Expecting to feel exhausted, I looked down at the troll lying before us. Instead, adrenaline still surged through my veins, my breath returning to normal. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face. I was entranced by the power I had tapped into—the intoxicating rush of living out the power fantasies of my teenage years. It was a heady feeling, and I was relishing it.

“That was a good fight,” Amanda said, walking over.

“Yeah, good thing you remembered trolls don’t regenerate without fire,” Ghimli said, glancing at me. I couldn’t hide the surprise on my face.

“You didn’t remember, did you?” Amanda said with a smirk.

“Honestly? No,” I confessed. “Glad it turned out okay.”

“Lucky bastard,” Bea said, appearing from the other side of the troll and tossing what looked like a backpack at us—though it was really just a large hide tied together with saplings. “Found their stash.”

It was mostly junk—animal skulls, putrid meat clumped with dried blood. But mixed in with the filth were weapons from other adventurers who had likely fallen to the beast. I found a replacement sword and took it, my old one shattered against the troll’s neck.

As the adrenaline from the fight began to fade, I laid out our options for the rest of the day. “We’ve got a choice. It’s still early, and if we push forward, we could reach the next contract by sunset. Or we could camp here and head out at first light.” We were mostly drained of mana, but if we weren’t in a rush, we could recover while traveling and find a campsite near the Braundes' property. That’s what we agreed on.

The banter on the way was lighthearted, reminding me of our teenage years. Even Bea, who used to hang out with us after school, was in high spirits. It was nostalgic, and I silently thanked Fabio for giving us the chance to be our younger selves again, even if just for a while.

The plains gradually gave way to a dense forest, though this wasn’t the wild, untamed variety. The trees were arranged deliberately—evidence that we had entered the logging grounds of the Braundes' property.

“I think we should camp outside the trees,” Amanda suggested. “No sense causing trouble before we introduce ourselves.”

We all readily agreed.

The scent of pine trees was soothing, mixing with the wildflowers at the forest's edge. The small fire we set up transformed the campsite into a cozy home. The stars above embraced us while we talked, eating the rations I’d packed for the trip. Honestly, those rations were the only downside to the night. They tasted like sawdust with a hint of peanut shells, but they kept us full. We could have hunted for game, but none of us knew how to butcher prey properly, so we stuck with the rations.

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“This is kinda nice,” Bea said, sipping tea.

“Yeah, it really is,” Ghimli agreed. “Remember when Dad wanted to take us camping, but it rained the whole week?”

“Yeah! We couldn’t even walk!” Bea laughed. “I wonder how they’re doing. It’s been almost two weeks... I bet they’re worried.”

“We don’t know how time works here. Maybe a year here is just a minute back on Earth?” Ghimli tried to comfort her.

“Fabio probably knows,” Amanda added.

“And I’ll bet he won’t tell us,” I said. “Sorry, Bea. I know you’re worried, but there’s nothing we can do. I’ve come to terms with it. We can only do the job and try to have some fun—like this morning.” I smiled, trying to lift the mood.

“I know. Sorry to bring everyone down. I guess I’m just tired. Mind if I take the last watch?”

“Not at all,” I said. “Amanda and I will take the first watch. You and Ghimli get some rest.” I patted Ghimli on the shoulder, signaling for him to help his sister.

“Thanks, Doc,” he said, giving me a sad smile.

Once they were settled in their sleeping bags, I pulled Amanda aside to walk the perimeter, giving Bea some space to process.

“That was a nice move,” Amanda said softly after a few minutes of walking.

“What was?”

“The way you handled Bea. Telling her to ‘do our jobs and have fun’—it was good advice.”

“Yeah, I just wish I’d learned it sooner. I’ve always been slow.”

“Tell me about it!” She bumped her hip into mine, making me stumble a few steps. I bumped her back, and we laughed as we continued walking.

We kept watch until Bea and Ghimli were fast asleep. The night was calm, and with the troll likely scaring off any nearby creatures, there wasn’t much to worry about. Eventually, we returned to the campfire, now just glowing embers.

“Do you think we’ll ever get back home?” Amanda asked.

“I don’t know. All of this feels too alien to me. I mean, we have mana, I can set my sword on fire, and you have horns for Wee Wee’s sake. It doesn’t feel like a VR game, or we’d see floating blue boxes.”

“We do have the tablets, though,” Amanda pointed out.

“True. So either this is real, or it’s a really shitty VR game. I’m not sure which I prefer.” I chuckled.

She smiled back. “Yeah, me neither.”

We sat in silence for a few minutes, the cool breeze giving us a comforting chill. The flames danced in the gentle gusts, reflecting off our armor, while the sounds of nocturnal animals softened the edges of the dark around us. The stars above flickered, and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were actually stars or perhaps distant deities watching us. I glanced at Amanda and caught her eye.

Gods, where did we go wrong?

Suddenly, a loud roaring sound echoed from the woods—a motor-like rumble that startled the birds into flight. A guttural noise came closer.

“Incoming!” I yelled. Ghimli and Bea jerked awake, instantly ready for a fight.

A creature came crawling, the trail of blood following their path and we could finally see what was once a human, their legs crushed and their eyes bulging, the rumble from the presumably yells from help were constant, their hands in a deforming state akin to branches pushing them forward and the bark skin of their arms crackling at each push.

And then, just as suddenly as it started, the noise stopped. The deformed body lay still, blood pooling around it.

“Well, I’ve lost my sleep,” Ghimli muttered, staring at the corpse. “Doc, Amanda—you two can take over now.”

I glanced at Ghimli, expecting a joke, but all I saw was terror in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, I nodded. “Yeah... I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep now either.”