Austin continued to create as many more Total Defense scrolls as he could. Admittedly, it was not many. He had used most of his Essence in all failed attempts and could only create a total of five scrolls by the time he was finished. He was not sure the last time he exhausted his Essence so much. He did not even have enough Essence to heal himself from the backlash damage of his failed attempts. Despite all that, he was proud of his work for the day. He had actually succeeded in creating his own enchantment.

  Austin rolled up his successful scrolls and threw the rest of his paper inside his books. He decided it was time to return to camp. He stacked all his books in his arms and made his way back to camp. He carefully balanced the rolled scrolls on top of his stack of books as he walked.

  Once Austin was back at camp, he set everything down. He let out a deep sigh as he sat down on the ground. Since he was done working on enchantments, his weariness finally hit him. Using up Essence was like going without sleep or raising an angry newborn. It drained him way more than any other sort of exhaustion. He barely even wanted to move. Something that he needed to remember next time he pushed himself. He definitely needed to set a limit for himself, or he would be left defenseless.

  As Austin lay back against a tree to rest, he looked over the camp. He quickly noticed that most people had left the camp. It was mostly filled with children and the people watching them. There were a few other people scattered throughout the camp, but most were gone.

  Austin recognized that Mike was still at the camp. Mostly because Mike saw him enter the camp and started walking towards him. Once he drew close, he moved some books out of his way and sat down.

  “You look like crap,” Mike chuckled.

  “I’m fine,” Austin groaned as he sat up to look at Mike. “Just need some food and rest.”

  “More like you need a lot of food and rest,” Mike said. “What were you even doing out there? It sounded like a war zone, and I should know.”

  “Take a look for yourself,” Austin motioned towards the scrolls as a crooked smile came across his face. Exhaustion had taken him so much that he could barely even form a smile.

  “This?” Mike asked as he grabbed one of the scrolls and unfurled it. “What does it do?”

  “That is the fruit of my labor. It’s enchanted with my Total Defense technique. You know that dome I created during Chet’s invasion? When you send your Essence through that scroll, it will create the technique,” Austin explained. “I hope to make a lot more so I can give one to everyone in the camp. I figured it would be a good defensive tool for them to have.”

  “Whoa, I’m really impressed,” Mike’s eyes became wide as his voice grew excited. “This would be beyond helpful!”

  “Thanks, I’m happy you agree,” Austin’s words started to slow as his eyelids began to droop. “I have all kinds of plans after that, too.”

  “I look forward to seeing them. Just don’t push yourself too much,” Mike said.

  Mike waited for a response, but there was none. Not until Mike heard light snoring from Austin. Mike looked over at Austin and saw that he had fallen asleep. Mike smiled as he looked at him. While asleep, Austin almost had the appearance of a child. He looked so different from when he was awake. The fire in his eyes was replaced with peace. Mike decided it was best to give Austin that peace and covered him up before he walked away.

  ***

  Maya was drenched in sweat as she continued to work on the footwork drills. Despite his kind demeanor, Clive worked all his students hard. He gave periodic five-minute breaks, but they had been going at it almost continuously.

  “Just a little bit more, and we can move on to the next lesson,” Clive announced to the group. “This needs to be second nature to you. Even after today, I expect you to practice this for at least ten minutes a day.”

  The group listened to Clive’s announcement but did not stop their training. While many found it monotonous, he had made it clear to them how fundamental it was to know. They all had committed themselves to getting better, and they had massively improved since the beginning of training. While some still made mistakes, they had massively improved and even started to synchronize.

  Maya started to feel more and more comfortable with the footwork. She had never done a combat sport, but the footwork felt intuitive to her. After getting over her preconceived notions about movement, it felt like it was the natural way to move. It started to feel like the way she moved before was actually the wrong way to move.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Alright, take a break. Have something to eat, hydrate, and use Essence to restore your stamina,” Clive said to the group. “We’ll take an hour for this break and then get right back into it.”

  Sighs of relief echoed throughout the group. Many of the group were at their limit. Maya realized that many of the people there did not understand how hard the training would be. She could hear complaints as she walked over to her pack and grabbed some berries.

  “Phew, who thought that just footwork would take so much out of you?” Katie approached Maya as she ate. “Reminds me of my dance class days.”

  Maya’s mouth was filled with berries as Katie approached, and she forced herself to swallow. She held her chest for a moment as the handful of berries went down her throat. “I figured it would be work, but I am a little shocked at how much work it ended up being. Clive comes off as nice, but he really pushes you.”

  “He tricks you with that whole grandfather routine,” Katie laughed. “That’s okay, I still like him.”

  “Yeah, I think he just pushes us for our benefit,” Maya nodded before she shoved another handful of berries in her mouth.

  “Hard work gets results or something like that,” Katie giggled. Despite the intense workout they had gone through, Katie still seemed full of energy. Maya knew that even with a burst of Essence, Katie would not have completely recovered yet. “Honestly, though, I can’t wait to get out of this forest. I need some new clothes. What about you?”

  “I guess I could get some new clothes,” Maya agreed. “But I’m mostly hoping things will be safer when we leave here. Not sure if that will come true, though.”

  “You should stay positive,” Katie smiled as she placed her hand on Maya for comfort. “Even if the world is a lot different when we get back, I’m sure it will be safer than this forest.”

  “I’m not too sure,” Maya lowered her head. “Austin told me that there will be a bunch of different people fighting to take control of our planet. It honestly sounds worse than here.”

  “You can’t think that way. Otherwise, you’ll just feel down. Anyways, Natasha told us that many of the different species will start in separate areas. If we are lucky, we can at least band together to make a safe zone,” Katie said. “I’m sure once all the humans see the situation, they won’t be squabbling like this.”

  “I like to think that is true, but we have seen how people act in this forest,” Maya responded.

  “Everyone is just trying to find their way. I’m sure if we reached out, we could be friends,” Katie smiled.

  “Awfully optimistic of you,” Maya said. “Don’t the other two kings have completely different philosophies?”

  “Yeah, but they are just trying to survive just like us,” Katie shrugged. “We just need to be willing to talk with them, and I bet we could work together.”

  “I hope you’re right. Otherwise, the stress will make me go gray,” Maya laughed.

  The two continued to talk during their break. Their discussions quickly turned less serious as they got to know each other better. They told each other about their lives before the game. Katie told Maya that she was a college student who worked as a server. She hoped that when they returned to their lives on Earth, she could continue her studies, and that was why she tried to stay optimistic.

  “Time to get back to training,” Clive announced as the hour came to a close. “This drill will be more difficult, but you may find it fun. Maya, will you please join me again?”

  Maya nodded and walked to the front. She figured her earlier volunteering had made her the assistant. She really did not mind. It gave her the chance to train with Clive.

  “Go ahead and try to punch me again,” Clive said.

  Maya did not understand why he asked her to do this, but she went in for a punch. As she punched towards Clive, he quickly moved to the side of the punch. Maya was confused because it seemed like the exact same thing as he demonstrated before.

  “Your next exercise will be with a partner. Each of you will try to punch the other, while the other needs to anticipate the strike and use the footwork from before to move out of the way. Do this back and forth until I tell you to trade partners,” Clive explained to the group. “Now grab a partner and get started.”

  ***

  A blonde-haired man walked through the forest, accompanied by a group of other men. The blonde-haired man was very handsome, tall, and physically fit. He and his group of accompanying men walked with rigid precision. They gave off the appearance of a well-trained military squad. The man who led the group was none other than James, one of the three kings.

  “Are you sure about this?” A man walking next to James asked. It was his right-hand man, Brian. He was a dark-skinned young man with curly brown hair and a beard. He used his beard as a sort of deception to hide his age.

  “You saw what happened to Luke and his people,” James said condescendingly. “The entire group was slaughtered. We can no longer hesitate with our decisions.”

  “Wouldn’t it be better to just leave this guy be? The Survival Game will soon come to a close, and then we probably won’t have to worry about him,” Brian suggested.

  “We can’t let that happen,” James responded with a glare. “This man is a menace. Don’t you remember the report? He somehow led beasts into battle. He is not a rational being, and he won’t stop there.”

  “I guess you’re right,” Brian nodded quietly. He decided to stop arguing the point. Especially as they grew closer to their destination.

  The group moved quietly after the discussion. There was not much else for them to talk about, and they were focused on reaching their destination. As they grew closer, the smell of fire and herbs permeated their senses.

  “We are here,” a wicked smile grew across James’s face. “Time for our discussion with Natasha.”