Walking over to a tent set along the center of the camp, the team was told to wait outside while Zach went inside. It was a much larger structure than the other tents that appeared to have been stolen from a sporting goods store with large poles holding up the corners rather than the standard folding sticks that form the frame of a standard-sized shelter.

There was some talking inside the tent and Zach reemerged with a tall man in tow. they walked over to the party and Zach did introductions.

"Tom, this is Jake, the leader of the Panthers. Jake this is Tom. He and his group just found us and are looking to help." Zach said.

"We don't need help. We will finish this shortly," Jake said looking down with almost a sneer on his face.

"That's great. We aren't here to steal anyone's thunder. We just want the vending machines to go back to normal so we can equip ourselves properly." Tom said.

"Then I expect you won't have to wait long. My team is up next and we will kill the monster." Jake said.

"Up next?" Derek asked.

"We drew straws for which teams would take on the beast in the dungeon first, then formed trial orders. My team is next. We are stronger than any other team here and will put a stop to this. So your help won't be needed." Jake said.

"I hope that's true. It would mean less danger for us, and in this world, we have seen enough of that already." Tom said.

Jake simply nodded once and turned back to his tent. Before he went inside though, he stopped and spoke over his shoulder.

"Feel free to find a place to set up camp. You can watch us win from out here." He said and then disappeared behind the flap of his tent.

"He's lovely. I bet he is such a tender lover." James said.

"He's not that bad. He's just trying to look out for his team." Tom said.

"Well, he should absolutely look at a course on sharing. I can recommend a good kindergarten teacher to help him figure that out." James said.

"If we don't have to get in harm's way I see that as an absolute win for us," Tom said.

"But...the loot," James said.

"Would be nice, but what can we do? And I'd rather not start anything with this many people around." Tom said.

Moving off to the edge of the camp, the team began to set up their own tents and make camp for themselves. Once they had finished settling they moved over to the fire to see if they could find out some more about what was going on.

They talked to several people around the fire. Some of them completely drunk, and all got about the same answers. No one could beat the monster. It was too strong.

"People go in there and are just torn to shreds. We have been trying to level up out here, but nothing we do seems to help in beating it." One man said.

"It doesn't seem like there is going to be an end to this. It just seems like it's unbeatable." Another group said.

Deciding to take a different approach, they began to ask about people around the camp, specifically Jake. Answers were widely varied when they asked, making the man seem even more mysterious.

"Jake is a good guy. He's a hard ass, but he is fair. He has taken to organizing people around here to make sure everyone gets their shot at the monster." Some said.

"He's a real dick. Just came in and started ordering people around like he could just run the whole show and was better than anyone else." Others said.

Finding one of the members of his team though gave them the best insight about what was really going on. The man's name was Tim, and he was the team rogue.

"Jake is definitely a good guy. He comes off harsh, but he has a heart of gold. He cares about his people but definitely wants to make sure that they are strong enough to survive in this world, so he can push us to just be our best." Tim said.

"So he's just trying to make sure everyone is safe?" Tom asked.

"He wants people to be OK, but he is still focused on being strong. He has a moral code he follows, so he isn't just in this for the desire to make sure everyone gets along. He wants that XP and any rewards that come from the fight. But his honor won't let him just push people around." Tim said.

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"He sure comes off kinda rough though," Tom said.

"That's just because we've been here for a while now and he's had to deal with so many different assholes only here for the XP and not here to get the job done. He knows what needs to be done and he stepped up to be sure it is done fairly." Tim said.

"That makes sense. Do you think you all have a chance in there?" Tom asked.

"I don't really know. We are likely the best team here, so we stand the best chance. But I've seen teams go in and come out beaten to hell, and I've seen teams go in and never come back." Tim said.

"So this is a dungeon?" Derek said.

"Yes. The System seems to have formed a dungeon around this to make it orderly. It may not have been before, but it is now. It appears to be different though because unlike other dungeons we've been in before, it acts like more than one team can go in. Most of the people here though don't want to work together so only one time did two teams go in together and they didn't come back out. But they were some of the weaker teams." Tim said.

"So it could be like a raid dungeon?" Derek asked.

"Maybe. But you'd likely have had better luck getting peace in the Middle East than getting teams to work together to find out here." Tim said.

"Do you know anything about the creature? Anything we can learn about?" Tom asked.

"It's some kind of shadow creature. So it's hard to pin down. Not a lot more than that has been able to be shared. You might have some better luck talking to Bob though. He claims to be an expert here." Tim said.

"Bob?" Tom asked.

"Yeah, you can't miss him. He's wearing a jumpsuit with his name on it." Tim said.

"If he claims to be an expert, then why aren't more people listening to him?" Tom asked.

"Because he's a little loose in the head. You'll see when you talk to him. Most people don't believe him." Tim said.

"Do you believe him?" Derek asked.

"I didn't. But the more time goes on, the more I feel like maybe he has a point. It's just so hard to believe based on what we already know though." Tim said.

"Thanks for talking to us Tim. We appreciate the info. We are still trying to understand what's going on around here." Tom said.

"Don't mention it. Glad more people are coming still. We're likely to need the help." Tim said.

Walking around for a while longer and talking with people as they became available, Tom finally spotted Bob off by himself sitting and eating a meal from a camping plate. He, Derek, and James approached the man while others were busy talking with some of the other teams in the area.

"Hi, Bob. My name is Tom. I was wondering if we could ask you a few questions?" Tom said.

With his mouth full, Bob motioned with his hand that was holding a fork at the log near him that was being used as a makeshift seat around the fire. Taking a seat and waiting while the man ate, they looked at him expectantly. When it finally appeared as though he wouldn't say anything Tom spoke instead.

"What is it you actually do here? Why have you come to the Grand Canyon? It doesn't appear that you are part of any of the teams that came." Tom asked.

"I'm a vending machine repair man," Bob said through the mouthful of food.

Looking expectantly at him the three waited while he continued eating.

"Like...from before the apocalypse?" James asked.

"Sure. But also now too." Bob said after swallowing his food.

"Oh...wait what? really?" James asked.

"Yup. I fix the machines when they stop working. Came here to try to fix this one. Can't get near it though." Bob said as if it was the most casual thing in the world.

"I thought the system kept the machines up?" Derek questioned.

"They do, from a software standpoint. But when they break they need someone to fix 'em," Bob said. "That's where I come in."

"I don't understand, how do you fix the machines?" Tom asked.

"With tools usually," Bob said.

"No shit, genius," James said.

"I guess what we mean is how do you know how to fix the machines?" Tom asked.

"Well, I was fixing a vending machine when the big screens in the sky broadcast that message. There was a shock that went through the machine while I had it open and that seemed to try to meld me with the machine. When the System realized I couldn't be joined with the vending machine, I was given a new class. Vending machine repair man." Bob said. "That meant I got the information for fixing them downloaded into my brain and now I know everything about them."

"And nobody believes you?" Derek asked.

"Well, it sounds a little crazy. Plus I have no way of proving it right now. The others seem to be mostly concerned about the fighting anyway." Bob said.

"Well, there was no class called Vending Machine Repairman in the tutorial, so it does sound a little off," Derek said.

"That's true," Bob said. "But it's not something you can choose. I'm guessing I'm the only one in the world now. If not, I'm one of only a very few."

"I don't really see why anyone wouldn't want you to be there. They just don't like you?" Tom asked.

"Beats me. Oh and If we can't get this fixed soon, the whole world is going to end because the IFP doesn't want these machines falling into the wrong hands." Bob said.

"Now that sounds made up. We haven't heard anything about that." Derek said.

"And you won't. They will just do it all of a sudden. The mana core they put in the planet is also a bomb. They can trigger it at any time." Bob said, taking another bite of food as if nothing was wrong.

Stunned to silence, the three men sat there staring with wide eyes at Bob. No one could believe what Bob was saying. It was all just too much to take in.

"That must be why they don't believe him," James said.

"Maybe. I have no idea. But whether you believe me or not is of no real consequence." Bob said. "You don't have to believe me. But I would suggest these people hurry up and figure out how to get rid of that monster."

"Probably don't like him telling them to hurry up either," Derek said.

"Can you tell us anything else about the vending machines?" Tom said.

"I can tell you tons of things. You don't have enough time for me to tell you everything I know about them." Bob said. "We'd be here for weeks."

"Do you have a place to call home Bob?" Tom said.

"Not really. Been traveling ever since the System was implemented." Bob said.

"How'd you like to join us at Vanguard?"