“Easy,” the black man said.

  Riu was so conked out, even the guy’s voice didn’t wake him.

  “What do you want?”

  The guy smiled, the expression not quite reaching his eyes. “Friends,” he said. Then he dropped the smile, his face growing harsh. “Have either of you been to the mushroom forest?”

  I could maybe activate bubble before he shot, but I didn’t have a way to attack after that. Fireball would just kill us all and while this guy was smaller than me, he was fit. And there was something in his eyes that told me he’d done this kind of thing before.

  “We haven’t,” I replied, watching his hands. His finger was resting beside the trigger, not on it. This guy was used to handling crossbows or firearms. But he also wasn’t taking his eyes off me. Probably thought Riu wasn’t dangerous. Boy did he have another thing coming.

  I expected him to ask more pointed questions, but he slowly lowered his crossbow and relaxed. “Are you searching for the kiosk?”

  His tone had completely changed. The terrifying presence he’d been exuding only moments ago was replaced by a warm smile and calm demeanor. He’d gone from predator to pedestrian in the blink of an eye.

  “We are.”

  Riu finally stirred, then jumped to his feet once he saw the newcomer.

  “Easy, child,” the man said. “We are not enemies.”

  I aimed my staff at him right when he looked away. While I knew I’d kill us all if I cast a spell, he didn’t know that.

  “You make one wrong move and I’ll melt your bones.”

  The guy didn’t seem intimidated. Still, he slowly placed his crossbow on the ground, then raised his arms, palms open. “As I said once already, we are not enemies.”

  I scoffed. “Says the guy who came at us with a loaded weapon.”

  “I had to exercise caution.” He looked between me and Riu, his voice measured. “The people around here. They are not…right.”

  I could tell by his accent this guy was probably from Africa. Which meant he was the dude the women had spoken of. They hadn’t mentioned him trying to murder them, so something had to have changed between then and now. Or maybe he just thought the two of us were easy targets.

  But he would have shot if he wanted us dead. I studied him, scanning for signs of deceit. I found none.

  “I’m going to lower my staff, Riu you put that dagger away. But I still don’t want any sudden movements from you, understand?” The guy nodded.

  There was an awkward moment when me and Riu lowered our weapons. It was like we were stuck in an overly long elevator ride, everyone wanting to break the tension but no one knowing how.

  “I am Kojo,” the African guy said, then he very slowly lowered himself by the fire.

  “We’ve heard of you,” I said, easing down across from him. “From Gina, Kacey, and that giant woman.”

  “I hope what you heard was good?” He grinned. “I am glad to know they at least made it safely through this portion of the hills. This is a very dangerous area.”

  “Buddy, this whole planet is a dangerous area.”

  Kojo chuckled at that, then he flicked his wrist and his map appeared. Unlike mine and Riu’s, his was viewed from far above. There was also a slight red shade to the surrounding area.

  “How did you do that?” I asked.

  “My class, Pathfinder, gives my map enhanced features. One of these is local threat detection.” He pointed, his finger running along rim of the red area. “This portion of the Hills is more dangerous than the rest, but it was not always this way.” He chewed at his bottom lip, face lost in memory for a moment. “There were other people here when I arrived, searchers like us. Those who had people to find. But none of us made it to the kiosk.”

  “Was it the boss?” Riu asked.

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  “No,” Kojo stared into the fire. “We stopped by a stream, all thirsty for water. The kiosk was close, just a bit further into the mushroom forest. But we were tired and stayed the night there. Almost everyone who drank from the forest’s water woke the next morning with…growths.”

  I really didn’t like where this story was going.

  “Those of us who remained unafflicted tried to assist them, but they grew restless, then angry. The growths were little green mounds at first, but they grew quickly. They spread like roots, burrowing into the sick people’s skin. Then pods appeared across their bodies. That’s when their anger turned to hunger, and they began attacking us.”

  “That is,” Riu said, struggling to find the right words. “Not good.”

  Kojo grimly smiled at Riu. “Indeed. And after a brief battle, I was forced to run. But some of the afflicted chased me. I’m not sure if you’ve encountered this yet, but creatures can’t seem to cross into zones they did not originate from. The same cannot be said for the afflicted. It took me hours to lose them, and they stalk this place still.”

  I nodded, taking it all in. “So that’s why the threat in this area has increased?”

  “I believe so,” Kojo answered. “That is why I had to approach you carefully. I found another small group this morning, three children who’d entered the mushroom forest and been forced to flee. They were fine at first, but then in just a few hours they began acting erratically. I knew they’d drank from the waters, but I naively thought they would be fine.”

  Riu and I exchanged glances. He had to be talking about the three teenagers who’d set off ahead of us.

  “Will we be sick?” Riu asked, touching his stomach, a deep frown on his face. “We drank the water too.”

  Kojo tensed at that, but I eased him down. “That was water from Outer Verdia. We both had some hours ago, and we’re fine.”

  “Your friend is probably right. The strange water is probably a feature of the mushroom forest.” He looked up, his mouth twisting in disgust. “The ones who brought us here, did so for a reason. I do not know what that is yet, but I know they are cruel. This ‘kiosk’ promises no food, no water, yet they know many will search for it all the same.”

  I realized what he was saying, and my hands balled into fists. “They knew people would be forced to drink the tainted water, didn’t they?”

  “I believe so. They give us power, this system, but they do it to make a mockery of us. This place is designed to make us suffer, to snuff out hope. They wish to break us.” He narrowed his eyes. “But they will find some of us are made from the hardest steel. And we will reach them someday, and we will carve from them all that they have taken from us.”

  “Who are you looking for?” Riu asked.

  Kojo’s shoulders lowered, and he took a deep breath. “My mother. I had just returned to Ghana the morning we were taken. She was at home when I left for the market. Her birthday was yesterday.”

  “Jesus,” I muttered.

  “Many of the people around me in the market were there when I woke up, but the squirrels attacked us within an hour. Half died immediately, and the rest were cut down as we ran.” The right sleeve of his shirt was torn, and I could see faint bloodstains on the frayed edges of fabric. “Only four of us made it out. But then night came and the crawlers arrived. I am all that’s left. But when the announcement came in the morning, I set off for the kiosk immediately. That’s when I ran into those women. They’d been attacked by fungal creatures not long after waking on the first day. I believe these creatures may be the final form of the afflicted. And if they are, we must cull the infected before they reach that stage.”

  I mulled over what he was suggesting. He’s talking about killing people. That corpse looter asshole had deserved what he got, but those three kids, did they deserve this? No, but if what he’s saying is true, and I think it is, they’re not themselves anymore.

  “What happens at the final stage?” I asked.

  Kojo looked almost frightened as he spoke. “They described creatures with vine like tentacles and venomous thorns. Beasts that spread toxic spores with each breath. That they moved faster than any of them could react. That dozens had been cut down in the blink of an eye. But they also said the monsters were few in number. But if everyone who drank the tainted water makes it to that stage, we will never reach the kiosk.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes, each person deep in thought. Then Riu frowned, clearly troubled at what was being discussed.

  “We will have to hurt people,” he said, his cracking voice reminded me of how young he was.

  Kojo looked at him, regret in his eyes. “They are not people any longer. You will see it soon enough. But if you wish to not bloody your hands, I will not judge you for it.”

  Riu didn’t say anything, but I also wouldn’t hold it against him if he didn’t participate. But I was willing to do whatever it took to find Avery.

  “Do you know where these ‘afflicted’ are? Can your map skill help you locate them?”

  “Maybe in the future when the skill advances, but for now we will have to search with our eyes and ears,” Kojo said. “But they are spread out along the edges of the mushroom forest. We will not have a hard time running across them.”

  I leaned back and took a deep breath. Tomorrow there would be more fighting, and I had to be careful. If I started blasting too many spells, I might end up hurting myself. But I would be reaching level five soon and that meant a new spell. Tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity to do some much needed grinding.

  Grinding. Like this was a game. Like I wasn’t going to be roasting people alive.

  “Riu, get some rest. We can discuss your role in the morning,” I said.

  He settled against his tree, but I figured he wouldn’t be falling back asleep easily. As for me, I’d be keeping an eye on Kojo for as long as I could. He didn’t seem like he was lying, but the way he’d looked at me, that crossbow in his hands—it was like he’d done this a thousand times.

  He’s killed people before, I’m sure of it. And not just since the game started.

  He caught me glaring and smiled. “You will get no trouble from me,” he said. "But you too should rest, we will need to be at full strength for what comes next.”

  I grunted an acknowledgement and pretended to relax. But either way, we would be reaching that kiosk tomorrow, no matter what stood in our way.