I brought both my new Criminal slaves back out as they finished eating and resting. My arm hurt like hell, but the healing had already set in, and I could move my arm again. Whatever potion Nyava gave me was working, and after eating, I knew we had to clean things up. I got Kimmy to go dig up the mass grave that we started last night and get started on moving and looting the bodies. Kimmy did not like that, but I think I liked Emma a bit more than her anyway.

Sob story or not.

I was now loaded with that shitty shotgun from Kimmy, and I left my sniper rifle back at the cave. I was worried about not having it, but I put my pistol and sawn off shotgun back in place. Now, I held my assault rifle before me and got ready to work up, going into the cave as the two criminals cleaned up after me. I also needed to check on the captured in here to see who they were.

I promised myself that after logging out today, I would take a deep breath and I would have a nice meal. I had stressed out this first or two in the canyon and needed a break. I was jittery all over and stressed out from coming close to death. Still, I needed to focus and move slowly, taking a step at a time as I entered.

The first thing I saw was all the lights and lanterns on, with a fire at the front just out of sight to stop the glow. I could see four chairs set up for sitting around the fire and some things to cook on, not much farther in. Those will be useful back in the cave, as it seemed that I was gathering a couple of followers. I stepped in deeper and heard some hushed talking, and then I saw the mats where they were sleeping before I so rudely woke them up. There were bags and hastily strewn ammo all over the place, which would be useful. I would have to count all that when I returned to the cave and readied my spoils.

Then I found it as the cave was not that deep. There was a group of three weak-looking men and three women. They all had collars on their neck and looked at me with fear as I entered. I looked around and found a nearby tablet and some computers from the slavers. Or whatever Kimmy’s and Emma’s group was.

The devices on their neck also looked different from mine, and I did not like that. It meant that it was probably made differently. Maybe they operated differently or something; I was not sure in the end. Still, it was something I was going to have to learn, and I said, “I don't know who you are, but for now, I am your only hope of surviving. Keep quiet, listen to everything I say strictly, and do not deviate from that, and you will survive. If not,” I shrugged, “Don't tell others I did not warn you.”

The simple line got a half dozen nods, and I nodded in turn and started looking around. There was more equipment than I expected in here, but the bags are probably lighter as they all could fit in the bags. I looked around to see what these devices were and found out after a bit. I found one of the laptops up and acting as an electronic fence. Within ten meters of the laptop, it acted as a fence, and I had no idea what would happen if they walked out of the zone.

I started to grab all the equipment and supplies I found. There were a bunch of supplies and things for staying with a group of twenty. It was about enough for an estimated week, I presumed, which would be more than enough with what I already had. I could take Emma, Kimmy, and this group back to civilization with that and smile.

For now, though, after grabbing bags and various loot, I had a bunch of things that needed to be brought back to my camp. I might even start needing to think about the ventilation of my cave if I got too many more people. Again, the supplies and things to cook and feed this group needed to come back with me. They were stuck around the laptop I found, and I smiled as I realized what I could do.

“Okay, So I am going to tell you all something, and I need you all to listen. Can you understand me?” I asked.

All of them nodded and pointed at their necks. “No, I cannot remove them for now; I do not know who you are or why you are here. I will check your identities back in a safer location,” I informed them. One of them shook their head, opened their mouth, said nothing, and pointed at the collar. “You cannot speak?” I asked.

They all nodded, “Is it because of my orders earlier?” I asked them. Again, they all nodded, and I wanted to smile but didn't. That would potentially simplify things for me. For now, I would have to live with several more quiet people. “That is fine. I will order you to do things and need you to follow them. I need you all to help me carry these supplies from this place over to my hiding space in order to process you all. This will help me feed you and ensure you are okay until I find a way to get you all out of here. Is that understood?” My question made them all nod, and I smiled.

I finished putting the bags that the previous dead owners used to carry their things together and put everything away. Soon, I had a stack of backpacks ready to go with everything and some other things that were needed. I got the weak-looking bunch to pick them up and grabbed the one bag with the geo-fence for the collars.

After a one-way conversation with them again, they understood that the bag was the fence, and I did not know the consequences of them leaving the fence area. This made them nod, and soon, I had them walking out slowly behind me in a small radius with packs and bags of things while I watched them closely.

Once outside, I brought them over to the cave where Kimmy was digging, and most of the bodies were already inside, it seemed, with Emma looting and dumping them in the hole. So, I got the people who could not speak to help out. With many hands, the work went faster, and we finished cleaning up a lot of the battle scene. There was no way to get rid of all the traces, though, not with the explosion and the skewed body parts.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Once done, though I grabbed all the supplies with the weak slaves, Kimmy and Emma, and we went back to the cave. I had them start setting things up and ensuring the slaves didn't die by walking out of the fence. In the meantime, I came back and guided the once-tied-up man in the cave that was ambushed inside Emma back to the cave with a gag in his mouth. Once back again, I start to relax.

Ten people, including myself, were now in the cave and setting up fully. It was an hour or two before daylight, and it was just in time in my opinion. The cave looked much smaller, with ten people, but it would still be more than comfortable. I put out some mats from the things we robbed, and all the slaves went to sleep. I started to think about my safety while sleeping, too.

In order to ensure my safety while I slept, I put the laptop out of range of where I would be sleeping. Then I set up a small trap and went over to the side cave with the crack out to the world once more. It might not be the best place to sleep, but it was now my armory. I brought all the guns and things in with me and armed the place with some traps.

Then I found myself with a large group of people, and I took the bindings and started to rebind everyone up. They were all startled to be tied up, but I would log off for the entire day. I told Kimmy that she was only allowed to continue digging the latrine for everyone to use and that Emma was to assist, but they were not to help free, injure, or call out for help for anyone else. It was a pain in the ass to word it all, but I was feeling done.

I loved this game and doing this, but I was just done for the night. I needed sleep and wanted some time from life and death for a bit. I got back to the part of the cave where I could look out of it, and it was still dark out. I walked back out one last time to hand them all water for the day and went back to the other part to sleep.

Logging out and setting the time to one-on-one time was something of a relief as I got up.

I groaned loudly, and I shuddered as I had almost lost my character again. This being alone shit in the game was hard. I would definitely need a group once I am out of the tutorial. Keeping track of everything once I had captives was something I did not expect to manage. I should have got more capture collars, and what did I do with the new captures? Tying them up was the only solution I could think of in case they had disguised one of their own people as one of them.

Sighing, I stretched and moved to the shower and remembered that Sissy and his wife were supposed to be contacting me tonight.

Shower first, and I headed straight to the shower and shuddered as I remembered once again how close I was to dying. I stopped myself, headed over to the shower, turned on the water, and dove under the water, quickly feeling the heat. I needed to shake my head and think. I was overwhelmed by the game the more and more I thought about it. I now had to control nine others, all there involuntarily. Six of them could not talk, so I had to feed them and give them water. I also had to round up the loot and figure out the bounties.

I sighed in the shower.

What was I doing in this forest again?

Getting the experience right?

I needed to be a bounty hunter, but I wasn't hunting anyone.

I was hunting, though, wasn't I?

I was gathering bounties!

A lot of them, and I had over fifteen by now in my name captured and dead!

That last thought allowed me to relax and remember the reason I was out in the wilderness.

It wasn't for no reason, and I wasn't risking my life for no reason.

This was a Virtual reality game that played to the ultra realism. I needed to get into the mindset, I think. I was working on the theory that the main world, even with respawns, would be this difficult, if not more so. The tutorial forced you into this mindset and ensured a better playing experience once you were in the main world.

God, I would love to get those respawns to back me up at this point.

All I had to do was break the tutorial contract. It should not be too hard, right?

I closed my eyes as the heat and water poured over me, and I turned the water even hotter. I wanted to boil myself alive at this point.

My mind was all over the place, and I needed to relax. I needed to destress and regain control.

I felt like I lost control in that firefight, and the reason for that was simple. I lost control of the firefight, and I almost died. That last bullet was close to my heart and almost killed me. I even passed out among living enemies as they crawled on the ground, slowly dying from their injuries.

That was not okay in any way, shape or form.

I needed to be better and get better.

I needed to get faster and better at laying traps and bringing the enemies into my web. I needed to hunt them better and predict what the outcome would be. I needed to get even more sinister with it, and I needed some sort of extra hand.

It did not need to be human hands or a person but something that would help me distract and kill. I wanted something that was off to the side and could shoot like a drone with guns. Yes, that is what I needed, and something probably with AI. I could use something to lure men and women into traps, make myself more versatile, and even use them to overwatch the captured when sleeping. That would bring more to the plate!

How, though?

Would I make it myself?

That would be ideal. Purchasing them would be expensive, but making them myself would be risky, and I would have problems with it. But in the long run, learning the game and crafting like my character was built for would be much better. I would learn how to make better booby traps at the same time. I could make land mines and various grenade traps along with the drones. I could even make drones that were not flying that could be various forms of traps. Imagine having something that could map a place and allow me to just carry a large backpack that I could put down and still lay traps all over the place!

I shuddered at how scary that would be on the battlefield and how insanely useful that would be!

It would fit perfectly with the style that I wanted to move forward with as well!

My mind spun at all the possibilities and the offers for contracts I would get once I made a character that could do that. I would be back in my prime, and I would be living life large. Maybe I will even be able to solo into the high ranks or make my own corporation in this game. Instead of having bosses, I would be the BOSS!

The heat was hitting me hard, and I was leaning against the wall as the hot water hit my body, turning me red. My mind was occupied, and I turned off the water without much thought as I started to feel like I was overheating. I stepped out and dried myself off, just lost in thought, wondering if it was possible.

I didn't know, but I should be able to with the amount of freedom in the game. I had a starship and a captain that was head over heels for me. I didn't want to overthink Ura, but could I start a corporation with more Federation credits than anyone else playing Galaxy Online and use NPCs as the organization's core?

My mind spun even faster, and I was outside my bathroom, lost in thought, when I heard my phone ring, stunning my thoughts, and I turned. I smiled as I remembered the world around me, and I could not help but wonder who was on the phone. I knew who I was hoping for and reached out to find out.