Jack hadn’t known what to expect—but somehow, seeing Amari's and Horace's real faces caught him off guard.

  Amari’s skin was even darker than his avatar's. The biggest surprise, though, was the lack of hair. In-game, he wore long braids that gave him a laid-back, confident vibe. In real life, he was clean-shaven—at least on top. A neatly trimmed beard hugged his jaw, adding a different kind of sharpness.

  Horace looked almost exactly like his avatar—bulky frame, unshakable posture. If not for the lack of plated armor, Jack might’ve thought he’d stepped out of the game. Honestly, Horace looked even more in shape in person, which didn’t make sense. The guy spent hours logged in every day. When did he even hit the gym?

  They were all doing the same thing—scanning each other, matching faces to voices, avatars to reality.

  “Hey, Jack. Marie,” Amari said with a polite nod.

  Horace raised a brow. “No ‘hello’ for me?”

  Amari waved a hand. “We live on the same street. I saw you this morning.”

  Horace leaned back, grinning. “True, true.”

  “Alright,” Amari said, clapping his hands. “Looks like we’re all here. Let’s get started.”

  He sat up straighter, slipping into his usual role. “We figured out how to leave the Breach—now let’s use that to our advantage. First question: how many of us should be going out at a time?”

  Marie spoke first. “The only reason I’d leave is to learn a skill from an NPC or buy supplies. But I haven’t leveled in forever, and Jack can just buy stuff for me, so… no reason to go.”

  Amari nodded. “Same here. I vote Jack goes solo.”

  “Agreed,” Horace added. “We’ll keep hunting packages while Jack handles the supply runs.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “Hold on. You just want a head start in our package race. That’s cheating.”

  Horace laughed. “Hadn’t even thought of that. But now that you mention it…”

  Before Jack could fire back, a knock tapped at his door.

  Knock, knock, knock.

  “Sorry, guys. One sec,” Jack said, switching off his camera and mic. He got up, feet brushing the cool floor. He opened the door to find his mom balancing a tray with a steaming mug of coffee and a thick slice of chocolate cake.

  “Mom? What’s this?” he asked, mouth already watering.

  “I thought I’d bring you a little something. You haven’t eaten,” she said.

  Jack blinked. “Oh—uh, thanks, Mom.”

  Before he could take the tray, she stepped inside and swept across the room, setting it down directly on his desk. Then, of course, her eyes found the screen. She leaned in a little, squinting at the video feeds. “Hi! I’m Jack’s mom.”

  Jack’s stomach sank. “Mom,” he hissed. “Camera’s off. Mic too. They can’t hear you.”

  “Oh.” She brightened. “Well, turn it back on then. Let me say hi!”

  Jack half-stepped in front of her, ears burning. “Nope. No. Definitely not. It’s our first time seeing each other in real life!”

  She laughed, clearly enjoying herself. “Real life? But aren't you talking through the computer? There's no need to look at me like that. I’m going downstairs. Don’t forget—you still owe me dinner.”

  “Deal,” Jack said, already nudging her toward the door.

  She slipped out, leaving behind the smell of coffee and the echoes of parental sabotage.

  What if I hadn’t turned off the camera and mic?

  He would never have heard the end of it. Horace would make fun of him for the rest of his life.

  Jack sat back down, staring at the cake. He let out a breath, muttered something under it, and then scarfed the slice in three ungainly bites.

  Only after checking his teeth for crumbs did he switch the camera and mic back on. “I’m back!”

  Amari acknowledged it with a nod. “Alright! So, now that we’ve decided Jack will be the only one leaving the Breach, let’s focus on the game plan. He was kind enough to leave us enough pickles to last through several waves without him around to cook.”

  Jack gave a casual wave. “Just doing my job, captain!”

  The team smiled.

  “I think we should all stay put for the next few waves,” Amari went on. “Boss waves or not, it’s too risky to leave only Marie on the frontline—not while Jack’s gone.”

  Marie nodded. “If we stretch too thin, we might lose the fortress. Things get harder after wave twenty. And even after Jack comes back, only one of us should be away during the waves. Doesn’t matter who—as long as the other three hold the line.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow. Marie spoke of him as if he were just as strong as the others—as if his presence carried the same weight, the same importance. Not a backup. Not a burden. An equal.

  It hit harder than he expected.

  He kept half-waiting for someone to pull rank or remind him of how green he was. But here they were, planning around him, not above him.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “I guess there’s not much to debate,” Horace said. “We explore nearby zones and keep the defenses tight.”

  “Unless we use Breach Points to buy more packages,” Marie said.

  Jack blinked. They had 44: one per completed wave, twenty from hidden Breach achievements, one bonus from the Roach Mother, and three more for defeating the Cobalt Ischychromys. If all of that went into a single package... what would it even look like? An army of mecha-T-Rexes guarding the gate?

  Horace leaned forward, eyes glinting. “What do you think, Amari? Time to splurge?”

  “I want to,” Amari admitted. “But I’d really rather wait until we hit fifty.”

  “Why fifty?” Jack asked.

  “Packages and reward chests get a major upgrade every ten points. Tier thresholds,” Marie said.

  “Exactly,” Amari said. “Let's hold out just a little longer, and the payoff will be way better.”

  Jack tilted his head. “Then why stop at fifty? Why not wait for sixty? Or seventy?”

  Amari smiled. “Fair question. Two reasons. First, we don’t want to blow everything on surviving and end up with nothing at the end. We’re not just here to last—we’re here for the reward chest at the end of the run. You need Breach Points to get it.”

  “Right…” Jack said.

  “Second,” Amari continued, “a powerful package gives us more breathing room. Stronger defenses mean more freedom to explore and find even more aid packages. That freedom could easily snowball.”

  Jack let that settle in. Risk now, more payoff later.

  “So we’re agreed?” Amari asked. “Only Jack goes out, and we hold the points.”

  “Agreed,” Horace said.

  “Yep,” Marie added.

  “That leaves only one thing to talk about,” Amari said. “Jack, what are your plans once you’re out of the Breach?”

  “I’m going to buy supplies,” Jack replied.

  “Right, right,” Amari said with a nod. “But you don’t have to rush back. Were you planning anything else while you're out there?”

  Jack hesitated. “Uh… I do have some ideas. Yeah.”

  Amari leaned in slightly, voice warm. “Want to share? No pressure. But if you’re open to it, maybe we can help you fine-tune your plans.”

  The offer caught him off guard. Amari already knew his stats—he had access to Jack’s footage and logs. And yet… here he was, asking anyway, not as a leader giving orders, but as a teammate offering support.

  Jack’s voice came out slower this time. “Sure. I mean—yeah, I’d appreciate that.”

  Amari smiled. “Good. Don’t think of this as us checking up on you. It’s more like—we’ve got your back. Your class has the most growth potential out of all of us. And since we can’t earn regular XP in the Breach, only professional XP, you’re the one who can really push forward.”

  Marie nodded. “The more you level up, the stronger we all are. It’s like feeding XP into our defense grid.”

  “I can help, too,” Horace said. “It makes sense to pool what we know. If you’re planning a loadout or buying new recipes, we can brainstorm it together.”

  Jack let out a slow breath. A few weeks ago, he would've held his plans close, afraid of being taken advantage of or brushed off. But not anymore. “Thanks, guys. I mean it.”

  The truth was, his class was overwhelming at times. Too many choices. Too many possible builds. Getting feedback from people who’d been playing longer than him—people he trusted—might be just what he needed to clear the fog.

  He pulled up his character sheet and shared it with the others.

  For a moment, no one spoke. Amari read with a clinical eye, occasionally glancing away from the screen, visibly thinking through something. Marie kept a neutral expression, but her fingers tapped absently. Horace muttered parts of the sheet under his breath, lips moving as he processed the information aloud.

  One by one, they gave small nods, signaling they were done.

  “Alright,” Amari said. “Let’s hear your plan.”

  Jack cleared his throat. “First, I’m dumping all the extra stuff I’ve gathered—pelts, meat, teeth. The usual. I can restock those on the next waves.”

  “Smart,” Amari said.

  “Then I’m planning to hit the pottery, bushcraft, and butchering XP stores,” Jack continued.

  “What are you going to buy?” Horace asked.

  “I’m not sure. I’ll see what’s available when I get there. I remember seeing some pottery jewelry recipes—that’s a priority. Maybe some glazes. Porcelain-related skills and recipes, if I can afford it.”

  “Good thinking,” Horace said. “You don't have any accessories yet. And we’ll need replacements eventually.”

  “Regarding the porcelain recipes… what do you want them for?” Amari asked.

  “Uh… It’s the next thing to work on in the minor.”

  Amari frowned, bobbing his head. “Sure. But do you want to be crafting fine pottery and statuettes during the Breach? Wouldn't it be better to hold off on that until you can craft in a workshop?”

  “Hmmm… I guess you’re right.”

  “What about from the bushcraft store?” Amari asked.

  “Anything that boosts cooking,” Jack said with a shrug. “Or maybe something for my glove slot. Still need to fill that.”

  “Right. You do a lot with rope,” Amari said, tapping a finger to his chin. “That could open options.”

  “Mind if I toss in a suggestion?” Horace asked.

  “Sure. Go for it.”

  “Have you ever seen a palisaded camp?”

  Jack thought back to Ariadne’s place—it looked more like a miniature fortress than a camp. “Yeah, I’ve seen one.”

  “They’re a core upgrade later in the game. Once beast waves start hitting crafters’ camps, unprotected builds get wrecked. If you can get that, it might let us add a whole new layer of defense to the fortress.”

  Jack’s eyes lit up. “That’s actually huge. I’ll check if it’s available.”

  Amari scrolled back to the butchering section. “Looks like you’ve got limited XP there. Why do you even want to go to the Butchers' XP store?”

  “I just want to see what upgrades there are. I unlocked bone carving recently, so I was hoping to find clues about tools and techniques.”

  Marie perked up. “I’ve got a friend—Len. He’s also in Sector Five and is seriously good with bone carving. Why don't I introduce you two?”

  Hearing her say, ‘Sector five,’ he frowned. “You mean... in real life?”

  “Yeah. We meet up; you talk to him, and he walks you through the basics. He owes me a favor, so I’m sure he’ll accept.”

  “And if you do that in real life,” Amari added, “we pause the Breach clock. You’ll have more time without any in-game pressure.”

  “S-sure. That sounds good,” Jack said, still a little taken aback.

  “Where do you live?” Marie asked.

  “Near Boston.”

  “Perfect. That’s like an hour by train. Can you come to Providence, Rhode Island, tomorrow?”

  Jack hesitated. Marie was smiling a little too sweetly. There was something vaguely suspicious about her smile, but Jack was more excited about the chance to learn bone carving from an expert than anything else.

  He nodded. “Yeah. Tomorrow works.”

  “Awesome. I’ll set it up.”

  The team returned to discussing his character sheet, ideas flowing freely now.

  Jack mostly listened, grateful. Every comment, every tip, every new perspective gave him a little more clarity.

  He still had a long way to go. But he wasn’t walking that road alone.