After each person rotated and trained together, Clive ended the training for the day. As the group walked back to camp, they circulated Essence through their bodies. Many of the people had lived regular modern lives and did not extensively exercise. They especially did not exercise for that long. Many of the group almost collapsed from exhaustion before they started to circulate Essence through themselves.

  “Maybe I should have worked you all harder,” Clive chuckled as they walked back. “I didn’t factor how Essence could restore your energy.”

  The entire group groaned at Clive’s statement. Some of the group even shot him dirty looks. While it was true they could recover their energy, they still did not feel up to more training. They had trained all day and were ready for some much-needed rest at camp.

  “I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Clive put his hands up defensively. “We have trained for long enough today.”

  As they walked back, Katie playfully skipped through the group until she reached Maya. Once Katie did, she wrapped an arm around Maya’s shoulder. Maya almost fell over as Katie hit Maya with her weight. Katie was a small woman, but that did not matter with Maya’s exhaustion. Even with restoring her energy, Maya felt like she could collapse at any moment. She had to constantly keep her Essence flowing to ensure that she did not fall over.

  “That was a lot of fun,” Katie smiled broadly. “I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow.”

  “How are you still filled with so much energy?” Maya sighed deeply.

  “I don’t know, I guess it’s my youth,” Katie laughed.

  “Are you calling me old?” Maya narrowed her eyes.

  “Oh, no, no, no, that’s not what I meant,” Katie raised her hands up defensively. “I just mean like you’re a mom and all that. You don’t have the same amount of energy as me.”

  “I think there is a little more than that,” Maya said. “I’m not the only one exhausted.”

  “Hmm, you might be right,” Katie nodded before she turned to Zoe, who was not far behind the two. “What about you, Zoe? Are you tired?”

  Zoe seemed distracted as Katie addressed her, and it took her a moment to realize that Katie was talking to her. “Oh, not really, I guess.”

  “See, I think it’s just because you’re a mom,” Katie said.

  “No, it’s not,” Zack intervened in their conversation. “I’m exhausted. You guys are just built different.”

  “You think so? I never really thought that was the case,” Katie said.

  “Well, not everyone here is a parent. So, I think it’s just a you thing,” Zack laughed.

  “I guess I just have to believe you,” Katie nodded.

  The group continued to talk more as they walked towards the camp. The camp was not far, and they did not have that much more time to talk. Which was fine with Maya; she was ready to sit down and rest. She just hoped that Elliot was calm.

  As they arrived at the camp, Maya was shocked to see a group of new people in the camp. She was especially shocked because they seemed very different from the people of the camp. While most people in the camp had a relaxed attitude, these people moved like soldiers. They moved about the camp as if they were always on alert. Even the ones who were talking to each other did not seem to relax.

  These newcomers all seemed to gather around a central figure as well. Maya could not help but admit that the man was extremely handsome. He gave off the impression that he was the type who knew how handsome he was and used it to his advantage. Maya then quickly noticed that the newcomer was wearing training robes. She figured this could only mean one thing: this new guy trained with a master like Austin and Natasha.

  “What the hell is he doing here?” Katie growled angrily. Maya was completely caught off guard by Katie’s reaction. The entire time Maya had been in the camp, Katie had a cheerful demeanor, but that instantly switched when she saw the newcomers.

  “Is everything okay? Who is that?” Maya asked Katie with a worried expression.

  “Everything is definitely not okay. That is James, another of the kings,” Katie responded as she seemed to grow even angrier.

  Maya felt the group’s demeanor change. She was not especially observant of Essence, but even she could tell the change in Essence of the group. It was an intense feeling, like their energy was about to explode at any time. Maya grew worried that a fight was going to break out as the feeling of the Essence grew more and more intense. Katie was the first to step forward as her Essence started to rise from her body in tiny wisps of dark purple.

  “Whoa! Everyone, please calm down,” Natasha moved quickly until she was directly in front of Katie. “There is no need to get angry. Everything is okay.”

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  “I don’t think it is,” Katie said as she tightened her fist. “How many of us were left for dead by him?!”

  “Look, I understand you're upset, but-“ Natasha tried to calm Katie down.

  “Oh, I’m way more than upset! You know exactly what he did to us, and you just let him into our camp!” Katie’s voice grew louder as she grew angrier.

  “Natasha has always had our best interests at heart. Maybe hear her out,” Zoe placed a hand on Katie’s shoulder in comfort. Noticeably, Zoe shook in anger but tried to keep her tone subdued and calm.

  “I don’t know if I can,” Katie said as she turned to look at Zoe.

  “Please, do it for me at least?” Zoe asked.

  Katie nodded before she turned back towards Natasha. “Fine, I’ll hear you out.”

  The group gathered together as Natasha explained the situation. She explained that Chet had managed to kill all of Luke’s men by controlling the beasts of the forest. When that happened, James came to her to ask for an alliance. He had realized his approach to the Survival Game was wrong, and he now understood that the only way they can survive in the Game and back on Earth is to ally together.

  As Natasha explained the situation, many in the group had varied expressions. While the group came to understand her reasoning, many seemed to still be angry at the decision. Maya decided that she would ask Katie later what exactly happened with James.

  After the explanation, the group scattered to their respective parts of the camp. The camp turned quiet as if many were still processing the information. Maya turned her attention to Katie and saw that she still seemed very upset about the situation. Maya decided that it was best to leave Katie alone and ask her about James later.

  Maya visited Ava before she returned to her part of the camp. She made some small talk with Ava before she picked up Elliot. She did not think it would be appropriate to ask about serious things yet. Many at the camp seemed like they wanted to just process the change.

  Maya was shocked to see how deeply asleep Austin was when she arrived. While he had stretched himself thin since they arrived at the Survival Game, he never seemed truly exhausted. It reminded her of his long workdays. He would come home and almost instantly fall into a deep sleep.

  Maya decided it was best not to disturb Austin. Instead, she spent some time with Elliot before he quickly grew tired. Once he was asleep, Maya started to read. She still needed to finish reading the story she started a few days ago.

  ***

  Austin still felt groggy even after sleeping so long. Most of his Essence had returned, but he still felt very drained. He decided that he would take it easy, at least for the first part of the day. He hoped that he could regain some more of his energy and get back to work on enchanting. With the formula figured out, he felt more comfortable that he could enchant without draining himself as much.

  Maya had woken up before Austin and already taken Elliot to Ava. With her gone and a good majority of the camp gone, Austin could only assume they were left to train with Clive. Since he decided to take it easy, Austin grabbed a book and started to read. He barely made progress through the book before Natasha approached him.

  “Uh, good morning,” Austin said as he peered over his book.

  “Yeah, good morning,” Natasha replied sarcastically. “It’s already midday.”

  “Oh wow, I slept even longer than I thought,” Austin said as he set his book down. “So, what’s going on?”

  “I’m sure you noticed our new guests,” Natasha said. “I thought I would explain what’s going on.”

  Austin looked towards the camp and noticed the new people. They did not have the same casual demeanor as most of the people of the camp. He also quickly noticed that one of the people wore training robes.

  “Oh wow, I did not even notice,” Austin said with a yawn. “I must still be really exhausted. I’m guessing that guy is one of the other kings, then?”

  “You need to be careful with enchanting if it leaves you like this. We can’t have you weak and exhausted,” Natasha reprimanded Austin before moving on. “You are correct, though. That is James. He came to us yesterday to join our forces.”

  “He came to us? That sounds strange to me. Didn’t you say that they didn’t agree with your philosophy?” Austin raised an eyebrow.

  “I understand your skepticism,” Natasha nodded. “But I really do believe he had a change of heart. Chet completely annihilated Luke and his forces with the assistance of the beasts in the forest. James has recognized that he has made him the priority.”

  “That makes sense. But what about after we deal with Chet? Are we enemies again?” Austin asked.

  “No, we are permanent allies. He has actually come to the realization that if we are going to survive on Earth, we need to work together,” Natasha said.

  “Not sure if I completely believe that,” Austin said with skepticism. “But if it’s true, then it could be a great help. I’ve been worried about what happens after the Survival Game.”

  “I have been worried as well,” Natasha admitted. “I really believe our best bet is to gather as many humans as possible as allies.”

  “I do agree with that,” Austin nodded. “I am still going to keep my guard up, but if he continues to work with us, then that is good.”

  “Thank you for understanding my decision,” Natasha said. “I would have brought you in on it, but Mike made me aware of your efforts yesterday.”

  “Yeah, even if you did wake me up, I don’t think I would be in the headspace to make big decisions like that,” Austin laughed. “Hopefully, I can make a good amount more before we confront Chet and his beast army. By the way, do you have a plan for that?”

  “Kind of, we are working on it,” Natasha said. “Right now, I think it is best that we stay alert as we try to prepare. We don’t know if or when he will attack, but I think Clive’s training will be really beneficial. If you can make more scrolls and people can participate in training, that should help us when it comes time to battle him.”

  “I agree, we need to prepare as best as we can,” Austin nodded. “I do worry about if he attacks us before we are fully prepared.”

  “I agree, we have scouts posted throughout the area to warn us if he enters,” Natasha said. “We just have to hope that he does not attack us immediately.”

  “Yes, I would rather be as prepared as possible, but I don’t think he will allow that,” Austin nodded. “Until then, I’ll get started on preparation.”