After a few more hours in the gym, everyone had not only made it through the tutorial, but also been instructed on classes, weapons, forming parties, and how to balance a party to have the best chance of survival. Many of the people were beginning to get a bit cranky and there was the issue of needing to find food for everyone.

Some supplies had been brought to the center, but it wasn't going to be enough to feed five hundred people for long. There was going to have to be some way to handle this.

"Look, this is going to sound dumb at first, but we are going to have to have some people who are going to be hunters and others who are going to be farmers," Jay said.

"Where are they supposed to go hunting?" James interjected. "I'm not eating a fucking goblin."

"Well, if you'd give me a moment I'd explain it to you, jackass," Jay retorted. "Goblins ain't the only thing that this new mana infusion brought here. I saw wolves on my way to the center as well. Which means there are likely other forms of life out there as well. I figure we get some of these big trucks and SUVs and head outside the city to see what is out there. An exploratory mission. See if we can't find a way to get some kind of food system going."

"And the farming?" Tom asked.

"That is going to be a bit tougher. My original thought would be to put it on the roof, but it's pointed. So we may need to get creative about trying to remove part of it to open it up. We need to get dirt in here and get it up to the higher levels. The electricity is still working for now, but it won't stay that way. We should do it while we can with the elevators." Jay replied.

"Brian, can you get some people to work on that? It's not going to be easy, but if we can get it started then we can begin to hopefully have some food grown." Tom said.

"You'll want to make some kind of boxes to hold the dirt in. Like a flower box, but really fucking big. See if anyone has any knowledge about growing plants. They should be able to get a skill and work the plants better." Jay said.

"I'll see what I can do to find people who have experience and get others to help with the moving of the dirt," Brian said. "Can you see about helping to set up a perimeter around the building? We should be able to dig up the medians and other grassy places for dirt, but we need to be sure the people doing the work are safe."

"We will do a sweep before we move out. We just need to get our hands on a bigger vehicle. Something that can run things over." Tom said.

"We have a company vehicle I can give you the keys to. It's a Chevy Tahoe that you can take. Not like we are going to need it anymore." Brian offered. "It was used as a security vehicle so it will likely suit your needs well."

"Perfect! Let's go get it." Tom replied.

After ensuring that some of the staff were looking into people and working on the farming project, Brian took the team to look at the SUV. It was almost exactly what they needed to go scouting. A large black SUV with a cattle guard on the front, metal cage coverings for the tail lights, a light bar on the top, and oversized tires. The vehicle had clearly been lifted slightly to allow for the larger off-roading tires to be added. Quite frankly, it looked mean.

"Oh ho ho ho! That'll do nicely." Jay said rubbing his hands together.

"Ummmm...I'm driving Jay." Tom said.

"What? Why?" Jay questioned.

"Because I'm the one with the Vehicular Manslaughter skill that gives me extra damage when I run over shit," Tom replied.

"I bet if you let me drive it, I could get it too," Jay retorted. "Won't know unless you try."

"We can try that later. For now, We need to do as much damage as we can so we get as many kills as we can. You'll get XP, I promise because we will add you to the party." Tom said.

"Ugh! Fine....but let the record show it should have been me," Jay said. "Fucker." He added the last bit under his breath.

James leaned into Tom and whispered, "I like him...can we keep him?"

"Yeah, we can keep him," Tom said rolling his eyes. "But Kevin, Jay, we need to get you some gear. And to do that, we need to do a little goblin hunting."

Everyone smiled at that. Thinking about the party and then about Jay and Kevin, Tom sent them each a party invite. They accepted and now all of their HP bars showed in Tom's vision to the left side.

"Before you go out there, let's get the other two at least a weapon. The security team has their coins pooled now to better organize themselves. I had their supervisor in your training and he has been working to get them operating more efficiently. We can spare some monster cores to get a weapon for them." Brian added.

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"Excellent!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Have you two thought about your classes yet?" Tom asked.

"I sure have," Kevin said right away. "Barbarian!"

They all stared at him for a moment. Kevin was a little on the thin side and a bit more lanky than the figure one normally thought of as a Barbarian. But he had been known to have a bit of a temper, so those who knew him only stared for a moment before shrugging.

"You guys are OK with that?" Jay asked. As the only one who didn't know Kevin, he was a little concerned.

"Look, his attribute points will buff him up. I'm sure he'll be OK once we get things rolling. Besides, it's always nice to have someone willing to run in and cause a scene while we execute a plan of attack." Derek said.

"If you guys say so. I think I'm going to go with Rogue. It'll suit my needs well and will help out the team. Always nice to have someone do a little stabby-stabby in the back while the enemy is distracted." Jay said, his face splitting into a maniacal smile.

At that moment, the door to the parking garage burst open and a woman with bright purple hair came bursting out of the door. She wore black jeans that were ripped with a black leather jacket over a black tank top and a metal chain around her neck.

"Hold on just a minute you sons of bitches," The woman yelled as she marched toward them. "I want in on this little party you have going on and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"And just who the fuck are you lady?" Jay said.

"I'm your worst fucking nightmare if you try to stop me bub," The woman said walking right up to Jay and pointing a finger into his chest.

"Calm down little sister..." Was all Jay got out before she started in again.

"Don't you patronize me. I'll kick your ass," She began.

"Hold on, hold on, hold everything!" Tom interjected, putting his hands out and in between them.

"Look, we are pretty much full up on the team right now. We could include you, but you would need to be looking to pick a class we need to complement the team. What class were you considering taking?" Tom asked.

"Bard," The woman said.

"So you're a whore?" Jay said.

The woman reeled on him and stomped on his foot, then kneed him in the crotch. Jay first danced on one foot crying out before he wheezed and fell onto the floor grabbing his family jewels.

"No, asshat. I'm a performer. I was the lead singer for a local band that performed in the bars around downtown Dallas before the shit hit the fan. Figured I could continue what I know by being a support class and still get to use my voice. I'm Kiera by the way." The woman, Kiera, introduced herself. "I'm guessing none of you were looking to be a bard?"

Everyone was silent. James even covered his own family jewels out of fear.

"As I thought. Now, can we get this show on the road?" Kiera said.

"One sec," Tom said turning to the rest of the team. "Anyone that isn't Jay have a problem with the lady joining us? I think a bard would be great."

They all looked over his shoulder at Kiera who smiled warmly, and then they looked back at Tom. All a little afraid. They shook their heads.

"Then it's settled. Welcome to the team Kiera. We were about to go get some gear so we could head out to level every one to five to be able to select classes." Tom explained. "Then we need to go explore and see if we can find game to hunt."

"Excellent. Let's go." Kiera said.

Tom extended a party invite to Kiera and she accepted. Heading back into the building, Brian led them first to the security office to grab some monster cores, then to the vending machine in the cafeteria. Jay was given some daggers and a short sword, Kiera chose a crossbow and bolts at the urging of Derek, and Kevin...Kevin chose a greataxe.

He could lift it but was absolutely not able to wield it properly. He would be putting all his points into strength at first. Fortunately, there wasn't a window for Kevin to hang out of, so he was along mostly for the ride and XP. He looked a little dejected at first but perked up at the prospect of getting points for riding along and then being able to contribute.

With everyone now armed and ready, the party headed back out to the garage.

"Tom is driving. I'll be in the passenger seat. Jay, you take the driver's side rear, Kiera the passenger rear. James will stand in the sunroof and fire from above." Derek said, explaining the strategy to the team.

"Why don't I stand in the sunroof?" Kiera asked.

"Because you need to be able to reload without all the wind in your face," Derek explained.

She nodded in recognition of the idea.

"We will move out and try to kill a good number of goblins before we return. Ranged fighters try not to engage unless you have a clear shot. No sense in getting a group of them chasing us when Tom running them down will still get us XP. Conserve ammunition for when we need to back up one of the melee fighters." Derek continued.

James and Kiera nodded.

"Besides, it'll take Kiera a half hour to reload that crossbow," Jay added.

A whoof of air came out of him as the stock of the crossbow hit him in the stomach as Kiera swung the crossbow onto her shoulder with the strap.

"Oh, sorry, didn't see you there. This weapon is a little unwieldy sometimes." Kiera cracked as she smiled at the hunched-over Jay.

"Remember, this is also a scouting mission. We need to see what we can find out there and report back. Nobody be a hero and everyone comes back safe. Am I clear?" Derek asked.

Everyone nodded. Not questioning Derek's tone as he fell back into his military background and organization habits. Tom looked at him and was immediately grateful to have run into him at the office. He sure as hell didn't know how to organize people like this. This kind of knowledge only came from being in a position where you were first taught, and then placed in a position to lead people in a rigid and strict form.

Tom had been brought up in a home where academics had been the predominant path. Prizing grades over athleticism or strength. So he had worked hard to get the best grades possible. Then he got a scholarship to college and graduated with honors. Straight away he got a job at a software development company in the DFW area that made school management software. After a few years there where he worked to get his master's degree, he left and joined up with Underdark where he met James, Derek, and Kevin.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Derek called, snapping Tom out of his thoughts.

They nodded again.

"Then hop in! It's time to MOVE OUT!"