Solo

Note from the author:

Greetings.

I am quite happy with how that one came out, especially the ending (no spoilers). Let me know what you think; what you enjoyed, or what you would like me to change. There are things I could work on and improve, but I think I am moving in the right direction.

Anyway, the stuff is down below, have a good one.

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Things turned out to not be as bad as they seemed at first.

We were still together, even if some of us couldn't stop whining about it. It was mostly James. Just James, to be honest. Lazar was cool with it, as far as I could tell, but that guy hardly ever expressed his opinion on anything, so I wasn't sure.

Veronica was conflicted about the whole situation. I knew that she was glad that they didn't abandon me, but at the same time, she couldn't disagree with anything James was saying. In the end, she had to use the "because I say so" argument, which wasn't the best way to keep the group together, even if it worked.

The only downside was that James never shut up, constantly repeating the same things. We were in an unknown territory, against an unknown enemy, doing a glorified escort mission of a low-level ally, me, which would take who-knows how long. On top of that, we still didn't know if the weird updates were present only during a tutorial, or if they would also apply here.

The worst part was, I agreed with him, even if I didn't say it. For them, it just made sense. Without me, they would be in a hub in five minutes, instead of going through an entire level, just to get to the area that they already had unlocked.

But I didn't want to be alone here, so I kept my mouth shut.

With that, we were moving through the forest, occasionally having to take a little detour when our path ended with a sharp drop or incline. Turns out, the name of the area, Shattered Hills, was the same even before the hub was destroyed, and was quite accurate for the terrain. It looked like a typical forest, except sometimes, out of nowhere there were tall, rocky ledges that could stretch for hundreds of yards.

I could climb them without difficulty if I used my enchanted mobility, but the group decided to take it slow until we figure out the area's level. Unlike the tutorial, each area in the game had a recommended level for players, with just marginal scaling. I tried to talk with James about it since he seemed to know more about it than Veronica, but he wasn't in the mood, so I just let it go.

Another trick I learned while we were walking was the minimap. It should have been obvious that the game with open-world exploration should have some sort of navigation system, but until now I was just following the group, so I never thought about it. Turns out, it worked similarly to your HUD, but instead of a single screen in front of you, it was a small hologram hovering in your palm. It gave a Star Wars vibe but without the need to use any devices. One could even use it to pulse scan the surrounding area, but it gave only an approximate location of anyone nearby while revealing your own, so it wasn't that useful.

Not useful to others, that is, my scout shield combined with passive perks of scout class made me near impossible to detect on the minimap, even when I sent the strongest scan pulse my map was capable of. I was liking this character setup more and more.

With all of the tools at my disposal, and wanting to repay them for carrying me through the tutorial, I was leading the group. We all knew the approximate destination where we wanted to end up, but the path leading there was up to me to find.

[Gained: Exhaustion (1)]

That gave me pause. I turned back to the rest of the team walking behind me but saw that they also were checking their notifications.

- Should we worry about it? - I asked.

- Hard to say - James answered - the first level is more like a warning than anything else. The second one is manageable unless we get in serious trouble, and the third and up are starting to become a problem no matter what.

- How many there are?

- Five, but you shouldn't let it go above the third level. Maybe even the third is too high, the combat debuffs are no joke later on.

- So what do we do about it?

- We have to take a rest to clear the status - he explained - a short break will drop it by one point for some time, which would be enough for us, or we can set up a camp, take a nap and reset the status. That will give us six to eight hours if I remember correctly.

- But you said that we don't have to sleep here - I was confused - so why do we need to rest now?

- Why can't you just place your stuff back in the equipment right away, but have to wait a while before you can do that? - he sighed - Devs have a boner for realism, so during the free roam you have to take rests. You don't have to sleep while in the hub, or during a raid and other stages like that.

- There are raids here - I don't know if I was disappointed by that, but I sure sounded as if I was.

- If there weren't, we wouldn't be able to convince Lazar to play - James laughed - and there are also pure PvP areas, made specifically so I could flex on the losers. Oh, and there are platforming maps, so you can also find something for yourself.

- Very funny - I wasn't amused, but was also curious about one more thing - hey, Veronica, do you prefer raids or PvP?

- Nah, she's boring - James interjected - and prefers neither. She spends all the time at the hubs, talking.

- Shut up - Vera fumed - I just like meeting new people, so what? It doesn't have to be fighting all the time.

- So what do we do about the exhaustion? - Lazar cut in

- Right, back to the topic at hand - James picked up - We probably were meant to get this point back during the tutorial, but we rushed it and were out before that happened. I think we should push on for now, find a good spot to set a camp and rest for a while to clear a timer entirely. Any objections?

There were none.

------------|V|------------

We kept moving forward for another half hour while keeping our eyes peeled for any good spot to set up a camp. It was mostly me at the front keeping an eye out, but I was happy to finally be useful.

Having a good opportunity to try out my scouting skills in a real environment I was pleasantly surprised by how natural it came for me to use them. All it took was to stand still for a few seconds and look around; different paths just appeared before my eyes. It was hard to describe when they asked me how do I notice them, and my best answer was that they appeared brighter than the rest of the surroundings. We even run a test, where I pointed at a path I saw and they all tried to see any difference, but it worked only for me. I told them that it was a shame that they couldn't see it, but I didn't mean it at all.

I took us off the main path, and towards the larger rocky wall that I saw from the distance earlier. I had a good feeling about it, and I was proved right as we went up the incline.

We kept the ledge to our left, the forest to our right, and continued until we encountered the second sharp drop, this one turning ninety degrees to the right. This created an elevated sharp wedge, placing us on high ground with a clear view of the terrain below on three sides. The only remaining way to reach our position easily, or without being immediately spotted was from behind us, through the forest.

It wasn't ideal, but it was certainly good enough and also the best option we had so far. With the time until the second level of exhaustion hit running out, it had to do.

- I am going to run a recon, check the place out - James announced - you can set the camp in the meantime.

- Just admit that you are trying to make us do all the work - Veronica accused him a matter of factly - besides, we have Val to do that sort of thing.

- Yeah, that's what I am suggesting, we will make sure the surroundings are clear while you will handle things here - he ignored the first remark - it's a job for two people. We both go along the right ledge, and then split up, one checks the forest, and the other one the lower side of the drop as we come back.

- That's... fuck, that sounds reasonable - Vera groaned - how did you come up with that this fast?

- That was always the plan - he shrugged.

- Sure it was - she looked at me - make sure he doesn't get lost, okay?

- We'll see - I grinned, taking my rifle out of the inventory - letting him try to find his way out of the woods sounds kinda fun, to be honest.

- And that's why you are getting that side, hot-shot - he stated - and cool it with the guns, we are just going for the walk. Nice and easy, just a routine patrol.

And he was right.

We were walking for around ten minutes, with me at the front, following the other rocky ledge. I got bored carrying the rifle and put it back in the inventory as soon as the timer ran out.

This was also the first time I had a chance to talk with James one on one since the start of the game. I had a lot of questions about the game mechanics, and he was more than happy to answer them.

Veronica was only partially right when it came to some details about the systems in the game, as it turned out, but after I heard the full explanation I couldn't blame her for getting some things wrong.

First of all, not all levels were made equal, they were sorted into different categories, like combat, utility, social, and such and there were separate progress paths for each of them, all with different requirements. I stopped listening halfway through the lecture, just making a note that a higher level is better. In the end, with my stupid reinforced learning quirk, it didn't matter much to me anyway.

The next thing I was curious about was resting, since that seemed like a pressing matter. I mean, if there are let's say ten people on one map, and one decides to go to sleep, what happens then? Do they just waste this time being unconscious?

- No, no one would sleep if it worked like this - James explained - not when they pay per hour for the pods. When you go to sleep, you just take a ten-minute nap and are ready to go. The difference between a short rest and a long rest, since those two are different things as I mentioned earlier, is the fact of staying conscious. Ten minutes of just sitting down is a short rest, while ten minutes of sleep is a long rest.

- How does that make any sense?

- You can't defend yourself when you are asleep. Higher risk, higher reward. That's why you should have a party, you take turns keeping watch.

- And if you are alone, then what? Do you only take short rests?

- You can risk it if you want to count on your luck, but there are special places hidden on the map where you can rest safely. They are also used to skip time, but that works only when every player on the map is using them, or when you are the only player on the map, but that brings it back to the first point.

- What's the point of just waiting? Are there some time-specific missions?

- That, or just to change the day-night cycle. Stealth is easier in the dark while exploring is easier during the day. There is also healing, during the long rest you regenerate lost health, but I don't know the time-to-health ratio. I think it was bound to your character's endurance, the higher it is the faster you heal, but all I remember is that it sucked anyway. Realism and all that, you shouldn't be able to just sleep off a gunshot wound. Just use a med kit when you can.

- I am starting to think that whoever made this game had a completely different concept in mind when they started it, and only later added the combat system and all of the rest when the first idea didn't work out.

- Yeah, I read something like that on the forum once. Some gameplay elements certainly feel like they were meant to be in a hardcore simulator, and not in an action game. And who said that it didn't work out? Neither you nor Vera was complaining.

I froze for just a millisecond, but kept up my pace, walking ahead.

- What is that supposed to mean?

- Come on, I saw how Veronica was looking at you even back in the VTOL - he chuckled - and you aren't sly either, especially after the show you gave in the boss room.

I wanted to turn around and just sucker punch him, but that would only confirm his suspicions, and I doubted I would even deal any damage.

- That was a one-time thing.

- Hey, I am not judging you - his voice sounded closer than before - far from it. But that will have to wait I'm afraid since I think we are far enough.

What? Far enough for what? My right hand almost made the motion of opening the quick-access inventory, where I had my pistol, but that was a one-way thing, so I forced myself to wait.

- I will take the left side, while you take the forest - James continued while looking around - I don't think that I can get lost while following the ledge. And you should handle navigating your way back with no problem.

I took a deep breath, trying to do it as quietly as I could. I turned around just enough to catch him in the corner of my vision but not so far as to let him see my whole face.

- Yeah, I can manage - I gave a half-hearted smile - sure you don't want to switch?

- What, being on top doesn't suit you? - he mocked, walking closer - Yeah, you look like the bottom is where you're best at. Maybe on our next patrol, if you ask nicely.

I yelped as a sharp slap landed on my ass.

When I turned around he was standing on the edge of the drop, making a "call me" gesture. Then he took another step back and disappeared behind the ledge.

I stood there unmoving for a few seconds, then immediately brought up the HUD with the settings page and turned off the pop-ups.

That damn pink icon disappeared. I didn't even want to read the number it showed, since it was wrong anyway. The game didn't know shit. I stormed into the forest, straight ahead, not following any specific path, just walking forward.

It took a while before I remembered that I have to turn right to walk back towards the camp, and by that time I wasn't sure how far I went. That is how I found myself lost in the woods.

I sat down, resting my back against the nearby tree. I felt myself getting slightly tired earlier, but not enough to justify taking a break. Now, I had both the time and the excuse.

I closed my eyes and focused on just listening to my surrounding. I almost forgot how peaceful hiking was. I think that this counted as hiking. Ironic, that I had to jump into a virtual world to remind myself of something as basic as going outdoors.

I slapped myself on the face. Ok, you are being dramatic here, stop that.

What do I do now? I have to find my way back to the camp. That shouldn't be too hard. But I was also supposed to search the area. That sounded stupid, now that I considered it. Finding anything in such a vast area would take a full team at least a few hours if it was just plain grass. Sweeping the whole forest alone? Yeah, not a chance.

Again, you are stupid. This is a game. If there is something to be found, there must be a way to do that relatively easily.

I pulled up my minimap and cranked up the pulse scan setting to maximum strength, then hit the button.

Aside from the audible ping, I didn't notice anything happening for a while. Then two points lighted up on my map. The first, smaller one was roughly in the direction I had to go, while the second, bigger one was even further into the forest.

I spent too much time already here, so I decided to check out just the first one, and maybe come back later for the second point, hopefully with the team in tow. Not that I had anything against being alone, I maybe even preferred it that way, but there was strength in numbers, and I had no idea what I could expect in those places.

It didn't take long to find the marked point, thanks to the minimap and my tracking skills. I spent a good few minutes scouting the place out from the distance, using the scope on my rifle to get more details. Only when I made sure that it was abandoned I moved closer.

It looked like a two-person camp, with a masking net hung up between the trees. On the ground, there was a large mat or something like this, moldy and soaked through, and some scattered tidbits laying around. Whoever was here left a long time ago. Near one of the trees stood a man-portable communication device. At least what my scout ability hinted at when I took a better look at it.

It was a cross between a backpack and a computer with needlessly large amounts of antennas, knobs, and LED lights. It looked out of place not only here, in the forest, but in general, compared to all the high-tech stuff we had access to. Oh, maybe it is military grade. They don't replace things as long as they work, so this could be an ancient tech, comparatively, but it should at least work.

I poked a few buttons, trying to get the machine to turn on. It was impossible to read any markings thanks to the dirt and mud that collected over time, but I figured that if I pressed everything at least once I ought to find the correct thing eventually.

I was still surprised when one of the screens lit up. Who knows how long has that stuff been here, and it still was operational, not to mention that the battery still had some juice in it. A few of the diodes flashed, probably signaling some systems booting up, but I was just guessing at this point. It could as well be an error code and I wouldn't know.

My minimap turned on, and I got a notification.

[External scanner detected. Initialize a scan?]

[Yes] [No]

Hot damn, if that isn't a future of wireless connection I don't know what is. No drivers bullshit, no updates, it just works.

I pressed [Yes].

The backpack scanner projected a larger version of the map, which covered a much wider area than my hand version. I could see the triangular shelf we were on, mostly overgrown by trees, with a grass patch along the edges and a field in the corner where we set up the camp.

More and more details appeared on the map as the scan continued, mostly just trees, but there was also the second point I noticed earlier. Thanks to the higher resolution of the map I could see that it was a building of some kind, a house maybe, just a basic, square design put in the middle of nowhere.

My curiosity was cut short when another marker flashed on the holographic display, this one was new to me. It was a big one. And it was moving.

I traced its path, getting an update every two seconds or so, as the view refreshed with a continued pulse scan. It moved perpendicular to my current path, possibly on some sort of patrol route.

It stopped in place. I kicked the scanner, to get it working again. If it ran out of battery right now that would be just rude.

My heart almost stopped as the blinking red dot started moving again, but not in the same direction. The scanner worked fine, they were making a turn in place and were now heading straight at me, fast.

Fuck! I pulled up my pistol and unloaded a full magazine into the console panel, melting the device. They spotted the signal!

I had to move, and move now! Whatever it was it somehow was moving through the forest at such a pace that I doubted I could outrun it anyway, but I'll be damned if I won't even try.

I heard a low hum and felt the gust of wind coming from above. As I looked up all the hope left me. I felt so weak I had to lean against the nearby tree, just to keep myself from falling.

Flying above the tree line was a massive drop ship, much bigger than the VTOL we were in earlier. Even with an obstructed view, I could see its heavily armored red hull, with two alien-looking circular engines on both wings and a turret mounted under the cockpit. This was not a stealth ship. They wanted to be seen. They wanted the enemy to spot them first, and know, that they are coming.