1

They divided into the same ten-member search groups, but with one exception. Emma was assigned to the eastern team so she could be near Damon, Angie, and Jordan. Zahra replaced her on Harper’s team, which headed to the western side of the realms, crossing the river with the same method they had used the previous night.

The members stretched out into a wide row again, resuming their search for DNA. It was still early in the morning, the last of the fog had evaporated, and the forest was teeming with life. Both team leaders encouraged the recruits to spend the day hunting, hoping they would accumulate more XP as well as fill up their food inventories. By noon, the rookies had stocked their inventories and had risen to higher levels. From Harper’s group, Armando jumped to level 11, Vlad reached level 10, Lorenzo went to level 9, Silo bumped to 6, and the two healers, Rachel and Keshon, rose to level 7.

From Damon’s group, Jackson, Sierra, Heinrich, Nevan, and Kylah all got on the board, reaching level 5. Madison moved to level 9, Zahra rose to level 7, and Thao reached level 16, adding to the XP she had gained from the bunyips.

2

Although the teammates were spreading more widely apart as they hiked further into the forest, Angie stayed close to Emma, who seemed lackadaisical in her efforts to scour the area. Angie couldn’t blame her. She thought the search would be a mostly futile effort, at least until they reached the valley to the north.

“Have you done anything with your attribute points?” she asked Emma, who appeared confused for a moment, then answered, “No, I haven’t.”

The former Marine sighed. “Well, tick tock, girl, time is running out. Why don’t you drop them into constitution? It might make you feel better.”

Emma snorted, and Angie was happy to see the first traces of humor in the Grimalkin hunter, even though her statement wasn’t meant as a joke. Emma assigned the points, and the two veterans proceeded quietly into the forest, which grew wetter by the minute. Although most of the flooding had channeled through the river to their west, much of the water had also seeped into the earth. As they chopped through the foliage, Angie noticed pools of standing water that had collected within dips in the landscape. And the ground was getting muddier. “Ugh, I feel like we’re going through that swamp again,” she called to Emma, who didn’t look up or react to the comment.

They muddled through the forest as more teammates recognized the changing conditions.

“Angie, how long before we get to tower?” Vlad asked from her right side.

She glanced at him and laughed. “You should know the answer to that.”

He shrugged. “I am engineer. I did not design game world. Nevan would know about dat.”

Angie nodded. “Well then, to answer your question, it took three days the first time, but I’m hoping we can make it by the end of the day. We know the route now.”

The Russian grunted. “Yeah, but we waste time doing dis search.”

The veteran hunter didn’t reply. She knew he was right. They’d be lucky if they reached the tower by evening. “So, Vlad, have you found any clues to fixing this place?” she asked sarcastically.

The former C9 engineer snorted. “I tink you know dee answer to dat one.”

Angie chuckled as they continued through the woods. Faintly, she could waves crashing in the distance. We’re too far north for that to be from the lake, she thought. And she was right. They had reached a point where the forest had become utterly quiet. So, where are the waves coming from now? She looked to the west, toward the river, wondering if the sound was emanating from there. The river could be wider now? Angie and the rest of her group entered a section of the woods where the trees were so dense, they were barely four to five feet apart. She looked to her side and could only see Vlad now. The rest of the members were obscured by the massive and heavily populated trees.

3

“Do you mind if we switch places?” Emma asked Keshon, who was on her right side.

The Grimalkin healer looked at her skeptically. “Why would you want to do that?”

Emma nodded toward Angie. “She made me come…”

“And you should be coming with us,” Keshon interrupted.

The veteran Grimalkin nodded. “Yeah, I agreed to it, but it doesn’t mean she has to watch over me like a chaperone. I feel like a teenager being grilled by her mom.”

Keshon laughed. “Ha, okay, I see your point. Sure, we can trade places, if you want.” The two Grimalkin members switched. “So how did she convince you to come?” Keshon asked as they reached a thick patch of the forest.

Emma stopped momentarily to wipe some mud off the pads of her foot. “She told me that she and Damon would drag me out if they had to.” The veteran hunter forced a smile. “I was just trying to look out for what was best for the team.”

Keshon nodded, but she sensed she was being lied to. As a nurse, she didn’t think it was possible for Emma to be infected in the way she believed. But then, she wasn’t exactly in familiar territory anymore. The realms were a completely unique experience. “So, what’s it like being a Grimalkin?”

Emma looked at her impatiently. “You’re one too.”

Keshon chuckled. “Yeah, but I’m new to this.” She rubbed her blue fur. “You’ve been a cat-hybrid for nine days.”

The veteran sighed, then gazed at her coldly. “Your agility and speed are much better,” she said in a passionless monotone. “You have the claws, and you can jump a greater distance.” She stopped walking and looked at the healer apologetically. “I have a lot on my mind right now. Would it be okay if we didn’t chat? I need to sort some things through.”

Keshon pushed her dreadlocks aside and studied the hunter. “Yes, that would alright,” she said sympathetically. “Just let me know if I can help in any way.”

Emma nodded and started walking with the group again, but she had fallen behind. They plodded through the deepest part of the forest. The trees were densely packed, and despite the cool transpiration from the leaves, the day was becoming humid and hot. Keshon glanced at Emma a few times, concerned more about the veteran’s state of mind than her physical well-being. The Grimalkin hunter followed the group unenthusiastically, absorbed in her thoughts. As they got closer to the sound of crashing waves, Keshon checked on her again and discovered that she was gone.

4

“How the hell can you lose her like that?” Damon shouted at Angie, Keshon, and Silo.

“I was busy with the search,” the British orc responded without his usual defiance.

“It’s my fault,” Keshon admitted. “She asked me to switch places, and I knew that didn’t feel right.” She shook her head. “I should have watched her more closely.”

The group spent the next five minutes searching the immediate area, but they found no sign of Emma. They tried telepathing her, but she wouldn’t respond.

“Maybe she’s turned it off,” Jordan suggested. “She must have gone back to the goblin camp.”

Damon nodded as Armando walked up to him. “I hate to be the one to say this, but if we go back for her now, we’re going to lose a lot of progress,” Armando said. He glanced at the teammates, who had gathered in a circle. “It wouldn’t be fair to the rest of the group, and we would fall out of line with Harper’s team on the west side.” He hesitated. “Unless we asked them to wait.”

Damon shook his head, frustrated. “No, you’re right. Damn it.”

“Wait… wait a second here,” Jordan responded. “We can’t just leave her alone out there.” He glanced disbelievingly at the veterans. Damon glanced at Angie, but the two veteran leaders didn’t say a word. Jordan scoffed. “You can’t honestly be thinking about moving on?” he asked incredulously. The group members didn’t respond, torn between wanting to advance further and aiding their teammate. “I’m going back for her,” he said emphatically.

Angie stepped into the center of the group. “Look, here’s what I think we should do.” She glanced at Damon, then Jordan. “Keshon and Lorenzo should go with you. You’re all the Grimalkin race and can cover a lot of ground more quickly, especially if you take to the trees. You could go back for her while we move ahead.”

Damon rubbed the edges of his beard. “That’s a good idea.”

Keshon, feeling responsible for not keeping track of the veteran hunter, was more enthused about the idea than Lorenzo. But they both agreed to go with Jordan.

“If you get into any trouble,” Damon said, “call out to us telepathically.” While the three Grimalkin members climbed the trees and headed south, the rest of the group advanced north through the woods and closer to the sounds of waves crashing against some unknown shore.

5

Jordan’s group agreed they would get to the camp as quickly as possible, since all three members were certain Emma made it back to the goblin camp. What would have taken hours for the team to reach took only a half-hour for the Grimalkin members. They sped across the treetops, jumping from limb to limb. Keshon and Lorenzo were slower initially, but they caught on to their untested abilities quickly and kept pace with Jordan, who did not slow down for them.

The veteran hunter touched down at camp first and rushed straight into the hut he’d shared with Emma. As he passed through the opening, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimness of the interior. Then he saw the shape, and he knew.