Twigs crackled beneath our feet as the ndscape shifted dramatically from the open pins we'd initially encountered. Now, trees surrounded us—our seemingly endless trek had led us to the woods. Worst pce to be at, but the open pins would undoubtedly make us sitting ducks.

  I hoped the goblins wouldn’t come searching for us. That might just send us over the edge, mentally speaking.

  "This is some next-level camping experience." Oliver chimed in wryly, gesturing at the vast forest enclosing us.

  "Yeah." I agreed, looking around. "Nothing I had imagined would happen today."

  "I'll bet." Oliver snorted softly before casting a sidelong gnce at my bandaged injury. "Does it hurt?"

  "Not much. At least not as much as it should, I reckon..." I grimaced. I had this weird theory going on. But now wasn’t the moment to dwell on it.

  A giant moon hung on a starlit sky. It illuminated our path well, casting an almost ethereal glow on our surroundings. The whole atmosphere seemed almost magical. If I hadn't seen the blood coating my clothes, or felt the throbbing of my wound, I'd almost mistake it all as a fantastical dream. One I wanted to wake up from.

  For a moment, I found myself staring at the firmament overhead, at a faint, cloudy streak across the sky—no doubt coming from a cluster of stars.

  "How are we going to sleep?" Theo suddenly asked, drawing our attention towards herself.

  "Hm." Jeremy hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe we should sleep in pairs. I mean, Seb looks terrible, so we have to keep an eye on him."

  "Hey." I frowned. "Not cool."

  "But accurate." Oliver pointed out matter-of-factly.

  I scrunched up my nose.

  She smirked back at me, evidently relishing my momentary vulnerability. She brushed back her thick, straight dark hair with a practiced flick of her wrist. Then, she abruptly changed the topic, her words ced with a note of sarcasm. "Anybody remember that camping trip we took st year?"

  "Please don't remind me." I groaned.

  "What happened?" Theo inquired curiously, turning towards me. We shared a look before she gnced away sheepishly.

  "Oh, right. Theo hadn't been there that day. Long story short..." Jeremy started. "Sebastian messed up and we had to run away from a pissed off camp owner."

  "Oh yeah…" Oliver chuckled.

  I cleared my throat loudly, interrupting their recollection of what had certainly been my most humiliating adventure thus far. "Come on, guys. Stop living in the past!"

  "We're going to remember it forever and ever..." Jeremy teased, mimicking an eerie, ghost-like echo.

  "Forever..." Oliver chimed in.

  Jeremy continued, stretching out each sylble for dramatic effect.

  "And ever."

  "Forever and ever."

  I threw an acorn I found on the ground at them.

  "You missed." Jeremy taunted, sticking her tongue out.

  "I didn't aim at you."

  "I'm shaking in my nonexistent boots."

  Suddenly, an owl hooted loudly, causing all of us to nearly jump out of our skin. The hoot was followed by an ominous silence that sent shivers crawling down our spines. My injury fred. Damn it.

  We ughed at our jittery reactions before continuing our walk through the increasingly creepy woods, our collective voices occasionally disrupted by the nocturnal wildlife hidden within.

  "So..." Jeremy ventured tentatively. "We need fire and shelter, right?"

  "Of course, but what about food?" Theo added nervously.

  "The bow." Oliver responded ftly. "You have arrows. Shoot something."

  "Easier said than done." Jeremy rebutted defensively. "I've never hunted wild game, alright?"

  "As if the rest of us have!"

  I gnced at Jeremy. "You're the most qualified to use that thing, considering you actually held a bow before." I reasoned. "It's not like we're expecting you to single-handedly sustain us all, Jeremy. Rex. We know it's hard. Besides..." I gestured towards our bleak surroundings. "As if anyone would bme you for failing, anyway."

  Jeremy's face lit up. "Aww. You always manage to cheer me up."

  "That's because I know you better than most."

  "Yeah." Her expression softened somewhat. She then clicked her tongue in a melodramatic manner. "Heh. No wonder, we've known each other for so damn long."

  "We have." I agreed fondly, reaching up to tousle her hair. She batted my hand away.

  "What? Am I a kid or what?" She ughed. "I haven't gotten used to you being so much taller than me. That's not fair."

  "Yeah, being on the receiving end is different." Theo intervened sympathetically. "You don't know how it feels to be smaller than everyone else until you are."

  "It sucks." Jeremy pouted, which earned her a chuckle from all of us.

  xXx

  Time passed in an unchanging blur of darkness and silence until finally, we spotted something akin to a chunky blob of meat hopping away.

  "Our food is running away. Jeremy, quick, shoot it!" I urged, pointing at the scampering critter.

  "W-What? How am I supposed to—?"

  "Do it!" Oliver growled.

  "Fine, fine." Jeremy grumbled, lifting the bow, lining up the shot. It was a tiny, moving target. There was no way she could hit that.

  Still, we watched with bated breath as Jeremy nocked an arrow onto the string, steadied her arm and drew back her fingers.

  The silence stretched uncomfortably.

  "You can't keep us waiting forever." Oliver interjected, impatience leaking into her tone.

  "Shh! Let me cook." Jeremy hissed.

  The animal kept rushing. Hopping along, trying to evade whatever danger it assumed was hot on its heels.

  And then, unexpectedly...

  Jeremy let loose the arrow. The projectile zipped through the air, straight through the creature's head. Bulls-eye.

  My jaw dropped.

  Jeremy gasped.

  "I... did it!" She cheered.

  "Nice!" Oliver high-fived her, impressed despite the situation. Theo, meanwhile, stared sck-jawed.

  "Let's celebrate ter." I cut in, striding purposefully over to the dead prey. The st thing I wanted was for some other animal to snatch our kill.

  "Rabbit meat!" Jeremy procimed victoriously, picking it up by its ears.

  We were going to have a feast. Not too impressive, sure, but for our predicament...? More than enough.

  We walked in quiet contentment for a while longer.

  "Whoa..." Oliver breathed out.

  In front of us sprawled a ke.

  Clear water shimmered invitingly under the moonlight. With a grunt, I colpsed onto the pebbly shore. "Finally."

  "We should rest here." Theo suggested, eyeing our injured states with concern—mostly mine. "Maybe build a fire and camp here?"

  "Sounds good to me." Jeremy shrugged. "This spot looks good, and this rabbit needs to be cooked."

  "And you're gonna be our top chef, huh?" I teased lightly.

  "Naturally." She grinned. "Cooking Master Jeremy's ready to serve!"

  After settling down, we set to work. I delegated the roles among us, taking care not to strain my injured shoulder.

  I pointed at Oliver and Theo. "You two gather some stones. We'll encircle our campfire with them. Safety precautions and such."

  They nodded and left to collect stones. Once they were out of earshot, I turned to Jeremy. "You've got wood collection duty, Chef." I announced. "No pressure. Just need them dry enough to burn properly."

  "Roger!" She mock-saluted before vanishing into the undergrowth, intent on finding suitable fuel.

  "Make sure to stay nearby where I can watch you!"

  Jeremy turned around to wink at me.

  I reminded them all, as if they were my kids.

  Now alone, I contempted our situation. The prospects weren't great. As much as I disliked dwelling on negatives, my rational brain couldn't ignore the potential risks of sleeping outdoors. Without a proper shelter or security measures, we remained exposed to elements, predators, or even hostile locals.

  The atmosphere between us was light-heartened, despite our dire circumstances. I wondered how much longer that would st.

  I stared at the bde in my hand. It was old, battered, but still a bit sharp. The craftsmanship appeared primitive, yet surprisingly sturdy. The metal bore a strange pattern—a rough design carved into its surface. Three interlocked triangles. A valknut. I seared its details into my mind.

  Now wasn't the time to ponder on the dagger’s origin. Instead, I was a bit nervous. Despite the long trek, we didn't encounter any more goblins, or any sort of creature—let alone a hint of civilization.

  Either we were incredibly lucky, or we were unwittingly encroaching on something—or someone's territory. Something that even goblins dared not trespass upon.

  If we met something worse than goblins, we'd be fucked. Or possibly dead.

  "Survival Tip Number One!" Jeremy suddenly reappeared, carrying an armful of sticks. I blinked, taken aback. "Staring won't make things better." Her voice brought me back to the present. I looked up. She smiled. "Keep your chin up, dude. We'll pull through!"

  "You say that, but..." I began, only to be silenced by a sudden thump on the forehead.

  Jeremy tapped me, wagging her finger in feigned reproval. "No buts, Seb."

  I chuckled.

  She crouched down beside me. "Listen, bro." She murmured, lowering her voice so the others couldn't overhear. "I know you've got doubts and worries, and it's okay to show 'em sometimes." She sighed wistfully. "But right now, everybody's scared shitless, so I'm keeping things cheerful and light-hearted, y'know? Helps everyone cope a lil better. Truth is, this shit terrifies me." She offered a strained smile. "But we gotta hold it together somehow, yeah? Stay positive, stay alive. It's that simple." She paused. "Or at least I hope so, heh."

  "Jeremy..."

  She straightened back up, adjusting the sticks in her grasp. "Anyways!" Jeremy spoke up louder, her tone shifting to a more animated, energetic timbre. "Enough of that emotional crap! Time to make fire!"

  As she bustled about, setting up the kindling and preparing to ignite it, Oliver and Theo returned with their haul of smooth stones. "Got the goods!" Oliver decred triumphantly. They deposited their load nearby, prompting me to help arrange them in a circur formation around the intended site for our burgeoning fire.

  Eventually, a modest bze sprung forth from our combined efforts.

  I hoped the fire would keep most beasts at bay.

  Jeremy returned, triumphantly holding the cooked rabbit above the fmes. Our group settled around the fire as the meat sizzled. Oliver prodded the fme with a stick.

  "I feel like a caveman." Oliver commented dryly. "Are we regressing or progressing right now? Can't tell anymore."

  "At least we've got food to eat." I reasoned.

  "Yeah."

  We ate mostly in silence.

  Nobody seemed willing to discuss what we all had in the forefront of our minds: survival pns.

  We were ill-equipped for wilderness survival. Sure, we weren't clueless either. We did go hiking and stuff occasionally, but none of us expected to get stranded in a fantasy world.

  Or so I thought.

  "There's plenty of rabbits in these parts." Jeremy remarked offhandedly. She briefly mentioned earlier how she'd seen a couple of them hopping through the undergrowth.

  "Doesn't solve all of our problems, but at least food's taken care of." Theo said, nodding slightly. Her cheeks puffed up as she chomped on the chewy meat.

  Oliver muttered something unintelligible under her breath. Probably another sarcastic quip, if I knew her well enough.

  "How are we gonna stay alive, though?" Theo raised her concerns eventually.

  Everyone stopped eating.

  Do death row convicts even feel hunger when they know tomorrow is their st?

  My friends, it seemed, were no different. Food aside, the mere thought of our uncertain future appeared to turn their stomachs.

  Then I remembered Jeremy's words. She was looking at me even now.

  "Survive tip number two." I cleared my throat, echoing Jeremy's sentiment. I held my dagger up high for all of them to see. "This was taken from a goblin. These creatures exist, therefore they can be killed, hunted, gutted, and turned into equipment. That means other monsters likely share the same fate, provided we're resourceful enough. Moreover, there ought to be towns, vilges, and possibly kingdoms as well. This isn't Earth, but humans have survived here before. Even if we're far away from civilization right now, I guarantee people live somewhere nearby."

  "How do you know that?" Oliver pressed.

  I brandished the knife. "This very dagger proves my point. Don't forget the coins we found on them. Unless goblins are some mythical species that can magically transform stone and ore into usable items, other people must be in existence. If they exist, they'll have communities—and settlements like that will probably require trading partners." I paused. "In conclusion: we need to survive until we reach some sembnce of society, whether a town or otherwise."

  "That settles it, then!" Jeremy procimed optimistically. "All we gotta do is hunt, gather food and materials, scavenge whatever we can get, craft weapons or tools for defense, find some direction, travel, rinse and repeat. Easy peasy! Isn't that right, Seb?"

  Theo rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. "As long as there are friendly folk along the way." She mumbled softly. "And no trolls."

  "No trolls." I echoed, smiling slightly. She returned my gesture half-heartedly.

  "Real life Skyrim." Oliver whispered.

  xXx

  Unfortunately...

  There were actual fucking trolls.

  Nneeil