“Even you know this guy, then?” Natasha’s typical cool tone was now gone. Instead, filled with worry.

  ?

  “Yes, I met him early on when I was searching for Essence fruit,” Austin said. “Despite the abundance of resources, he was willing to kill Josh and me just so he could have it all. It does not shock me that he still acts in this way. What shocks me is that he is strong enough to cause a threat.”

  ?

  “Why do you say that?” Natasha asked. “Anyone can be a threat.”

  ?

  “I completely agree, but he recklessly absorbed Aether. His Essence was like a chaotic mess when I met him. He had power but very little control,” Austin explained. “I honestly did not think he would get far with how he treated his Essence.”

  ?

  “That actually is not too different from what I have heard. Apparently, the Essence of the trio is similar to the Aether of the forest,” Natasha said. “Instead of incorporating an element into their Essence to gain an affinity, they used the corrupted Aether of the forest. I think it allowed them to reach something like Copper level, quickly.”

  ?

  “And they also have treasures,” Austin pointed out. “Sounds like they are a significant threat. What should we do?”

  ?

  Natasha bit her lip in frustration. “I don’t want to, but I think we need to have a discussion with the other two Kings.”

  ?

  “That probably is for the best,” Austin nodded. “May I ask why you don’t want to involve yourself with them?”

  ?

  “Our philosophies are very different. Luke is focused on creating an army. As long as someone is willing to fight, he allows them to join. He treats all his men as disposable and makes them all responsible for their own growth. James wants to create an elite force. He only allows people to join him if he sees potential in them, but he will nurture that potential in his followers,” Natasha explained. “I have tried before to get them to work with me. I tried to explain to them that it is more beneficial for all of us if we try to make sure as many people survive. They laughed at the idea and did not agree that the weak needed to be protected.”

  ?

  “I see, so they are more interested in becoming as strong as they can than in the greater good,” Austin said. “While I don’t like that philosophy, I think that Chet and his group are a threat to what they want, too.”

  ?

  “I agree, and I think that will be a good reason for them to join us,” Natasha nodded, but still had an air of wariness about her. “I just worry about how they will treat the people of my camp.”

  ?

  “I understand your worry. We will keep the common people of our camp separate from the alliance,” Austin suggested. “Maybe you can organise the fighters of your camp and prepare them for the potential alliance?”

  ?

  “I’ll do that now,” Natasha said as she stood up. “I’ll also see if I can arrange a meeting with Luke and James. Until then, why don’t you go spend time with your family?”

  ?

  “That would be nice. Let me know when you are ready,” Austin responded as he stood up.

  ?

  Austin then walked over to Maya and joined her. She was talking with several other women, some younger and some older than her. Elliot’s head lay on Maya’s lap as they talked.

  ?

  “Oh, hello, you must be Austin,” a woman greeted Austin as he sat down. Austin got the impression she was a little older than himself. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun and had several streaks of gray throughout. “My name is Beth, and we were just talking with your wonderful wife. We are sort of like the group of mothers in the camp.”

  ?

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for making Maya comfortable,” Austin said to Beth with a smile before turning to Maya. “So he is still sleeping?”

  ?

  “Yes, but they told me not to worry,” Maya said. “Most children in the camp have taken an Essence fruit, and they sleep for around a day.”

  ?

  “Yes, everything will be alright,” Beth confirmed. “Natasha insisted we feed them to our children. Not that she wanted to grow an army, but she worried about their safety in the future.”

  ?

  “That sounds like her from what I’ve seen,” Austin nodded. “So do you think she is as kind as she seems? I don’t mean to question your leader or anything. I just wanted some first-hand impressions.”

  ?

  “Don’t worry, we aren’t insulted at all,” Beth laughed as she waved nonchalantly. “She does not demand loyalty in that way. All she expects is that everyone chips in where they can. I do understand your worries about her personality. We are all mothers and were worried about our children’s safety and trusting someone in this Game. I can assure you that she is an honest and kind woman.”

  ?

  “You really think so?” Austin raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

  ?

  “Definitely, she doesn’t expect anyone to fight. As long as they can help in other ways,” Beth explained. “Some of us help maintain the camp with cooking and cleaning. Others work to learn enchantment and alchemy. While others learn to fight. Her only other requirement is that we all work on improving our Essence.”

  ?

  “Sounds like she is as fair as she seems,” Austin nodded with a smile. “I’m glad we decided to join her then.”

  ?

  “I’m sorry for doubting you,” Maya said to Austin. “I think being here will be good for us. It even gives Elliot the chance to be around kids.”

  ?

  “Yeah, I’m happy there are so many children here,” Austin nodded.

  ?

  “It has been really good for my son,” a younger woman with blonde hair said. “It was really hard balancing everything before we joined the camp. Now, he can spend time with other kids, and we can split up the time watching over them.”

  ?

  “Give all us moms a break,” Beth laughed.

  ?

  “It definitely has been stressful,” Maya sighed. “I’m beyond grateful for the assistance.”

  ?

  “It’s no big deal. We all get it,” the younger woman said. “Hopefully, it will give you some free time. Any ideas what you will do with it?”

  ?

  “I actually think I want to learn to fight,” Maya said.

  ?

  “Wait, really?” Austin’s voice was shocked.

  ?

  “Yes, really,” Maya reiterated somewhat sternly. “I don’t want you to be the only one protecting our family. If we both can fight, then Elliot will be much safer.”

  ?

  “Won’t that put you in danger though?” Austin said with a worried expression.

  ?

  “Don’t be such a worrier,” Beth spoke up as she playfully smacked Austin’s back. “You act like dads are the only ones who can go out and fight.”

  ?

  “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just worried,” Austin said.

  ?

  “I know,” Beth smiled. “Your husbands always worry about our safety, but no matter what, she will be at risk now. At least if she learns to fight, she can protect herself and your boy.”

  ?

  “I won’t back down from this,” Maya insisted. “I think it is for the best. That way, you also have me out there with you.”

  ?

  “You’re right,” Austin relented with a sigh. “It will also be nice to have you out there with me.”

  ?

  “Thank you,” Maya kissed Austin on the cheek. “It’ll be our new hobby together.”

  ?

  “Sure, I guess it can be a hobby,” Austin said awkwardly. He was not sure if he would consider fighting a hobby. While there were parts he enjoyed, he still considered it dangerous. “I’ll try to look forward to it then.”

  ?

  “In the meantime," Beth spoke up. “Maya, there are scouting squads you can join. It’ll be good practice. There are even some mothers who work together.”

  ?

  “Oh, that would be great,” Maya said with a smile. “It will be nice to get to know some people.”

  ?

  “I can introduce you to some of them,” Beth said. “Why don’t you lay Elliot in his bed while we go do that?”

  ?

  “That works for me,” Maya said as she gently moved Elliot before addressing Austin. “While I do that, why don’t you go see how Josh is doing?”

  ?

  “Not a bad idea, I feel like I haven’t gotten to talk to him much lately,” Austin nodded.

  ?

  The group stood up, and Maya left with Beth. As she did, Austin scanned the camp to find Josh. He found him talking with other members of the camp. The members had markings on them like the group Austin first met. Austin realised that he had not noticed markings on Beth or some of the other mothers. Austin shrugged it off as he moved to join Josh. He was sure he would find out the meaning soon enough.

  ?

  “Hey Josh, are you making yourself comfortable?” Austin asked as he joined the group.

  ?

  “Yep, I was just talking to these guys,” Josh responded with a smile. “They were giving me an idea of how things work here and even said they would get me into a squad if I wanted.”

  ?

  “Oh, that sounds exciting,” Austin commented.

  ?

  “Yeah, it’ll be good for him to work with people at his own level,” a middle-aged man with short brown hair and sideburns said. “We figured that you would be busy with Natasha. So we wanted to get him integrated with the rest of us.”

  ?

  “I appreciate you letting him join you,” Austin said.

  ?

  “It’s really no problem. It’ll be a help for us to have him in a squad,” the man said with excitement. “We always need more people, and I think Josh at least has the strength of a two-band.”

  ?

  “Mike was telling me all about what they do,” Josh explained. “The squads patrol Natasha’s territory, look for important resources, and fight beasts. It’s a great chance for me to get some quality experience.”

  ?

  “Yep, I look forward to seeing this guy in action,” Mike said. “I’m sure that he will grow to be pretty strong with us.”

  ?

  “This gives me a chance to catch up with you,” Josh grinned. “So you better watch out.”

  ?

  “Just because I have other things to do doesn’t mean I’ll stop training,” Austin said. “Don’t think it will be that easy.”

  ?

  “I’ll just have to work even harder,” Josh said.

  ?

  “And I’ll make sure he works hard,” Mike laughed.

  ?

  “Make sure you do. I can’t have him slacking,” Austin teased. “It’ll look bad on me.”

  ?

  “What? Do you expect me to slack off?” Josh sounded somewhat offended.

  ?

  “No, no, just messing with you,” Austin laughed before turning to address Mike. “I was wondering, what exactly is the face paint you guys have?”

  ?

  “Ah, yeah, you probably don’t know. The bands on our arms are a way to show ranking in the camp. Scouts have the triangles on our cheeks, and they are sort of meant to represent blades,” Mike explained. “It marks us as the warriors underneath Natasha.”

  ?

  “I see. I guess it makes sense to have a way to identify each other like that,” Austin nodded.

  ?

  “Yeah, but since Josh is under your command, technically. We won’t require him to put the face paint on,” Mike said.

  ?

  “I wouldn’t say he is under my command. He is just a friend,” Austin said.

  ?

  “Natasha did say that you didn’t seem interested in commanding anyone,” Mike commented.

  ?

  “Even if Austin does not consider himself in charge of me, I think I would rather not wear the face paint,” Josh said. “My loyalty is to him and his family.”

  ?

  As they were going to continue their conversation, Austin noticed Jess walk towards their group. She walked towards the group with extreme purpose. Each step she took seemed direct, and her face was in a serious expression.

  ?

  “Mike and Austin, Natasha would like to see you two to discuss some plans,” Jess said as she arrived at the group.