Ch 5

  Matt awoke from the strangest dream—a vision of being transported to an eerie forest—only to realize with a jolt that it wasn’t a dream at all. Just inches from his face loomed the timid staff wielder’s face, a sight that sent his fight-or-flight instincts into overdrive. He began to worry that he had already lingered too long in this precarious situation. Before he could react further, the tan, blond woman carrying an axe—the one who had taken the last watch—spoke up.

  "So, what is on the docket for today?" she asked casually.

  "Lessons on personal space," Matt replied, his tone edged with sarcasm and anxiety.

  "Emily just felt safer near you. You can’t really blame her for wanting to sleep soundly," she teased.

  "I can, as she didn’t even ask and—" Matt started, his frustration rising.

  "You would have refused anyway, which would have only made you angrier than you already are. So tell me, are you gay or something? Because the only way you look at any of us is with annoyance and frustration—even when we helped kill the boar."

  "I don't know if I'm anything when it comes to sexual preferences," he muttered, "beyond feeling that it's just not worth the trouble."

  "Got it, so you're a virgin then?"

  "What are you going to tease me about now?"

  "I take it back—you’ve dabbled once or twice, but only to claim you did," she said with a smirk.

  "Not true. I've never gotten that far with anyone. I always seemed to put other things first when I actually tried dating. And now, if you don’t mind, I’m really not in the mood to talk."

  "I do mind," she insisted. "Look, the six of us would have been dead or worse if you hadn’t stepped in yesterday. I know you only agreed to work with us for a day, but I need to know if a longer-term arrangement could be negotiated."

  "Ask me that when we’re eating tonight," he replied, his tone darkening. "Also, check with the others first, because I'm not planning to be a pleasant companion if agree to something that binds me to your group long term."

  "Anything in particular that I should warn them about?" she prodded.

  "Yeah, I do what I think is best without worrying about others' opinions. That often means I have no respect for privacy and no shame in breaking social norms. Before all this, I lived about half a day's hike away from anyone, and I only made that journey two or three times a year."

  "Got an extreme example of what that could mean for us?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Sure. If I instructed all of you to strip naked, cut off all your hair, and cover your bodies in mud, I would expect you to do so. It might very well be the first step in concealing your existence from some unseen danger out there."

  "Odds of that happening?" one of them questioned.

  "100%—at least for you, if I end up staying past today," he replied sharply.

  "What!?" came the shocked response.

  "You're trying to get me to stay," he explained, "so either give up, or accept that you'll be subjected to everything I know."

  "Fuck, you’re not kidding about being hard to live with," she grumbled.

  "Exactly," he said dryly. "So just forget about it."

  "Fine," she finally conceded, "if the others agree, I'll humiliate myself for the greater good of us all."

  "What?"

  "Look, I’ve spent my life expecting others to do exactly as I say simply because they work for my family. I never had friends—and I never wanted them—since I could always order a maid to entertain me in any way I pleased. You lived alone, but I was surrounded by people who would obey every command as long as it didn’t cross any boundaries. Had you claimed you’d make us all strip for your entertainment, that would have been a line crossed. In my view, hiding from something and surviving is worth any level of humiliation one might demand. Just don’t expect me to do it when you’re not around—and if it must happen, it’s best to wait a few days."

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  "Alright, are we done talking now?" asked Matt, annoyance creeping into his tone.

  "For now,” she nodded “But I expect everyone to have something to say before the day ends."

  "Joy,” grumbled Matt. “Try to get them to help once I’ve taught you all a few things—like how to make cordage."

  "Cordage?"

  "Yes; rope, twine, or any material used to tie things together."

  "Oh, you can actually make that?" she asked in surprise.

  "Yes, although it can be pretty time-consuming. However, among the skills that are both easy to learn and extremely useful in a survival situation, cordage-making is up there. In fact, I believe I could teach all of you how to do it in just one day."

  "Is that all you plan to teach us?"

  At that question, Matt felt his social patience evaporating. He took a deep breath, trying to recall how he’d managed similar situations back in high school, and said, "No, I already gave you some lessons yesterday. Now, let me think about some other topics before I get too annoyed and my thoughts get jumbled."

  "How am I being annoying?” she pressed. “If anything—"

  "People just annoy me. That’s why I avoid them, and why I don’t plan on staying with all of you even if I agree to help out more. Now, keep your thoughts to yourself. I’m going to take a walk through the woods and mull over a few things. While I’m gone, start working with the others to strip the bark from the trees you’ve cut down—it’ll be what you use to make cordage. And while you’re at it, see if you can locate a good source of water nearby, because I don’t think we’ll last much longer without it."

  With that, Matt rose and began to walk away from the group of six women. He scanned the area for landmarks before slipping into the woods, marking trees as he went. Almost immediately, he felt a mix of relief and tension—relief at the solitude, and a creeping sense of paranoia that someone was watching him. The solace came from not having the burden of constant company, while the unease stemmed from the knowledge that whatever entity had spoken to them at the beginning of this scenario clearly possessed the means to monitor them all. Matt was convinced that some surveillance was continually tracking everyone in this barren expanse, always ready to alert those in charge if anything went wrong.

  It was this worry that had Matt’s anxiety running on overdrive as he tried to decipher the true purpose of their predicament. It was clear that the threat wasn’t limited to mere mindless monsters—the goblins were just the start—but he also had a nagging feeling that there were too few monsters at once. Still, he remained uncertain about exactly how few there were, as he had no idea how many levels it would take for his species to reach G or F rank. One thing was apparent, though: stopping there was not an option. Instead, Matt was determined to soar at least to E rank before being returned to Earth, even if that meant others might perish along the way. Not that he intended to kill them directly; rather, he would simply hoard experience, thereby hindering their path to F rank.

  This line of thought brought him back to a fundamental dilemma: how should he manage this scenario, and how much help was he willing to extend to others? Could he even afford to work with anyone? If he bumped into Apricity, Cassie, or Tyler, he would certainly lend a hand, but he wouldn’t extend that assistance to the entire group trapped wherever they were—Matt already knew what that could lead to. Should he discover that they were allied with another faction, he wouldn’t hesitate to leave them behind and concentrate on his own journey. In his mind, it made far more sense to remain self-focused, a mode of operation he was all too accustomed to and ready to embrace once more.

  Yet, there was one compelling reason to support the group of women: crafting. Although Matt was confident in his ability to create anything he needed, the process was painstakingly time-consuming. If the six women committed themselves to establishing and defending a base, they’d have ample opportunity to craft essential items far faster than he could. Much like his arrangement with Cassie back on Earth, Matt planned to negotiate that they process whatever valuable resources he delivered into items beneficial to him. It was a straightforward concept in his head, yet he recognized that it would demand more than just a day of instruction in making cordage and other basic tools. He would need to help them grow stronger, for without that progression, it was only a matter of time before a monster—or another human—would seize everything they had painstakingly built.

  Matt understood that the possibility of others joining their group was also high, which would almost certainly result in the six of them being absorbed by another group. If that happened, it would mean that instead of the tan blonde, who seemed to have become their leader, Matt would have to contend with a new unknown leader. This was the last thing he wanted; even though he found the tan blonde annoying, she was still less bothersome than having to start from scratch with someone else. That was, of course, assuming they could even continue to live as crafters in whatever reality they found themselves in.

  With this in mind, Matt strengthened his resolve to work with the women, provided they were willing to work with him, and try to establish a situation that he found bearable. He began to make his way back to the group of six women, only to find himself suddenly surrounded. Not by monsters in the traditional sense, but by simple rats, each the size of a football. Thankfully, he counted only ten of them, but he could see more approaching as he weighed the options of fighting or fleeing. The thought of how the six women would react to him returning while being chased by oversized rats made Matt quickly decide to fight.

  As he gripped his stone-cutting tools, he found himself wishing for a weapon with a bit more reach. Nevertheless, as he let his mind go blank and his body settled into a loose stance, he refrained from cursing whatever fate had sent the rats after him. After all, there were certainly much worse things to contend with, and at least the rats didn't appear to be diseased and could provide a decent meal. Not that Matt expected any of the women to be thrilled about that prospect, but he chuckled as he thought of it as yet another valuable lesson he could teach them.