Chapter 28

  The forest was alive with alien sounds, wind-chime birdsong and the low hum of insects with iridescent wings, as we navigated out of the dungeon and into the amber morning light of the twin suns. After days underground, the purple-tinged sky and the double shadows stretching beneath us felt almost overwhelmingly vivid.

  New Achievement!

  Complete Your First Dungeon!

  500 points awarded!

  We dismissed our achievements without looking into them too deeply. A glance at my HUD showed Day 9, and the Rescue Mission timer blinking at me: 21 days remaining. Four days gone already. Our nerves kept us on track, and for two hours we'd barely spoken. The adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me focused. We needed to reclaim Galene before tomorrow, and nothing would stop us.

  As we pushed deeper into the woods, past silvery ferns and trees with bark veined in bioluminescent sap, the air shifted. It felt charged, almost electric, carrying that mineral tang I'd come to associate with danger on this world, and I could sense that something was off. Then, without warning, a pair of snarling shadowfang wolves sprang from the underbrush, their eyes filled with an unsettling hunger.

  "Get ready!" Felix shouted, and I instantly sprang into action, adrenaline kicking in.

  "I'll take the left!" I called, charging forward. My energy sword felt reassuringly familiar in my hands as I swung it with precision. The blade met the beast's flesh with a satisfying whommm, and it let out a yelp before collapsing to the ground.

  Byte bounded beside me, growling fiercely as he nipped at the other beast's heels. I could see Felix engaging the second creature, and my heart raced as I fought alongside them. Together, we dispatched the beasts quickly. It felt like a dance we had practiced many times before, but I couldn't ignore the fact that these creatures were tougher than I remembered.

  They were level 9. Last time I was in the woods this close to camp, we were fighting what, level 3s?

  "Seems like these guys have leveled up a bit since we last came through," Felix remarked, wiping sweat from his brow.

  I nodded, scanning our surroundings. "We need to be careful. If they're getting this much stronger already, I don't know how strong they'll be by the end of the tutorial."

  With the fight behind us, I took a moment to catch my breath. The thrill of victory was quickly overshadowed by the growing tension in my gut. "We should save our strength for taking back the camp," Felix added. "The last thing we want is to be worn out before the real fight starts."

  Then Byte froze. Every sensor on his body locked toward the treeline to our left, his LED eyes flaring amber. A low, warning hum vibrated from his chassis.

  I followed his gaze. For a heartbeat, between the indigo trunks and silver-edged ferns, I saw it. A shape. Humanoid but wrong, limbs too long, standing perfectly still in the shadows. That blank, pale face. That impossible grin.

  My blood turned to ice.

  "Felix," I whispered. "Don't move."

  He followed my stare. I heard his breath catch.

  The Fleshgrin stood maybe forty feet away, half-hidden behind a tree trunk veined with bioluminescent sap. It tilted its head, studying us with that featureless face, and for one terrible second I was back at Galene, standing over a dead scout with vacant eyes.

  Then it was gone. Not running this time, just... gone. One blink and the space between the trees was empty, as if it had never been there at all.

  "Was that..." Felix started.

  "Yeah." My hand was shaking on my sword hilt. "It's been out here this whole time. Waiting."

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  We stood in silence for a long moment, scanning the forest. Nothing moved. No wrong laughter echoed through the trees. But the feeling lingered, that crawling sense of being watched, of something patient and hungry taking note of our return.

  "Come on," I said, forcing myself to move. "We have a camp to take back."

  But I kept checking over my shoulder the entire way.

  "We're about an hour outside of Galene," I said, checking the map on my arm display. "It's time to call John and let him know we're ready."

  I pulled out the phone and dialed. The familiar interface glowed as the connection established.

  "Maura?" John's voice crackled through the device, clear but laced with tension. "Did you guys make it out of the dungeon?"

  Felix chimed in, "Yes, we're about an hour away."

  "Understood," John replied. There was a pause before he continued, his voice dropping in tone. "Listen, things are tense here. We've got five of the original invaders left. Garrison, the Level 14 I told you about, bolted the second night. That creature in the woods spooked him bad. One of the sentries he posted turned up dead the next morning, no wounds, no marks, just empty eyes. Same as the scout before the raid. Garrison saw the body and was gone before noon." He paused. "Of the five remaining, four use guns, and one, his name is Trevor, prefers knives. He's covered in tattoos, hard to miss. Stay away from Trevor if you can. He's brutal, and he knows what he's doing with those blades."

  "Got it," I replied, committing the details to memory. "And what about the rest?"

  "The leader, Matt, is dangerous. He's the one who has all of our credits, he's been hoarding them," John explained. "He's unhinged, more so the past few days. Big guy named Jared is gunning for control, too. There's a lot of tension between them. They act like they're friends, but Jared is not happy that Matt is in charge. We might be able to exploit that. They're on edge, and Jared's ambition could work in our favor."

  "Do you think there's a way we can turn Jared against Matt?" I asked, an idea forming in my mind.

  "Possibly," John said, a hint of hope in his voice. "Jared is desperate to take over, and Matt knows it. If you can make it seem like Matt is planning to cut Jared out or turn against him, that could set them off."

  Felix spoke up. "What's the best way for us to get inside without being noticed?"

  "Come in from the east side," John replied without hesitation. "They won't be expecting anyone in broad daylight. They don't play fair, so they expect no one else to play fair either."

  "That's good to know," I said, picturing the camp layout in my head.

  "The hope is we can get their guns from them and tie them up without anyone getting hurt. But we all understand that might not be an option." John said, his voice tight.

  "Understood. And what about the people who are with them?" Felix asked. "What if they don't stand down?"

  "Everyone who's with us will have a blue flower in their pocket," John said. "If you aren't sure if you can trust someone, ask what their favorite book was as a kid. It's a code, only you, Felix, and the people I trust know it. If they answer correctly, you know they're on our side. If not... well, do whatever you need to do."

  I exchanged a look with Felix, the seriousness of the situation settling over us like a thick fog. "And if we do manage to capture Jared and Matt?" I asked.

  "If you can get them both, the rest should fold," John answered. "There might be some who still support them, but I think most will leave without too much of a fight if they see their leaders taken down. Just be careful. There are a few who genuinely believe in Matt's leadership, and they might try to retaliate."

  "Oh," I said, "how will I know what they look like and where to find them?"

  "Center of camp. The tent with the red flag on top is Matt's. Jared's is right next to it, marked with a stack of wood beside it. Jared is a larger guy, always wears a hat. Matt is wearing his clothes from Earth. He's got a beard and wears a motorcycle jacket. The other two, I'm not sure. Kind of average looking. Trevor is covered in tattoos."

  "Got it," I said, glancing down at the phone. "We'll see you in an hour."

  "One last thing, Maura," John added, his voice lowering. "If it looks like things are going south, I want you to get out of there. We can work on escaping Galene and meeting up somewhere else. At this point it's about survival."

  I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. "We understand. We'll be careful."

  Felix and I ended the call, the weight of our mission pressing heavily on our shoulders. We exchanged a glance, the silence between us filled with unspoken words.

  "That was a lot," Felix said, his brow furrowed in thought. "But it sounds like we have a real shot at this if we play it right."

  "Yeah," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. "We just need to be smart and not get ahead of ourselves. Stick to the plan."

  The last hour of the journey was unnervingly quiet. I could feel the weight of the mission pressing down on us, the stakes higher than ever. Every rustle in the leaves or snap of a twig made my heart race, and I focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

  As we drew closer to Galene, the familiar landscape began to take shape through the trees. The anxiety swelled in my chest. This wasn't just a mission to reclaim our home; it was a chance to stand up against those who had taken so much from us.

  "Are you ready?" Felix asked, breaking the silence.

  I nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah. We have to be."

  With each step, I could feel the anticipation building. We were on the brink of something, and there was no turning back now. We had each other, Byte, and our determination to reclaim what was ours.