1

For the first time since they’d wandered into the orchard, the team members felt clear-headed. The Dryad spell had stopped working when the last of the creatures died. Miguel rushed to see Harper while Brett, Jordan, and Emma ran to check on Zack and Ethan near the destroyed egg. The two orcs were just regaining consciousness as the three teammates knelt beside them. Brett cast Basic Heal on the two warriors. They were covered with blood and their tan-colored skin had become pale. The slashes across their necks had missed the carotid and jugular arteries. Brett wondered if the Dryope did that deliberately, not wanting to kill the orcs before consuming them into the egg. He shuddered at the thought. “How are you guys feeling?” he asked.

“A lot of pain,” Zack complained wearily.

Brett had a closer look at their injuries. The two orcs had punctures throughout their bodies. The thorns had penetrated their armor and, as a result, the plate metal was bent inward and punched into their open wounds. He turned to Emma and Jordan. “Get their armor off. It needs to be junked.”

Zack looked up, surprised. The orc tried to sit up and yelped in pain. “Wait a second,” he protested weakly, “we need that armor.”

Brett shook his head as Emma removed the plate armor from his body. “Not like that. The metal gouges will cut into your skin again.” He sent another Basic Heal to the two orcs.

“No way,” Ethan argued. “We keep the armor.”

Brett watched as Jordan removed his brother’s armor. “Walker told us we’d find better equipment,” the healer countered, visibly frustrated.

Zack shook his head. “Uh-uh. We’re keeping the armor.”

Brett glared at Zack, but the Marine’s head was down. It’s coming down to the fucking grunt again, he thought with dismay. He looked at his burnt, disfigured finger. It was his constant reminder of the trauma and betrayal he’d experienced that night.

Zack looked up at him, and their eyes locked.

I’m trying to be good, Zack. I am trying. Can’t you see that?

The Marine continued staring at him.

Finally, Brett looked away, angry with himself and demoralized. He wondered if Zack wanted him to fail. He thought of the bone hatchet he had hidden in his inventory.

Emma finished removing Zack’s armor and touched Brett’s shoulder. “Come with me,” she whispered. Brett felt tingles as her hot breath caressed his ear. He cast Basic Heal on the two orcs and asked Jordan to continue with the healings. Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away with Emma.

2

After being thrown across the orchard, Damon had landed on his right shoulder against the base of a tree. Brett spotted him and felt guilty for having wasted time arguing with Zack. He sprinted to the orc, who was unconscious. He started casting healing spells while Emma did the same, using her large mana reserve. Brett straightened out the orc’s body and was about to have a look at his shoulder when Emma placed her hand on his back.

“The healing spells will take care of that,” she whispered to him. “Let him rest for now.” She reached down and grabbed his hand, leading him behind a tree. She sent another Basic Heal to Damon, then gazed up at Brett. “Zack is being stubborn, but he’s right,” she said, squeezing his hand.

Brett wasn’t sure how to react. Part of him felt validated, but at the same time, she was siding with Zack. He smiled tentatively. “Umm. Thank you, Emma,” he replied haltingly.

She paused. He stared at her big, green eyes.

“Some of the team,” she confided, “they’re not treating you very well. Give it time, they’ll come around.”

Brett said nothing, but he smiled. His eyes started watering.

Emma let go of his hand. She gazed at him, biting her lip, not knowing what to say next. She could see that Brett had become the team’s whipping horse, their goat. And she felt ashamed for her own harsh feelings toward the nurse. She shifted closer to him and laid her hand on his shoulder. “Brett, I’d like us to be friends,” she said tentatively. “I want to be someone you can turn to when you feel… ostracized. Would that be okay?” Emma felt his body relax.

He smiled at her sincerely. “Yes, Emma, that… that would be very nice.”

She pushed up on her toes, leaned in, and kissed him on the cheek. A wave of relief poured through his body. In that brief moment, Brett didn’t feel at war with himself. Then Emma settled back down and winked at him. “Let’s see if we can wake the general,” she said.

3

When Miguel ran back to the central section of the orchard, Harper was resting on the grass, leaning against a tree trunk. She saw him and smiled warmly, but her pale expression changed to concern when she saw his swollen face. He sat on the grass beside her and inspected the wound on her chest. The skin was healed, but there was a diamond-shaped scar just below her collarbone. He placed his palm against the wound and exhaled. She touched his face inquisitively but remained silent.

“Oh, this,” Miguel laughed. “I’ve never been slapped around so much in one day. Most of the swelling is from Jordan’s punch.”

Harper gaped.

“He was trying to pull me out of the spell,” Miguel quickly added. He touched her face. “How are you feeling?” he asked softly.

Harper attempted to respond but coughed dryly instead.

Miguel winced at how hollow her cough was.

“I feel like death warmed over,” she said hoarsely. Harper tried to continue but started coughing again. Miguel laid his hands on her shoulders, trying to brace her. Her skin felt cold and damp. He couldn’t believe how close he’d come to losing her.

“I… I’m cold,” Harper said, shuddering.

Miguel took off the top of his jack of plates armor and spread it over her body. Could really use a mage’s robe right about now, he thought. He stood up, equipped his sword, and started chopping branches from a nearby apple tree. Once he had enough, he gave them a hard shake, loosening the fruit until it dropped to the ground with soft thumping noises. He walked back to Harper and started laying the branches over her. The leaves were large and covered her body well. She smiled at him appreciatively. Her eyelids started sagging. Once he had assembled a leafy cocoon around her, he knelt and whispered to her, “I love you.”

With her eyes closed, she smiled at him. “I know,” she murmured. Harper slumped against the tree, her head lolling to one side, and fell asleep immediately.

4

While Miguel told Harper that he loved her and Emma was kissing Brett, the two Harris brothers were having their own moment. Zack, having been healed from Jordan’s spells, had left the area, searching for Emma, Brett, and Damon. Their temporarily discarded plate armor lay strewn on the crabgrass, near the egg’s debris. Some thicker branches from the shattered egg burned lazily in the grass, but the previous day's rain kept the fire from spreading.

“What was it like in there?” Jordan asked as they sat on a dead tree trunk.

Ethan turned to him, puzzled. “Huh?”

Jordan pointed at where the egg had been. “Inside the egg.”

His brother shook his head. “The last thing I remember was being lifted by that tree monster,” he said contemplatively.

Jordan grunted, deciding not to pursue the subject. He glanced at his brother, who looked like he’d caught a virulent strain of acne. Partially healed, red pinpricks covered Ethan’s entire body. “How’s the pain?”

“Not bad,” Ethan replied, “except along my ankles and arms. They’re really sore.”

Jordan nodded. The two brothers became quiet for a long time. They watched as the last flames sputtered out on the branches littering the orchard's ground. Finally, Ethan broke the silence. “Any thoughts about Dad?”

Jordan considered the question for a moment. “I wish the realm didn’t spread out so wide. We could pass him and not even know it.”

Ethan sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought too. I hope we find him in the first dungeon. Like they said back at the portal room.”

Jordan grunted. They heard a rustle of leaves to their left and turned to see Zack, Damon, Brett, and Emma bustling through the trees. “You guys look like shit!” Zack hollered at them. He looked ridiculous without his armor, wearing just his skimpy canvas underwear. He had the same red pinpricks covering his body.

The brothers grinned. “Speak for yourself, scrambled eggs,” Jordan quipped. Emma and Brett laughed. Zack didn’t get the joke. “Hey blockhead,” Jordan teased, pointing to the main area, “the swimsuit competition is that-a-way.”

Zack rubbed his chin, grinning at the Grimalkin member. “You’re a funny guy there, puss-in-boots.”

Emma snorted.

Before returning to the team, Jordan jumped through the trees and found Damon’s battle axe, which had been thrown by the Dryope. It had landed ninety feet away from the battle site. Brett proposed keeping the orc’s armor, suggesting they could bang the perforations flat with a large stone if they didn’t come across an upgrade soon. The six teammates collected the armor and rejoined the rest of the team. On the way, Emma cracked another joke about the orc’s canvas undergarments. Brett brayed loudly. Zack watched the healer’s laughter with amazement.

Maybe the poor guy’s finally starting to loosen up, he thought.

5

Most of the serious injuries were fully healed. Jordan’s shoulder gained back its mobility. Janna impressed the team, telling them how she’d pulled the arrow from her leg. She drew the arrow from Angie’s wound as well. Miguel healed his self-inflicted injury, the cut to his left hand.

The team’s biggest concern was Harper. They decided to let her sleep while the group considered what to do next. Miguel approached one of the three Epiphany clouds that hovered among the trees and received two messages.

Congratulations, Miguel! You have found an Epiphany that contains the spell: Song of Distraction. This magical chorus will lull your enemies to distraction and reduce their mental abilities by 50%! Certain advanced creatures may be immune to this spell. Ranked progressive and available to Healers, Hunters, and Mages, so tell all your friends. Song of Distraction will cost 1 MP per second, and has a cooldown rate of 10 seconds and a range of 50 meters. Even though you couldn’t keep a tune to save your life, you can still put the ‘Harm’ in ‘Harmonize’!

The second message told him that there was spell available for another class. Emma tried the cloud on behalf of the hunters, but she received the same message.

“Why don’t you try it, Janna?” Miguel asked.

The nurse touched the cloud and was rewarded.

Congratulations, Janna! You have found an Epiphany that contains the spell: Intermediate Heal. This spell will enable you to heal your allies at a low, low cost. Ranked rare and available only to Healers, so tell all your friends. Intermediate Heal will cost you 7 MP and will recover hit points equal to 50% of your intelligence stat. It has a cooldown rate of 1 second and a range of 50 meters. “Don’t be an idiot, use intermediate!”

Janna told the group about the new spell, and they were overjoyed. While the three classes obtained their new spells, Miguel suggested letting Harper sleep. “I’ll wake her if the clouds start fading,” he said.

He tried to combine the spell with his other ones but didn’t find any combos. The team caught up with their notifications and discovered that Damon and Miguel had leveled up. Damon had gained 144 experience points while the mage had received 96 XP from the two Dryads that transformed into the egg. Miguel took a deep breath, thinking his next proposal would be contentious. “I know it’s still early in the afternoon, but I think we should find a place to camp so Harper can recuperate.”

He planted his feet and waited for a barrage of dissension. But the team just looked back at him silently. When a response came, it was not what he anticipated.

“That’s okay, Miguel,” Angie said, speaking for the group. “We want her fully recovered.”

Miguel smiled. He thought of everything the team had been through in thirty-six hours, the close calls and how they had defended each other. I think we’re becoming a family, he mused.

Jordan stepped up next. “Emma and I have an idea,” he started. “We can quickly search the west side of the orchard for a good place to camp. With our speed and agility, we’ll stay near the treetops. That will give us an excellent vantage point. If we encounter any signs of trouble…”

“Or strange music,” his brother added.

“Yeah. If we have any problems, we’ll double back here right away.”

The teammates considered the notion.

“If we can’t find a suitable spot,” Emma added, “we’ll explore the east side next.”

The members agreed.

“Keep an eye out for any signs of fresh water or something enclosed like the cave,” Damon said.

“Will do,” Jordan replied. He walked up to Emma and extended his hand melodramatically. She took it and the two Grimalkin members sprinted for the trees, reaching the top in a matter of seconds.

“Look at those pussies go,” Zack hooted.

Janna snorted. The other teammates chuckled, except for one member. Brett stood rigid behind everyone, his eyes narrowed. He watched the pair disappear into the trees with an expression of jealousy and hatred.

6

Back in the woods again, Jordan didn’t waste any time going after Emma. He vaulted from his tree and tackled her into a fanned-out set of limbs that held their weight. As the surrounding leaves bounced and fluttered, Emma laughed. “Young man, that was very irresponsible,” she scolded him.

Jordan ignored the taunt and kissed her.

She looked into his eyes playfully and said, “Meow.”

Jordan laughed. “This could be the chain mail talking, but I think I lust you!”

Emma snorted. “Yup, I don’t think we’re at love just yet,” she replied sarcastically.

He grinned. “Yeah, Miguel and Harper don’t know what they’re missing out on. They’re going for the love thing way too fast!”

She giggled beneath him, and the rise and fall of her belly made him want her even more. “And another thing,” he exclaimed. “I can’t wait for our rain check.”

“Yup, me too,” she purred. “Now, let’s find a nice home to settle down to, and maybe we can cash that check.” She shoved him off unceremoniously and bolted for the next tree.

He raced behind her, following her path. As he watched her hips bounce up and down in front, he could smell the aroma of the fruit. Jordan felt intoxicated again, but this time it was all Emma. He was about to call out to her when her body suddenly stopped cold, clinging to a thick branch. He slammed on the brakes, almost running into her.

As Emma gripped her claws into the dense wood, swinging back and forth from her momentum, she looked to the south. Jordan followed her gaze and had to wipe his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. A beaten dirt road started where the forest ended and continued past them to the north. It carved a path through the weeds and the witchgrass, extending through the middle of the orchard.

Positioned at the top of her tree some thirty feet in the air, Emma felt the wind blow against her ear. She figured the team had missed the road by three hundred feet when they came out of the forest. They’d also missed one of the respawn markers, not that it would have mattered. The circular marker shone at the beginning of the road. Ironically, she saw many handmade wooden signs posted along the road with a warning.

BEWARE:

DRYADS HERE

The road continued north, sloping downward just as the orchard ended. Out past the apple and pear trees was a village with twenty log cabins peppered along an intersecting road. As the sun shone bright yellow hues on their surroundings, Emma observed crudely made buildings constructed mostly of thick wooden beams, grass, and mud. They consisted of four walls, a sloped roof, and no windows.

Standing in the center of the village, like a beacon from a forgotten world, was a large well with fresh puddles of water around it. Three humanoid shapes walked down the intersecting road. Emma and Jordan weren’t close enough to distinguish any details, but the creatures seemed to shamble along the dirt road with no sense of direction or purpose.

Beyond the village, the northern road cut through a dramatically changed landscape. The grassy field ascended to a large hill with densely populated bushes and pine trees. The hill sloped back down into a terrain of jagged rocks that met the northern border of the realm. A large body of water thrashed against the rocks. The water seemed to come from beyond the border, as if a great sea was pushing through on the other side of the realm.

Just off the shore where it met with the dark pine trees, a tall stone tower stretched into the sky. The cylindrical structure was composed of gray stone bricks. Other than a large entrance at the tower’s base, the building was completely enclosed. Above the entrance was a sculpture, but they were too far to determine what it was.

Behind the tower, the realm’s northern border reflected back at them, undulating and elongating like the other borders they had seen. But this one was different. Portions of the border, and the land around the tower, had ceased to exist, devolving into a chaotic mass of quantum qubits that swirled over a black void.