Emmet sighed as he walked through the stone halls of his new home. He wasn't keen on working with these people, but it was hard to argue against safety. The Network had all but stopped talking to them after the Tutorial. Part of him still woke up expecting it to be a dream. That he would be back in the office, filling out another dull spreadsheet. Without fail, he was reminded that this was his life. That this was real. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried the pointless exercise of "planning". The Network had spawned them in the plains where monsters could eat them without effort. If it hadn't been for their "leader" and his weird tutorial rewards, they would've died already. He was pulled out of his thoughts when fresh air washed over him. He was already above ground. He stared out past the faintly shimmering barrier and considered just running for it. He wouldn't have to deal with the rules anymore. He also would die, but was that so bad? Assuming he wasn't killed by some horrifying monster that was. He shook his head. He knew he wouldn't do it. He hated watch duty, and that rarely involved fighting anything. All he had to do was leave the barrier walk around for thirty minutes and then report that there was nothing there.

  A blur of movement to his left stopped his whining. For a moment, his brain refused to accept what he was seeing. It was a man walking on electricity toward him. As if a son of Zeus had come to earth. Further, the man was beautiful in the way that Greek gods were. The shock kept him frozen for another moment, and then he turned and ran. He wasn't sure who the man was or if they were on the same side. Nor did he care. He had only taken ten steps before the man was in front of him. A lazy look on his face as if he were bored with all of it. Or bored with him. The thought made Emmet shiver as he raised his hands.

  "Listen, I don't know who you are or what you want, but I won't give much energy. I am level three, just let me go, and we can pretend like this hadn't happened."

  The man raised a hand, and Emmet went silent. "Are you a part of the Sons of Retribution? Have I found their hideout?" Emmet froze for a moment and then nodded in the direction of the barrier. When he remembered that you couldn't see the barrier from this side, he opened his mouth to explain. Only for the stranger to beat him to it.

  "You have a powerful array. I'm guessing it uses illusions to make the area look the same as the other spaces? Does it do anything else?"

  "I-I don't think so. Our leader doesn't tell us things like that." As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. All he had managed to do was make himself look more associated. He was about to explain when the man raised his hand again.

  "Your leader has a weapon? Or perhaps another array? One that kills any monster that passes through, right? I doubt any of you are in the top fifty, let alone the top 10."

  "A-actually, we do have five people in the top 25. Though they aren't always here. Ou—I mean, the leader has a weird array that lets him." Just as he was about to explain, two more figures stepped through the barrier almost fifty feet away. The stranger cocked his head as if he found the duo and their automatic weapons amusing. A moment later, the two guards spotted them, and Emmet sighed. He wanted nothing more than to bury his head in the dirt. The guards immediately raised their rifles and barked out orders. Yet the stranger only stared at them. As if they were children pointing sticks as opposed to real guns.

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  "I said Get your ass on the ground!" The first guard barked.

  "I don't understand. Why weren't the three of you together?" The man spoke quietly as if they were in a library somewhere. There wasn't a trace of fear or hesitation.

  "Get on the ground," Emmet complained. "They will actually shoot us."

  "Last change, asshole. Face to ground now!" He barked out as the other guard moved around to his right side. Before either of them could do anything, the world shuddered. Emmet's mind went blank as a primordial scream filled him. It was as if the world had been bathed in blood. Like he was being stared at by a primordial beast. One that hadn't decided if he was worth killing or not. A moment later, the sensation was gone. Gone so fast he wasn't sure it was ever real. Emmet slowly raised his head, a wet spot in his robes that hadn't been there before. He felt slightly better when he saw that the other guards were in worse shape. They were on the ground, their guns discarded as they rapidly released everything in their stomachs.

  "Hmm, perhaps I released more than I should have. I will work on that for next time." The man said.

  Emmet wanted to strangle him for that. He had no idea what had happened, yet he was so calm. It was frustrating.

  "Oh, right, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Maximilian Croft. I would like your help. I need to speak with your leader or leaders. If I go in on my own, they will attack. I am not particularly worried about that, but I would prefer to limit bloodshed. We need to work together as much as possible."

  Emmet stared at the man, at Maximilian. It took him a moment to realize where he had heard the name, and as soon as he did, he opened the leader board to confirm. Emmet wanted to rip his hair out. He had wanted a simple day where he did his job and went away. Now he was in the middle of this bullshit. It just wasn't fair. He forced a smile on his face and looked at the stranger. The crazy man. "Of course. How can I be of service?" His right eye twitched as soon as the words fell from his lips.

  "Wonderful." The man then held out his hand as a ball of swirling blue water formed. The ball was no bigger than a baseball. As soon as it finished, it flew up and away. Until it was above the other two guards. The ball then bursts, sending rain on them. The rain that washed away the mess as well as helped the duo. A few seconds later, the rain stopped, and the two guards stumbled to their feet. Their faces are pale but otherwise in good health. At least from what he could tell. Emmet wondered if they would reach for their guns again. When they didn't, he sighed. With the immediate danger gone, he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

  "Are you able to get me out of here? You've had to notice the monsters around here are stronger than normal. Most of us aren't strong enough to survive. If you can help with that, then I will do whatever you need."

  Maximilian paused for a moment and then nodded his head. "I can arrange that. Assuming this place has a settlement hub?" Emmet nodded, and Maximilian continued. "Good. I will take over the place, and we might be able to teleport you across. Once you get to the more civilized area, the monsters get weaker. I would recommend you keep fighting, though. This is our new reality, and this is just the beginning. More monsters and more dangerous ones will come."

  Emmet resisted the urge to snort at the comment. When had things ever been safe? Others could and would do the fighting. He wasn't built for that. He had tried. He had used a sword in the tutorial. He had fought the simple monsters, but it wasn't enough. Not when they arrived here. The monsters were stronger and faster. He shook his head as Maximilian gestured for him to follow.

  "Alright. I want you to take me inside. If there are any traps, I will retaliate. I will do what I can not to kill anyone who surrenders or is otherwise innocent, but it's hard to limit my power. I would suggest you do what you can to help." Emmet shuddered when the man's piercing hazel eyes settled on him. He nodded his understanding along with the other two guards. Together, they all stepped up to and through the array.