energy, waiting to move¡ªto attack.


    Paul nodded at him steadily, and he returned a curt, impatient nod.


    Let''s do this.


    Paul approached the edge slowly. He was a steady guy, not easily spooked but very cautious and hesitant.


    He was kind of scrawny and tall with tanned skin and black hair. But Parker had become very trusting of the boy''s strength.


    As he got closer, he began to march the ground hard.


    Parker and the other attacker tensed, ready to spring up and stab whatever attacked.


    I won''t even let it get close to him.


    Nothing came out.


    Paul stamped the ground determinedly. He repeated this until the sand in front of him moved slightly.


    He paused, scared, before clenching his teeth and stepping harder against the ground, growling, "Do it, then."


    The Sand Swimmer obliged, jumping out.


    Its body was brown and fleshy. It had long pectoral fins that resembled a sharp blade, and its bottom half was fish-like, but its caudal fins were like a shark''s¡ªstrangely jagged and rigid for swimming through the sands.


    Its head was covered in sharp, serrated barbels that were tucked close to its skin.


    It was easily twice as big as Parker and had four sharp, crowbar-like teeth for grasping and locking onto its prey.


    It swam through the air for a millisecond before Parker rose to stab it, the other attacker close behind. They slammed the sharp objects into the Sand Swimmer''s smooth body, and for a second, they held it in the air, pitching forward slightly.


    Parker gasped. "It''s lighter than¡­ Keep carrying it away from the edge!"


    He began moving hoping the other Loadbearer had heard him, and the others began pulling with their ropes.


    The sand boiled behind Parker, and they barely escaped as three more Sand Swimmers jumped out, snapping at their ankles as they retreated.


    Parker had no time to recognize this. His muscles burned as they struggled forward. The Swimmer struggled violently, throwing them about.


    Three people from the group abandoned pulling the rope and ran to get the nets, throwing them on the ugly head of the creature, pulling it forward, trying to stabilize it.


    Parker groaned and struggled against the weight of the beast. His shoulder screamed in pain, and his face turned a ruddy red as he took brief, sharp breaths to stabilize himself.


    A sudden jerk from the monster nearly threw him over, but he marched harder against the ground, ignoring the stream of red-hot pain that sliced up his leg.


    The Sand Swimmer let out desperate cries as it struggled, pulling against the net before its barbels suddenly expanded like a porcupine, tearing the net apart with its deadly spikes.


    Its increased struggle was too much to handle.


    They dropped it, some of its barbels snapped against the ground before they were quickly retracted.


    Parker was sputtering and gasping as fell back on his ass. He shouted, "Kill it!"


    They all let go of their ropes and circled the creature, beating and stabbing with their weapons. Blood and noise filled the air as the monster whipped around, trying to move and snap at its attackers.


    They carried shields, but the force of its tail cracking against them sent them sprawling, each snap was a life-threatening endeavor.


    Yet they stood after being thrown down and slammed their tools into the Swimmer''s body after dodging a snap.


    There was a hungry viciousness in their eyes as they came for the beast''s life.


    Parker was no different.


    Stumbling to his feet, he took deep, sharp breaths, biding his time.


    Once the Swimmer rolled over, revealing Blue Trick''s hilt embedded in its side, Parker took a play from Matthew''s book.


    He rushed the creature empty-handed, staggered, retreating from what seemed like a tail attack, then jumped and grabbed the sword.


    He ran the sword along its side, filleting the monstrous fish.


    Asha, seeing what he was doing, ordered, "Grab the rope on the other side"


    She grabbed the rope as it reached her. "Now wrap it around the head and hold it down!"


    They held it down as he sliced the side of the beast, black blood painting his body, entering his eyes.


    He would hit a bone, ignore the jolting pain, then turn the hilt and follow a less resistant part.


    The monster roared horribly, opening its spines. It couldn''t break free from the rope but threw its captors down onto the ground before slamming its body against Parker. He felt like he had run into a wall, and the warm sensation of blood filled his mouth. Clenching his jaw, he screamed, planting his feet and tearing the sword out from its tailbone.


    He staggered back in a reluctant retreat as the beating started again. They beat, screamed, and fought the beast for almost three minutes before it finally stopped moving.


    They all sat on the ground, some lying spread-eagle in utter exhaustion.


    Paul was helping a guy set and wrap a broken hand as he panted, deeply tired. "Jesse will fix you up when we get back."


    One of the guys let out a victorious roar, and Parker was close behind him shouting happily. They all struggled to their feet, high-fiving and hugging each other. Asha jumped on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck.


    "That was fucking insane."


    He had forgotten his previous anger and hugged her. He was relieved to be alive.


    He was thankful and muttered a muffled prayer, sighing deeply before letting her go and announcing, "No time to rest. Let''s open this thing up, take what we need, and get out."


    They began a furious butchering of the monster. Its meat was softer and cleaner-looking than the Wall Crawler''s.


    Some of their guys went out to bait away curious Salamanders while they extracted the spirit essence.


    Parker swam through blood and giant organs, cutting them open before he found them¡ªfour shining blue gems. He spat some blood onto the ground and smiled.


    They retreated back to the base, drying the blood from their clothes before resting.


    They all looked at each other, smiling, before someone asked, "Oh god, who''s going to start the fire and set this meat up? I''m so tired and hungry."


    "Wall Crawler meat is absolute trash, disgusting and unfulfilling. Zero out of ten would not recommend that shit"


    Asha brought something to him with Paul, who was also covered in blood from the stomach exploration. It was a wish coin.


    "Greedy bastard must have swallowed it," Asha said. "I saw it among the things... excreted from its body as it died."


    Parker looked at her seriously. "Keep it. I have an idea."

 Chapter 16 — Level 3

    It was a slow slog between capturing the Sand Swimmers. They amassed more than thirty spirit essences. It was a torturous effort. They fought against fatigue and pain more than death in the beginning.


    Inevitable, though, was death, unfortunately. It struck them too suddenly.


    They had gotten used to the routine and too confident in their ability.


    A second Sand Swimmer jumped out too quickly and caught onto a leg. His screams still echoed through the empty caves of dunes in their ears.


    They tried hard to ignore them.


    They focused on getting both Parker and Asha to level three. It was a hard move, but they believed that this would make things easier. At the end, they had only two spirit essences to draw Stat cards.


    Parker looked around, unsure, but someone groaned.


    "Just use it, man. We''ve already invested so much."


    Another person laughed weakly. "We''ve gone too far already, man. No one''s going to resent you, we just hope you''ll help us too."


    There were some faces he had seen who looked dissatisfied as Parker absorbed essence¡ªmore so when he argued that, since Asha was close, they should rely on her. Parker had argued especially hard with two people.


    It was a brazen choice, considering how hard they had fought for the essence.


    But with enough people on their side, and the awkward way Asha tried to shrink into the corner, they convinced them that it was a long-term investment.


    Parker nodded, his eyes still hesitant, as he informed them, "It''s just¡­ When I went to sleep, I had this dream that I was swimming through sand. I was so hungry all the time, and I could feel the world shifting and moving around me. I felt so weak, like my head was heavy and nauseous. I couldn''t think."


    One of the people he had disagreed with, Pierre, earlier looked dumbstruck.


    "You dreamt you were a Sand Swimmer? Because of the essence maybe?"


    Parker nodded. "I feel I''ve become a lot stronger, at least with how beat up I am. And I can''t explain it, but I feel I''m a lot better at grappling. I don''t know¡ªit''s easy for me to notice."


    Paul looked very tired, his honey-brown eyes watching out of the cave indifferently.


    "I mean, we''re stealing the lives of these animals. Maybe we''re carrying them with us too."


    Everyone fell silent as the thought settled in. Carrying them on with you¡ªit felt like something abstract. But absorbing their literal essence made it physical.


    One of the guys broke the silence.


    "Paul, my brother, are you a tree-hugging stoner or something?"


    Paul ignored him. Pierre laughed self-deprecatingly.


    "Well, I''m glad I didn''t absorb them then. I hate those sand fuckers."


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    Everyone nodded, agreeing. They had so much experience with the stubborn, dangerous creatures that the last five hours felt more like five years.


    Paul turned to Asha, who was studying the spirit essence attentively. She always redrew the symbols that they had on them and loved admiring the blue light of the stones.


    Paul stood and urged them.


    "Come on, absorb them now. After this, we''re leaving this godforsaken place and killing that Vasilis guy."


    Killing and violence had become a strange norm in the group.


    Parker found it uncomfortable but also unavoidable. The way they had been living recently¡­ It felt like an inevitable response.


    He secretly dreaded meeting and seeing Vasilis'' face, wondering if he would suddenly lose all of his conviction.


    Asha nodded at him, smiling, as always¡ªconstantly happy even in the hardest moments.


    She lifted the essence. Parker kept his low and against his lap. He closed his eyes, and they both crushed the blue crystals simultaneously.


    When he opened his eyes, the green status window had appeared by itself. It was rectangular, and its bezels and edges seemed luxurious and fancy to Parker, at least. The many rows revealed themselves again.


    Name: Parker


    Level: 3


    Health: 76/120


    Stamina: 50/150


    Mana: 12/12


    Stat Cards


    Armaments


    Traits: Ariel''s Web


    Skills


    He couldn''t understand how his stamina and health had been increasing decently, but mana was still so low.


    He ignored it and focused on the prompt beside the screen.


    At Level Three, you can now store essence and decide to use it later. You can now draw one Stat Card¡­


    This is clear enough. I can store them or use them immediately.


    He tapped on the Stat Card portion which had a red ping notification on it.


    A prompt notified him that he could draw a card by tapping Yes, or reject it with No.


    He tapped Yes, and the system displayed a stack of cards over his screen. They began shuffling.


    "What does it say?" someone asked excitedly.


    Parker watched the cards skeptically.


    "It told me I can store essence, then the Stat Card portion pinged me, and when I tapped it, it asked me whether I wanted to draw one. Now it''s shuffling cards¡­ Feels like a game of Donkey."


    Asha chuckled at his observation.


    "It also added an Essence Block below my Mana. I can store fifty."


    The cards finished shuffling, and one was drawn for him.


    It was a white card with a large muscular man outline, its features were vague but it''s name was Vigor and it''s rank was fair.


    It increased stamina.


    Everyone seemed fine with that as Parker could actually feel the increase.


    Paul turned to Asha, who had been quiet and was still watching her screen.


    "What did you get?"


    Asha still watched her screen carefully, deep in thought.


    "It''s called Arlap''s Boots, and its rank is Rare. The card has a weird-looking man in wizard clothes wearing leather boots that have clouds as soles."


    "The description is¡­ wow, this sucks. Depending on the intensity of your emotions, you will be fast and sharp or agile and flexible."


    Everyone was even more perplexed. One of the Loadbearer asked


    "Isn''t this even worse? I mean, as a girl, your emotions get all over the place."


    Asha looked at him for a moment and forwent answering. Instead, she jumped.


    She kicked off the wall, planted her hand, and kicked off it again, going even higher. As she rose, she contorted her body, kicking off the roof of the cave and spinning in the air before landing on her feet.


    Asha waved her hands around a bit, jumping slightly as everyone watched in awe at the sudden acrobatics.


    "Being calmer must be the switch for agility. So anger or intense emotions is speed."


    Paul''s hands were in the air, the awe and caution making for a funny face.


    "Please be careful," he warned.


    Asha smiled impatiently.


    "Why fear? Let''s go crazy, I say!"


    They began gathering their things¡ªthey needed to leave now. They picked up Yohan and untied his leg. The boy was decently well-fed but still complained.


    "Can I get something to eat before we go back? This is going to be a long standoff between two insane people."


    "Shut up, man. If your master agrees to join us, then we''ll spare you something. Till then, shut it."


    They had long decided that the best way to negotiate was through food. It had been thirteen hours since they got here.


    Hunger and thirst must have been getting to them, and they would use that, threatening Vasilis with the dangers of becoming their enemies.


    They trekked through the passage out of the dunes wearily.


    Asha had gone ahead with a mission, assuring them that her fear would boost her speed so she could warn them if the ants were coming.


    As Parker climbed a steep, rocky incline, a thought suddenly hit him. He turned to Paul.


    "What about Matthew''s group? What if they didn''t even think of negotiating and just gave them their rewards?"


    Someone cursed.


    "One of those bastards could be Level Three already."


    Paul nodded. "I mean, Jamie is also there. He seems like the headstrong type."


    Parker clenched his jaw and climbed faster. He told his group''s Messenger, "You''ll have to go ahead, gauge the situation."


    The third Messenger nodded and began to jog ahead.


    The rest of the group maintained their pace and discussed what their next actions would be.


    "I mean, the forest seems far better than this hellhole¡ªwater, fruits, and no heat? Sign me the fuck up."


    "Yeah, but placing a net over a small area isn''t as effective as casting a wide net," the Fourth Navigator argued.


    "Man, don''t speak to me about fishing. I''ve done a lifetime of fishing here. I never want to deal with anything that swims again."


    They walked for a while, just around five minutes talking casually about their experience, since they had never strayed too far from the exit and it was close to the central cavern.


    Parker quietly marvelled at his increase in strength. Pulling myself up feels so easy, it also easier to walk considering i haven''t slept in like twelve hours


    The central cavern wasn''t a welcome sight, with its devastation and signs of carnage, but the cool air inside was far more appealing than the ever-present heat of the dunes.


    The high limestone wall and massive space was almost the same size as the White temple but was more imposing despite it''s rugged look


    They met the Messenger they had sent ahead, talking to an unknown person outside the safe point entrance.


    They climbed over different high rocks, watching them argue.


    They had finally returned to the safe point

 Chapter 17 - Two flames

    The safe point was the same way Parker had left it before the hostage fiasco.


    Its entrance was smaller than the paths to the Dark Forest, dunes, or White Temple. It was more like a semi-circle than a rectangle, and the path inside sloped upwards.


    The unfamiliar guy saw them coming and Yohan bound and gagged before scowling.


    "You really are pathetic, man. We''ve been waiting for hours, and you let these donkeys think they had a choice here?"


    The third Messenger turned to them, smirking. "The other groups haven''t arrived either."


    The goon growled at him. "I didn''t confirm that."


    "Sure, buddy," the third Messenger rolled his eyes at the fool. "But Matthew passed here. He said that one of their Navigators has a concussion, and there''s a massive but unaggressive monster waiting in the tunnel for some reason."


    Parker''s head spun. "How did they find out it''s unaggressive¡­? More importantly, where''s the rest? Why didn''t they come too?"


    "We aren''t as dumb as your friend to just pass beside that thing," a harsh voice announced.


    It was the first and second groups.


    The person speaking was a tall, brutish-looking man with a buzz cut. Parker guessed he was the goon sent to the other group.


    Brian, a load bearer from the first group, scoffed.


    "We still passed eventually. We only waited ''cause you were too scared."


    "Cautious. You fuckers could be using that thing to set a trap," the brutish boy retorted.


    Suddenly, the other people came out, close to the edge of the safe point¡ªthe hostages and the ones leveraging them.


    Parker watched them push their hostages forward, dragging the Fifth messenger who had been shot across the rough ground.


    Vasilis was there too.


    He was easily noticeable, with his curly blonde hair and dark, vicious eyes. His horrible smile felt very out of place. He looked around.


    "You idiots are lucky that I didn''t lose patience¡­ Petyr, explain yourself. I can see Yohan is just an idiot."


    Yohan cried out, objecting to his situation, but his voice was muffled by the sock in his mouth.


    Petyr looked more annoyed by Vasilis''s choice of words. He bit his tongue.


    "We got held up by some ridiculous monster back there. Pitch black, looked like a panther-elephant type thing¡­ Can''t even explain it."


    Vasilis rolled his eyes before putting out his hand.


    Petyr took a bag from his jacket and gave it to him reluctantly.


    Vasilis opened it, and the glow told him all he needed to know. He separated two wish coins and gave the bag to one of the people behind him.


    Then, he turned to them and asked softly, almost threateningly, "What about you?"


    Parker shook his head. "Nothing to give you. We absorbed all of them."


    Vasilis''s eyes narrowed dangerously. "You''re playing a dangerous game here, boy. We aren''t here to negotiate. You pay tribute, and I return your pack mules."


    "Pay tribute? Are you delusional? We''ll give you nothing. You ain''t no king¡ªwe don''t owe you anything."


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    Vasilis held Parker''s gaze for a couple of seconds. He breathed in, almost like he was ready to talk.


    Then, he kicked down the already shot Fifth Messenger and stepped on his gunshot wound, smiling as the boy screamed in horrible pain.


    Everyone surged forward, a cold, murderous look in their eyes¡ªbut the sound of a gun cocking stopped them.


    Vasilis pointed the black weapon at the boy writhing in anguish at his feet, still smiling but now also laughing.


    "For one, I don''t believe you. Your dumbass doesn''t have the balls to put them in danger. Two, if you''re thinking of using Yohan to negotiate, I might as well shoot him now."


    He pointed the gun at Yohan, who desperately retreated behind Parker. Some of his colleagues frowned but held their tongues, anticipation holding them.


    Parker took the sock out of Yohan''s mouth and let the boy scream his throat out.


    "He''s not lying! I warned them, Vasilis, but they''re crazy. Parker and Asha absorbed all the essence! How could you consider shooting me?! I''m your friend, man! I believe in you! Even if you''re crazy! I worked hard! The heat, monsters, and people tying me up and starving me wasn''t easy, man, but I stayed lo¡ª"


    "Shut the fuck up," Vasilis roared.


    He turned the gun on Parker, his eyes seething. He kicked the guy at his feet aside savagely.


    "You think I''ll let this slide? You have no idea who you''re fucking with. Get back out there and get me¡ª"


    Parker walked forward.


    Everyone''s breaths hitched at the brazenness. Vasilis raised the gun higher, but Parker didn''t stop until he was at the edge of the cave. He had an uncomfortable look in his eyes and watched the injured Messenger gasping at Vasilis''s feet.


    They met eyes, and the Messenger smiled.


    "Don''t give them shit. They''re scared too."


    One of the thugs grabbed him off the ground and dragged him back in line with the rest as Parker and Vasilis locked eyes.


    One had a psychotic, unbridled fire in his gaze. These eyes knew disrespect, shame, pain, madness, and hunger¡ªa deep, foreboding hunger that would unsettle anyone looking into them, make them lower their heads and be careful with their words.


    The other was a steady, welcoming fire. It knew pain and suffering too. The act of existing came with horrible pain and decisions, but it kept burning, inviting people to dance around it, rejoice and seek shelter.


    Parker was covered in blood from head to toe, it darkened his normally white skin and his clothes looked on the edge of falling apart, yet his voice was restrained and quiet, almost a whisper.


    "You''re tired and scared. I get it. We all are. But if you keep this up, there''ll be no place for you with the rest of us. If you give up your humanity, we won''t hesitate. We''ll hunt you like the rest of the things here. We''ll burn, stab, and consume you for power¡ªand we''ll push forward to wherever escape is. That''s all I''ll promise you."


    Vasilis stepped up and placed the gun at Parker''s forehead.


    "You think I''m scared of you? You have no idea what I can do. You''ll do what I want, and you''ll do. It. Now."


    Parker smirked. "Yeah. I think you''re scared of me."


    A loud crash and many unearthly roars erupted from the dune caves.


    Almost immediately after, a deep, horrible roar came from the dark forest cave.


    Parker grimaced and turned to Vasilis. "There''s no more time. It''s time for the monsters to hunt, you''re either with us or them!"


    Everyone looked around them, edging close to the safe point and looking at Vasilis¡ªscared and yet hopeful that something would change in the boy''s heart and peace would reign.


    A long silence followed.


    Vasilis locked eyes with Parker, staring into the bright blue depths.


    For a moment, hesitation flickered. He was considering it¡ªreally considering it.


    Then something passed over his face, a memory, a realization. His eyes hardened.


    He smiled. "Wrong move, bozo," he murmured, pressing the gun against Parker''s head.


    His finger tightened on the trigger¡ª


    "We have more essence!"


    The shout came from Joey, desperate, breathless. "We''ll make up for their deficit."


    Vasilis side-eyed Petyr. "Are they serious? If so, why didn''t you tell me?"


    Petyr shrugged, his eyes glazed with irritation. "You said they only need ten."


    Vasilis studied him for a long moment before turning back to Parker. "I''ll accept your tribute," he said, almost lazily. Then, his lips curled into a smirk. "But I really wanted to blow this bastard''s mind."


    Brian''s voice was solemn. "If that happens, none of us will survive this."


    Another beat of silence.


    Then, Vasilis lowered the gun and stepped back. He held out his hand, and Joey tossed him another bag¡ªthis one containing ten essence.


    Vasilis sighed, barely hiding his disappointment. He handed the bag to Petyr "Marco, Lenny, John¡ªtake a hike. We''ll meet at the White Temple."


    They turned left reluctantly, watching Vasilis and Petyr as they returned to the safe point.


    Murmurs passed through the crowd in front of the cave, but Vasilis cleared the air.


    "We actually found this place before y''all. There''s a passage here to a corridor in the second exit''s area."


    "So we can escape from here while those things fight?"


    Vasilis corrected him, his voice sharp. "We''ll escape. You''ll wait here until we''re safe."


    The crowd erupted in protest, but Vasilis silenced them with a raised gun.


    "You will wait."


    He turned to Petyr. "And you lying to me hurts, man. I thought we were friends."


    Petyr shrugged. "Didn''t ask. Not really much of a lie, don''t you think?"


    Vasilis'' eyes turned cold. "You lie to me like that again, I''ll kill you."


    Petyr watched him with barely contained fury, but Vasilis continued despite this.


    "I won''t let anyone disrespect me. If you put me in a situation like that again, you''ll have to face the consequences."


    The roars got closer. People began to get more anxious sharing looks and clenching their fists, if they wasted to much time the monsters would meet them here


    Parker demanded, "We need to leave now."


    Vasilis glared at him. "Just a few more¡ª"


    White smoke began to waft from the safe point. Vasilis and everyone turned, confused.


    They all entered, seeing a hole in the black cave wall with a large hollow stone on its side. White smoke poured from the hidden passage.


    The three guys who had just left stumbled out of the hole, coughing and retching.


    Their eyes were blood red, and they collapsed to the ground, still hacking.


    "F¨Cfire."


    Vasilis raised his gun, roaring. "What did you¡ª"


    He was slow.


    Parker crashed into him like a train, slamming his shoulder into the boy''s body, throwing him into the air with surprising strength.


    Then a cry came from behind them.


    It was Yohan, who had fallen over as a strange monster crawled toward him.


    It was pale red and had strong bone armor covering its vitals. It had four arms¡ªtwo blade arm and two normal hands, its upper body was human-like while its lower half resembled a cockroach with four sharp, blade legs.


    It''s head was a had a bone armor helmet with curling horns like a demon


    It watched Yohan with saliva pouring from its mouth, which was a menagerie of moving mandibles clicking threateningly.


    Paul rushed out and faced the four-armed bug, throwing sand at it to distract it.


    He picked up Yohan and untied him.


    Yohan, however, in his panic, pushed Paul to the ground and ran, screaming.


    The monster missed him when it pounced, but it grabbed Paul¡ªlifting him into the air with two of its normal hands.


    Then, using the other two, which were bladelike, it impaled him.


    Parker turned to Vasilis, who was still struggling to his feet, then back to his friend in the monster''s hands.


    Paul looked at him, tears running down his face. "Parker?"


    Parker abandoned Vasilis, taking out Blue Trick and charging after the monster, who ran off with Paul.

 Chapter 18 - The return

    Matthew shouldered the concussed navigator. Brian helped him for a while, they carried him far around the bend till Petyr, who was glaring at Matthew, could no longer see them.


    Matthew pulled out a small brown bag and passed it to Joey, who was following behind them.


    Joey looked behind him cautiously. "What''s the plan? We''ve wasted a lot of time here."


    It had been a few hours since their mass hunt. The rest of their hunts were against the dogs and hebivores, all their nets were destroyed, and they had no more fire bombs.


    Hunting Red Seekers wasn''t feasible, and attacking the Yellow Lizards was a no-go.


    The passage of the Forest Monarch had changed the entire forest. The dogs abandoned their usual hunting grounds, making it easier for them to bait and hunt.


    The Yellow Lizards left the terrace entirely.


    The Red Seekers stayed in their rocky hills above, watching the Monarch grudgingly.


    Matthew hummed. He looked unsure and helpless. "I''ll get in contact with the Wanderer, but I''m sure he has something about where they plan to escape after this."


    Brian looked unsure. "What about Parker''s group? They may already be there, or they might be unwilling to cooperate."


    "That''s what this extra bag is for. Parker''s group will most definitely not cooperate. Worst case scenario, they would have absorbed all their spirit essence." Matthew clarified.


    "There''ll be a standoff. If Vasilis doesn''t capitulate, then use this. But be ready, something might happen not long after. Be ready to get close and disarm Vasilis."


    Brian''s eyes became very serious and determined. He was sure that this could happen and hardened himself for this task.


    Joey looked more unsure in this assumption but allowed it, and they both stepped back and watched Matthew walk away.


    In his way was a mass of black, reducing the large limestone corridor to a small corridor of space.


    Matthew walked up to it and turned back to give a curt nod to his clearly worried group. He walked up to the black form of the Forest Monarch.


    For a second, his heartbeat ran up as he imagined the Monarch languidly rolling over and squishing him.


    He walked and walked, listening to the mumble of the person being carried on his shoulder.


    Matthew whispered back, "You''re alright, keep going."


    The Monarch turned back to him, the clear blue eyes watching him as he walked. He almost froze as fear shook him. He kept walking.


    After seeing the Forest Monarch the first time, they followed it to the exit of the dark forest, they noticed its herbivorous nature and general indifference to all animals.


    The two-tailed monkeys, the large furry omnivores, the herd creatures all followed the Monarch.


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    Maybe they were inspired by it, or it could be the fact that predators ran away from the Monarch.


    The Forest Monarch, though, wasn''t interested in them.


    Even when Matthew and the rest of the group hunted and killed some of the herd creatures, the Monarch wasn''t very interested, only watching them indifferently.


    He walked past the Monarch, but a booming coo from the massive beast made him turn.


    Its nose was cat-like and sniffed the air with such force that Matthew''s hair jumped around.


    He looked into the eyes of the Monarch¡ªsix great blue oceans¡ªand a sort of meaning passed into him.


    It felt like a sort of telepathy, two minds meeting, and a soft subtle touch against his soul rippled like water.


    An image formed in his mind slowly.


    He dropped the concussed boy aside and dug through his bag for a yellow fruit with red spots. It was big, a little bigger than an average pineapple.


    He edged closer to the creature and knelt, holding the fruit up. The creature looked at him a little confused before touching his mind again.


    Matthew stood hesitantly, then threw it into the creature''s open mouth.


    Its tongue rolled, pushing the fruit down its throat.


    The beast closed its eyes, and Matthew took this as a sign to take his leave.


    It was a long time before he reached the central cavern and an even longer time trekking to the passage to the first exit.


    He had a slight chat with one of the guards Vasilis left at the entrance to the safe point.


    The boy, Marco, was unsure whether he should allow this, but Matthew said offhandedly, "Hey man, if I die, I die, but I''m tired of that damn forest."


    Marco looked at him like he was incredibly stupid. He turned toward the tunnel hesitantly, like he wanted to tell him something before shooing him off.


    Matthew thought quietly to himself.


    If I analyse what happened then it makes sense.


    The sound of rocks moving and air flowing before Vasilis arrived and the surprised look on their faces. They didn''t expect us to be there, and from what the Wanderer told me, they didn''t follow the passage out to the central cavern.


    The Wanderer was a groupless position. Their job was to hover about the group and watch them for any action detrimental to the group, but they also had the job of watching Vasilis.


    Before they left for the expedition, he had made a good amount of goodwill with the Wanderer, Casey, so as to direct his actions.


    He managed to point Casey in the right direction¡ªtowards Vasilis and some other people he was cautious of.


    A couple of hours ago, just before the hunt of the Red Seeker and his confrontation with Petyr.


    He had made his way to the passage out of the dark forest.


    Climbing the rope ladders, then meeting the Wanderer, who had been waiting for him, after covertly signaling with his flashlight.


    Casey was sweaty and bug-eyed, he was a tall, fit boy with reddish brown hair.


    Waiting in the tunnel must have been unendingly scary and tense, his soft black eyes were tense and slightly crazed.


    Matthew threw a bag at him full of fruits and let the boy eat in peace for a while. He admired the sights of the Dark forest while he ate


    Casey turned to him, observing his ragged expression. "You look like shit."


    Matthew laughed softly. "Been living like shit."


    "Well, no time to rest, since our situation has gone even shittier. Those guys you told me about in the letter you dropped¡­ when that guy jacked your ass against that wall, hehe. I didn''t see anyone, I promise. I watched the entire time. I came back to watch Vasilis, but they weren''t there anymore. I ran back to the cavern, but no one was there."


    "They most likely have a passage different from the one we took. I need you to find it, then wait for me. I''ll find a way to get back to the White Temple, and we''ll take the last step soon after." Matthew explained.


    Casey raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "I''ll do it, but don''t expect much. You talk like we are going to fight them when they try to escape."


    "No, but the last step needs a little more oversight," he replied before getting up and leaving. More questions would make Casey unsure.


    Petyr Joined them after watching the monarch pass and fit in the group like an oversized glove¡ªhe was uncomfortable, unwieldy, and made everything harder to do.


    Jamie, the second group''s leader, wrung his hands through his black twists and complained to Brian. "This guy is so dumb. How are we supposed to work if we have to run every decision by you?"


    Petyr glared but said indifferently, "We hold the cards here. You play the game."


    "Oh, we''ll give you the essence, but you don''t tell us what to do. You have no power to force anything here. The only reason we don''t beat the life out of you here is your boss." Brian corrected sternly.


    Petyr was about to start arguing when he saw Matthew leaving, so he stood and left.


    As expected, he followed a roundabout path and appeared in front of Matthew.


    He pointed threateningly. "Where the hell are you going?"


    "Is that any of your business?"


    "You think this is a damn game?! Just wait till someone dies, then you''ll realize how stupid you are. You think I don''t see you lurking and hiding? Don''t fool yourself into thinking you can do anything." Petyr roared.


    Matthew laughed boldly. I understand¡ªthe feeling of incongruity when someone you''re sure is stupid seems to outmaneuver you and scare you.


    He looked at Petyr sideways before walking away. "I think it''s been explained enough to you. You have no power here."


    Petyr rushed him, but Matthew turned and pushed his arm away before he could grab his collar.


    "don''t make me remind you who you are," Petyr growled.


    Matthew looked him in the eye, completely unamused, and stepped closer, forcing uncertainty to tint Petyr''s brown eyes. Matthew spoke very slowly.


    "You guys have already lost. You''ve underestimated the people you''re extorting, and quite honestly, don''t you understand your plan is stupid and ill-advised? When the consequences come, you and your boss will suffer for it."


    Petyr''s face slowly paled¡ªbefore turning a furious red. He cocked his fist back to smash Matthew''s face.


    Of course, Matthew wasn''t very interested in this.


    In a sharp movement, he slapped Petyr over his eyes, blinding him for a moment, before driving a punch into his stomach.


    He left the boy moaning in the damp soil, smiling.


    It had been a fun last few hours, but now, in the limestone corridors again, he was the smallest creature. He sat pressed against a wall, his hand over the mouth of his barely conscious friend.


    A White ant was moving through the corridor.

 Chapter 19 — Call me

    He didn''t constrict his breathing and let himself breathe calmly and quietly through his nose.


    There was a loud sound¡ªbones clacking, movement heavy and powerful, like an armored vehicle passing by.


    It was an ant,Two of them. Great, white and so large that he realized the descriptions did them no justice.


    Their bodies were segmented, many components shifting and cracking, clicking. Their six legs were just as armored, but on the inside, they looked softer¡ªexposed.


    The beasts'' mandibles were open, resembling the Snapjaw ants he had watched as a child.


    They had no eyes. Instead, their neck plates moved up and about like the rolling caterpillar''s, clacking¡ªbut also making a vacuum-sucking sound due to their massive size.


    His heart pounded. He waited. It felt like the movement of their neck plates and his heartbeat synced up.


    He wanted to banish the thought. But the idea that it may have sensed him sent chills down his spine.


    He shut his eyes. He did not look at the monster for almost ten minutes, he stayed frozen, until the sounds of the titanic beasts finally passed away.


    He stood and moved faster. The road was long, but at least he was getting there.


    ¡ª


    Finally, he was nearing the White temple. Then, the sound of another ant crept closer. He hobbled forward, sweating, clenching his jaw. I won''t make it!


    Suddenly, someone ran out of the temple''s entrance to meet him. Asha?!.


    She moved beside him helping carry the boy as they both stumbled into the shelter of the White Temple''s exit.


    Matthew fell to his knees, breathing hard for a moment, watching as the ant¡ªsensitive to sound¡ª passed, with it''s large white form and loud clanking armor, ignoring his labored breaths and continuing its heavy march.


    Surprisingly, Asha easily carried the boy in her arms. She looked at Matthew, happy. "If I knew you were coming too, I would have waited to help you."


    Matthew shrugged, exhausted, as they stumbled further into the White Temple.


    Their group members and others, shocked by their ragged appearance, ran toward them, surrounding them with questions.


    Jesse pushed forward before her hand covered her mouth in horror. "Matthew?! Are you alright?"


    He slowly looked down and realized he was drenched in blood. He shrugged. "Blood''s not mine. But anyway, is Casey here? Take care of him, he has a concussion."


    He left to meet with Casey, who was already used to his bloody, ragged appearance.


    "I didn''t say much last time," Casey muttered, "but you really do look like shit."


    Matthew wasn''t in the mood to waste time. "You found it?"


    "Yeah, it''s in the freaking safe point itself. I got in when the guard went in. And I heard them talking about it. I moved the rock hiding it as quietly as possible, considering how heavy it is for a hollow rock."


    "I made it through the passage. It''s long and cramped¡ªbarely big enough for two people to squeeze past. It leads to the other exit''s corridor."


    He pointed at the opposite exit on the other side before frowning and scratching his head.


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    "I was a little confused when I got out. The entrance is kind of hidden, but I waited there for a while, a little scared about where to go. And I couldn''t go back, so¡ª"


    Matthew sighed impatiently. "What happened?"


    Casey scratched his head. "Thomas and his guys saw me. They helped me get back, but I had to eventually tell them that it led to our safe point."


    "Doesn''t matter. Look, our next step should be smoking them out. I need your smoke mask."


    Casey handed it over unwillingly. "You''re going to smoke them out and then go down the tunnel?."


    Matthew nodded. He dropped off his bag with Jackson, who stared at him strangely.


    Matthew inquired, "You doing alright?"


    Jackson shrugged. "Yeah¡­ thanks to you guys, I guess."


    Matthew frowned, but there wasn''t enough time to dwell on that.


    Asha walked up to him, pushing through the questioning crowd, drawing a lot of eyes as they watched them.


    She stared at the mask in his hand and the food he had just dropped off. "What are you doing?"


    He was busy unpacking his bag, so Casey took the opportunity to explain.


    Matthew left the food with a black-haired girl with beautiful, faint blue eyes. She smiled at him, and for a moment, he was actually moved by how pretty she was and had to smile back.


    She congratulated him. "This is beyond a good job. Everyone''s been really hungry. You''re pretty brave."


    Matthew found that assumption unfounded. A lot must have happened here.


    He nodded and looked away from her alluring eyes.


    He stood and began to leave, not wanting to draw more attention. He grabbed a fire bomb and a can of insect repellant.


    Before he could leave, Asha confronted him. "Hey, I understand this is your whole hero moment, but let me help."


    She was obviously higher-leveled. Matthew considered giving her everything and instructing her on what to do¡ªit would make more sense.


    She was stronger, and throwing himself into the spotlight was against his entire philosophy.


    Yet, for some reason, this whole time, I couldn''t imagine anyone else doing it¡ªpunching Vasilis'' dumb face or retrieving my wish coin and telling him that he was wrong for attacking us.


    Asha took his hand and placed something into it. "The water came just a couple of minutes ago. Make a wish."


    Matthew nodded and struggled to find the right words to dissuade her. He always needed the right words, actions, and sometimes even the right mindset.


    Everything he had done in the last few hours was about following the consensus among the groups and trying to help them.


    He had no opinions himself¡ªlong ago, he had promised never to give his true opinions on a matter.


    He had promised himself to stay in his own lane and respect the law of the jungle. He was an ant, the same as everyone else, but walking out of line was asking for consequences.


    Maybe that''s why I hate Vasilis so much. Can''t he see where everything is heading? Does he think he can fight against everyone?


    Matthew rubbed the back of his head and tried to play it off.


    "You know, I actually don''t deserve¡ª"


    "Shut up, man. I''m giving you this because I believe you''ll do what''s right. In other words, you''re more capable than me. I trust you''ll use it well," she explained softly.


    There was her usual smile on her face, but this one felt uplifting to Matthew¡ªmade him feel worthy in a way, stoked that part of him he always suppressed.


    That part that wanted to make a wish. That wanted to punch Vasilis in the face.


    The quiet part of him.


    The one he had worked hard for the last fifteen years to silence.


    He had to make the rational choice, the right decision that would prevent people from talking about him, from thinking about him.


    He had to protect himself no matter what.


    Yet here was Asha, her eyes bright with unfettered belief in him.


    How does that make sense? How could it be possible? What was it that she sees that I couldn''t?


    He accounted for everything¡ªmeticulously scrubbed his assumptions and profiles of everyone in his mind yet he couldn''t understand.


    Matthew laughed weakly, struggling. "I see what you did there. Is this where I give someone else the coin?"


    "Try it, and I''ll punch you. Take care, ''cause I''m level three."


    He was about to retort when someone walked up to them and convince her to take back the coin.


    It was Jesse.


    She kept a strange distance between them rubbing her left arm, her eyes hurt and wet¡ªresembling a dim, rain-soaked emerald.


    He could understand why she''d be affronted by him ignoring her in his rush, but...


    Why do you look so hurt? Why does it matter so much to you?


    Jesse''s voice was shaky. She stumbled over her words like they weren''t hers and sniffed lightly to prevent herself from crying.


    "I know it''s not my place to slow you guys down. Casey told us¡­ I¨CI know so much is happening, but¡­ I¡­ I''m glad you''re safe. Sorry about that, I''ll leave¡ª"


    Matthew grabbed her hand weakly. "Hey, it''s alright. I''m glad to see you too."


    He should have let her leave.


    But instead, he told her about the wish coin.


    She stepped in to listen, looking up at him in the end¡ªsearching for something in his eyes.


    This was awkward. She was beautiful¡ªhard to lie to, especially now.


    Confidence in someone you barely know? There''s no reason for them to trust me, i''ve given them nothing about me. There''s nothing here to think about


    Indulging myself like this¡ªwon''t it throw away all the work I''ve done these years to distance myself from my emotions?


    Jesse smiled, her eyes still wet with unshed tears. The pain hiding behind them seemed to lessen, a silent peace filling them.


    "You aren''t the most impressive person, but¡­ I do feel you want this too, don''t you? I believe that it''s the right choice too."


    Matthew looked at her for a moment, he whispered to himself. "There''s nothing in the world I should want."


    He turned to the fountain and walked up to it.


    He flipped the coin in his hands and closed his eyes.


    Please¡ªI wish for something that will help me. To save the others. To save me too. I wish for something that will help me understand what to do.


    He threw the coin in. Brilliant light swept the room. A warm gust of air washed over him.


    For a moment, he felt like he was home. But not in that dark apartment in Sheffield, instead it was the cottage in Bibury.


    With his dad and mum. Running about with his teddy bears, pretending they were in a story.


    A soft tear fell down his face. His father had loved stories. He had read so many books, and they had been gifted to Matthew when he passed.


    But they had been hard for Matthew to read. Every Terry Pratchett book was tinged with a part of his father.


    Then, as the unnatural beam of light rose from the fountain and struck him in the chest¡ªhe saw him.


    Matthew''s dad was almost an exact copy of him. Bushy, unkempt black hair. A thick beard. But his blue eyes were different.


    Behind those gold-rimmed glasses, they were playful. Carefree. Different from how he was at the end.


    Then, the status screen popped up automatically.


    Ariel has heard your wish. She dislikes your very existence and has branded you Betrayer. She has combed through the World beyond what eyes may see and called upon a weapon she feels suits your abominable existence.


    A dark and envious sword answers the call.

 Chapter 20 -

    Parker charged out of the safe point, chasing the four-armed monster.


    Paul jammed his pipe wrench between its mouth, which was a horrible latticework of mandibles, whirling blades and squirming proboscises looking to latch on and tear skin apart like a meat grinder.


    Parker circled around, hoping to cripple the beast''s legs.


    Behind him, many creatures rose from the dune cave, chased by something¡ªrolling caterpillars like the ones Matthew had killed, the strange four-armed demons, salamanders, and stone golems with six arms that had red veins running along their bodies and heat so powerful the air shimmered.


    He grit his teeth, ignoring them. They fought among each other and attacked people at the safe point.


    I have to kill this now, then help the rest, can''t hesitate. Don''t be afraid just move


    He planted his feet and swung the sword, mimicking the swing of a baseball bat since it was his only experience.


    One of the monster''s blade-like arms blocked the strike before it snarled at him¡ªthis one could see, small green and red eyes hid behind its horned helmet.


    It raised Paul into the air with its two gripping hands and engaged Parker in a sword fight with its blade arms.


    They were fast, attacking seamlessly. He could only retreat, blocking the occasional blow¡ªno chance to counterattack.


    He jumped to the side, locking its right blade in place before trying to kick its leg.


    The creature simply jumped over his kick while carrying Paul, simultaneously performing a downward slash with its left.


    Parker had to fall completely to his back and roll away to avoid the killing blow. Yet, the side of his head burned with sharp pain.


    He touched it, wincing¡ªit was deep, not bone-deep, but deeper than any head injury he had ever gotten.


    He gripped the sword harder and attacked again. He was sorely outmatched.


    Every exchange was life-threatening. If he attacked without considering how the bug would retaliate, he would die.


    Worse was the fatigue. He was already tired before this¡ªthe last fifteen hours had been a question of what would break first: his mind or body.


    Yet everything demanded that he keep going. His arms burned with every swing, but thankfully, the demon wasn''t overpowering him.


    Maybe it was the fact that he had gone up in levels, or the vigor stat card, but he felt strong enough to keep up with the monster.


    Each of its strikes rang with power that normally would have blown him away.


    Its speed, however, was incontestable. Every strike blurred, hard to follow.


    He had to jump away as one of the salamanders spat a ball of fire at them. It tried to get around the blade monster, only to taste the speed of its blade.


    The Salamander retreated with two deep gashes on its face, only to be impaled by Parker, who was behind it.


    He pulled the sword out of its body and continued pressing the blade demon¡ªif it was given any time, it would use those blades to kill Paul.


    He clashed again with its fast blades, but he was ready now.


    I can''t avoid its counter, but I can try to reduce the damage while closing in.


    He charged, letting one blow cut his side slightly before roaring, "Die!"


    He put all his power into a downward slash, but it caught the blade.


    It held Paul with one hand and caught the heavy blow using its other, supporting it with the blade arm below.


    It didn''t go unscathed¡ªits hand was eviscerated¡ªbut it escaped death.


    Parker barely escaped too, falling back as its second blade nearly disemboweled him.


    "Damn it," he cursed as blood began leaking down his leg.


    ¡ª


    Vasilis picked up his gun with a burning hatred ON his mind.


    They tricked me. Damn it! That bastard. If I die here, I have to make sure Parker follows me.


    He stood, watching with venomous anger as Parker fought a monster with four arms, trying to help the boy captured by the creature.


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    He pointed the gun at him, taking time to center it before he heard someone scream¡ªone of Parker''s mules, covered in fire, as a red-and-black lizard approached him.


    It turned to Vasilis, a long, thin tongue slipping in and out of its mouth. It opened its jaws, preparing to set him on fire, but two shots from his gun put it down.


    Then things got worse.


    He had to hit the deck as fast, heavy balls of white bone slammed into the walls, bouncing around with each blow powerful enough to make his ears ring.


    They left just as suddenly as they arrived, leaving him in utter confusion.


    Stumbling to his feet he ran into the safe point looking around frantically, he found his friends hidden in a corner. He ordered, "Give me the essence!"


    Lenny immediately handed him the bag, still weak from the smoke. Petyr, however, looked at him defiantly, not handing over the one in his hand.


    Vasilis stared at him, eyes wide and full of wild insanity. "Petyr, give it to me."


    Petyr shook his head. "That''s not enough for you?"


    "I can make it to level three now. You know how my special trait works," he said quietly, his hand still out. "Don''t waste my damn time before something else kills that bastard."


    "Forget killing him. We have to get out of here! We''ve already gotten¡ª"


    "Don''t tell me what I''ll do with the essence I got! Give it to me!"


    Petyr''s face fell as Vasilis screamed at him. "Got yourself? You really think you did this alone?"


    "Yes, you fucking doorknob! You think any of this was by your power? We only got this far because of me¡ªmy gun, my authority, my plan!" He shouted, approaching Petyr, hand still stretched out. There was a confused look in his red-rimmed eyes. "The hell''s wrong with you? Get in line now, or else."


    He raised the gun, pointing it at Petyr. He looked slightly unsure but held it steady despite their stares.


    Petyr looked hurt at first, but his face slowly twisted with disappointment.


    He raised the bag to give Vasilis and said, "I knew before that you would never accept anyone as a comrade, but I¡­"


    He sighed and moved to hand over the bag.


    Vasilis, however, received a hard hit to the back of his head and fell over. His vision blurred almost blacking out.


    Petyr''s surprised voice exclaimed, "You!"


    Vasilis crawled away, looking up to see the First Messenger. He took off a gas mask, throwing it aside.


    He had scattered black hair and a full beard. He cleaned a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and placed them on his face¡ªcold blue eyes examining him disdainfully.


    He turned to Petyr and held out his hand. Petyr stared at it, unsure, before quickly handing over the bag of essence.


    The dark-haired Messenger then turned to Vasilis and put out his hands. "The wish coins."


    Vasilis stared up in disbelief at the Messenger, then at Petyr. "Who the hell are you, and what right do you¡ª"


    He looked for his gun but found it far from him.


    The First Messenger kicked him down as he tried to stand, then placed a knee against his shoulder, reaching into Vasilis'' brown jacket to take out the three wish coins.


    He stood up and walked toward the gun, but Vasilis caught one of his legs and spun on his back, kicking the other from under him.


    He rolled and jumped for the gun, but Petyr grabbed him, spinning him around, trying to hold him down.


    Petyr threw a punch, but Vasilis dropped down, dodging it, before punching him in the groin and pushing him away.


    He intercepted the First Messenger, who was trying to get back to the gun.


    He had trained to fight and kill with his father for a long portion of his life.


    None of it was simple. He never got used to it¡ªpeople looked at him and never expected he could fight.


    So many fights he ended quickly and brutally.


    As the messenger avoided his right haymaker by leaning back, Vasilis immediately stabbed at his neck with his left, his hand straightening into a blade to bruise the windpipe.


    The messenger brushed it aside before righting himself and looking at him evenly.


    Vasilis watched his stance and composure.


    "You know how to fight? What''s your name before I shoot you in the head?"


    "Matthew."


    "Where''d you learn? Doesn''t look like they just taught you how to throw a punch." Vasilis rambled as he circled Matthew, expecting to inch closer to his gun, but Matthew cut him off, stepping in.


    Matthew didn''t answer. He simply took off his glasses and tucked them into his pocket.


    Vasilis frowned. "Why be so boring? One of us is going to die here."


    "I didn''t just learn how to fight. My dad always fought to kill, so if I wanted to enter the house, I had to fight to survive."


    " ''No food till you fight'' was a house rule. Every day, he beat and insulted me for losing. Up until the day I killed him, he never agreed I was the better fighter."


    Vasilis smirked. "My dad believed that if you were going to kill someone, you should do it without any tricks, mano a mano." He laughed. "But all I''m full of¡ª"


    He struck before finishing his sentence, dropping low to sweep Matthew''s legs. Matthew stepped back.


    "¡ªis tricks," Vasilis finished, rising with sand in his fists, throwing it at Matthew''s eyes.


    Matthew covered his eyes while keeping a vague view of Vasilis. He planted his feet, waiting for the sneak attack, but he had miscalculated¡ªVasilis doved behind him, grabbing his gun.


    "Wrong move, bozo!" Vasilis cried, turning and squeezing the trigger.


    He expected fear, anguish¡ªregret even¡ªin those cold blue eyes. Instead, Matthew was already stepping towards him.


    Space distorted in front of him. The bullet got caught in the warping air pausing, gold dyeing the bending space.


    A resonant hum rose as a white sword formed.


    The bullet deflected off the sword, and Matthew slashed the gun from Vasilis'' hand.


    Vasilis screamed as the tip of his middle finger was sliced off along with the gun.


    Matthew watched the broken weapon fall, then admired his sword.


    The blade was pure white, its hilt, crossguard, and blade seemingly carved from a quartz-like crystal that glittered even in darkness.


    The crossguard was a cluster of fingers with sharp nails, and black leather wrapped the grip.


    The leather coiled around his hand the moment he held the sword like bandages.


    The leather now released him, soon after he slammed it''s pommel into Vasilis'' head, silencing the boy.


    He turned to Petyr, who had been watching in awe.


    "I''m going to help the others. Please bind him," Matthew ordered before leaving.


    He dove into the carnage, helping those holding the monsters at bay as they tried to reach Parker.


    A fire-breathing lizard fell to a sneak attack from his blade, he made sure to use the abilities of the sword.


    A bone caterpillar was on top of someone, he split it open through a gap in its armor.


    It rolled away, but the person it had been eating was long dead, their face completely gone.


    Matthew winced at the carnage before forcing himself to turn towards Parker, but a massive sound shook the cavern.


    A violent clamp¡ªso forceful he covered his ears, wincing as a sharp migraine tore through his skull.


    The ants had emerged.


    They poured from the Dune tunnel and the tunnel leading to the White Temple, cordoning off all escape except for the Dark Forest.


    Matthew''s face darkened in horror as he realised what was going to happen.


    "Brian!" he cried over the battle''s terrible noise. "Get inside the safe point!"


    The cavern was deafening, but Brian heard and acknowledged him.


    Everyone scrambled toward safety, glancing back at Parker, who danced between monsters, fighting the Blade Demon that held Paul hostage.


    A small shape sped between the creatures¡ªinhumanly fast.


    Asha.


    She held two knives, slicing a salamander''s nose as she dodged its fire and ran past to help Parker.


    Stone shattered in the tunnel, sending debris flying. Dust choked the air. Heat billowed, suffocating everything.


    Stone titans left the center of the cavern to fight the loud ants. Shapes flew overhead, screeching, roaring, wailing like wraiths.


    Joey screamed into Matthew''s ear, barely heard over the chaos.


    "We need to help Parker!"


    "No. Everyone leaves now," Matthew shouted back. "I''ll find a way once the Forest Monarch joins the fray!"


    The fire and smoke had cleared. Joey turned toward the tunnel leading to safety, then back to Parker¡ªsurrounded by enemies.


    Fiery defiance filled his eyes.


    "NO!"


    Some people fled. One was caught by another four-armed creature, forcing Matthew to intercept.


    He thrust the bag of essence into Joey''s hands. "Leave now!"


    The Blade Demon brutally decapitated its victim.


    Matthew gasped but attacked, his Armament suppressing his presence.


    He crept behind it and jumped, stabbing his sword through its throat as it greedily munched on its headless prey.


    The creature struggled, trying to reach him, but Matthew stood on its lower body.


    He ripped the sword out through the side of its neck. Black blood sprayed onto the white stone as the demon fell.


    Matthew turned, checking that the others were leaving, before looking back to Parker.


    Then, he waited¡ªhiding, staying out of the way of the warring beasts.


    They just need to survive until the Monarch comes. I don''t know why I''m so sure he will,


    He didn''t wait much longer.


    A powerful, deep roar shook the cavern with mystical force.


    The Monarch''s black form filled the space, drawing the attention of every monster.


    Matthew glanced back to confirm the safe point''s hidden tunnel was covered. Then, he ran toward the Monarch''s side.


    As expected, all the creatures ran toward the safe point as it was the only empty tunnel not blocked by stronger predators.


    A salamander spat a fireball at him. Matthew dismissed his sword and rolled, dodging, before continuing his frantic sprint.


    He shouted to Asha and Parker, but they couldn''t hear him through the noise.


    The Monarch ignored him. It roared at the white ants.


    The ants reacted immediately. Their legs bent, steam and dreadful sounds of a popping, boiling liquid leaking from their joints.


    Then¡ªthey launched into the air, attacking.

 Chapter 21

    Parker was losing. There was no way around it.


    Pain shot through Parker''s wounds, keeping exhaustion at bay. But each movement made the ache in his limbs unbearable.


    He dodged a wild slash and returned a jab to try and maintain his distance.


    Blood dripped from the cut on his head and soaked his shirt from the cut in his side, every move made them set his body aflame with blinding pain.


    At some point he and the Blade demon fought between the legs of one of those stone titans, they doged between arms and he winced from the sweltering heat rolling off the body of the giant.


    He managed to finally get a hit on it''s lower body missing the legs but drawing blood, the Stone titan grabbed at them but they escaped as it was besieged by the rolling caterpillars.


    Each slam like a cannon blast that drew more attention, the Blade demon was uncontestable, he hadn''t seen much of them but they casually dodged and slashed anything in their way.


    Paul was nearly unconscious only weakly covering his head.


    Parker closed in and met the blades of the beast once more, they danced about, sword strikes flickered around him.


    He moved his feet rapidly moving between attacks, retreat, close in duck and counter attack.


    It''s like a rugby game¡ªI adjust my defense while also trying to exploit gaps or mistakes in the demon''s defense. I can keep up defensively, but I''m out of my league in offense, making too many easily exploitable mistakes that allow for an interception.


    He knew his moves couldn''t just be reactions¡ªthey had to lead somewhere. But every attack carried a risk.


    If he went left, the demon''s damaged hand left an opening, but if he struck high, he had to be ready to get his stomach torn open.


    At the same time he couldn''t attack the right to hard since Paul was in it''s right hand but this meant that side was only dangerous for lower attacks.


    Parker grit his teeth, he was too slow to react, every move was clunky and either to slow or badly aimed


    Everyone else is gone, all we need is Paul and we can go.


    He had seen Matthew''s arrival, now all they needed was to retrieve Paul and escape. He was about to go for another attack when the Blade demon suddenly went on the offensive.


    He heard something behind him and immediately understood.


    He was jockeying me. That hiss was a salamander.


    He was ready to take the hit to the back since he had no option till he saw her coming behind the Blade demon.


    He jumped aside to dodge the fireball, the Blade demon was happy to attack as he retreated.


    It didn''t sense Asha till the knife stabbed into it''s back. She pulled away after dealing the blow sending a forced smile at Parker.


    "good to see you''re still alive."


    Parker shrugged, "Barely."


    "We need to take care of this and join Matthew beside the monarch or whatever that thing is" Asha quickly explained


    Parker nodded, glancing at Matthew out the side of his eye. Only for his jaw to drop in astonishment.


    Is he crazy?


    Two of the massive White ants were now battling the great black beast that Matthew had told them to take shelter around. Of course Matthew himself wasn''t taking his own advice.


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    As the ants attacked the Monarch he ran in between their legs slicing at them always just half a step between behind crushed by the fighting titans.


    He ignored Matthew''s madness and raised his sword looking the Black demon in its green eyes, Asha circled behind it waiting for an opportunity.


    The demon looked stoic for a second, it raised its blades and¡­


    Then began running away.


    Parker was shocked watching it run before screaming "get back here you bastard!"


    They chased after it. He laboriously dodged and swung at anything trying to follow or attack him.


    Asha was close behind the demon shockingly quick. She dodged and zipped past monsters even leaving shallow cuts on their bodies to help clear a way for him


    Damn it! If i didn''t send her away we could have probably killed that monsters a long time ago


    They chased it as it flew down the cavern to the Dark forest entrance, Matthew saw them and shouted something too low for them to hear over the shattering noises of the cavern.


    Parker screamed and yelled for the beast to stop while Asha ran with everything she had


    Paul looked back at them, their faces desperate and dirty, it had been a long and never ending match of death and survival these last few hours.


    He smiled at their grim apperances "get out of here."


    His voice was too low and weak but Parker could hear him.


    Even through the deafening chaos of the battle he could hear him


    Paul pushed himself up screaming defiantly as he then plunged his thumbs into the small eyes holes of the Blade demon''s done helmet.


    The demon seemingly had enough of him, it''s two blades rose up and sliced him in half, blood and entrails scattering all over the white stone.


    For a second he stopped watching the monster throw Paul''s lifeless body aside, he watched Paul skid against the ground.


    Hhis eyes empty and his face slack.


    The blade demon was screeching in horrible pain as black blood leaked from its eyes


    Asha was screaming something he couldn''t hear as tears poured down her face uncontrollably.


    She launched herself at the monster stabbing it''s neck before pulling the knife out to dodge a wild blow.


    She attacked again and again stabbing it''s legs, arms and back not able to kill it but so utterly consumed by despair she couldn''t stop.


    Parker finally moved.


    He ran up to the wildly swinging beast no longer worried about being cut,he opened his mouth and screamed as he slashed, nearly decapitating it as the sword tore into it''s neck.


    He pulled it out and slashed again as the creature fell, taking its head off completely.


    It was over.


    He let Blue Trick fall to the ground and walked to Paul''s corpse, he fell to his knees.


    All that strength, bloodlust and determination faded like mist and all he was left with was pain, exhaustion and horror.


    The world was so horribly quiet as the blood drained from Paul''s body and his face became paler.


    Asha hugged him tightly behind him crying inconsolably into his back, he grasped his shirt tightly as the teared poured from his eyes, anguish scrunching up his face before getting up.


    He picked Asha up and began to run to Matthew


    "Paul i''m so sorry," He didn''t even dare to comfort himself

 Chapter 22

    Matthew had long begun to doubt his sanity, yet under the body of the ant, he realized he had reached new levels of madness.


    The underside was dark and expansive, so black that the legs sometimes felt light-years away.


    He ran from limb to limb, slashing at them, leaving narrow cuts on the six massive legs.


    He didn''t have much hope these wounds would hurt the beast, which was nearing even the Monarch in size¡ªbut he had a plan.


    The Monarch fought the two ants, and each clash shook his entire world.


    The noise had long since overwhelmed his ears, so he stuffed cotton swabs in them to mitigate the damage.


    The ants attacked from two sides. One clamped against the Monarch''s tusk, trying to hold it down.


    The other snapped around its hind legs in an attempt to unbalance it.


    Each of them was so strong that the ground quaked and caved with every powerful step.


    Yet, they couldn''t bring the Monarch down. It was like two huge dogs trying to hold a bear in place.


    The gap in power was just untenable.


    The Monarch struggled, but even the ants'' jaws¡ªcapable of snapping steel¡ªbarely tore its skin.


    But there was a third ant coming. Hissing steam leaked from its legs and mandibles as they tensed.


    Matthew had been cutting the ant gripping the Monarch''s legs for a reason, and now, his sword had changed¡ªfrom crystal white to obsidian black.


    Matthew had been counting. Eleven.


    He saw Parker hobbling toward him, Asha weeping in his arms.


    Paul''s gone. The words weighed heavy on his heart, but he had no time to dwell on them.


    He ran out from under the ant just as the Monarch shoved the ant backward.


    A leg nearly turned him into a pancake, but he managed to roll away, escaping with nothing more than a layer of dust and a shower of small rocks.


    He jumped, grabbing hold of the ant''s leg, using chinks and dents in its armor to climb.


    The monster moved like the world''s worst amusement park ride.


    He had to shut his eyes at some points just to keep himself from throwing up. Focus.


    He jumped between two legs, gripping Kinslayer between his teeth.


    He slammed into the ant''s leg harder than expected, and blood leaked from the corners of his mouth as Kinslayer bit into him happily.


    He had to quickly let go of his handhold as his fingers barely avoided being crushed between plates of shifting armor.


    He nearly plummeted straight to the ground before catching a groove in the chitin and exhaling in relief.


    He could feel warm blood staining his fingers as he winced.


    This feels like a very bad idea. Am I being influenced by Kinslayer?


    He had come to help the Monarch. So how did it come to this?


    He pushed the thoughts aside. The powerful mandibles of the ant loomed in front of him, and he had to climb almost vertically to reach them.


    His jaw ached from holding the sword, but he bit down harder and pressed on.


    At last, he reached the mandibles.


    There was a chink in the armor where they opened wide. He jumped onto the massive structure, crawling toward the joint where it connected to the ant''s body.


    Unlike the rest of it, this area wasn''t covered in chitin armor¡ªit was brown, hardened skin.


    He wrapped his leg around the mandible and yanked Kinslayer from his mouth. No hesitation. He stabbed.


    The blade didn''t sink deeply, but that wasn''t the point.


    Weaken it.


    He struck again. And again. But nothing changed.


    Then something slammed into the Monarch, and an earth-shattering impact sent him clinging desperately to the sword embedded in the mandible as his legs dangled over the edge.


    The third ant.


    It had attacked the Monarch''s forearm and was now pulling it down.


    He wondered if the fourth ant would arrive to land the finishing blow, but it was still delayed¡ªtearing through stone titans with horrifying ease.


    Molten rock splattered against its white armor, but the unstoppable monster didn''t care.


    Matthew panicked, sitting on the mandible. The heat radiating from the ant was unbearable, sweat from his body made his hand slippery. Steam rose from deeper within the joint, curling into the air.


    Steam?


    The thought clicked. Some kind of hydraulic pressure. Could that be why these creatures moved with such overwhelming force?


    He raised his sword to stab whatever vein was inside¡ªthen hesitated.


    He shifted his position, climbing until he was above the joint. Then he stabbed and immediately yanked his hand away.


    A jet of boiling water shot unpredictably from the wound, and he scrambled backward to avoid being scalded alive. Even at a distance, the steam stung his legs like fire.


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    His theory had been correct. Now, he just had to survive it.


    He screamed, tears threatening to pour as the heat ravaged his legs. He bit down on his tongue to endure as he crawled.


    He watched the mandible shake slightly, but nothing changed.


    He considered dismissing the sword but decided to wait.


    Instead, he made his way down the ant''s body before jumping off a lower part of its thorax and retreating quickly.


    He limped toward Parker and Asha, holding back a cry of pain with each step, they were frantically waving him over, he collapsed into Parker before then dismissing the sword.


    A large flood of steam erupted from the ant''s mandible as it suddenly fell limp. It lost its grip¡ªjust then the Monarch sent it flying aside with a bucking kick.


    Instantly crushing the ant''s head


    Freed, the Monarch lunged at the ant, clamped onto its tusk and gathering it under it''s white tusks. Then raised the ant into the air.


    The sight was unreal.


    The massive form of the ant lifted almost weightlessly, but the air billowed and screeched around it from the terrible force it generated as it tore through space.


    For a moment, it hung there¡ªsuspended, almost like a painting.


    It gripped onto the tusk for dear life while its comrade pulled fruitlessly on the Monarch''s powerful forelegs.


    The contrast between their white armor and its black fur was mesmerizing.


    Then, the Monarch finally brought the ant down.


    It fell in what looked like slow motion but was jarringly fast. The air seemed to break and collapse as it plummeted.


    The Monarch slammed it onto its ally¡ªthe one still clinging to its leg.


    A cloud of dust rose, covering the entire central cavern.


    Matthew and his friends huddled together to weather the force of the winds and the pain of debris flying against them.


    When the dust settled, the ground where the Monarch had struck looked as though a meteor had devastated the area.


    The ants struggled weakly¡ªblack blood and steam pouring from them like a river. Their legs were completely crushed, their heads caved in and shattered from the harrowing blow.


    The Monarch reared on its hind legs, and then it stamped down with even greater force than before.


    Matthew wondered if the entire world would fall apart under the Monarch''s might.


    Then, it turned¡ªto the fourth ant.


    The creature''s body was glowing red-hot from the magma poured over it. It jumped high into the air to attack.


    The Monarch opened its mouth, its white tusks became iridescent with a mystical power.


    The air shook as the space between its tusks gathered a ball of pure white light.


    Matthew''s very being trembled as he gazed upon this terrible light. Everything in him told him to turn away.


    He huddled up with Parker and Asha. They all shut their eyes.


    The Monarch unleashed a beam of light that slammed the airborne ant against the cavern ceiling.


    Matthew felt as though the world had been tossed into a dryer, spinning uncontrollably.


    Dizziness overwhelmed him, nausea rising in his gut. His body swayed, then collapsed.


    Everything went black.


    ---


    He finally felt at peace¡ªunconscious. For a few minutes, the world was dark and tranquil.


    Then, a white light fell from above, illuminating his mind.


    He felt the gentle touch of the Monarch once again¡ªbefore it faded.


    He cried out as the light left his mind.


    Then, a voice in his ear startled him awake. "Matthew! Can you hear me?" Asha asked.


    He hummed weakly in agreement¡ªsquinting against the white light of the cavern, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep.


    But the splitting headache and the horrifying memory of the battle jolted him upright.


    His breath came fast and uneven.


    His eyes darted around frantically, searching for monsters.


    "Hey, hey, calm down," Asha soothed.


    Parker, Jesse, Brian, Joey, Asha¡ªeven Jackson and most of the group were there. They watched him, smiling in obvious relief.


    He was covered in bandages. So was Parker.


    A lot of them were used, but he really didn''t mind. His legs were in a bucket of water, stinging slightly, but the cold was pleasant.


    His body ached all over, like he had just run a marathon¡ªwhile fighting and getting beaten up by all the other contestants.


    That sounds strangely fun.


    Parker lay beside him, smiling a little bitterly. Three mangled, half-missing bodies were beside him. His voice was hoarse from shouting.


    "Nice to see you''re still with us."


    Matthew cringed as he moved his shoulder, rasping, "I don''t feel very alive right now."


    Asha laughed before turning to the tunnel. It was rife with carnage¡ªcrushed bodies, rivers of black blood, and a devastated landscape.


    She sighed sadly. "We won."

 Chapter 23

    The central cavern was even more ravaged than when Matthew had first visited it.


    Rivers of blood stained the limestone walls, and deep crevices larger than him were torn into the ground.


    There was a horrible smell of smoke and burnt bodies.


    Matthew looked at the bodies of his comrades.


    They were missing many parts of them. They couldn''t even find two bodies.


    One was the cowardly Loadbearer from the first group. Matthew had never thought to learn the boy''s name.


    The whole journey through the White Caves, the Dark Forest, and the horrible battle of the central cavern had been long and hard on everyone, yet they had dismissed the boy, finding him annoying and cowardly.


    Yet the cowardly boy had never run. He was with them the whole way and had died helping Joey distract a Stone Titan.


    He had been crying, but he stayed.


    Joey looked slightly out of it, watching the cavern with a glazed expression.


    Matthew glanced up at him, feeling he had to say something that would make everything make some sense.


    Joey shook himself out of it before asking, "Hey, where''s your sword? Let''s cut up these monsters."


    Matthew sighed. "We''ll talk about it later, but I''d rather not summon that thing."


    They took their time checking the bodies. Some were too pulverized to eat, but what they wanted was spirit essence.


    Unfortunately, there was none.


    Brian puffed his cheeks, disappointed. "All this death, but we can''t profit off it?"


    Parker walked like he was eighty years older than he looked. He had about ten essences in his hand. "I have four from the Blade Demon, three from the Salamander, and a couple of them had one essence with them for some reason."


    Asha had about eleven, nodding. "I landed a blow on some of them before they died. I guess one is the minimum for participation."


    Kirk had a long cut on his arm. He held out seven essences to Matthew. "Matthew, these are yours from those two you killed¡ªthe Salamander and the Blade Demon. They were torn apart, but we found ten essences in the Safe Point."


    Matthew shook his head. "Give it to Parker for now."


    Kirk looked unsure about that but handed them over anyway. Matthew watched him and the many others searching for essence in the battlefield.


    They stared at the black blood scattered over the place with an impatient look on their faces.


    Jesse wrapped his leg in bandages and helped him stand. They returned to the Safe Point to use the hidden exit back to the White Temple.


    The tunnel was so dark they had to constantly brush their arms against the walls.


    He had nearly fainted putting shoes on his burnt legs, but now, walking through the rough, rocky road, he realized it was for the best.


    The place still smelled faintly of the can of repellent he had burned to produce the white smoke.


    It was strangely overpowered by Jesse''s perfume. Cedarwood and lemon. Reminds me of Sicily.


    Jesse''s hesitant voice reached him through the darkness. "Am I¡ªdo I smell bad?"


    Matthew wanted to kill himself for being so obvious in the dark. Did she hear me, or is this one of those situations where darkness enhances your hearing and smell?


    Matthew laughed awkwardly. "No, your perfume¡­ it reminded me of something."


    "What did it remind you of?" Jesse asked.


    Matthew looked forward for a second. There was nothing here to move the conversation from this.


    He considered saying he just thought she smelled nice but soundlessly groaned. "Well, when I was younger, in my first year in uni, I traveled with my friends to Italy¡­"


    Jesse began to talk about how her dad had gotten the perfume from there.


    Before long, they launched into a conversation about traveling with friends. Her dad had never allowed Jesse to leave the state, not to mention the country.


    Matthew shrugged. "It was easier in uni. Just lied about when school was closing, and we bought the Eurostar tickets early. From there, we had a friend in Paris who was really rich¡ªor normal rich. He never liked talking about it. Anyway, he would grab us tickets for Frecciarossa to Milan, and we''d stay for a week or two."


    The entire tunnel was quiet, and Matthew realized probably everyone had heard them.


    Jesse said slowly, "Damn, you''re a lot cooler than I thought."


    Matthew glared in the dark, "what''s that supposed to mean?"


    Kirk sighed in defeat. "I''ve never even been out of my hometown. I lived with my parents throughout uni."


    "My grandma shipped me out to boarding school from Year Seven. She kept giving me a speech like I was supposed to be gutted about leaving," Matthew explained.


    Asha laughed. "Most parents don''t realise the favor they''re doing for their kids sending them to Boarding. When I lived with my uncle in London, I was always too skint to travel."


    Parker hummed in annoyance. "Aye, we get it, mate. You guys are international."


    Jesse sighed. "I''m more shocked you lied to your parents, Matthew. I trusted you, but you''re just like the others." She sighed dramatically, shaking her head beside him.


    The tunnel was already tight for two people, so Matthew pressed against the smooth walls of the tunnel uncomfortably¡ªbut also against her, warmly.


    He filled his mind with thoughts about the hidden tunnel to avoid other thoughts.


    Why is the wall so smooth? Why was this place hidden anyway? There aren''t many monsters that can see aren''t many. Why would an animal worry about hiding the entrance with a perfectly carved hollow stone too?


    Jesse roused him from his thoughts. "You lived with your grandma?"


    Matthew frowned. He had foolishly said something about his life they didn''t know. "I''m too tired to talk about all that now."


    Jesse grew quiet. After leaving the hidden tunnel, they walked back to the second exit.


    The corridor outside the second exit was strangely colder. The rocks were black, and there was more moss here¡ªdifferent types.


    It looked a little like the glowing white moss was consuming the more natural moss.


    There was a lot of moss against the second tunnel.


    As they were entering the exit from the Dark Corridor, an echoing roar rang out, but they all just shivered and ignored it.


    The White Temple was strangely quiet, it expansive hall and four great pillars glistened under the torchlight.


    Many people sat against the walls or were sprawled on the floor weakly. Many were asleep.


    The rest of their group was surrounded by haggard-looking people.


    Adelina walked up to them, a distressed look in her eyes. "Everyone''s asking for food."


    Jamie scowled. "They can fuck off. Didn''t they call us stupid for leaving?"


    Someone scoffed. "Tell them to go out and kill something for a meal."


    Jesse looked dismayed as everyone began to make fun of the hungry people.


    Matthew couldn''t blame them.


    They had been ridiculed and eventually extorted by people who thought they were idiots.


    The people hearing them ridicule them had a mix of reactions:


    "Come on, man, we were wrong. Doesn''t mean you have to treat us like shit."


    "I guess y''all are real big now."


    "What if we wanted to join but were scared? I never made fun of you guys."


    Many of the group members began to argue with the people begging.


    Joey pushed someone aside. "With that attitude, I recommend eating your shit soon."


    "Hey, don''t put your hands on me," the guy quickly retorted, stepping back at Joey before backing down as the rest of the first group stepped up to him¡ªexcluding Matthew for obvious reasons.


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    Jesse watched the argument, a little disappointed, as she helped Matthew take off his shoes.


    He gasped and cursed as he took them off, lying back as the stinging pain racked his body.


    Parker said, "I want to feel sorry for you, man, but there''s something wrong with you."


    Asha nodded quickly. "You could have let that monster beat those ants up."


    "Monarch," Kirk corrected.


    Parker raised an eyebrow. "I get that it''s sort of friendly to us, but it could have killed us in the chaos. Why do y''all always call him that?"


    Matthew was about to answer before shouting, "Joey, lad, can you put it to rest, please?"


    Joey and Brian turned back to him, sending a warning glare to the people they had been arguing with before leaving.


    He sighed, moving his toes painfully. "The Forest Monarch is not a monster. He''s sort of the guardian of the Dark Forest. Most likely, he goes to war against the ants because of how overpowered they are. He likes to keep the balance in the forest stable¡ªif not, the fragile balance there will fall apart quickly."


    Asha laughed derisively. "He told you that, huh?"


    Matthew nodded, which confused both her and everyone else. Most had stopped arguing and were just listening.


    "It can speak. Like, telepathically. But it''s not words¡ªit''s images, symbols, colors, feelings, and just a whole lot of things."


    They all looked dumbstruck and skeptical at what he was describing, but Brian shrugged. "Why are we all acting like we don''t have magic screens? Besides, it was obvious that the Monarch is special."


    Asha looked totally lost for a second before lighting up with vivid excitement. "Wait, it spoke to you?! What did he say? Also, it came over to us at the end of the fight, and its horn was glowing. I thought he was going to erase us, but it just left. Did it tell you anything?"


    She had crawled over as curiosity overtook her, and Jesse was the only thing holding her back from Matthew as she raved on.


    Matthew answered quietly, "We''ve only communicated twice. And it is a she¡­ I think. Once, she asked me for fruit. The other time was to thank me for helping her."


    "A she?!" Everyone exclaimed¡ªsome worried, others rather interested, while most couldn''t believe it.


    "Wait, does that mean she could have kids?"


    "No, thank you. Can two of those things even move around together? This world''s too small for that."


    "She likes fruits, huh? Could be useful to us. When did she thank you?"


    Matthew couldn''t raise himself to look at who asked that, so he shrugged and looked at the green dot in the corner of his right eye.


    He willed the interface to open playfully because he was too tired to use his hands¡ªbut then it actually opened.


    That makes a lot of sense, honestly, because my hands have definitely passed it without accidentally opening the screen. Intent is key, I guess.


    Matthew looked at his screen and checked his spirit essence counter by asking it to show him.


    ---


    name: Matthew Holloway


    level: 2(Spirit essence: 6/8)


    Health: 60/110


    stamina: 30/80


    mana: 10/10


    traits:


    - Ariel''s Web


    skills:


    armaments:


    - Kinslayer


    stat_cards:


    ---


    Not bad.


    The Monarch had directly given him some essence from the ants. Its wide range of abilities continued to astound him.


    He had a strange idea and asked the Screen if it was possible to absorb essence without touching it. A prompt appeared immediately:


    Automatically absorb essence from enemies slain?


    Yes / No


    Matthew was very annoyed by this. There was no indication that this was possible before¡ªso how would they have known?


    He sighed and listened as they began to recount the events of the fight.


    During their escape from the safe point, Vasilis and his goons had fled.


    Only Petyr remained, having betrayed Vasilis and helped them retrieve their spirit essence. He watched Matthew with a conflicted expression.


    Matthew, of course, ignored him. He would deal with him later, but for now, he had to rest and slowly fade from the unfortunate spotlight he had put himself under.


    Unfortunately, Jesse wasn''t making it easy.


    She knelt beside him with some fruit and their water bottles, then raised his head lightly to place it on her legs.


    He stared, uncomfortable. "Hey, you don''t have to¡ª"


    "Shut up. Don''t make it awkward. The only reason I have to help is because you don''t seem to have a sense of self-preservation."


    Matthew felt a little annoyed by her tone but shut it away. "I did what I had¡ª"


    "Shut up. I don''t care."


    Matthew rolled his eyes. "Would you let me speak?"


    "When you learn to not throw yourself at any problem headfirst," she muttered before shoving a piece of fruit she had cut into his mouth.


    She had some herself and smiled. "Yoooo, what the hell? It tastes like a really sweet strawberry, but it has more juice."


    "Too much juice, honestly."


    "Shut up. It''s alright."


    Matthew licked the inside of his mouth. The fruit was a bit too sweet. He asked, "Can I have water?"


    She glared at him before letting him have some from her bottle.


    He decided to eat the fruit peacefully to avoid an argument. He personally preferred the one with red spots he had given the Monarch.


    Joey stared at him a little funny before Matthew remembered their talk in the Dark Forest. Jamie was also looking at him grimly.


    She''s throwing a spanner in the works. Jamie will never hear a word out of my mouth clearly again.


    Parker was smiling at him and seemed to want to say something dumb. Before Matthew could stop him, he asked¡ª


    "Hey, what about that sword you got?"


    Everyone turned to him, remembering he had gotten an Armament.


    Brian frowned. "Where''d you get a wish coin anyway?"


    "I gave him one. It was Paul''s¡­ well, you know. Anyway, he said he would give me one back."


    Matthew winced as he fished the three wish coins out of his pocket and tossed them to Parker.


    Adelina beamed. "Wow, you guys really went hard."


    Joey shrugged. "Matthew found two, and Jamie found one later. Hehe, you can say Matthew''s winning¡ªtwo to one."


    Jamie glared at him, but Joey laughed carelessly.


    Brian frowned but ignored them, instead asking, "Summon the sword. Let''s see."


    Matthew internally groaned. I''m on, like, ten percent charge. Can you folks leave me alone?


    He sighed, summoning some strength to speak.


    Jesse beat him to it. "Hey, let him rest. He¡­ he''s an idiot who almost killed himself five times today."


    "Two times, actually, I¡ª"


    "Shut up."


    Matthew sighed before sitting up, resisting Jesse''s attempt to pull him back down.


    He grimaced in pain and turned to Brian, looking at him through exhausted eyes.


    He hesitated before saying, "The name of the sword is Kinslayer. Its rank is Rare."


    Parker shook his head, impressed. "What''s its description? Why don''t you summon it?"


    Asha intervened. "It''s kind of a cursed sword. He can''t dismiss it till he hurts something with it."


    She rubbed her forearm where a small cut was.


    Seeing the concerned look in Parker''s eyes, she quickly added, "I asked him to cut me so that he could dismiss it."


    Kirk was completely geeked out, smiling. "Kinslayer is such a cool name! And that''s the first rare thing we''ve gotten from the Root."


    Matthew had hoped no one would notice, but this, of course, started another conversation.

 Chapter 24

    Everyone began to discuss the sword. Jackson''s Blue Trick was just fair, but it held up well against all monsters¡ªexcept the ants, of course.


    They imagined the crazy things a rare sword could do.


    Jackson looked stumped. "How many abilities does it have?"


    Matthew pulled up the interface without touching it. "Its description reads¡ª"


    "Wait, did you just open the screen without using your hands?" someone interrupted.


    "Yes, but let me finish this. The description reads¡ª"


    A blade passed down among the kings of the lands hidden in the mists. They were a treacherous people, and their leaders were the worst of them.


    Each king was said to have spilled the blood of at least five relatives to climb to the pinnacle. They held no beliefs, no honor, no loyalty¡ªonly the shackles of the Mists of Forgetfulness kept them together.


    Ariel has gifted you this blade in hopes that it leads to your death.


    When the sword is white, your ability to hide your presence improves. After ten strikes, it turns black, removing your stealth, but any wound inflicted will weaken your enemy.


    Beware¡ªafter twenty strikes, the sword will send you into a state of madness. It will also not release you until you draw blood.


    If dismissed, it will not return for two minutes.


    Increases attack power, speed and body control, decreases mental acuity and patience


    A moment passed as everyone digested what he had said. A few looks of pity were cast on him.


    Jesse sighed. "Lady Ariel fails us once more."


    There was a row of murmurs before Kirk leaned in and said carefully, "I know we''re all supposed to feel sad that some dead god hates you, but that sword feels like something straight out of a story."


    Matthew shrugged. "The white form is honestly more useful than the black."


    Asha corrected him. "It wasn''t as useful against the ants, but that doesn''t mean it''s useless. Honestly, imagine using the black form to slowly whittle down a stronger opponent''s power."


    "I''d have to survive long enough for that. I''m not as fast as you."


    Brian nodded, asking another important question. "How were you moving like that, by the way? It was like watching a cartoon."


    They told them about the stat cards and what had happened. Matthew was kind of impressed¡ªhe thought only Asha had reached Level 3, but Parker had too, and they had both drawn one stat card.


    Jamie frowned. "You gave her all that essence?"


    Parker looked a little uncomfortable. "We agreed to give it to her because she was the closest to Level 2."


    "You could have easily just given the Wall Crawler''s essence to someone else."


    "She''s the one who put her life on the line to kill it."


    "She set it on fire? She acted as bait?" Jamie retorted.


    Parker was quiet for a while before saying, "We all agreed to give it to her."


    Jamie looked frustrated at Parker''s inability to say anything else. "I''m not saying that was a bad thing, but¡­ imagine if you gave it to someone else?"


    "She was helpful. If we were together from the beginning, Paul¡­"


    Jamie groaned, now annoyed. "It wasn''t a bad decision, is that what you want to hear? But it may have been a better decision to give it to Paul. He would have been more effective than her."


    Everyone was quiet for a while.


    Asha broke it hesitantly. "Yeah¡­ it wasn''t the brightest idea. I got some essence, though, and I''m ready to give you guys."


    Jamie looked conflicted, scratching his chin. "I''m not trying to say we shouldn''t¡­ I don''t want to be the bad guy here, but I think our essence should go to people who can provide the most results."


    Many people agreed. So Matthew agreed. He didn''t like seeing Parker being put down, but if he was going to be ineffective, then Jamie was right for taking charge.


    Matthew, for one, wouldn''t go against the group consensus.


    The girls, for the most part, seemed to agree with this, but he could see the obvious reluctance.


    They realized what the future dynamics of the group could look like. It''s too early, honestly. And why had so many of them already thought about it?


    Matthew would have to understand what had happened here while they were gone.


    The guys who had stayed behind, who weren''t thrown into the hunt, mostly agreed. They looked eager to form groups and prove themselves.


    Adelina, who had been on the sidelines, handed someone a piece of her half-eaten fruit.


    Joey saw this and asked, confused, "What are you doing? Don''t let them think we''re some kind of charity."


    Adelina looked embarrassed but mumbled, "Being hungry isn''t nice."


    Joey grit his teeth. "Doesn''t mean we have to give them anything."


    Jesse intervened, not willing to let Joey attack her. "Lay off her. It''s her food. Besides, should we only feed the people who can bring us results too?"


    Jamie groaned. "Oh god, just stop. That''s not what I even meant."


    One of the girls grumbled, "If we''re giving food out by who bled for it, I think we shouldn''t be eating."


    Someone countered, "Don''t pretend like you don''t know why we aren''t giving them anything. They should go wait for bread to fall from the Altar''s hand since they were so ready before."


    Someone from outside the group spoke up angrily. "We''re sorry, okay? We were wrong, and now we are asking for help."


    "You don''t sound very sorry."


    Matthew chose to intervene now. "We are still going to expand the group, right? We lost people, and we have people here without complete groups of five."


    Jesse added quickly, "He''s right. We have a lot more food thanks to that bastard. We can spare some to help."


    Joey scoffed. "You know how injured we are? There won''t be another hunt for a couple of days. Matthew''s practically crippled."


    The argument jumped around for a while. Everyone was salty¡ªespecially after everything they went through to get this food.


    The people who had stayed behind, however, were more inclined to agree that just because someone wasn''t a member before the hunt didn''t mean they couldn''t join now.


    Parker asked carefully, "These are people like us. They need our help¡ª"


    One of Jamie''s Loadbearers sighed, exasperated. "Why are you acting like we''re just trying to be horrible? We have to be logical. We can''t just act on emotions."


    One of the people begging walked up to Jamie and fell to her knees. "Please¡­ we''re sorry about anything anyone said. We just need help. We''ll pull our own weight after that¡ªwe''ll help as much as possible."


    Jamie flinched, shocked by the tears and pleading. He signed, turning away. "Okay, we''ll help, but we need to check how much food we have and distribute the essence and wish coins. We have to decide how things will work. Now!"


    Everyone agreed, and they all poured out the spirit essence they had, along with the three wish coins.


    Altogether, they had just fifty-three¡ªenough to get only two people to level three and provide them with stat cards.


    They shelved that discussion and began counting the fruit and meat. There were thirty-three people in the group now, with about forty more wanting to join.


    Each original member got a full piece of meat and fruit, while the new members grouped in fives and shared.


    This was hotly contested by Jesse and Parker, but they ultimately lost, as even the newest members had to agree to the arrangement.


    Brian put forward an idea. "Right now, the fourth group is almost gone. Jackson is almost healed and has a weapon, so let''s rebuild them around him. We of the first group already have Matthew and Kinslayer. The second, third, and fifth should each get a wish coin and decide who uses it."


    The group was now massive, so he had to stand and speak, it was a bitter subject especially with the fourth group.


    Many people including Parker lowered their heads while some looked at the Wish coins wistfully.


    They were still receiving new members, so the original members had to share.


    Jamie looked to Parker, who largely agreed. Parker nodded and said, "Me and Asha are already level three, so I think we should invest in the other groups¡ªspecifically the first and second, who have the most experience."


    Kirk raised his hand, speaking benignly. "Can we stop calling them ''groups''? Something like ''Legion,'' ''Squad,'' or ''Company'' sounds better."


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Parker and many others rolled their eyes.


    Parker continued, "Let''s go with ''Legion,'' I guess. We should focus on level two. I don''t know if you guys are aware, but depending on the essence of the creature you absorb, you''ll get different boosts."


    This started a whole new discussion. Matthew was very interested, listening to the stories of visions from Parker and Jackson with rapt attention.


    Does that mean the essence of the creature will slowly change you? That sounds bad. Also¡­ was that why Jackson was looking at me like that? Because I killed a worm, and he thought he was it?


    Matthew sent a baffled look Jackson''s way, which prompted the boy to say, "I''m not angry at you anymore."


    What do you mean, ''angry at me''?


    People began to discuss what could be happening. Inane topics such as transformation into a mismatched monster and others talking about monopolizing specific monsters to get specific Stat cards and skills.


    There were more nuanced deeply thought out conversations happening that made Matthew miss when he could walk by himself, he would go around and hear them out to grow his knowledge.


    People talked of the possibility of essence being a literal definition of turning the defining aspects of a thing into something they could absorb.


    Some rather thought it was a spiritual energy that allowed these bizarre animals to fly in the face of biology and physics.


    Somewhere someone talked to a girl about the possibility of giving someone essence, the Root seemed to decide what determined a person could get essence¡ªso they talked softly of what the essence of a person would be.


    Asha separated the essence, checking the notes from the navigators. "These are from the Red Seeker, these are from the Black Hounds, these are from the Wooly Cattle, these are from the Horned Horses. These came from the dune caves¡ªwe have Salamander, Rolling Worms, Blade Demon¡ª"


    "What the hell are these names?" someone complained.


    "You don''t have anything better?"


    Asha glared, making an annoyed sound in her throat. "Oh, come off it! Those are now their official names."


    With forty-three essence, they decided that Jackson, Jamie, Colin (the Fifth Messenger), Matthew (the First Messenger), and Brian would each get eight essence.


    The remaining thirteen would be reserved for when they had more to give to the new groups.


    Matthew raised his head, wanting to get this out of the way immediately. "The Monarch gave me six spirit essences for helping him, so I''ll give my share to Joey and only take two. Also, cutting from Kirk''s style¡ªcan we call it ''exp''? It''s needlessly long."


    This didn''t go unnoticed unfortunately.


    Everyone began talking about the possibility of being gifted. Jesse leaned in close to his ear. "Don''t think this vindicates you¡ªyou''re still an idiot."


    Her breath was warm against his neck and smelled like strawberries.


    Jamie scoffed. "He''s a lucky idiot, anyway. He''s found three wish coins and now this."


    The possibility of being gifted was exciting, it meant there were creature out there that could give them special rewards for specific activities.


    Parker had been quiet most of the time unless he had to oppose something he thought was harmful.


    He smiled bitterly, "kind of like a game, huh? So what happened in the Central cavern was like an event."


    "Damn, I have to get on the Monarch''s good side."


    Someone exhaled wistfully. "Can I join y''all? You have the best luck."


    Joey frowned deeply. "Well, we are short on it now."


    There was a moment of silence, and the person tried to apologize


    Joey waved it off. "Can I have two more, then? Specifically the Salamander."


    Jamie interrupted, "Hey, I want the Salamander. There''s only eight."


    "You thinking of fire powers when it comes time for skill selection?"


    Jamie grinned. "You know me too well, bro. I''m out here tryna be like Heatblast."


    A disagreement broke out over who would get the eight essences from the Salamander and the Blade Demon.


    No one wanted the herbivores¡ªfinding them benign, and the Rolling Worm and Hounds seemed like second choices.


    Everyone in the group began to add their own opinions, who they felt were more suited to inherit specific powers.


    Many believed the blade demon was the deadliest based¡ªon what they had heard¡ªMatthew began to notice how many people thought that Jamie was the most capable person and argued on which was the best with him.


    Joey grimaced, remembering the boy who was beheaded. "I don''t want the Blade Demon. I don''t even have a weapon, so it''s not useful. Jamie, will you take it for me?"


    "I feel sorry for you, bro, but I also am not taking that," Jamie countered¡ªnot exactly fully against it, but not willing to agree either.


    Jackson spoke up. "I actually want the Blade Demon. He sounds awesome."


    Brian cringed and explained what happened to Paul, but Jackson was adamant. "That''s horrible, but we need its strength."


    Parker agreed begrudgingly. "If I hadn''t absorbed the Sand Swimmers already, I would have taken the Demon. It''s the strongest and probably the best for fighting."


    Jamie rescinded his bid for the Salamander to Joey and began trying to convince Jackson to let him absorb the Blade Demon.


    "I think I should, really. Matthew and I got swords, but we don''t know what you''ll get tomorrow," Jackson countered.


    In the end, Joey took the Salamander, Jackson took the Blade Demon, Jamie settled for the Black Hound.


    Colin¡ªstill healing from his gunshot wound¡ªtook the Woolly Cattle.


    Matthew found it strange that no one contested Colin''s share of the essence, since he was incapable of providing anything for his investment currently.


    He was the one who had gotten the worst injuries in the Fifth¡ªbut was their leader, in a way.


    Brian took the Rolling worm and some leftover Salamander essence, Matthew took two Red seeker essences ¡ª absorbing them to reach level two.


    He clenched his fist but didn''t feel necessarily stronger.


    Parker took the three wish coins. He gave one to Jamie and Colin, then kept the last for himself. He signed, looking at the massive group.


    At least seventy people. Most were girls, Matthew realized¡ªhe counted thirty-seven.


    Parker''s booming voice rang through the hall. "We''ve been through a lot¡ªthe Dark Forest, the dunes, Vasilis, and the Central Cavern''s battle. Our priority for tonight and tomorrow is to rest and make friends¡­ Some of you here, I know what you are, so couples will soon start to form among you¡ª"


    "Jesse, we see you!" someone interrupted.


    A chorus of laughter and jabs to his belly surrounded Matthew. Jesse blushed brightly, glancing at him, but he showed no reaction.


    That''s beyond a bad idea. Even if she fancied me, I don''t think we should¡­


    Parker continued as they quieted down. "The boys¡ªwe have around what¡­ twenty new boys here? You''ll form four new groups, and then tomorrow, you''re out. The Third Group will be with you, since we so greedily got to level three."


    Jamie scowled at him. "No one called you greedy."


    Parker ignored him. "Anyway, tomorrow we have to gather twenty-one essence. Hopefully, some wish coins too. But our primary objective is essence points¡­ and Vasilis."


    He finished solemnly. "I want us to focus on ourselves I guess¡ªbut for Paul, Mini, George, Kieran, Oliver and Finley. There has to be justice for everyone we lost to¡­ greed"


    Brian nodded, a dark look in his eyes. "We have to find that bastard no matter what."


    They all then dispersed, forming smaller groups to discuss and cook the meat in the exit tunnel, where they could dig the pit fires.


    Matthew stared up at the ceiling while the rest talked. He wanted to approach Parker and help him sort through his feelings about Paul''s death but he couldn''t without drawing a lot of attention.


    He had to consider who he could use as an instrument for such a delicate task and the proper rhetoric he could apply.


    I have to be careful. No matter how I feel about Jesse or Parker, I can''t let it alienate me from the group. Whether Jamie takes over or Jesse likes someone, I have to be ready to put myself in a good position.


    He sighed, remembering the descriptions of Kinslayer and what Ariel had called him.


    Betrayer.

 Chapter 25

    Matthew nearly slept for seven hours before the noises woke him up.


    The fountain had begun flowing again, water flowing softly from the statue''s six arms.


    The sound of water flowing filled the massive temple, and people surrounded it, collecting water and chatting.


    Most importantly, they talked about the wishes that would be made.


    He was a bit far from it, closer to the second exit, surrounded by people. Leaning against his bag, he listened to the conversation on the edge of the group.


    His leg burned with a relentless, blistering pain.


    Sleep tugged at him, but instead, he pulled out his commonplace book and began reading through his collected quotes.


    The rhetoric he used in arguments, the way he viewed ideas¡ªit all stemmed from a simple belief: any idea was reasonable in the absence of something better.


    So he borrowed logic from different places. Most of the time, the method didn''t matter to him¡ªonly the results.


    Parker, Jamie, and Colin became the center of attention, bombarded with questions from all directions. Their group had grown diverse, drawing in all kinds of people.


    Parker, towering over most, had brown wavy hair that fell over his forehead unkept and calm blue eyes.


    Despite his size, there was a softness to his face¡ªboyish, unassuming. He was dressed very plainly and had only an old watch on his thick forearm


    Jamie was dark-skinned with tight twists, had sharp, charming eyes and a confident smile.


    A faint goatee framed his strong jaw, and a bandana covered a bump on his head¡ªa souvenir from the Central Cavern battle. He was dressed a lot less stylishly than before, his green cargo pants stained with mud.


    His black windbreaker was now zipped up as his white tee was beyond dirty.


    Colin was smaller than them but carried himself with an easy charisma. His skin was pale, almost pasty, and his playful brown eyes and round face contrasted with the deep, rough edge in his voice.


    He was wearing all black when he first arrived but had to switch to a pair of shorts which were pulled up around one leg revealing a white wrap of gauze


    Everyone sat around, talking languidly about their situation. No one spoke of the real world anymore¡ªonly the here and now mattered.


    "Do you think we only get weapons from the wishing?"


    "Jamie, let''s make a bet that you''ll get a magical hairbrush."


    Jamie rolled his eyes at the joke. "If it helps us, I don''t mind."


    Kirk turned to Matthew. "This would be a lot cooler if you were wishing too."


    Matthew silently nodded, he wondered how things would go from here,he couldn''t predict the future, the only thing he could try was make guesses at how people would behave.


    He had realised after the whole Vasilis fiasco that he needed more eyes, the problem now was how he could do that without entangling himself too deeply with other people.


    The skills he had cultivated all these years¡ªwhile useful in normal life,were useless in situations with such high stakes.


    The only reason I invested so much time into observational skills was to make up for my lack of social skills.


    He could tell a very convincing lie and was well read in many fields but a lot of that he had never practised till here.


    He had to be careful not to be too forward with his methods or affect the group''s overall mindset as long as it didn''t affect him.


    Jamie and Brian entertained the crowd with stories of their hunts.


    Jamie talked about the Red seeker and the Dark forest¡ª he talked of the psychedelic and random lights, the sudden sounds and deadly monsters.


    Before long he noticed and changed the way he told the story making it more nightmarish.


    Matthew found the change in tone halfway interesting, how Jamie had noticed the demeanor of the crowd and switched to telling a horror story.


    He even weaved in the scouts reports of the jungle, he talked about Joey and Matthew screaming in abject horror because of the Yellow dragon¡ªwhat they had named it¡ªsmiling tauntingly at Joey and Matthew.


    He described how the scouts from his group had been chased by a horned horse and almost mauled describing the terrible muscles and deranged eyes of the black beast.


    "We walked into the cave kind of carefree but something felt wrong inside, there was this smell of rot and the darkness seemed to hide something sinister." he paused looking around.


    "When I first walked in, it was so cold and I could hear something gurgling¡­ like someone choking on their own blood. When we got close enough it jumped out trying to bite us, a pale mutilated body with a white flower with a bloody stem coming out from one of it''s eyes!"


    Everyone jumped some becoming very pale while the people who had actually seen the parasite looked more disgusted remembering the flower and the body being torn apart by those dogs


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Brian, ever the dramatist, took center stage afterward, waving a piece of bone armor from the rolling bug as he recounted their first kill.


    Matthew found it odd¡ªhow the usually serious and diligent Brian could slip so easily into playfulness.


    As Brian reached the climax of the story, he slowed his tempo, his voice lowering for effect.


    "We all distracted it while Matthew charged forward, leaping and grabbing the sword," he said, his eyes wide with excitement.


    Then, breaking into a laugh, he ran around the small circle, mimicking the motion. "He ran the sword across the beast''s belly, yanked it free, and watched as it collapsed¡ªdefeated!"


    Many girls turned to Matthew, their hands over their mouths in exaggerated awe. "wasn''t it scary?"


    "You don''t seem like the fearless type."


    He cringed internally as they tried to stoke his ego.


    Jesse, however, sat beside Brian, glaring at him.


    It made even Matthew wish, just a little, that she would put away her disciplined act and praise him for once.


    Jamie noticed her look and turned to him. "Even with the Red Seeker, you kind of threw yourself out there. I remember how scared you looked when you were screaming for us to help you."


    Matthew''s face contorted at the memory. "Yeah, I rather like being here than out there."


    Asha immediately contradicted his fear. "I don''t really believe that. Y''all should have seen this guy running between the legs of those ants. Climbing the ant! Like, he deadass just got on one and climbed. He even put his sword between his teeth."


    Everyone, even Jamie¡ªwho had been trying to downplay Matthew¡ªwas now looking at him, concerned for his sanity.


    Matthew stumbled over his words. "Hey, at that time, Kinslayer was¡­ driving me crazy, so it felt like a reasonable idea."


    "How? What could you gain from climbing it?" someone asked, stupefied.


    Matthew explained how he had stabbed the ant in a gap between its armor, disabling its mandibles.


    He also reminisced about almost losing his fingers while climbing.


    This didn''t help his case, as Jesse was now trying to slap him. He held her back, hurriedly explaining himself.


    After a few moments, Joey grinned. "At least we can take a break now. We have an idea of what time the ants hunt."


    "The teams going out will also be more experienced," a girl added.


    Parker nodded. "Our methods will be more refined now. We''ll have teams hunting in the dunes and Dark Forest while others shuttle the kills back to the safe point for butchering and harvesting the meat and essence."


    Everyone was now much more confident. They had slept in batches, as Jesse and the others who had stayed behind had already rested.


    When they woke up, more people volunteered to join the hunts.


    The number of people was becoming too hard to manage. Eventually, they began to divide into different units¡ªor legions, as they were now called.


    There were seven hunting legions, two in charge of the safe point and material processing, and one in charge of moving supplies.


    Parker and Jamie oversaw the hunting groups, each managing either the dunes or the Dark Forest.


    Colin was in charge of the safe point, while Casey, shockingly enough, was put in charge of the wandering teams.


    Matthew looked at Casey with a mocking doubtful expression.


    Casey flipped him off. "I know it''s hard to understand that I''m above you now, but if you keep looking at me like that, I''ll poke your eyes out."


    Matthew smirked. "Keep your hair on, mate. No need for that."


    Casey had a weird look on his face. He asked, "Do you gain anything from downplaying yourself like that, or are you actually crazy?"


    Matthew shrugged and flexed his burnt leg. "Probably just crazy. Everything I did with Vasilis was pretty instinctual."


    Casey raised an eyebrow before turning away from him. He whispered as he watched the fountain, "Instinct, huh?"


    It was time to make a wish.


    The three wish-makers walked up to the fountain, which was now mostly empty. P


    arker closed his eyes, visualizing his wish as the others did the same. Almost simultaneously, they cast their coins.


    A warm glow of reds, oranges, and blues filled the white temple.


    The warmth chased away the temple''s usual dreary cold, and Matthew could smell various things¡ªsalt water, the dry and earthy scent of a beach.


    He could feel the sun, hear the waves.


    And then there was another sound¡ªa girl''s laugh, followed by a splash of water.


    Matthew could almost see it: a girl with short black hair and freckles, her playful blue eyes blinding under the sun as she ran from a taller boy who splashed water at her.

 Chapter 26

    Parker and the others retreated from the fountain, everyone watching them.


    Without being asked, they all summoned their armaments.


    Parker summoned a wicked axe that looked like it had been carved from jade.


    It was a light green with darker green blotches along its edges, resembling flowing liquid.


    It was single-edged, with its blunt side featuring strange holes and sharp protrusions.


    Jamie summoned a long steel spear.


    It seemed fairly normal¡ªfully metal, with a red body. Its spearhead, however, was blue, and the socket where the spearhead attached was designed like a sea monster with many teeth.


    Colin, shockingly, summoned a white lantern. It had six strange gems and a wide brown base adorned with tiny figurines locked in different activities, conversations, walks and duels.


    Applause and loud whoops of excitement rippled through the cavern. Those not part of their group watched passively.


    Many were envious and weak, their eyes glinting with something almost hungry.


    Jesse hummed as the light faded. "I love wishes. They always help me remember nice things."


    Matthew was surprised to learn this was universal. "What did you remember? Did the light feel¡­ warm and smell like the sea?"


    Jesse shook her head. "For me, it was cold. The air had this taste, like steel. But there was warmth¡ªa bonfire, the smell of wool, kind of wet. I went camping with my friends."


    Matthew was intrigued by how the fountain triggered these sensations. Maybe it connected to something beyond normal perception. Could it be a message?


    It was a good feeling, so maybe it was a message of something good happening. His little sister. The sound of waves. The warm breeze. What could that mean?


    Hmm¡­ This is one place Bayesian statistics helps no one.


    Jesse asked, "What did you see?"


    He described the beach and his little sister, wondering if it meant something.


    Adelina, who was nearby, opened her mouth as if to ask if it had to mean something.


    Then she shut it and instead said, "We''re dealing with some kind of deity here. I''m not religious, but maybe it''s raising our spiritual intuition or something."


    They passed the weapons around so people would feel them, Jamie looked a little unwilling to give out the red spear while Colin was giving people his Lantern and calling people over to feel it.


    Joey rubbed his hands over the Lantern. "I guess Jackson was right. They didn''t even bother giving Colin something he could use to hit someone over the head with."


    Colin rolled his eyes. "This is way better than a weapon. In fact, I have to say this is incomparably more precious than your sharp sticks."


    Brian''s eyes widened as he asked, "It''s higher than rare?"


    Colin raised his hand dramatically. "No, but it''s still better. Guess?"


    Everyone was silent, refusing to indulge him.


    Jamie rolled his eyes. "Just tell us, man."


    Colin sighed, muttering, "You guys are so boring."


    Then he read aloud:


    White Lantern of Nazguire


    Rank: Rare


    Description: The light of the void lives within this lantern, bringing the blessings of the second sun.


    Power is born through knowledge, and blessings come to those prepared to sacrifice.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Daytime Effect: Heals injuries as long as the six gems are saturated with mana. The lantern generates a field that significantly speeds up recovery for six hours.


    Nighttime Effect: The mana can be used to grant a person one skill for 12 hours. This skill is random.


    Six people, including the lantern''s master, must bind themselves to the gems, losing five mana per day.


    Increases concentration and mana regeneration.


    Jamie scowled. "That''s actually pretty awesome. I got Fair rank. My spear can shoot out the tip every sixty seconds."


    Parker nodded. "I got Fair too. After ten attacks, I can throw a stronger hit."


    The conversations continued from there, which irked him a little as he felt all the descriptions were important.


    They began to formalize the groups, leading to their strategies as well as the First and second group giving their opinions on surviving the Dark forest


    "We''ve already investigated the first terrace pretty well, there are two you can get two terraces on the next level. The one the Yellow dragons fled to is also close to the swamp Joey advised you to avoid, the other terrace is hard to get to, the drop is extremely high but it''s well lit and we didn''t notice many monsters nearby"


    "So yeah my suggestion is gathering vines for a ladder while avoiding the yellow lizard''s territory,"


    He didn''t have to stand when he spoke so when he was done Parker continued his own speech.


    Matthew turned slightly to Asha who was beside him. "I wish we could hear the exact descriptions of the other armaments. They seem important."


    "White Lantern of Nazguire... where is Nazguire?" Asha muttered, frowning. "That''s another place I''ve never heard of."


    Kirk scratched his head. "Did yours come from some fantasy world?" he asked Parker.


    Parker who was just done speaking remaining standing to read out his weapon''s description:


    Green Claw


    Rank: Fair


    Description: Green Claw was the trusty weapon of a lone martial artist. He loved his axe and was seen swinging it everywhere.


    He followed the Proud Lord of the Heavens in his campaigns to conquer the world after Ariel''s death and reaped many lives with his chaotic attacks.


    Grants the ability to build power with each successful strike.


    The tenth strike delivers twice the force.


    Increases attack power, stamina, and patience.


    Jackson seemed unwilling to have to repeat what the red spear could do but reluctantly revealed his spear''s description:


    Steady Spear


    Rank: Fair


    Description: After the fall of the blue star, the world was drowned in water.


    These spears were used to hunt and slay the great monsters that rose from the devouring depths of the sea.


    The tip of the spear can be shot at enemies every sixty seconds.


    Increases attack power, concentration and accuracy


    Matthew felt a little bewildered by the descriptions. He knew now that they could definitely be on another world.


    He looked up at the plain roof of the White temple wondering what the skies looked like now.

 Chapter 27

    Ariel''s death. Multiple worlds¡­ some with multiple suns, some led by deities, others completely drowned in water.


    Matthew thought. They are definitely not Earth as we know it. But is it a past we don''t know about? Or a future?


    Kirk stroked his beard, frowning. "Not gonna lie¡­ I have no idea what to do with this information."


    Matthew stayed silent, thinking deeply. If these weapons had come from other worlds, why were they here? Were they left behind, or was something actively supplying them? It made him even more curious about the altar and its deeper functions.


    He turned his focus back to Colin. Healing was critical in their environment. The White Lantern was a major boost to their survival.


    The longer someone could fight, the more damage they could deal.


    Jesse examined the lantern and asked, "How much does it improve recovery?"


    Colin shrugged, pushing it toward her. "We can test it on us cripples," he said, pointing at Matthew.


    Jesse grimaced, glancing at Matthew''s red, swollen legs.


    Some spots were burned worse than others. "He has mostly first-degree burns, but some are second-degree. Normally, it would take at least three to four weeks to heal. Your wound, Colin, would take six to eight weeks before you could walk properly."


    Joey clapped excitedly. "So with faster healing, we could be out there next week, maybe?"


    Matthew shot him a deadpan look. "Have you never heard of a break?"


    Jamie smirked. "You won''t eat with too many breaks. If you can get out there tomorrow, you need to be out there."


    Colin had a serious look in his dark eyes. "Even if you can''t, let''s at least help the hunting teams while we recover. I hate not being able to walk."


    Parker frowned uncomfortably, rubbing his wrist. "We actually need to save the healing field for when we come back, in case anyone gets seriously injured."


    Colin looked impatient but nodded. Turning to the Fifth Legion, he asked, "Alright, let''s bind ourselves to the lantern. Um¡­ who else? Jesse, you''re like a doctor, right? You wanna join us?"


    Jesse''s eyes brightened a lot as she nodded and stepped forward.


    The binding was completed, she also joined the Fifth legion bringing their total to six members.


    Meanwhile, Jamie and Parker began discussing their next mission.


    The White Temple was buzzing with movement. The red glow of the torches bathed them in its energizing light.


    People moved around, discussing and drinking their water. They sat on the smooth white stone, their expressions forceful yet tinged with fear.


    They had to get out there and find food.


    Matthew was waiting for someone¡ªa representative from another group¡ªto come meet them.


    There were many different groups, most composed of either boys or girls. The girls formed large clusters, speaking in hushed, uncertain voices. The boys were bolder, arguing among themselves.


    Each group averaged at least ten people, while massive, already successful groups like Parker''s had nearly a hundred.


    They mostly congregated and camped near the second exit, which was close to the hidden route leading to the safe point.


    Thomas'' group still hadn''t returned. They had gone out and came back after gathering water, but then left again and had been missing all night.


    From what Matthew had heard, they had recruited many more people, their numbers now reaching almost fifty.


    Jamie turned to Casey while they were talking about procedures. "Watch the transport group. People will try to skimp on the stones they collect."


    Parker frowned at how loudly Jamie had said it but didn''t object. He turned to Colin. "Have you figured out the timing?"


    Colin nodded. "Yeah. It''s night mode now. I checked my status, and it says I can pick a skill."


    Joey looked conflicted. "We can pick a skill now¡­ but will their mana regenerate in time for healing if we need it?"


    Jamie laughed. "We survived without skills or armaments before. They''ll be fine. Besides, only one person gets a skill¡ªwho''s it gonna be? The Dunes or the Dark Forest team?"


    Darwin, the Fourth Messenger, spoke up. "The Dunes are deadlier than the Dark Forest. Parker should get it."


    Jamie scowled. "A couple salamanders and sand swimmers aren''t as bad as Red Seekers or Yellow dragons."


    Darwin shrugged. "But the ants attack there more often. Plus, the Blade Demon and those titans are down there. There''s also no food or water¡ªevery piece of food has to be fought for."


    "Hey, it''s not like we''re sending them in unprepared," Joey argued. "Both our Level Three''s are going down there with two armaments."


    "The forest isn''t a playground either," he added. "The frequency and chances of getting into a fight on the first terrace are far higher."


    Parker stood, spreading his arms. "Let''s go with the Dark Forest group. They need more power."


    He paused. "Actually, I wanted to say we shouldn''t use the mana yet, but let''s switch the people bound to the Lantern. They''ll sacrifice their mana, we draw the skill, then they unbind, and the Fifth Legion takes their place again."


    Everyone agreed, admiring his quick and decisive thinking.


    Matthew watched the group closely, gauging their reactions.


    He was also watching for Joshua while testing different prompts on his stat screen, searching for hidden functions.


    He wanted to find a translation or information feature of some sorts.


    The skill-drawing process began. Six people bound themselves to the Lantern, sacrificing their mana.


    Colin activated the skill draw, and the Lantern glowed with golden light, illuminating its white paper screens.


    The figurines on its wide brown base began to move. Some walked, admiring their surroundings.


    Others sat, eyes closed in deep concentration. Many spoke in pairs or small gatherings.


    A figure was cast in the light, a shadowy figure watching the figurines. It wore a crown adorned with three sun symbols and smiled softly.


    People began to whisper to each other, Adelina suggested to Jesse that the shadowy figure was some kind of king or god.


    Some people were more interested in the moving figurines as they seemed glued to the brown base of the lantern before.


    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    A stack of cards appeared over the Lantern, shuffling themselves in midair. The noise drew attention, and soon, a crowd formed around them.


    Murmurs filled the cavern:


    "Hey, what the hell is that?"


    "It''s an armament."


    "Wow, what kind of armament is that? It''s not a sword... and what''s with the cards?"


    "A magic Lantern! Hey, do you mind if we ask what it does?" a girl squealed, turning to one of the formal group members.


    The boy she asked grinned proudly. "The Lantern grants one skill. We''re picking a skill before heading out on our mission."


    "Ehhhh, that sounds OP¡ªa skill before Level Five?"


    A newer member of the formal group frowned. "Wait, when did they decide this? And who''s getting the skill?"


    "You should''ve stuck around instead of running off," someone replied. "They''re giving it to the Fourth gro¡ªuh, I mean, the Fourth Legion."


    "What about us? We don''t get any skills?"


    As explanations and rumors spread, Matthew called Petyr over for the first time since he''d switched sides.


    "Hey, how are you doing?"


    "I''m good," Petyr said with a shrug. "Well-fed and rested, I guess."


    "I need your help," Matthew admitted. "I can''t move around, so go into those big groups and clarify their misunderstandings about the card draw. Challenge their assumptions."


    Petyr hesitated. "Why? Just let them misunderstand. It''s not like they can do anything."


    "A lie said a thousand times becomes true when no opposing evidence is presented. Trust me, okay?" Matthew clarified before he told Petyr the points he wanted him to counter and slowly suggested points he could use to argue, not wanting Petyr to feel he was being ordered to spread an idea.


    He didn''t need to worry about being slow or methodical with who he approached or spread his ideas to because Petyr could openly challenge ideas and be domineering, allowing the ideas to spread quickly.


    At the same time, Matthew nudged Brian into action by appealing to his sense of truth and order, telling him that people thought Parker''s group was monopolizing the Lantern.


    Meanwhile, Asha groaned. "This is even longer than the stat card draw."


    Parker nodded but remained silent.


    A minute later, he said, "It''s ending."


    The cards stopped shuffling. Three of them floated forward, each one beautifully illustrated.


    One depicted a towering clock tower, another a grand mansion, and the third, a strange warrior.


    Colin turned to Jackson, the chosen recipient. "Tap on them to see the rank and description. It''ll ask if you want to pick a card. Be careful not to click ''yes'' by accident."


    Jackson exhaled and stepped forward, tapping the middle card.


    Name: Harrigan''s Umbrella


    Rank: Epic


    Description: Harrigan was a proud great mage of the dark world, he seeked magic that would turn back time to when the world had light.


    Using six mana, create a small field of time degradation for thirty seconds. An illusory umbrella will form. By controlling its opening, you can slow down incoming attacks.


    The card showed a man with long, black hair holding a black umbrella with a golden tip.


    He was dressed in a strange black suit covered in buttons, flaps, and pockets, with a long coat that transitioned from red at the top to deep black at the bottom.


    There was a dark clock tower behind him that had strange symbols.


    Jackson moved to the second card. It featured a beautiful woman with brown hair, sharp blue eyes, and glossy red lips curved into a playful smile.


    She stood in front of a golden mansion with black windows and massive white arches.


    Name: Defiled Sigil


    Rank: Epic


    Description: favoured weapon of the priest of defilement.


    Using five mana, you can mark anything with a sigil of defilement, which attacks its spirit and reduces its potentcy.


    Finally, Jackson examined the third card.


    It depicted a fully armored warrior with a raised faceplate, revealing an alien-like creature with blue skin and large yellow eyes.


    The warrior wielded a spiky sword and wore a red surcoat over his armor, displaying a heraldry of a four-eyed beast with massive, protruding teeth.


    Name: Great Wind Sword


    Rank: Rare


    Description: Using twenty stamina, strike as fast as the wind. After five strikes, your entire body moves faster as well.


    Matthew immediately spoke before anyone else could. "What would be the best for supporting against stronger threats?"


    People looked around, murmuring as they considered his question.


    Jackson looked conflicted, while Asha''s excitement dimmed slightly.


    Parker gave Matthew an approving smile before concluding, "I think the choice is pretty obvious. Great Wind Sword is rare and only benefits one person, same with Harrigan''s Umbrella. The best choice is Defiled Sigil."


    "I think Harrigan''s Umbrella, aside from its trash name, is actually very useful," someone objected.


    "It''s literally time magic. How is that not overpowered?" Jamie insisted.


    A few people nodded in agreement, though the majority remained unconvinced.


    Asha reluctantly added, "As much as I''d love to see umbrella magic in action, Defiled Sigil basically weakens enemies into something we can actually fight."


    Kirk nodded. "Yeah, debuffs are great when you''re underleveled. Every fight against stronger opponents means one bad hit could kill us."


    "And the sigil can be placed on anything," Matthew said, reinforcing their argument.


    Jesse''s eyes lit up as an idea formed. "We could use it on poison¡ªor even the air¡ªto give monsters carbon dioxide poisoning."


    Jamie hesitated to disagree but clarified, "We could use the umbrella for that too, to slow down poison or even blood loss."


    "Yes, but we can''t heal poison after the thirty seconds ends," Joey countered. "With the sigil, we could weaken the poison, then use water to flush it out or help the body fight it. We could also use it on walls to create new paths or set traps."


    Eventually, everyone was convinced. They chose Defiled Sigil and began preparations¡ªthe second exploration began.

 Chapter 28 - Declaration

    Matthew watched as people left the White Temple.


    He waved at Parker and Asha, who looked strangely optimistic, then turned to see Jesse leaving with Colin and the rest of the Fifth Legion.


    She stopped beside him, bag slung over her shoulder, and fixed him with a stern look. "Do not walk on that. Stay here, get some sleep, and drink your¡ª"


    "You have to be taking the piss. How am I¡ª"


    "I don''t want to hear any of that. Don''t. Go. Anywhere," she asserted. "I''ll be right back. If we manage to get any honey, aloe vera, or pine resin, I''ll be back even earlier. Eat your fruits and drink¡ª"


    "Okay, okay, you''ve said this a million times," he retorted, shooing her away.


    As the groups left, the temple grew eerily empty.


    Some others had already departed earlier, and now the massive temple stretched on forever, its white stone walls reflecting the red light of the high torches.


    Matthew yawned, his eyes glazed over. He tried looking ahead trying to predict what was next.


    At a certain point, he had become disillusioned by the tediousness of it all.


    He missed his room, where he could be alone.


    The comic book posters on the wall, his dark brown desk with his laptop casually open, books neatly packed around it, the bookshelf beside it filled with his novels and textbooks.


    He missed its sweet citrus scent and the organization. His bed up against the wall.


    The window that overlooked the dorm gardens, where people played about.


    He missed the Saturdays when he could sit at his desk analyzing a book before taking a break, watching couples and friend groups lounge on the grass, laughing as the sun grazed their skin.


    Matthew opened his eyes, pulling himself from the memory. He studied the temple¡ªthe soft, sparsely decorated arches, the wide, flat roof and the four great pillar with strange symbols.


    He examined the symbols for a while but eventually gave up, receiving no translation assistance from the Status screen.


    The whole situation made him roll his eyes. It wasn''t possible that they had all been moved underground without knowing.


    And this temple¡ªit felt like it didn''t belong here.


    His gaze shifted to the people left behind.


    The First and Second Legions were the only ones still here. They had given out some of their food to other groups since most of their fighters were out, no point in testing their restraints.


    The only one armed person here was Matthew, and he was crippled.


    Jamie had given away the Steady Spear to aid the exploration teams, leaving them vulnerable if anyone chose to attack.


    He glanced at the girls reading novels, books that some had managed to bring along.


    His attention settled on the black-haired girl he had spoken to when he first returned.


    Jane. He had heard a little of wh¨¤t had happened while he was away.


    She was rather attractive but very quiet.


    She swept her smooth, shiny hair back and flipped the page of her book, her faint, clear blue eyes carefully absorbing each word.


    Her skin was pale and soft¡ªit reminded Matthew of paper. He had the strange thought that if he touched her, his fingers might tear through her skin.


    Her lips were a faint red against the white, her nose sharp and straight.


    He looked away just before she turned to glance at him.


    Years of being a weirdo had given him a sense for when someone was about to look back. But even so, he had a feeling she knew he had been watching.


    Matthew didn''t mind playing it off like he was attracted to her, but a strange look passed over her face that he didn''t expect.


    Jane stood, then glided over to him.


    His heart rate spiked for a second before he forced it down, cycling through conversation tricks in his head.


    She sat against the white temple wall, near where he was lying.


    He often chose to sleep against walls subconsciously.


    Smiling a little forcefully, she said, "You seem bored. And we haven''t talked much, so I thought we could chat."


    Was she watching me too? Or am I just being egotistical? She was reading, so why would she be watching me? I shouldn''t delude myself into thinking she was thinking about me. What could her goal be? She shouldn''t have the idea that I''m close to Parker or Jamie. The way I interact with Parker, I make myself seem distant and uncomfortable. And Jamie talks to me like I''m a bum.


    He couldn''t stay in his head for too long. He nervously answered, "Just a little uncomfortable¡­ You looked pretty taken by that book a second ago."


    "Did i? I was a little bored." She glanced at the book in her hand. "Brave New World. Have you ever heard of it?"


    Matthew shook his head, pretending to know nothing about it.


    She sighed, disappointed. "You must read it. The author has such a masterful imagination. What kind of books do you usually read?"


    "Uh¡­ epic fantasy, I guess. Or science fiction. I''m not really a voracious reader."


    Jane''s smile widened. "Really? With such a diverse word palette? ¡­Anyway, I think you''d like this. It really borders on fantasy. I mean, the people in this world are controlled just by drugging them up and letting them feed on their base desires. Is that even possible?"


    Matthew signed internally, but she had nonverbally passed the baton to him. Not responding would be an underhanded move.


    "I don''t think so. People are different. Not all of them enjoy that kind of stuff."


    "Are you sure?"


    What?


    Matthew''s face twitched slightly at the way she questioned his basic response, but he chose to nod.


    "Of course," she said. "I just wasn''t sure. It''s hard, you know, being in a group like this. Sometimes we just have to follow. People like Parker and Asha make us feel kind of small."


    She paused, then quickly raised her hands, as if anxious she had offended him. "I don''t mean you, though! I mean¡ªyou''re kind of a hero!"


    Matthew struggled to not roll his eyes. "Don''t worry about it. And you don''t have to feel small, you know. Asha''s short too, anyway."


    She let out a girlish laugh. It was strangely cute, considering their situation.


    She whipped her head back, still laughing. "But she''s done so many amazing things, right? She fought against the monsters out there."


    "out there we all are really small. Being brave isn''t enough to survive," Matthew agreed.


    He decided to steer the conversation in that direction, wanting to learn how she felt about the other member.


    She seemed nice¡ªat least, nice enough to hold back her laughter when he joked about Asha, she had a sort of respect for the people out there.


    The way she rubbed her hands and sat at the edge of his sight made him think she wasn''t used to leading conversations.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    She reminded him of a more awkward but more attractive version of Adelina.


    She likely had a reclusive personality but was attractive enough to have plenty of friends. As for why she was so introverted, he could only guess. The best way to understand was through her actions.


    His gaze drifted down to a shiny bracelet on her arm. He reached for it, feigning interest.


    She withdrew sharply, her eyes flashing with irritation.


    Matthew quickly apologized. "Oh, I''m sorry, I just¡­ I just¡ª"


    "Don''t worry," she insisted. "I''m just a bit, umm, jumpy."


    "It''s scary here," she continued. "You never know what could happen. Like with that Vasilis boy. He snapped out of nowhere. He seemed like a decent¡ª"


    "He''s not," Matthew corrected, his eyes darkening. "He was a broken piece of trash who liked hurting others."


    A shadow passed over his face as he remembered something. "He couldn''t deal with his trauma the right way."


    Jane was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded. "You''re right, I guess. I''ve always been horrible at picking out good people. His plan was pretty smart, though."


    Matthew was about to correct her again when he felt a knot form in his stomach. He paused and simply nodded, pretending to agree.


    Thankfully, a group of people began approaching them.


    The remaining members of the group stood up to meet them, rousing Brian, Joey, and the others who had been left behind.


    They rubbed the sleep from their eyes before standing and watching the approaching group warily.


    The newcomers were a mixed bag of boys and girls, most of them looking tired and hungry, but their eyes held a determined glint.


    A handsome boy with mousy brown hair and tanned skin stepped forward to meet Jamie, who was yawning as he walked toward them.


    The brown-haired boy held out a hand, flashing a stunning smile with perfect teeth.


    Once Jamie reluctantly took it, he said, "Hey, I''m Gordon. These are my friends. We want to head out for some food too, but we were wondering if you had any pointers?"


    Jamie frowned, glancing back at his group before returning his gaze to Gordon. "Depends. A lot of what I could tell you is trade secrets."


    "Nothing much, just the best route to take for food," Gordon said sheepishly.


    "Give me a sec." Jamie turned and walked back to the group.


    Joey shook his head. "Don''t tell those guys anything about the safe point. Send ''em in Thomas'' direction."


    "The place no one has returned from?" Matthew asked innocently.


    Brian looked troubled. "That''s too horrible. If we send them out there with nothing, we''ll be partially responsible for their deaths."


    Jamie scoffed, throwing a glance at Gordon. "Oh, come on, it''s not that serious. No one helped us, and we were¡­ mostly fine, I guess. Besides, we can''t tell them about the safe point, and sending them in that direction is already going to overload the place."


    Joey nodded solemnly. "We don''t want to fight more people."


    Matthew considered his words carefully. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jane watching the conversation with keen interest.


    Casually, almost as if talking to himself, Matthew said, "We''d lose out on the resources they bring back from the caves too."


    Petyr, standing nearby, seemed to realize something. He kept quiet, but Joey noticed the look on his face and asked, "What?"


    "Uh¡­ nothing," Petyr mumbled.


    Jamie narrowed his eyes at him. "Just come out and say it"


    Petyr glared back at him before sighing. He spoke quietly. "We could just have them pay us for the info. Hey, don''t look at me like that¡ªyou''re the one who asked."


    Joey snickered. "Calm down, bro. We aren''t thinking about your previous extortion attempts."


    Petyr rolled his eyes but said nothing.


    Brian''s face twisted in outrage. "That''s a horrible idea. We don''t have to make them pay just to survive."


    Jamie looked at the ground pulling at his fingers. "I mean¡­ at least we''d gain something if they''re taking up our hunting space."


    Brian gritted his teeth. "And how exactly would we make them pay after they get back?"


    The group fell silent, unsure of how to proceed. Matthew chose not to guide the discussion too directly¡ªhe didn''t want to be too heavy-handed.


    Thankfully, Kirk finally spoke up. "I know we want to keep the hidden route to the safe point a secret, but from what Casey told me, Thomas already knows about it. It''s only a matter of time before more people notice us passing through."


    Jamie gave him a steady look. "I get what you mean, but what''s your point?"


    "We could¡­ you know¡­ use it as a kind of toll gate. It''s the safest route, and we''re probably the biggest group right now."


    Jamie and the others considered this, it felt a little callus to throw around their weight as a group.


    Brian seemed outraged, his jaws rippled with tension as he held himself from shouting.


    Matthew signed, "we need to make a decision or someone else will."


    They all nodded before informing Gordon of their terms, they sent Joey to inform Colin about the situation.


    After getting confirmation from Colin¡ªand a reluctant agreement from Gordon¡ªthey led the group to the hidden route.


    This was a reasonable development, one that Matthew had envisioned happening.


    They couldn''t keep the hidden route a secret forever. If people demanded access, they''d feel entitled to it.


    However if Jamie''s group invited them on their own terms¡ªpositioning themselves as the owners of the path and asserting authority over its use¡ªthen people would grudgingly accept it, so long as it was reasonable.


    Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Jane. Since the others had left, he was stuck with her.


    He took advantage of the moment when she wasn''t watching him to slip a pre-written note into Petyr''s hand ignoring his questioning look.


    The note instructed Petyr to ensure that one of their demands was information about Thomas'' actions before his disappearance.


    Jane giggled. "That was so fun! In like¡­ a tense way. I wish I had said something like you did. It would''ve been cool to contribute to the decision."


    Matthew shrugged. "I''m just hoping I can get some essence and hit level three with all this competition. What would you have said?"


    Jane frowned, looking helpless. "I have no idea. I''m not good at these kinds of situations like you or Kirk."


    "Hmmm, even with all that reading?" he teased.


    Jane giggled playfully, hitting him on the shoulder. "You don''t need to call me out like that! So¡­ what about Thomas?"


    Matthew successfully stopped himself from blurting out What the hell?

 Chapter 29 - From

    Matthew scrambled for a few seconds, his thoughts scattered.


    The stone wall against his back felt just a bit colder all of a sudden, he clenched his jaw to stop a reaction.


    He crossed his hands on his legs as he managed to look surprised.


    She saw me give Petyr the note? No, that''s impossible. I was watching her the whole time. A jab? Then I''ve already lost. I have to play it off. What does she want?


    Matthew looked away from where Petyr went, instead looking at the fountain where Thomas had used as the gathering for his group. "What about him?"


    Jane looked completely neutral and waved her hands listlessly. "What would you do about Thomas'' group when they want to use the safe point?"


    "How are you so sure they''re alive?" He stuffed his commonplace book in his bag.


    The smooth leather was slightly calming then started straightening his hoodie uncomfortably.


    "I feel they already understood wherever they must have gone. They came back and went again for something" Jane explained "His demeanor feels sort of cold but inside he''s probably a better person than we think"


    Matthew was beginning to feel uneasy. He wasn''t wearing a shirt inside the hoodie as Jesse had helped him wash it.


    The temple wasn''t really hot but Matthew was sweating, he was uncomfortable and deeply irritated by everything.


    The burns on his legs weren''t just painful anymore¡ªthey had become maddeningly itchy since he woke up.


    It was little things like the way the cotton blend hoodie stuck to his chest, his skin felt oily and disgusting and his beard had these infuriating sticky clumps from the fruit last night.


    Then there''s this constant microscope this twat has me under.


    Matthew hated situations like this¡ªhe changed too much, applied too much pressure to sway the group''s opinions. Something he usually avoids to prevent him being thrown into conflict.


    He kept wondering how he could deal with Petyr if he came back with the information he had asked for.


    Jane wasn''t a fool, any attempt to clue him into what was happening would cause a reaction she could attack.


    The gentle murmurs of the temple grew faint in his ears, the light a bit dimmer, the rest of the world a bit farther away.


    He rubbed his forearm with his thumb, just routinely nodding to Jane''s nonsense and felt the desire to sign for a moment. I''m so tired


    He began to wonder if this was really worth it¡ªall these constant thoughts and worries.


    He could leave everything to Parker, just rest, follow orders, exist.


    He couldn''t see this group staying together once some started outpacing the rest.


    Right now to him, maintaining their numbers and creating a facade at least of equal opportunity was important, what he didn''t want was people like Jane here.


    He could already sense a dark hunger hidden behind those sparkling eyes.


    If anything I have to bring her down or her clumsy attempts to gain power will destroy us.


    Jane had been rambling for a while, behaving ditsy and playful. He examined her a little.


    He wanted to study her expressions and body language but he couldn''t find what he was looking for.


    She was babbling, a bit uncomfortable but she was forcing herself to be more talkative.


    She was dressed for work¡ªfinance, if she''d been truthful about her profession. A tweed suit, its pattern just familiar enough for Matthew to guess¡­ houndstooth, maybe?


    The suit''s bottom was baggy and she had taken off the waistcoat leaving a rumpled black shirt with her sleeves rolled up.


    There wasn''t a lot you could infer from this, the style was more fitting of someone in academia, but the shirt, her accessories gave a more rebellious¡­ no self aggrandizing vibe.


    She clearly took pride in her appearance, but it seemed more tied to her ideals than pure vanity.


    He was enduring her long winded rant because he knew she was waiting for him to relax.


    Jane paused after a long talk about houses in different parts of the world.


    She played with a portion of her sleek hair while avoiding his gaze . "You and Jesse seem pretty close."


    Matthew shrugged feigning sleepiness, "She''s very serious, really uptight about everything. We only look so close because i''m hurt"


    Unlike you she has the decency to not corner someone when they can''t escape.


    Jane flinched for a second and her tone became a bit more biting. "I mean she doesn''t hover over Colin and Kirk the way she does for you. It''s a little rude to dismiss someone doing so much for you."


    Matthew laughed nervously "I''m just¡­ you know I don''t want people to get the wrong ideas."


    I got under her skin?


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    It was interesting to Matthew, he knew Jane might try to play around the guise of being a dumb girl leading him on to try to get something.


    They began another long talk about the cave and its danger. He lied about how he knew Casey had found the hidden tunnel and made a mental note to warn the boy when he returned.


    "It''s gonna be rough for a while I think, how will we get essence? I mean us girls of course we don''t have anything to give the group." Jane mumbled almost somberly, she had grown quieter and less energetic.


    She was also a lot closer, they both laid against the wall of the temple, she was so close yet just far enough, their fingers almost touched, the red lights of the temple set softly against her pale visage.


    Matthew was as dutiful a liar as he had been the whole time, looking unsure what to say, looking down at her hand just inches away from his, a straying eye resting on her legs as she drew them closer.


    He looked away quickly, studying the flat distant roof of the temple.


    He moved the hand and ran it through his hair, picking at some uncomfortable tangles.


    He signed "We are going to have to work hard to convince them that leveling everyone up could be beneficial."


    "Nothing''s ever easy though, if you aren''t ready to fight nothing can be done. I mean have you ever been given anything for free." He continued sternly.


    Jane watched him attentively, her lips quivered a bit but she smiled weakly "you''re totally right."


    "Anyway, I need some shut eye. Keep an eye out, yeah?" He pushed his bag under his head placing the zipper away from her just in case and closed his eyes.


    "Sweet dreams," Jane murmured.


    ¡ª-


    Jesse examined the flowers in front of her, she rubbed her arm as she couldn''t recognise them, she had hoped there would be some pine trees at the very least, but the alien trees had giant strange looking leaves.


    Suddenly all those hours her grandma had taken from her to learn about holistic health and harvesting leaves seemed very pointless.


    There were some that looked similar to Pine but were flatter and far softer and flexible.


    The Eighth Messenger gave her brief soft glances while she studied the plants.


    She wanted to ask him to relax or get out at least but she ignored him.


    She set them aside and exhaled disappointedly, shaking her head as he stood and walked over to Colin, the Fifth Messenger.


    He sat at the edge of the den copying illustrations and notes from the other messenger''s handbooks. He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow "more duds?"


    "It''s not about duds really, all the samples they''ve brought are all different but similar to the things I''m looking for." She explained


    Colin watched indifferently before turning back to his notes. "So, what are you suggesting?"


    Jesse bit her lip, hesitant. "Well¡­ i need to get out there and see the trees themselves"


    "No," Colin replied without bothering to look up from the notes. He dragged his pen hard across the note for a thick line to draw a monster "first off, you''re too slow. In an all out sprint you slow them down, also¡­."


    He raised an eye to look out to the boys outside the den behind Jesse, they laughed and stole glances at her while they dismembered and packed a wooly cattle.


    The Safe point''s black stone floors were covered in brown hair from the beast.


    Jesse didn''t bother looking back at them, she had no tasks for the last two hours, the boys joked about how getting covered in blood would ruin her outfit.


    She had offered to carry some supplies back to the temple so she could at least see Adelina and Matthew but they told her it was a bit heavy for her.


    She only stayed here for the leaves and she rather be here to stop them from talking about her when she left.


    That hadn''t stopped them from asking some stupid questions so she had been avoiding speaking to try and get the idea through to them that she didn''t want to talk.


    Yet she didn''t want to be an outsider here, she frowned stiffly "if i''m too slow leave me behind and i''ll be perfectly fine. I''m going."


    Colin glared at her for a moment, he clicked his tongue turning back to his notes "take, Luke with you. Luke! Follow Jesse, you guys are going to get us some healing leaves!"


    She wanted to protest taking Luke, the Sixth Messenger, with her but Colin had raised his head to shout down Luke and then promptly turned back to his notes, determined to ignore her.


    She left the den ducking slightly before picking her bag and waiting for the Eighth and Ninth Messengers who watched her a bit reluctantly.


    Luke looked excited grabbing his bag from the den emptying it for space.


    He stopped beside Jesse looking at the disapproving messengers asking innocently. "What are we waiting for?"