Bleeding, exhausted and frankly a bit overwhelmed, I just looked around at the little group gathered around me.

  There was a group of people! I was not the only one! It was a mixed group. Two human looking, a female goblin, a male? Lizardperson, a male with antlers and the Orc looking man talking to me!

  Stalker was pressed tightly to my side. Trying to look small and unthreatening.

  Losing patience, the man leaned forward and asked me: “Quem… é… você?...” It was clear to me, even in my addled state, that he was used to getting answers and expected one from me posthaste.

  I was choking up with emotions, at seeing human(ish) again and said “I… I am Mike” and feeling that wasn’t enough I added “I come in peace, please help us?”

  They looked around at each other uncomprehending.

  Something flashed blue! And at the speed of thought I checked my screen.

  Quest: Leaving the nest.

  Duration: Completed

  Objective: Unwanted guests are closing in on your home. Seek shelter among your own kind.

  Penalty: Failure to complete this quest will alert more guests to your current location!

  Reward: Trait Boon of the traveler assigned

  Skimming through the information, it looked like “Boon of the traveler” enabled me to talk to these people! Helpful for sure, but it reeked of the system pushing.

  I tried again “Hello, my name is Mike” and looking down on Stalker. I added “And this here is my friend Stalker”

  The man nodded to the little goblin looking woman. She began working on my wound. He looked at me and said “I am Moll, we are from the Blackwater lumberyard” he waved his arm vaguely indicating where they had come from. “We don’t often see people out here… where are you from?”

  He then indicated Stalker “I’m not familiar with this type of monster. Does it bite?”

  Muttering a quick “thank you” to the woman seeing to my shredded leg. I said to Moll “I’m not from around here. I woke up in the forest… “For a second, I wondered if it was wise being so open. But I figured it would be too easy to be caught in a lie. Also, so far, they had done nothing to warrant my mistrust. “And this an Amberpelt fox, and no Stalker only bites monsters and things that attack us”

  Moll looked slightly apprehensive, as he said “Fair enough. If it bites anyone in camp. It dies” I tensed up getting ready to respond, as he continued “don’t like it? You can sod off right now…”

  Not trusting my voice, I nodded once. Stalker sensing my mood started growling softly and I quickly emoted to him Safe, calm. And he gave me a headbutt and stopped growling.

  Moll took his hand off his axe, as Stalker stopped growling. He nodded briskly and then pointed to the goblin woman. “This is Nelly” she looked up and grinned, sharp teeth in her mouth on full display. Moll continued “Nelly will take you to the camp and there Deggan will decide what’s to happen with you”

  As Moll turned to leave, I said “Wait! What about that panther? It has followed us for hours and I’m sure it is still out there…” He turned back “We are not easy prey! This forest is not for the weak” at this, the rest of the group nodded and mumbled agreements. The antlered man whispered to himself “The weak die first… but it never stops”

  A few minutes later Nelly, Stalker and I were walking through a forest of dark trees with red and white leaves. The Twack Twack sound of axes chopping trees soon sounded behind us again, as the lumberjacks went back to work. Nelly didn’t say much but mentioned that this was the Ghostwoods and that we were heading towards the Blackwater river, where the camp was.

  It took us half an hour to reach the camp. It consisted of three barracks made from roughhewn wood positioned on a level area near the river. Nelly explained to me that the barrack to the right were sleeping quarters for the lumberjacks. The barrack to the left was the mess hall, kitchen and where the staff slept. The last barrack was for Deggan and his trusted men. Deggans barrack had a banner next to the entrance. Green with a black swirling circle in the middle. Oddly enough all windows seemed to be barricaded.

  As we approached, we were met by a dwarf. His hair and beard were the color of honey and well kept. He was wearing short sword, chainmail, and over it a tabard with the same swirly circle on it. Nelly greeted him as Deggan and then quickly filled him in on the situation.

  While she was talking to him. I looked around the little courtyard between the barracks. Not a lot of people here. They were probably out working at this time. The people I could see seemed a bit worn around the edges and several of them looked a bit bruised, as if they had been in a recent fight.

  Waving goodbye to Nelly. I turned to Deggan and said “Hello, I am Mike and this is Stalker” as I pointed to the fox. “We are very grateful for the help of your crew today -”

  Deggan stopped me with a calloused hand. “Shut up lad.” he studied my body, clothes and Stalker

  “So, they tell me, you say you are a traveler. We haven’t seen one of those for some time…”

  I spoke up “Traveler? I don-”

  Deggan held the hand up again “SHUT UP” he continued “When I want to hear you flap your lips. I will let you know” “Class, profession and level?” … “SPEAK UP!”

  I quickly stammered out “ehh... I have no class or profession, and I am level 3”

  Deggan grunted disappointed “useless…” “Ok, here is the deal. You owe me!” he looked around the courtyard and then continued “But you are in luck. I’m short staffed and have a quota to meet. You look like you can swing an axe. So, you will be working here till your debt is paid.”

  Shocked I said “Hey! Wait a minute! I am not ungrat-” OOOOOOOFFFFF my remaining air exploded from my lungs, as Deggan with alarming speed punched me in the stomach.

  Stalker started growling. Even winded I managed to emote No! Danger! Calm! to him. The speed Deggan had moved at. The relaxed attitude. The two burly persons in the background watching us… Yeah, not the time to make trouble I thought to myself, as I tried to get some air in.

  Deggan watched it all calmly with a hand on his sword. As Stalker stopped growling, he nodded.

  “Good. It seems Nelly was right, when she said you had the beast under control. If you want it to live, keep it like that”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Deggan smiled “Now I’m not unreasonable… just ask around” “You will have food, a place to sleep and even clothes” at this he looked at my frankly disgusting outfit. “I will expect you to work hard and who knows you might even get a profession or class before you are done here!” He clapped his hands and continued “That would be cause for celebration, so be sure to let me know!”.

  “Follow me” he briskly turned around and went over towards the barrack with kitchen and mess hall. As we approached the door, an old goat man stopped us, before we could enter.

  “Nononono Old Torle is sure you weren’t trying to get in my kitchen looking and stinking like that!” at this he looked at me. The slitted pupils of his gaze slightly unnerving. And with that Deggan delivered me to Torle’s capable hands.

  Torle smiled “Welcome! Before you even dream of stepping inside! Let Old Torle show you where you can wash all the grime off and maybe get some fresh clothes. Dead gods know we have enough of it.” Looking down at Stalker he continued “and who is this beauty?”

  “This is my friend Stalker. Don’t worry he doesn’t bite unless attacked” Stalker chose to respond by playfully biting my hand and then huf huffed with amusement. Torle chuckled “A smart one that one! Hungry as well?” Stalker had made a friend it would seem.

  As I washed myself, I reflected on how fast everything had happened. From fleeing my cave, to being toyed with by that panther, to now being an indentured servant at this camp. Well, they did save us and food, clothes and a secure place to sleep is worth some work. Besides it would give me an opportunity to learn more about this world. It might not be that bad. And if it was Stalker and I would just leave and find a new place in the forest.

  After the bath I found clean clothes ready for me. My nasty rags were gone and hopefully burned. For a second I thought somebody might have run away with the stone gate necklaces, but I found them packed into the clean shirt and quickly put them on again.

  After my bath I went to see Torle and see what Stalker had been up to. Now clean and in fresh clothes, Torle let me in and served me the first good meal since I had woken up in Limbo. The sight of vegetables and gravy brought a tear of joy to my eyes and a smile to Torle’s face.

  Stalker was napping after finishing a sizeable piece of meat.

  While I was eating. Torle took a seat and said, “I have to get everything ready for the crew’s dinner” He looked around, as if to make sure we were alone “But old Torle would love to have a talk with you at some point. Those necklaces… No, first are you really a new traveler?”

  I gulped down the food and answered “Not sure about traveler. Sounds full of meaning” I had not been reading fantasy or litrpg stories for nothing, But Stalker seemed to trust Torle and I needed information, so I continued “But I woke up in the forest and I am not from here, so I would love to have a talk about where I am and what is happening!”

  Torle got up and looked me in the eyes like he was searching for something and then said “Ok, let’s get through the night and then we will talk tomorrow” He then turned and walked to the kitchen, only to turn around again and come back, he made sure no one else was in the mess hall, then leaned forward and whispered to me “Keep those necklaces out of sight… And don’t tell anyone anything about your class or professions!”

  I was mid mouthful, so when I finally could talk and ask about what he meant. The old goat man was gone. He sure could move when dinner needed to be ready!

  After finishing my food. I went to check on Stalker. I sat down next to him and emoted awake? He opened one eye and emoted back no sleeping. I nodded at that, softly I said “Sorry Stalker. I know this isn’t the greatest place”

  He moved his head from his paws to my knee and looked up at me emoting no protect danger. I smiled at him, while I said “We are in a new forest now. One filled with people instead of hounds and panthers. I know it is frustrating not being able to protect me as good as you can, but I need information for now…” I finished with emoting patience. He huffed and emoted tiny patience strong protect.

  I could hear the lumberjacks coming back and soon after the mess hall started to fill up. Most of the people gave me a quick look and then sat down with one or two others. No big groups sat together, and the mood felt strangely subdued. It took me a moment to pinpoint why.

  Deggan, the two brutes from earlier, someone I didn’t know, and Moll sat at a table together and they were talking. Not loudly really but compared to the rest of the people they might as well have been screaming. It was clear who was in charge here.

  Nobody came over to me and I decided that maybe I would wait till after my talk with Torle before I tried reaching out to others.

  After dinner everyone quickly left. No drinking, no stories, no socializing. Again, the only exception seemed to be Deggan and his men who shared a beer before they too left. I decided to stay and give Tortle a hand with the cleaning. Besides I didn’t really know where I was supposed to go and maybe I could get some information that way…

  Tortle saw me sitting alone in the mess hall and came over: “Hah! You have fallen in love with Old Tortles cooking, have you?” I quickly said: “I just wanted to help with the cleaning, least I can do for the fine meal and maybe we could talk?”

  As I said that the doors slid open and Moll stuck his head in. “There you are!” He waved me over “I’m to show you to a bunk. Tomorrow, you work on my crew.”

  Outside the first few tufts of mist are slowly gathering, as Moll takes me over to the barrack. Not saying anything. But his eyes dart around, and he seems to be slightly on edge as if there is something out there. He is not alone in being nervous, I see small groups setting up braziers and lighting them up.

  When we get to the sleeping quarters, he leaves me at the door and says: “Find an empty bunk and claim it. There is plenty so shouldn’t be hard” “We leave after breakfast.”

  I enter a large room filled with bunks. It smells like a mixture of a locker room filled with sweaty people and wet clothes and hints of wood and smoke. There is some talk among the bunks that are occupied. It dies down as I enter though. I quickly locate an empty bunk next to the lizardman from Molls group, and I go to make it mine. Stalker gets to sleep on a blanket under it.

  I turn to the lizardman and say “Hi I’m Mike. I will be working with you guys from now on” The lizardman turns around and the light plays in his yellow scales. “I’m Sllaras. Get some sleep traveler. It might be the last full night you get for a while.” Then he turns over. Clearly indicating that this talk is over.

  I fell asleep with Stalker below me and walls around me for the first time in this world. A few hours later I woke up. Pressure on my bladder. Figures! I sigh, as I try to move without disturbing any of the others.

  As I exit the sleeping barrack, I can see a thick mist enveloping everything. The braziers standing out as blurry lights in a sea of white. I see shadows moving. Guards keeping watch into the night.

  I take a lantern with me and find the outhouse. I get in and sit down to pee, a habit I picked up in the early years of my sickness and spend the time looking out of the holes in the walls and door, wishing I had a cellphone and some good fics to read instead. My eyes catch something edged into the wall. “The dead remember.” Well. If that doesn’t sound ominous...

  A soft sound like leaves playing in the wind sounds from the back of the outhouse and it looks like something is moving along the right wall. I finish up and hurry back to the barrack, there is something out here! I’m sure of it! But we are back in civilization, I’m sure the guards have it.

  I go back to bed and quickly fall asleep again worrying about what I have gotten myself into but also excited at the chance to finally get some answers!

  I wish it was because my backlog had suddenly manifested, but alas it is not so :) Instead I had promised two shoutouts for the same date

  Anyway, if you have gotten so far in the story, why not leave a comment about why you are reading? I love hearing from everyone :)