“It’s nice of Gatex, to give us the information for free,” Lin began. “Hmm, what?” Alex asked absently, “Well, that beasts also need a seed to evolve.” “Yeah, sometimes he is that way…helped me out immensely at the start. But now, be silent, I think we’re there,” the youth shushed his friend. The camp, they were searching for the last few hours, came into view.

“Guys, please wait here, I’ll have a look. I don’t want to walk into another tyranny,” Alex told his friends. They still had a few streets to the camp and they hadn’t met any beast for the last half hour. The surroundings should therefore be safe. The whole way to the camp had been pretty safe, if he thought about it. They had met a few beasts and he let his friends get a few hits in, so they would earn a bit of essence. But nothing major, no new evolved or mythical beast had crossed their path.

Janine nodded and pulled back her boyfriend. Lin stumbled for a moment, but caught himself on Janes arm. He wanted to retort for a moment, but followed Alex with his eyes. The teenager had already conjured his [shadowcloak] and was circling the camp. The mid-afternoon sun threw enough shadows of the high-rises for the youth to nearly vanish. If Lin didn’t know better, he swore he had seen him become invisible.

As the hunter neared the camp, he could tell, it was very well protected. Earthen ramparts, surrounded by a still somewhat incomplete wooden palisade. In front of the ramparts were tapered spears, surrounded by, what looked like, huge rips or pointed, broken bones. Those walls could surely withhold tremendous force. For a moment Alex wondered what beast could get through, or what had attacked the camp for them to build such formidable defences.

The shadowblade circled the camp and it was nearly one and a half times bigger, maybe two times, than Jones orphan camp. Sadly, the walls were to high, so he couldn’t look into the camp. Alex searched for an optimal point of entry and at the back of the camp, he found a place, where the logs of the palisade were awfully far apart. He carefully bent the spears, climbed between the logs and mounted the ramparts.

From that position, he could see at least ten to a dozen guards walking above the ramparts. Fortunately, his [shadowcloak] was enough and nobody seemed to see him. Alex slowly descended and entered the camp. They had a similar makeup as the former. A few less tents, but more wooden and earthen huts. From his position, he could see a communal dining area and Alex was elated. This looked more like a well functioning community than a power-hungry despot playing king.

Alex was about to leave, but his curiosity got the better of him. He carefully continued his scouting, until suddenly a cry sounded above the camp.

“INTRUDER! INTRUDER IN THE CAMP”

For a second, the youth considered running, but if he and his friends wanted to join the camp, he should build a relationship on honesty and give himself up. If he was recognised later, after having already joined, he would jeopardise everything with mistrust. He thought about his two friends, still waiting outside, but they were clever, they would find a way to either join the camp, or free him.

At least he hoped so, he wasn’t always sure about Lin being clever, but Jane should be intelligent enough for both of them. Alex grinned, calmed his mien and held up his hands.

“I’m here. Here. Sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you, your peace or do anything untoward,” he told the first person that came running his way. “Hands behind your back,” the person, a blond-haired youth probably around 17 to 18 years old, shouted. Alex did as told. Luckily he had entered the camp without his weapons, so the inhabitant should give his story some credence.

“Shit, did you hear that? I think they’ve caught Alex!” Janine cried out quietly. “I did. Should we enter the camp? Help him flee? Make a distraction, so he can flee?” Lin urged. “No, let’s wait for a bit, maybe he can explain our situation and they’d understand. If nothing changes, we can try at night,” the girl answered. “Okay, you’re the boss.” “Damn right I am,” Jane quipped. They had been together for the last three years and Lin distracted her with that joke every time something unpleasant happened.

Alex was brought to a huge hut. The youth wasn’t sure how the people here could have build it. He supposed it was primitive, or by standards after the ruin rather advanced, made mostly out of mud and at least two and a half meters high. He held his astonishment back, he didn’t want to appear like an idiot in front of the camps apparent leader.

Out stepped a tiny brunette girl with inviting green eyes. Alex could have lost himself in those eyes, but he was distracted by the giant that followed her. The guy was a mountain of muscle, nearly or even above two metres and his long blond hair was bound in a pony tail. Before the hunter could open his mouth, the giant grumbled, “Who do we have here? How did you get in?”

Alex stammered for a moment, surprised by the deep basso, though he caught himself and answered fully confident, “Hi, I’m Alex and I’d like to join your camp.” The guards surrounding him laughed, but a harsh glance from the tiny girl at the front stopped them at once. “Are you an idiot?,” Alex shoulders fell, “sneaking in our camp and then thinking you can just join?” The girl continued.

“Sorry, I wanted to watch how you are living and handling the camp. I left my last group after some bad experiences and wanted to make sure, that I wouldn’t go from the frying pan into the fire,” the youth quickly explained. The giant nodded in understanding, but the girl crossed her arms in front of her. Alex concentrated his gaze on the mountain, rather than risk his life by staring.

“Hrmpf, I am not sure if I should believe you, still it’s not so easy to join us. You have to add to our community as we don’t need any more freeloaders,” the tiny brunette fixated Alex. He quickly asked, “So what do you need from me? I can fight, I have a few levels and a good essence seed.” He stopped himself, before he could divulge any secrets. The fierce girl intimidated him. “Let the boy breathe, sis,” the giant eventually saved Alex from the fierce glare, “let’s speak inside, and then we’ll decide whether you will be given a chance to join, okay?”

‘Sis? That’s even worse than girlfriend…better I stay away from here,’ he silently swore. He followed both teenagers inside and sat, after the giant offered him a rickety chair. “I’m Theodore, or Theo if you will. She is my big sister Vivien. So tell us, why did you sneak into our camp?” Alex told them some snippets from his past with Jones and how the tyrant led his camp.

“So I wanted to make sure, that my friends and I were safe in your camp and that you didn’t handle your people like that. I didn’t want to do you any harm. If you lead your group the same way, I would have just left and tried the next encampment,” Alex finished his story.

He had told them about Jane and Lin, but not that they were waiting for him some hundred metres away. If it became apparent, that they were another Jones, he would leave at the first possibility. Even fight for his freedom if necessary.

But Theo soon reassured his racing thoughts, “I can understand you and want to say, we are nothing like that. Everybody has his task to do, yes, but we look after each other, because only if we work hand in hand, will we survive through the ruin.” Alex calmed down. Theodore looked honest and while he had no lie detector or any Skill working like one, he thought he could at least read him well enough to believe him.

“So, Vivien said we or I had to prove my usefulness? What about my friends? They just got their seeds and didn’t really level yet,” Alex spilt that information easily, as one could see their inexperience with one look. “I can fight, hunt or whatever you want. But let me warn you, if you lied or tricked me and endanger my friends…Let’s just say, we both don’t want to go there.”

Vivien nearly exploded, but a calming hand from Theo held her back, “You don’t need to threaten me or mine. I think we understand each other.” The giant grinned and Alex gave a fierce grin back. “You can show your hunting talents. We have two good hunters here, but every day more people want to join us, and we need more food. We can’t buy everything at the trader and we haven’t started our farming project, yet,” Vivien told the youth.

“So, I’ll tell my friends to join you and then I’ll bring you a few kilos of meat? How much exactly do you need? And is there some place for us to rest, or do we lay down wherever?” Alex bombarded both with questions, but the more he could discuss now, the less problems he and his friends would have later.

The three took some more time to hash out their deal and Alex left their hut, still wondering how exactly it was built. He supposed that an essence seed took a huge part in this and the other huts he saw scattered through the camp. It took him a moment until he saw, that what first had looked like scattered and slightly chaotic, was in fact a pretty orderly and planned camp. The muddy or earthen, he wasn’t sure without touching them, huts stood in a way, that if the wall was breached, defenders could rain arrows or throwing weapons on their attackers. The tents meanwhile would hinder anyone breaking this second line of defence.

Alex knew at that moment, that they had found the right place. He would try with everything he had, to join that camp. He quickly ran outside, followed by the gaze of several guards and quietly called his friends.

“Hey Jane, I think Alex is coming back. There is someone jogging right to our hiding spot,” Lin whispered to his girlfriend. Jane turned, a bit tired from the long wait, and put her arms into her sides. Alex slowed as soon as he saw that pose. ‘Oh oh…that means trouble.’ For a moment he debated to turn tail and flee, but Jane called, “Alexander Braff, if you don’t come here at once…” She didn’t need to continue, as he nearly sprinted the last few metres.

The youth shared the good news with his friends and invited them into the camp. He brought them to Theos and Viviens hut and carefully nodded. It sounded slightly dull, but he could finally ascertain the material from which they were built.

“Those are my friends, Janine,” he pointed at her, “and Lin. I think they can add to your group, but they can speak for themselves. I am going out for a hunt.” Alex turned to his friends, “Sorry to leave you here, but the sooner I am done with my task, the sooner I am welcome here,” he grinned wryly.

“Maybe you’ll see Althea or Leon while you’re out. Tell them we’ve sent you and they’ll probably help you. Good Luck Alex,” Theo waved. Jane wanted to add something, but was quickly distracted by Vivien who pulled her aside. Lin watched his girlfriend but Theodore said something and he turned to the giant.

Alex jogged out of the camp, waving to the guards, “I am going on an adventure!”