Austin felt annoyed as the group led him through the forest. His trip was supposed to be quick, and he was supposed to return. Now he had to worry about his family’s safety as this group led him to meet their so-called king. He could only hope that the meeting was quick and he could return to camp.

  ?

  Luckily, it did not take long for them to arrive at Natasha's camp. Natasha had made camp in a large clearing in the forest. There were several fire pits scattered throughout the area, some of which had fires going. There were many packs sitting in the area as well. It gave off the impression of a large campsite.

  ?

  The members of the camp all had the same sort of paint markings as the people who led Austin in. Most people only had one armband of paint. Austin assumed that it was a ranking system and that those with one armband were the lowest ranked in the system.

  ?

  Austin scanned the area to see if he could find Natasha. It did not take long for him to recognize her. She wore similar training robes to Austin, except they were red in color and did not have sleeves. Tattoos covered her arms and crawled up her neck. She had long black hair with blonde streaks on one side of her head, while the other side was shaved.

  ?

  The woman whom Austin identified as Natasha was conversing with various people in the camp as they arrived. The next noticeable detail was the natural charisma she seemed to display. The people she talked to seemed to be genuinely happy to speak with her. It was as if she made the people in her camp forget about the danger of the Survival Game.

  ?

  As the group approached Natasha, the higher-ranked woman spoke up. “My lady, we found this man in our territory. He claims to mean us no harm, but I wanted you to be the judge of that.”

  ?

  Natasha looked Austin up and down before she turned to the woman. “Thank you for bringing him to me, Jess. Please leave us for a moment. I would like to talk to him in private.”

  ?

  “As you wish,” the woman, Jess, said as she gave a slight bow and nodded towards her companions. The group around Natasha and Austin quickly dispersed in response.

  ?

  “So you met a master?” Natasha asked after the two of them were left alone. “You don’t match the description of the other two kings. So who are you?”

  ?

  “Well, since I can’t hide it, I did meet an Essence master,” Austin sighed. “But I really don’t want any trouble. I just want to make sure my family is safe throughout this period.”

  ?

  “Interesting,” Natasha mused. “You do realize that the life of an Essence user is one of conflict?”

  ?

  “I’m aware,” Austin said flatly. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to seek out conflict. I am more interested in keeping my family safe and at peace.”

  ?

  “I mean, that is definitely a take,” Natasha responded. “But how will you get the strength to protect them without seeking conflict to make yourself stronger?”

  ?

  “Well, I hate to say it, but I feel like conflict manages to find me,” Austin said. “I’ll probably get plenty strong that way.”

  ?

  Natasha started to laugh. “I can’t say I disagree with you. Many people in this forest are out for blood, and it’s going to be worse when we return.”

  ?

  “Like I said, I don’t think I have to worry about conflict. I mean, just today your people were watching me,” Austin said. “Now, is there anything else? I think you can see I don’t mean any trouble, and I would like to get back to my family.”

  ?

  “You know, we aren’t that different,” Natasha replied. “When I came back from my master, I made it my mission to gather people underneath me. Not really because I wanted to gather strength, but because I knew there were people who were frightened and needed protection. I thought that I could provide that for them.”

  ?

  “That’s great, but I don’t understand what that has to do with me,” Austin said with a raised eyebrow.

  ?

  “Why don’t you and your family join us?” Natasha suggested. “With the two of us together, that guarantees their safety and the safety of my people.”

  ?

  “If it were just me, I may agree,” Austin replied. “But I don’t know you or your people. That’s not something I’m willing to risk for my family. No offense.”

  ?

  Natasha nodded in understanding. “I guess I don’t blame you. How about a different proposal then? I order my people to leave you alone and allow you to freely travel in my area. In return, consider joining us after you feel you can trust us.”

  ?

  Austin paused for a moment at Natasha’s proposal. He felt as though he did not lose anything from it, but it also felt strange to him the lengths that Natasha was going through to get him to trust her. It made Austin want to trust her even more. He thought that maybe this was the charisma that he saw when he entered the camp. Natasha had an honesty about her that made people gravitate towards her.

  ?

  “Why are you so committed to getting me on your side?” Austin asked. “I know that you said my power could be useful, but I’m sure you have plenty of power of your own.”

  ?

  “Eventually, I think one of the other two Kings will get greedy,” Natasha explained. “This forest is filled with resources to help someone improve their Essence. Right now, we are at a stand still in each of our territories and gathering the resources within. I think at some point that won’t be enough for the other two Kings. When that happens, my people could be in danger of attack.”

  ?

  “So I would act like a deterrent,” Austin said. “I do see your point, and if you are being honest, it could help ensure the safety of my wife and son.”

  ?

  “You’re going to join us then?” Natasha asked before Austin could finish speaking.

  ?

  Austin put his hand up in a stopping motion. “Before I say that, I want to make something clear.” Austin’s eyes narrowed as his voice turned grave. “If any harm comes to them from you or your people, I will kill everyone in this camp.”

  ?

  For a moment, Natasha was speechless. Throughout their discussion, Austin had obviously expressed care for his family, but he seemed more interested in not causing conflict. Natasha would not call him a coward, but he seemed like he would do whatever it took to not fight unless necessary. His sudden shift in tone made him seem like a predator. Natasha even felt a bit of a chill at his response. Her brain knew she did not need to be afraid of him. They were the same rank. But her heart felt very differently, as if he was something wild and dangerous that kept it locked away.

  ?

  “I will guarantee their safety,” Natasha eventually said. “I would not want to make you an enemy, and I am not in the business of harming children.”’

  ?

  “Fine, we have a deal,” Austin extended his hand.

  ?

  “Glad to have you,” Natasha smiled as she shook Austin’s hand.

  ?

  “I’ll return here soon,” Austin said. “I need to talk to my wife about our deal.”

  ?

  “I understand, I hope to see you soon,” Natasha said, but Austin’s back was already turned.

  ?

  Austin raised his hand in a wave as he walked away. The people in the camp started to congregate once more, but still kept a good distance from Austin as he walked. Almost as though they could feel his killing intent.

  ?

  As Austin walked away, Jess whispered to Natasha. “Are you sure we can trust him? He seemed dangerous.”

  ?

  “Don’t worry about that,” Natasha replied with a comforting smile. “He is plenty trustworthy as long as we don’t cross him. He may be dangerous, but he is domesticated.”

  ?

  ***

  ?

  It did not take long for Austin to arrive back at the building. When he did, Elliot was still asleep while Maya and Josh were reading. Luckily, it seemed as though their camp had still gone mostly unnoticed. Once he arrived, he explained the situation to Maya and Josh.

  ?

  “You just are going to trust this woman at her word?” Maya asked. “First, your elf master and now this woman. I don’t understand why you are putting so much trust in people we don’t know.”

  ?

  “You didn’t know me, and I don’t think I’m so bad,” Josh said as he raised his hand. “I think Austin is just trying to see the good in people, even with this situation.”

  ?

  “I wouldn’t say that,” Austin disagreed. “She has no reason to betray us. Especially because I made the repercussions of a betrayal clear. This will also allow more safety for all of us. I did think my decision through.”

  ?

  “What do you mean by repercussions?” Maya asked with a confused expression.

  ?

  “Oh, if they allow any harm to come to you or Elliot, I’ll kill them all,” Austin responded in a casual tone.

  ?

  “Wait, what? Just like that?” Maya seemed to be taken aback. “You wouldn’t even hesitate?”

  ?

  “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you two," Austin’s tone turned serious. “If this so-called Game makes people violent toward us, then I will respond with greater violence.”

  ?

  “You’re scaring me,” Maya turned her head from Austin as if she could not look at him.

  ?

  “I’m sorry. I am not going to look for a fight,” Austin explained. “But I will do what is necessary to keep us safe.”

  ?

  “I understand that,” Maya said quietly. “But it still scares me.”

  ?

  Austin moved closer to Maya and said, “Please, understand. There are people who could mean us harm, and the only way to respond is in the same way.”

  ?

  Maya nodded in understanding. “Will you at least try not to take it too far?”

  ?

  “Of course,” Austin said. “Like I said, I’m not looking for a fight. There are just things that I might have to do for our safety.”

  ?

  “I’ll try to trust your judgment,” Maya said. “It’s just all new and scary to me.”

  ?

  “I know it is,” Austin said as he wrapped his arm around Maya in comfort before kissing her head. “That’s why I am doing all this.”

  ?

  “I know,” Maya said as she pulled Austin closer with her own arm and kissed him in return. “I guess we should pack up then?”

  ?

  “Yes, let’s get everything together and get going,” Austin nodded his head.

  ?

  The group started to pack away their camp. The entire time they did, Elliot stayed asleep. Soon, his sleep became so deep that he even started to snore lightly. As they packed, they avoided waking him until they absolutely had to. Finally, when it came time to pack away his bag, they tried to wake and move him. Elliot refused to wake up, and Austin had to carry him as they packed the remaining things.

  ?

  “I’ll carry him to the camp,” Maya suggested. “That way if anything happens, you’ll be free.”

  ?

  “Not a bad idea,” Austin said as he handed Elliot to Maya.

  ?

  Maya and Austin struggled to strap Elliot into his carrier because of his dead weight as he slept. Eventually, they managed to get him in, and his body slumped as he sat in the carrier. The group gave a wave to the camp before they stepped outside to start their way to Natasha’s camp.

  ?

  The group did not make it far before Austin felt like something was off. He raised his arms in front of Maya and Josh to stop them from moving further and started to look back and forth. It did not take long for a group of men to emerge from the forest. Despite the fact they did not wield weapons, Austin could tell they were channeling Essence through their body and preparing for a fight.

  ?

  “You aren’t going anywhere,” one of the men growled. “Luke would not like it if Natasha gained an ally.”

  ?

  Wisps of silver light started to crawl around Austin’s arm. The wisps stretched and started to band together until they took the shape of Austin’s shield. Austin entered a battle stance as his eyes narrowed into a glare. “I don’t take too kindly to threats.”