Team Hazard and Theo stirred in the early morning light, their makeshift camp hidden deep within a dense, elevated forest clearing.

They weren’t the most professional unit Theo had ever heard of, but they made a good call there, as their camp remained unmolested through the night.

Last night’s chaotic escape from certain death, combined with their disorganized camping, had left them groggy and disoriented, their already dubious sense of direction all but abandoned.

Dan was the first to push himself up, his brow furrowed in concentration as he surveyed the unfamiliar surroundings. “Right, chaps, we need to find our way back home,” he said, his voice chirpy despite the lingering fatigue.

Ben grunted in agreement, rubbing a hand over a fresh bruise. “I’m sure we can’t be that far,” he muttered, half-amused by the absurdity of their situation.

Ash, ever the helpful presence, scanned the terrain for any sign of a familiar landmark. “Yeah. We only tracked for hours and then sprinted in a random direction for an unknown amount of time,” he reminded them, his tone facetious.

Jake peered into the misty distance with a cocky grin. “Every tree looks the same out here,” he joked, though the uncertainty in his eyes betrayed his true concern.

Theo was also examining the surroundings before realizing the futility of his insights. “Wait, I have no idea what I’m looking for, actually.”

Dan pursed his lips as he contemplated their situation. “New plan: Let’s find somewhere high up so we can spot Dawnmere,” he said as he snapped his fingers energetically.

Theo smirked. Dawnmere? Oh, that’s subtle. Did you guys have to choose between that, Elden Hollow?

Ash chuckled in agreement. “That’s almost exactly what I said. But I called it a Skyrim name.”

Dan sighed dejectedly, “Yes, well. I didn’t name it and I certainly can’t change it. But it’s home, so what can we do?”

Theo held his hands up in placation, “Fair, fair. At least it isn’t ‘New Haven’ or something.”

Dan smiled warmly, “Hah, they nearly called the inn exactly but the builders kicked off. Anyways, the sun is shining and our home beckons. Let’s be off!”

Jake turned to Ben cautiously before looking back at Dan, “Shouldn’t we pack up everything first?”

“Oh, right, heh. Ben, can you chuck everything in your storage?” Dan asked, with a hint of embarrassment.

“Eh, why do I always have to be the mule?” Ben said, already trudging over to the supplies that were sprawled across the small clearing.

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“You’ve got the most storage weight, you tit,” Ash chided with a breathless laugh.

Theo watched on as the lumbering giant placed his hand against one of the sleeping bags before a quick flash made the item disappear. “Hold on. I was going to ignore that whole ‘magic bag of holding’ thing, but now I have questions. Mainly, WHAT?”

Ben looked at Theo as if he was an idiot, “It’s just the storage function.”

Jake realized what the issue was and stepped in. “Oh yeah, you mentioned last night that you didn’t have a tutorial or any of the system things, right?”

Theo nodded, his eyes still fixated on the spot where the sleeping bag used to be.

“Oh, wow. There’s a lot you won’t know then. Everyone has the ability to store items, the amount you can store is directly affected by the strength stat of a person,” Dan stated, holding one hand up to help articulate his words.

“Jesus Christ. You’re telling me I’m in an actual stat-based nightmare, and Raz just—what—forgot to mention that little detail? That man is the worst tutorial NPC ever.” Theo shook his head in astonishment.

Dan paused and smiled empathetically before continuing, “That’s right. Stats, stamina and health pools. Even mana if you have a magic class. Oh, right, classes too. Pretty much anything you can find in a fantasy RPG.”

Theo felt his mind attempt to leave his body and go on a vacation to unwind. “I thought I’d already had my moment of ‘This can’t be real’, but here comes another one…”

Ben approached Theo and placed a gentle, comforting hand on the rapidly crumbling man’s shoulder.

Gentle and comforting—that was the intention, at least. Instead, his hand connected with unexpected force, sending Theo sprawling to the ground. In response, the nanotech mesh on Theo’s shoulder flared vibrantly before it coolly dissipated into stored energy.

“Oops, sorry,” Ben said hurriedly before taking a step back in surprise, “Wait, what was that?”

Theo struggled to his feet, his voice a mix of embarrassment and wry humour. “Oh, uh, no problem. It’s a mesh, armour thing. It has a much cooler name and explanation but I’m not really a science guy.”

He ran a hand through his hair, trying to salvage his dignity, but the disparity in strength really shook something loose in him.

He feared no man before the system. He was bigger, stronger and trained more than most. Now? He had been levelled by a friendly gesture.

“Where did you get it? Is it like a skill or something?” Ash asked with an excitement in his tone that Theo hadn’t seen before.

Theo chuckled, shaking his head. “Something like that. A friend of mine—a real genius—basically gave me a couple of things to keep me… you know… not dead.”

Jake sauntered up to Theo and half forcefully slapped him on the arm, causing the familiar flash of the mesh to occur before dissipating once more. “Dude, that’s insane. I wondered how you survived out there.”

Theo understood their intrigue but was beginning to feel a bit like a lab rat again, “Yeah, it’s pretty cool. I wish I could explain more but shouldn’t we get to safety first?”

Dan nodded accordingly and beckoned the group to give him some space. “Right you are, Theo. Let’s head back and then we can get everyone all caught up.”

With that, and with supplies safely stashed in Ben’s storage, the group forged ahead through the undergrowth.

As they moved, Theo’s mind began to whir as he contemplated how he could use some of the mesh’s functionality to his advantage.

Did Ben just give me a shitload of energy charge with that ‘attack’?