Al looked in shocked. His eyes quivered as he saw the truth of it all.

[Lesser Mimic(George Lopez). Level 3. The weakest kind of mimic that hide itself among the unwary population. Slowly dwindling the numbers through a long period time, blending in with the prey it targets, building rapport until finding the perfect time to strike. Intense period of hunger has a higher probability for the mimic to make a blunder.]

Beads of sweat trickled down Al’s temple. He shuffled his feet back to Jack, pretending to stray his eyes away from the hiding mimic. “It’s him,” Al whispered.

Jack instinctively looked at the mimic with a frown as he hardly hid his intention.

“Are we doing this right now?” Al asked. Noticing the glare from those blue-eyes as if it was a sign for an incoming battle.

The mimic on the other hand stood up from the cavern floor, noticing the obvious glare from Jack. He was about to walk away from the group of people, but a shout left him frozen on the spot

“The mimic is still alive!” Jack shouted to the top of his lungs. “Surround George at all cost, and don’t let him slip away.” Jack rushed on his feet, grabbing one of the torch that was speared to the ground.

George the mimic, ran towards the darkness of the cave. But Jack was quicker. The flaming end of the torch found its way right at the side of George’s face. Smashing him hard right at the jaw, sending the man back to the ground.

The others stood still in bafflement while Frank chased over Jack. Al was a step behind and did the same thing as Jack, grabbing a torch in his hand.

“Jack, whatever it is let’s calm down and talk first,” Frank said. Inching closer to Jack with his hands held up high, showing he was unarmed.

“Like I told you, George is a mimic,” Jack said. Noticing Al coming to his side.

“Jack, whatever that thing is it’s dead,” Frank said. “We’ve seen it with our eyes. The thing’s head had been chopped off clean by George. So let’s—”

George tried to stand back up, but Jack put another blow right at George’s head. Sending the mimic kneeling back on the ground.

“Jack!” Frank shouted. “This is madness.” His feet shuffled closer, inch by inch, trying to find a moment to strike. But the head of a burning torch blocked his path. Frank met eyes with the holder, the newcomer that came along with Jack. “It’s you isn’t it?” Frank frowned. “You’re the one who—”

“Shut up, and see it for yourself,” Al said. Pointing the torch at George, revealing the dripping bloody head of a wounded man.

“Enough of this,” Frank said. Noticing nothing wrong with George who was bleeding. “Stop with the false accusation and let the man—”

Al didn’t wait for Frank to finish. He pressed the burning end at George’s thigh, and the heat made it screamed. A piercing inhuman scream escaped through George’s mouth, echoing through the cavern space as every one in the group heard it loud and clear. And it wasn’t their first time hearing that sound.

Some gasped, while some rushed to hold anything that could be a weapon. Frank had wide eyes, falling in disbelief. Jack took the familiar scream as confirmation as it fully steeled his heart to do the deed. The man with blue-eyes rained down blow after blow at the mimic.

Al joined in the fray, taking his first shot at violence. Swinging the torch hard, feeling the feedback of hitting something right back in his hands. It hurt, but did he have a choice? He wasn’t the type of person that involved in meaningless fight or any combat related sports. But in a situation like this where his life was depending on it, he wasn’t going to pull back his punches.

The mimic retaliated. Swinging its arms wide, pushing those torches away as it released another spine-chilling scream. In front of everyone eyes, the skin of ‘George’ started to melt away, revealing the true skin underneath.

Al was stunned, seeing it firsthand. No eyes, no ears, no nose, but only a thin blackish mouth on its bark-like face. Darkish tendrils made up most of its body, with shining obsidian claws that could rip apart any flesh in its way.

Yet Jack was immune to that sight. He was way past the moment of being shocked and all he saw was a threat that needed to be eliminated. He brandished his torch in an onslaught and soon the rest of the men found their courage. They grabbed their sticks, they grabbed their torches, and they grabbed their stones. Hitting, hurling and doing what must be done at the mimic. Even with claws, the mimic could do nothing. Rather than a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it was a pinata for a ten-year old birthday party. Soon, it went limp.

The violence stopped, and everyone was panting. Staring at the bloody mess they all did. But then, something else brought them back from their daze.

“Level 2?” Jack said as he was one among the many that received the exact same notification. Murmurs erupted, and one of the geeks in the flock excitedly explained what this was all about. Yet there was an exception. Al looked around left and right as everyone were staring at the empty air in front of them except for him. Unlike the rest, he didn’t get it.

This is worse than I thought. Al frowned. He expected to at least gain a similar exp like all of them, but from what he was experiencing right now, he had a hunch that the curse annulled more than just the good effect of his unique ability.

The group then settled down after the end of the hidden threat. Al and Jamie was introduced to the whole group and Al’s contribution in revealing the mimic greatly boosted his favorability in being accepted by the group. But unfortunately for Jamie, his parents weren’t here much to the sadness of the little boy with his upside-down smile.

On the other hand, the discovery of the game system was a great topic of discussion. The geek of the group, Raj, had explained fully that the game system was their only chance of surviving through this ordeal they were facing. Especially in regards to class distribution.

At first, he had been a bit sexist. Suggesting that the cleric class, the healing-type of class to be designated to women. Some was appalled by it, but Raj had his way with words. “Where were you ladies when we men fought that mimic?” Raj said.

“It’s hardly a fight, when all twenty of you ganged up against one,” one of the women spoke.

“Exactly,” Raj replied. “Even when the odds are greatly in our favor, you guys don’t even budge.” He stared at these women, one by one as if what he said just sealed the deal.

“I’m not going to,” one of the ladies got up, and stood face to face with Raj.

“So you’re going to fight with your hands all bloody?” Raj asked, smirking.

“I’m not going to let my fate decided by some random stranger,” the woman said.

Both stared at one another. The lady was a bit taller than the Indian, and neither of them were showing any sign of budging away from the sudden staring contest.

“Okay, okay, enough fighting you guys,” Jack said. Coming in between these two. “Let’s put aside those things first, and just take a rest for a while, okay?”

The conflict defused for now, but Jack knew things wouldn’t be easy in the near future. If what Raj told him was true, then having powers the likes of a superhero would only worsen the tension.

“Hey!” a voice shouted from the far end of the cavern space. Someone who was holding a torch ran over with a smile that could hardly be contained. All eyes were at Juan. The man with a cowboy hat caught his breath for a while and soon told them what he found.

“I found an exit,” Juan said.

That term alone made everyone focused to Juan’s words.

“Wait, did you go alone?” Jack asked, frowning. “Didn’t I say to always stick together?”

“Oh, sorry about that,” Juan said, smiling. “It’s just that this class I got is pretty handy you know. It points me right to the exit.”

“What kind of class is it?” Raj budged in. Growing curious about this class. He had done his assumptions about all the available classes, but not one of them had the capability to do what Juan said.

“It’s the Adventurer class,” Juan said. “Why?”

“Adventurer class?” Raj asked. “There’s no Adventurer class on the list, Juan.”

“Yea I know. Someone offered me that class, and boy, I was lucky,” Juan said.

“Someone?” Jack asked. “Juan, I appreciate the effort to lighten up the mood, but lying about something like this is way overboard.”

“I’m not lying, gringo,” Juan said. “Circinus is the guy who gave me the class. And if you think I’m lying, we can go now and see the exit.”

So he received a special class, Al thought. He sat from afar, listening to all the commotion. Al glanced at Jaime beside him, who dozed off as the kid probably was too tired after what he saw and experienced tonight. Just like me and Jaime, one of the constellations favors him. But is mine really a favor? Just like its name, it’s more of a penalty than helping me out here.

Al couldn’t let go of the fact that he didn’t received any level after the lynching he participated in. He worried how he would advance in this world as getting stronger would be difficult with the curse plaguing him. Unless he did the most stupid thing in this sort of situation, and it weighed heavily in his mind.

Soon, a small group decided to follow Juan to the exit. One third of the men of the group went along that included Al, Raj, and Jack with a few additional brave ladies, including the one that faced Raj. Jaime was being cared by one of the oldest ladies in the group, someone in her early fifties. The boy was reluctance at first to leave Al, but after some persuading, Al managed to get the boy to stay with May.

The group journeyed down the tunnel path led by the Adventurer-class Juan. Along the way, they stumbled a few times with beasts that lurked within these tunnels. Thankfully, they weren’t like the mimic or the one-eye nightraven. They were just cat-sized naked mole rat that barely took notice of the presence of humans. There was no aggro shown by these beasts and to Raj’s suggestion, the whole group took a shot in killing these naked beasts. For the lucky ones, some earned a level.

But for Al, he stood there clenching hard at the shaft of the torch. No matter how many naked molerat he killed, none of them gave him any experience, and in his mind, the last resort scared him.

After a short while, the group found light at the end of the tunnel. It wasn’t bright like the sun, but it was enough to fill them with hope. They exited the cave, and was greeted by the sight of a vast plain with an unhindered moon shining its light from above. One of them saw something else at the far end.

“I see something,” someone said. Pointing at a direction which caused everyone to squint their eyes.

“Is that what I think it is?” Jack asked.

“It’s a castle,” Al said.

“Well it could be one, but we’ll never know not until we get there,” Raj drew the eyes of the rest of the group. “What? Isn’t it better to see whether there’s someone out there that can help us? And even if we’re wrong, it isn’t too bad to have a shelter like that.”

“And it could be a den of a big bad monster,” Anna, the woman who had a beef with Raj a while back gave her two cents. Receiving the side-eye from Raj.

“For now let’s get back,” Jack said. “We’ll decide after talking things through with the whole group.”

The group turned back to the tunnel, but Al stayed where he was. “Hey, Jack,” Al called.

The man with blue-eyes turned. “Come on Al,” Jack ushered. “We need to stick together. You know we shouldn’t do split apart like those stupid movie characters.”

But Al shook his head. That action of his prompted Jack to bring his feet closer to Al. “What now?” Jack asked.

“I’m not going,” Al said.

“What do you mean you’re not going?” Jack asked, frowning. “This isn’t the time to play games, Al.”

“I’m serious,” Al replied. Staring at Jack with his cold calm eyes. “I’m leaving the group.”

“Huh,” Jack rested his hands on his hips with his head down. Taking his time to process this sudden reckless decision from Al.

“At least tell me the reason why you’re attempting this stupid thing? Are you suicidal or something?” Jack asked.

“It’s quite the opposite,” Al said. “I’m trying to live, and for now this is my only way of insuring my survival.”

“You’re not making a whole lot of sense, Al,” Jack said. “Then what about Jamie? Are you going to leave him alone? Didn’t you promise him to find his parents?”

“You and me know well the chance of finding his parents are close to nil,” Al said.

Jack grabbed Al by the collar, pulling him close. The man with blue eyes stood tall at six feet two, looking down at Al who was five feet nine. Jack’s eyes were filled with rage as he was trying his best not to fly a fist at that cold heartless face of Al. “He bonded with you, and now you’re going to leave him like he’s nothing?” Jack said.

“Please take care of him,” Al said. Looking earnestly at Jack in the eye. “He’s safer with you than with me.”

“Fuck it,” Jack said. Pushing Al away, almost making him stumbled on his feet. Jack turned and walked towards the tunnel. “Just come back when whatever out there knock some sense into you, and tried not to die,” Jack left and vanished in the tunnel.

Then there was one. Al looked around, and no one was there except for him and the solitude. He knew this was stupid of him, but he had no choice but to do it. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Fuh, let’s try not to die.”