The group had spent the evening back at camp, discussing their new skills and all that they’ve learned about the system so far. Learning that home would no longer be like it was came as a pretty severe shock to them. At some level, that had been their reason to keep going. They would survive the tutorial and go back home. Looking back, they realized that had just been a pipe dream. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense that they’d be zapped away to some alien jungle, put through hell, and then just get sent back to their regular lives like nothing had happened. What would that even look like anyway? Would Calvin bring his spear to the office?

The next morning, they awoke, had a quick breakfast, and decided to set out for the day. They had a few things they needed to accomplish. They wanted to keep their momentum going for starters. While they had a nice little forest retreat to kick back and relax in, that wasn’t going to serve them well through the tutorial if they stayed weak. They also really needed to learn more about the jerks who tore through their camp. Also… water bear was great and all, but they’d been eating it for basically every meal for just shy of a couple of weeks. It was time to get some other grub on the table. Andy let them in on a pretty magical little secret of their base. The resource cache would preserve food. This opened up so many possibilities for fresh food and they were eager to start stocking the pantry.

“Hey Cal, got a sec?” Seth motioned over to Calvin.

“Sure, what’s up?” Calvin asked.

“I’d like to stay back. I want to spend some time with my new skills and see if I can learn anything from the stockpile of materials we have.”

Calvin looked at him apprehensively, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Calvin looked over at the group, “I’m pretty confident we can handle ourselves out there, but aren’t you worried about falling behind?”

“Actually, I’m not. I tested it out a bit last night, and I got a pretty good amount of experience from just using my skills. I guess since I’m primarily oriented towards creating new things, the system rewards me for it accordingly. I don’t want to be stuck at camp all the time, so don’t worry about that. I just need to get oriented with my abilities and maybe start coming up with some stuff we can use out there.”

“Alright. If you’re sure. We’ll be back in a few hours. See if you can whip us up a pizza oven or something.” he said with a wink.

“Sure pal. Take care of Marshall for me. We both know he’s a lost cause.”

“Ha! In your dreams. I’m the oil that keeps this machine running smooth!” Marshall called over. “Cal, we’re ready to rock. Let’s get out of here so lazy bones over there can get started on his spa day. See ya later Seth!”

The five of them set out through the gates of the camp, Andy was there to see them off. As they filtered out into the wilderness, the gates shut silently behind them.

It was different for them out here now. They were much stronger and they collectively felt so much more confident as a group. Especially here, this close to camp. The raptors and beetles they’d encountered early on in their tutorial would simply be a nuisance now with their significant upgrades and combat experience. One might even say they weren’t even dangerous anymore. They wouldn’t quite go that far. Each of them knew that a momentary lapse of judgment was all it would take out here to become a rotting corpse along the road.

It was a new experience for them though. Each time they’d walked through this jungle before, they’d been on high alert. A tangled mess of anxiety, jumping at every creature’s call, flinching with the crack of every twig. They hadn’t really been able to appreciate the environment around them. Today was different. They were refreshed, they were fed and they were seeing their reality in a new light.

The air was so clean here. It wasn’t tinged with the pollution of industry and vehicles carrying their charges to and from places they probably didn’t want to be. The sounds of honking horns and the clamor of voices on the sidewalks were replaced by birdsong and the occasional howl of something the group imagined to be a monkey of sorts. The sun was shining brightly above the canopy of the forest, letting through a dappled light to the forest floor. The air was warm, and occasionally a gentle breeze made its way through the maze of trees to relieve them of the humidity that seemed to be a constant out here. If they hadn’t been trapped in some multiverse spanning being’s training camp, this would honestly feel like a nice vacation. To a degree, it still did.

Their hike took them through dense neon foliage, laced with flowers of every color imaginable. Pollinators of various unknown types went about their industrious ways, carrying forth the lifecycle of the forest around them. They passed bubbling creeks that flowed with crystal clear water, stopping at one for a short break. Freya was all too happy to romp around here while the group perched themselves on stones nearby. After all, a dirty, smelly pup was no good for anyone.

“I hate to say it. This jungle is growing on me a bit.” Ian said as they munched on some jerky.

They watched Freya splash around in the creek, looking for a poor hapless fish to set herself upon.

“You know, I’m coming around to the idea.” Amy said after a moment of thought, “I really miss coffee though.”

“Please Amy, don’t remind me. I was just starting to get over the loss!” Ian groaned.

“And burgers. I think I’m having dreams about that doublestack from JC’s. I just want a big ol’ ball of grease for lunch. Throw in some fries and I’m set.” Marshall said “How about you Cal?”

“Tacos.” Calvin mused, joining in on the game, “I could put away probably 20 of them right now. Remember that truck by the office Amy? Get some fresh tortillas, load it up with a mountain of carne asada, pickled onions, some guac, a nice healthy dollop of that mango salsa. Hell, I’d go back to the dungeon again if we could get some of those as a reward.”

A loud rumbling sound erupted from where they sat. This time, it wasn’t some fucked up system challenge, it was just the collective wailing of their stomachs.

“Cal, I think you took it too far. I’m starving now.” Amy said teasingly.

“You know what, fuck it. We’re having a feast tonight. I’m done with this jerky. Let’s get our asses out there and get to work.” Marshall commanded. “Freya, we’ve gotta move! We have an important mission.”

Freya bounded over to them, a soaking wet mess. Politely, she shook a barrage of water off of her fur and all over the annoyed group. She couldn’t go around looking like a wet dog now could she?

“Well look at that! Freya’s already started.” Marshall pointed out.

She’d returned to them with a bountiful prize, their first… fish thing. Whatever, it was food.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

They continued on their way, Freya’s nose on high alert for delicious jungle delicacies. For the next few hours, an apocalypse blew through the jungle in the form of five adventurers with a powerful hunger.

They had collected pretty much anything that looked edible. There were meats from a myriad of jungle creatures, some were furry and cute, while others were scaly and ugly. Much to Freya’s chagrin they also gathered a large collection of fruits, roots, mushrooms, nuts and other plants that either looked or smelled delicious… to them at least. Freya thought they smelled like something a dog should never, ever eat. They would have to figure out how to avoid poisoning themselves, but that was a task for later. Seth was going to freak out when they came back.

Calvin smiled at the group as they’d set about the task of harvesting. This was good for them. It was a beautiful day, and their lives had been one constant life-and-death struggle for more than a week. Getting the chance to blow off some steam and build morale never hurt anything. Plus, the experience wasn’t half bad either. He’d leveled up already and suspected the others had too. They’d encountered a few hungry creatures out here, but their fights were over in seconds. Shit, Freya took down a lone raptor before the group even knew it was there. She’d just bounded off into the bushes and wrecked that horrible little lizard’s day.

It was starting to move into the early afternoon now, the sun began its slow plodding journey from its peak in the sky and the group was ready to make their way back to camp. They hadn’t picked up much in regard to the humans who’d been in their camp. Freya’s nose had set her upon a small trail right outside their gates, but she quickly lost it in the dense forest. They’d keep their eye out for sure, but today’s victories were plenty so, they began their journey back.

A couple of hours later, as they approached their camp, their trek took a little bit of a turn for the worse. Freya - and Calvin through their link - picked up voices in the direction of their camp. They were muffled by the distance, but it certainly sounded like shouting.

Calvin signaled for the group to remain silent as they moved closer to the walls and motioned for them to take cover in the bushes as they approached the scene ahead.

The clearing between the forest and their camp was roughly 50 feet. Calvin and his group hunkered down just off of the path inside the trees. Freya’s nose was working in a frenzy.

Six humans she communicated through the link.

“Freya picks up six, what do you got Ian?” Calvin asked in a whisper.

“Those three by the gate, one more in the forest over there” he said, motioning far off to their right, “One more on their opposite to the left. I’m not picking up the other one.”

“Alright, we don’t know their intentions, let's play it smart. For now, Amy go right, Ian go left. Get close to those two hiding, stay out of sight. Marshall stay back here under cover. I’m going to go have a little chat.”

They moved off silently towards their targets, Amy under the cover of her Static Cloak.

“Just open the gates! We aren’t here to cause any trouble. Like I said, we haven’t seen anyone else out here and we just want to talk!” a frustrated man boomed out. He was a large man, at least half a head taller than Calvin and with a hell of a lot more mass.

This guy was probably pushing 250 and much of that seemed like muscle earned through years of hard labor.

He was clad in a full set of leather armor scaled with metal plates and carried a large studded club over his shoulder, which really looked like a baseball bat scaled up by system magic.

To his left and right were a smaller man and woman, both adorned in standard-looking, unimpressive cloaks. The man carried a wooden bow with a quiver slung over his back, and the woman had a pair of short swords strapped to her belt. They were fighters at the very least, and Calvin would approach this carefully.

“Like I said,” Seth’s voice rang out “We can talk through the gate. I’m sure you can understand my caution. We don’t know you, and this place tends to fuck you over.”

Calvin and Freya slowly emerged from cover and began to approach the trio.

“Finally, a proper welcome,” said the large man without turning around, “I was wondering if you were ever going to come out.”

The trio turned to face Calvin.

Calvin held his hands up in a non-threatening gesture

“So, who might you be?” asked the large man.

“I’m Calvin, and this here is my place. What can I do for you?”

“Well Calvin, as I tried politely telling that asshole inside, we just want to talk.”

Calvin was sweating bullets right now. He worked hard to appear confident and unafraid. The man in front of him appeared completely in control. Freya was beside him, low to the ground. She sensed Calvin’s nervousness and was prepared to engage on his command.

“Hey Seth, everything alright in there?” Calvin called out

“Oh, it’s great! Just some solicitors. We should get a sign.” Seth called back.

The large man motioned for his people to stay put while he slowly approached Calvin. He stopped roughly 20 feet away.

“Listen, I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. The name’s Knox.”

“Knox eh? Where’s a name like that come from?”

“Oh, it’s a little something I picked up in the tutorial. So anyways, where’s the rest of your gang? I don’t see that gangly wizard or that hot little piece skulking about anywhere.”

So he knows about our group.

“They’re around. We were just out on a supply run.”

“That’s great! Seems like I caught you at a good time. Anything you’d like to share with us? We could use a good meal.”

Knox clearly wasn’t the altruistic type and Freya was certainly picking up bad vibes. Calvin didn’t even need their link to pick up on them too.

“Unfortunately, no. We didn’t come across a whole lot out there.”

“Is that right? In my experience, there’s plenty out there. Seems odd that you’d come back with nothing. You’re not just trying to keep it all for yourself are you?”

“Knox… I’m afraid you still haven’t told us why you’re here.”

Knox chuckled, giving off an air of confidence that Calvin surely didn’t feel himself. “I just came to meet the neighbors, maybe borrow a cup of sugar, maybe catch a nap in your camp there. You don’t come across as very neighborly to me though.” Knox glanced over to the woods off to his right.

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Calvin asked.

Knox waved over to where he glanced, and out stumbled Ian. He was led out at the tip of a dagger by a cloaked individual. This must have been the person Ian couldn’t detect.

Calvin looked over in alarm.

Ian gave him a slight shake of his head, indicating for Calvin not to act.

Hold he commanded Freya.

“I wanted to have a friendly chat, but I can see you all are the suspicious type. Call the others out now. I wouldn’t want Shade to slip and hurt your friend over there.”

Marshall stepped out, his pistol leveled on Shade.

“I would ask your man to lower his weapon.” Knox said

“I would ask yours to lower his first!” Amy called out from the other side.

She had taken her target unaware, and now she’d led him out of the woods, one dagger pressed against his throat, the other against his spine. He appeared to be a caster of sorts, although poorly equipped and very malnourished.

The archer and swordswoman behind Knox had their weapons drawn now, the archer drew a bead on Freya.

From the opposite side of the clearing, another caster stepped out from the tree line, this one much better equipped than the other. They were dressed in dark black robes and carried a metal staff with a luminous yellow gem radiating from the top.

This situation had devolved quickly. Calvin cursed himself. They were too damned trusting and walked straight into this. He hadn’t wanted to believe that other survivors would end up being complete douchebags.

“Well, it seems we have ourselves a little problem now.” Knox said, not appearing the least bit unnerved by the situation. “I was going to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime and let you join our little group. Now, I just don’t think we’re compatible.”

Calvin’s mind raced. Why was Knox so unafraid? There’s something I’m missing.

Be ready he commanded

“What do you want?”

“Ah, negotiations. Now you’re speaking my language! Let’s say, you leave your gear and supplies where you stand, open the gates over there to my new home and you fuck right on out of here. Also, leave the girl.” Knox said with a wink

Calvin slowly nodded, looking around him, as his eyes passed each of his team, they gave him a small, almost imperceptible nod. They were ready.

“I have a counteroffer.” Calvin said “Go fuck yourself.”

With that, everything exploded into motion all at once. The tension in the clearing finally snapped. Two shots from a pulse pistol rang out, dropping the assassin at Ian’s feet. A smoking hole dripping with charred gore replaced the side of his head.

Knox was already rapidly closing the distance on Calvin, his club in mid-swing.

Freya was snarling and foaming at the mouth waiting for Calvin to give the order.

Go

She erupted in a flash of light and a roar just as an arrow pierced right through her and into the soil.