[Basic Poison Grease] = Poisonberry (0.2-0.4kg) + Water (Fresh, 0.25-0.5L) + Vines [Any, 0.15-0.3kg] + [Bowl] (Any, 1L) + [Campfire] (400-425°K)

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Jay groaned, waking in pain to a blazing sun for what felt like the thousandth time in a row.

What the hell happened this time? He rolled over, his body pressing against the bed of sticks beneath. Wait… When did this get here?

He opened his eyes. The ground now recessed far below what he could see, with the top of palm trees floating on the horizon. Branches spread out beneath him, with a platform made of sticks connecting them, all wrapped in vines. He recognized the spot where the cairn had once been below. But the radio tower and its menacing black aura had vanished, and the entrance had collapsed into a pile of loose boulders.

Then Jay noticed an entire network of spike traps had been set up below, their pointed tips jutted out in clean, crisp lines.

He couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship of it all. Everything he’d built was a hodgepodge of wood and grass tossed together compared to these constructions. The dimensions were precise, and the binding held firm even as he moved about. Who could have made this masterpiece?

The thought bled back in, and Jay’s heart skipped a beat as he remembered what happened. Frantically, he reached for his basic leather backpack and ripped it open. He paled upon looking inside.

Empty.

After everything Jay had done to reach this point… After finally coming across another person in this awful place… The very woman who saved Jay had turned around and immediately taken everything from him.

How could she have done something like that!? He chewed his lips, somewhere between despair and rage.

But then he noticed something else. A radio had been tied against the tree trunk, dangling slightly against a cluster of vines. He pulled the device free and turned it in hand. It seemed real enough.

He turned the power on. A male British voice immediately came through.

“…So, anyway,” the man said, “that’s when me and me mates went back down to the pub, and you’re not gonna believe it, but that right ‘ole cunt was still where we left her, giving us that same death stare. Like we were the problem!”

Jay gaped at the radio. What?

“Then what happened, Desmond?” another guy broke in, this one with an Arabic accent.

The British man chuckled. “Oh, I’ll tell you what happened, Sayid. I walked up to that plastic-titted cow, looked her square in the eyes, and asked if she’d reconsidered my offer to get fucked in the arse by yours truly.”

A third cut in. American. “Bullshit, Desmond. You didn’t say that.”

“It’s true, Ben! Marched right up to her and said it, I did.”

Sayid gasped. “Why would you do that after what happened with her boyfriend?”

He scoffed. “Have you been listening to a word I’ve said, mate!? They’re the cunts who started it. We were just standing our ground. Let me tell you, if someone’s slagging off your home team, you don’t let ‘em get on with it just because they’re not from the area.”

“I still don’t believe you,” Ben said. “That’s too ridiculous, even for you, Desmond.”

“Ah, piss off, you wanker. I’ll have you know that your pal, Dezzy, has been around the block more than once.” A pause. “That reminds me, did I ever tell you guys about the time I went pubbing with members of the Saudi-fucking-royalty?”

“Wait, really?”

“Oh, you better believe it, Ben…” he launched into another story.

Jay couldn’t take this. He couldn’t listen to another word. Not after everything that happened to him. He pressed the radio button and held the speaker close.

“Hello? Are people out there?”

“–nd you know how it is with Liverpool. If you don’t got the goods th–”

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

For an uncomfortably long time, nobody responded. Jay stared at the radio. Did he somehow break it?

“And who the fuck is this then!?” Desmond shouted back.

Jay grimaced. “Please, help me! My name is Jay, and I don’t know where I am.”

“Well, let me tell you this, Jay. You don’t interrupt a man when he’s right in the middle of a fucking story.” He grunted. “How the fuck did you even get on this channel?”

“I just… I don’t…” What did they want from him?

“I gave him a radio,” a woman cut in, her voice smooth but cold. Jay’s blood boiled when he recognized it.

“You did what?” Desmond asked, astonished.

“I owed the kid a favor,” Naomi said.

Jay practically bit off his tongue. “A favor? Is that what you call robbing me blind!”

“You stole from someone, Naomi?” Sayid asked.

“No, I saved his life. He’s just being melodramatic.”

Jay gasped. “How can you say that!? I’ve been starving and thirsty and worked so hard to get out of that dungeon, and you just punched me out and took everything from my backpack. Fuck you!”

“I didn’t take everything,” she corrected. “By the way, you’re welcome, asshole.”

“Jay, mate,” Desmond butt in, clearly amused. “Is that language any way to talk to the woman who saved your life?”

Jay grit his teeth. “Who the hell do you people think you are!?”

He went all in from there. About how he’d woken up right in the middle of this bullshit. And how he’d been attacked, and starved, and had that goddamn magic book harassing him every couple minutes. And then, when he finally, actually found another person, she knocked him out on the spot and stole the loot that he’d worked so fucking hard to get.

Jay knew he wasn’t communicating his points well – what with all the screaming and swearing – but he frankly didn’t give a shit. Not after the week he’d had.

The radio whirred when he finished.

“Look, Jay,” Naomi said. “I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but if you’d left with that cairn’s loot on hand, your Natura would’ve spiked to a level you cannot handle, and you would have died tonight.”

The blood froze in his veins, feeling that same sense of dread prickling at the back of his neck.

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ll explain more later,” Naomi continued. “We’re burning daylight, and we’ve used up enough radio time as is. I’d suggest you turn off yours to save on batteries. Trust me, they’re a bitch to come by at F-Rank.”

He grit his teeth. “Wait! Don’t just drop that bombshell and leave. You owe me.”

“I know, but I have a good idea of where you’ve set up camp, so I’ll head your way before the day is over.” She sighed. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about how things went down and hope you can forgive me, Jay. Take care of yourself.”

Silence.

“Hello?” Jay called out. “Is anyone still there? Naomi? Sayid? Desmond? Anyone?”

Nothing.

Jay turned off the radio with a sigh. Just like that, he’d been set back to square one.

Out here without answers.

* * *

The burning sun continued its slow descent as Jay paced around camp, sweat pouring down his face. “Heat waves” were another weather type he might encounter, apparently, and this one raised his “Sweltering” Condition another couple of steps while drying out the ground completely. Jay’s campfire had nearly exploded into an uncontrollable wildfire with all the dry leaves floating around, but he put it out before it spread too far.

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Just another hazard to deal with. As if he didn’t have enough to worry about.

No armor. No loot. No cores. Only a single underpowered spear and some poisoned bone darts remained as his defense of what came next.

He wiped the beads of sweat and skimmed the Updates section of the Guide yet again. There had to be something he could use.

Congratulations! You have uncovered your first Cache, Expatriate. Loot these valuables for all their worth, and use them to become stronger still!

Congratulations! You have found your first Boon. This item can be crafted with specific materials to fortify your body. The effect is permanent, so choose wisely!

New recipes available.

Still nothing. Jay had deduced that the golden core was the “Boon” being referenced, but it didn’t matter now that Naomi had stolen it. The thief.

The Lexicon exploded with entries, but those amenities were useless now that they were gone. Even the new recipes served no purpose with half their ingredients missing.

At least his Stats were holding firm. Even with Sweltering+2 under this excruciating heat, the river by his camp still held as cold and strong as ever. He’d topped off his thirst and sanity with more lifeberry tea, and the power of the silverback gorilla meat also remained in his system, giving him the vitality boost. That much had not been lost.

Everything else, though? He wouldn’t stand a chance if Natura sent a repeated attack. Only his dinky +1 spear stood as defense, and he’d burned through his other resources preparing for today.

The bushes rustled nearby. Jay instinctively gripped his spear tight and took aim.

Naomi stepped into the open, calm as ever. Despite the overpowering sun, she simply kept that blue leather hood pulled over her dark-skinned face, and wasn’t the least bit sweaty. Even carrying a giant rucksack on her back seemed to bother her little.

She grimaced as the two made eye contact. “You doing alright, Jay?”

He grunted. “What do you think?”

“You shouldn’t be sitting around like this. It’s getting late enough as is. There won’t be much time.”

Jay shook his head. “You don’t get it. I broke my armor set and best weapon inside that cairn, and when I woke up, the whole thing had collapsed. Please tell me you saved them before that happened.”

“Nope. I barely had enough time to collect the cores I’d gained myself. Once the Guardian is defeated, you don’t have much time before it falls apart.”

“Give me the cores you found, at least. I’ve really got nothing right now.”

“No,” she said without batting an eye.

He clenched his fist, cheeks flushed. “I wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you!”

Naomi sighed. “You don’t get it, Jay. This is for your own good. You’ll die if I give them to you.”

“What are you talking about?”

She reached into her cloak and pulled out a book. Jay recognized the Expatriate Guide at once, a near-identical clone of his own.

“‘Rule 5’,” Naomi quoted. “‘Cooperation between Expatriates will be punished.’ Annwyn isn’t like Earth. Those rules weren’t suggestions but universal truths for how this world works. They are akin to the laws of physics. Helping you now would only hurt you more.”

“What would happen?”

“Natura would happen. It would concentrate more of its energy against us both when night comes. More than would be gained by whatever gifts I handed you.”

This was too much. “I don’t understand… Are you seriously telling me it’s okay to steal from someone here, but it’s not okay to give it back?”

“Unfortunately, yes. And for what it’s worth, I want to apologize for handling this so poorly.” Naomi paused. “I guess I’ve been feeling the weight of Natura more than normal lately, and when I found some nobody walking away with all that free loot, after I spent days looking for the easiest cairn to make sure it went smoothly, I just…” She closed her eyes and breathed deep. “Annwyn has a habit of bringing out the worst of us, and what I did to you wasn’t right. You deserve to be treated better than that. We all do.”

Jay could’ve torn her a new one, but something held him back. He was just so damn exhausted and didn’t have the energy to deal with an apology from the woman who had simultaneously saved and doomed his life on the same day. It wasn’t worth it.

Besides, he had to think logically, now more than ever before.

“Why does Natura act this way?” Jay asked instead.

“Because of the Bargain, obviously,” Naomi said.

“Huh?”

She stared at him sideways. “Did you even read the Guide during the tutorial?”

“I didn’t have a tutorial,” Jay said. “It skipped right past that.”

“Really? I didn’t know that could happen.” Naomi grimaced. “I guess it’s worse than I thought for you. You really have no idea what’s going on, do you?”

He nodded. “I don’t even know why we were sent to this place. I just woke up in the middle of the night with one of those monsters attacking me.” He stared deep. “But if you know, then tell me, Naomi. That’s the least you can do right now. What are we even supposed to do? What is our ‘quest?’”

She chuckled, her eyes tired herself. “Don’t worry, it’s easy enough… All we have to do is slay the God of this world: Natura.”

A sudden hush enveloped his plateau, and the world seemed to darken a beat to her words.

Jay considered her words. Yes, it made sense. Ever since first waking up, those manifestations had done everything to take him out, and the Guide’s sole purpose was to give him the tools to defeat them.

Those nights weren’t just the threat, but the goal. And yet…

“Natura isn’t some mindless opponent,” Naomi explained, “but a complex deity that seeks to destroy anything that steps into Annwyn’s domain. The moment we accepted the Grand Bargain and were Expatriated, we entered Natura’s crosshairs. It will use whatever power it can to kill us.

“That’s how it works too. The stronger you become, the stronger Natura rises in response. You’re never just fighting to fill your belly. You must learn to control how our enemy reacts to us, or you’ll never make it here.”

“But how?” Jay asked. “If Natura rises whenever we do, how are we supposed to destroy it for good?”

Naomi shook her head. “If you go by the Guide, there are ‘nodes’ in A-Rank locations that lead to Natura’s core, but for all the months I’ve been here, I’ve only hit E-Rank, and there’s no telling just how many have tried and failed before us. We might as well be trying to knock the sun from the sky.”

What a nightmare. Not only were the odds near impossible, but any attempt at collaboration would only make things worse. No wonder it’s been so quiet.

“If we’re not able to work together, then what’s the deal with you and your group?” Jay asked.

“How we work is… Hard to explain. You wouldn’t understand.”

He scoffed. “For all your talk of trying to make things right, Naomi, you sure haven’t given me much to work with. Let’s dial this back. Night comes in less than an hour, but I’m down a +2 spear, an entire +1 set of fur armor, and every single core that goes with it. So, unless you know how to pull those out of your ass, I don’t know why you bothered coming down here. No, apologies won’t make a difference when wolves are ripping out my throat.”

She grimaced. “You’ve still got time. Those T-1 beasts are a dime a dozen, and if you’ve got some skills unlocked, they’re just free cores. You couldn’t have killed all the closest ones around here, right?”

“Not unless I want a repeat of what happened in the cairn.” He crossed his arms. “The only place left is south, but there’s a level 19 boss in the area. No way I’d be able to take that.”

Naomi squinted beneath her hood. “What level 19 boss? I came in from the south and didn’t see anything.”

“A jaguar.” He shuddered, remembering the destruction he’d seen unleashed.

But she merely stroked her chin. “You mean this guy?”

Naomi put down her rucksack and opened the top. A giant spotted ear jutted into the open as she reached inside. Another second, and she pulled the object out. The fur was smooth and crisp, and the black eyes shone in the afternoon sun like polished ebony. But the tongue rolled out of blood-coated lips without strength, and the head ended where the neck began.

Jay leaned forth. “Wait, you killed a monster of that strength all by yourself!?”

“He didn’t seem that bad.” She said, flipping through her Guide. “Oh yeah, look at that. Level 19 Jaguar, just like you said. And here I was thinking it was like, level 7, max.”

He gaped. Oh, how Jay wanted nothing more than to take this woman, dangle her by her feet, and shake her legs until the money fell out of her pockets. This was ridiculous!

A thin smirk formed at the edge of her lips. “Tell you what though, Jay. From what you’re saying, you’ve been afraid to go south until now for good reason. But that threat is gone now. Maybe you should try exploring the area for yourself. Who knows what you’ll find down there.” She stared at the sun. “Look, I’m almost out of time. If you want my last-minute advice, you should collect whatever you can down south and use the power of your core to make your best crafts. There’s still a chance.”

“I told you already,” Jay said. “I lost those cores.”

“No, I mean your Expat core.”

“My what?”

“Shit, that’s right. You never had a tutorial. Does that mean you don’t have an Expatriate core of your own?”

“What does that mean?”

Naomi winced as if he’d just told her he had cancer. “The best way I’ve heard Expat cores described is like an RPG class in a video game. It makes specialized crafting easier, which is paramount to long-term survival. But, if you didn’t get one…” she trailed off.

Jay groaned. “Let me get this straight… Not only was I deprived of crucial information by missing the tutorial, but I also lost the chance to receive my own class too?” What next? A stray bolt of lightning hitting him?

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it was possible to have luck that bad, though at least you have a few days of preparation until day seven.”

“It’s day seven now.”

She paled. “Oh.”

Jay rubbed his eyes. “What does that mean?”

She looked at the sun. “It means that the only thing you should worry about right now is getting through the night. Trust me, it’ll be the hardest one you’ve ever faced…”

On that thought, Naomi stepped into the threshold of the forest without another word.

And Jay just stood in place, dumbstruck. Naomi didn’t expect him to survive. That look said it all. It was the same one his coworkers gave him on Earth whenever he mentioned wanting to quit and become a professional gamer.

His hands curled into fists.

He would prove her wrong. He’d prove them all wrong.