We entered into a little bit of chaos. A handful of groups had gone before us and were struggling with the Blight right near the tower. They were taking down the creatures relatively easily, it seemed, but it was hard to tell as there was so much going on. Clint pointed out a safe route and we managed to sneak away from the tower and into a quieter part of the forest.

As we traveled, I collected the blue flowers that had been identified and flowers that I had not seen before. Jun stayed glued to Clint’s side as he stood guard. The farther we went from the tower, the quieter it got. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but I didn’t want to be near others as we tested out Jun’s magic.

When it appeared we were a safe distance from the battle, Clint spotted a lone Blight shambling in a small clearing. It was about thirty yards away.

“Alright, miss sniper, do you think your magic can hit that guy from this far?” I asked, moving to stand behind a tree. I was still without a way to fight back.

June shrugged and pulled out her wand. “No better time to see, I guess.”

She braced her wand holding hand with her other hand as if to steady it. It seemed a little silly to me as magic should be something you don’t have to aim that strenuously. Wind gathered around her hand as she said the name of her spell. It burst from the tip of the wand and raced at the Blight.

The wooden creature took the hit right in the chest and stumbled. Clint followed up with a and finished the creature off with one hit. The monster was unable to release any pollen. I heard a jingle land in my coin pouch as my coins increased by one.

“Perfect! That was so perfect!” Jun jumped up and down excitedly. “I can’t believe that worked!”

“I can’t think of a better way to hunt these mobs. You shooting them and then Clint finishing them off. What a dynamic duo.” I smiled at the two and then began to feel a little uneasy. If they could do it just with the two of them, why would they need me? Those Blight couldn’t touch either of them while being picked off like this. I pushed the worry aside. They still needed me for healing just in case.

We spent most of the morning hunting down other Blight. I had been using the guide book to identify the different types of the creatures after they had been disposed of. There were some that shot iron like pine needles, some that had whipping vines, one that oozed sap after it was killed which Nothing stated it shot the caustic stuff when threatened, and lots of just bark covered creatures.

When my bag was filled with flowers and my stomach was starting to complain about me skipping breakfast, I suggested we head back to town and take a break. Jun looked like she could go all day, but Clint was starting to look tired. I wondered if his skill took some kind of stamina points and those didn’t recharge the way our magic did. We were all in good spirits, though, things were going well.

Jun was excitedly going over a play by play of the last few Blight she and Clint had taken down as if the two of us weren’t right there. I mostly ignored her beyond saying “oh yeah, that was pretty cool” now and again when it sounded like she paused for our input. I had been lost in looking over the flowers in my bag and did not notice what was happening in front of us. Clint grabbed one of my horns and it jerked me to a stop.

“The hell was…” my words dropped from my mouth as I looked at what was before us.

I should have thought of this. It was an obvious outcome with so many people entering the floor today, so many people who wouldn’t have known the trouble with the Blight. There were many groups that had entered today after us and each of them had struggled with the plant creatures. If you didn’t kill them right away, the Blight monster would emit pollen and call more to the fight. I don’t know how many souls had been out there, but it was enough to have a horde of Blight shambling around the black tower. There was no way through.

From our experiments and hunting today, we found the distance it took for Blight to notice our presence. Clint had stopped us just before we entered that zone. Thank the stars above and below he had, there was no way anyone could survive an attack from the plant zombie crowd. We could kill one efficiently on its own, but attacking one would gain the aggression of many others.

“I don’t think we are going home.” Clint said while Jun glared at the mass blocking our way.

“There are too many to try and pick them off one by one.” I took a step back, not wanting to risk gaining the attention of all those dangerous creatures.

As we looked on, someone appeared through the tower. Instantly, the sea of shambling plant life turned into a vicious tidal wave. They crashed upon the poor person and soon there was a flash of red light that sparkled and trailed up into the sky. When the last sparkle was gone, the Blight returned to being docile. There was nothing left of the person on the ground. I was both relieved and disappointed. I didn’t want to see a dead body, but I did kind of want looking dead players to be an option. I didn’t intend to kill anyone, mind you, but if I happened upon a group that got themselves killed I do not see anything wrong with getting ahead myself.

“What will we do?” Jun said softly. All her bravado from earlier was gone and her voice shook with fear.

“We find a place farther from here and make a camp. I have seen rabbits on this floor while you two have been taking out the Blight. There are also fish in the streams. We don’t have camping gear, but the forest is rich enough that we can make it for a few days without a problem. It won’t be comfortable and we’ll have to stay alert. Or we can just die and we will be back in New Beginnings, unable to get to this floor again because of all the Blight right at the entrance.” I said, thinking aloud.

“They will eventually leave, right?” Jun asked.

“I don’t know if creatures de-spawn here, they might move on, I just don’t know. I think we should set up a camp and check on things periodically. I bet it will stay a mess as dumb asses will keep trying to enter the floor and causing more pollen to be ejected.” I guessed.

“There was a good pool of water out by those aspen trees we fought by for a while. Betcha the fishin’ will be good there too. Fish are easier to catch than rabbits. It is a good spot for a camp.” Clint suggested and started to move in that direction.

I heard a shout as a small group of people arrived through the black marble and were set upon by the Blight, pollen entering the air and more Blight seeming to materialize. That aspen grove was a walk back but it might not be far enough if the mob of mobs kept growing at this rate. I wondered how long it would be before the entire floor was overrun by Blight because of the idiocy of the masses and the poor planning of the Nothing. He did say I was beta testing. Wonderful.

There were only two Blight to take care of on our way to the proposed camp site. June and Clint did their thing as I collected some branches that looked like they could be made into spears for fishing. We didn’t have string, hooks, or bait for any other kind of fishing. I knew how to make a few traps for rabbits. I didn’t know what plants out here were edible. Most of the trees were identifiable, but I knew none of the other plants.

The clearing around the pool that Clint had picked out for us was quiet and calm. The water was clear and there were many fish. The only thing about the clearing I didn’t like was the lack of something to put our backs to. A good camp for us would need to have at least one direction we wouldn’t have to be watching so rest could be an option. There were no cliffs or boulders, the trees weren’t very thick here, and the vegetation was light. I expressed my concern and suggested we stay for a lunch and a small rest but not make this our overnight camp.

I instructed Jun to collect wood for a fire while I took a flat rock to start digging a small pit for a fire. Clint grabbed up the branches I collected and started to sharpen the ends with his sword for spears. I didn’t want to catch any fish until a fire was going, that might be difficult as we had little kindling and rubbing two sticks together was not as great as the survivor documentaries and tv shows made it out to be.

After about a half an hour, I gave up and we decided to just relax for our lunch break. I was starving, having skipped breakfast, but it wasn’t my first time going so long without food. My step-mother was obsessed about my weight and would often put me on strange diets. One time was this odd intermittent fasting diet she heard about on the radio. Of course, she didn’t look up any of the actual information on the diet and decided that it meant I needed to go days without food to restart my metabolism. Days. After I had passed out at school from starvation, that diet was discarded.

“I’ve been thinkin’.” Clint said to break the silence our party had fallen into. “What if we just find our way to the next floor? We could get back to the tower then, right?”

I shrugged. “If the tower goes through each floor. It is a good assumption it does or at least that there is some way to quickly get back to New Beginnings from each floor or there wouldn’t be so many options for growth of the town.”

“But what if the way down is guarded by a badass boss? We can do one Blight at a time, there is no way we can do a boss.” Jun complained, drawing in the mud near the pool of water with the hilt of one of the spears Clint crafted.

“That is why I think making a good camp spot is important. We can then keep training and searching for the way down. Having shelter built will make us able to try several approaches to our problem.” I stood up and brushed off my dress. “I think we should keep moving to find a good place to set up camp. I can try again to make a fire, we can make a simple lean-to structure with some moss and leaf bedding. It won’t be like the inn, but it will be better than being hunted by Blight at night.”

Jun groaned but got up as well. “This sounds like so much work.”

Clint patted the girl on the back. “Bet all the boys will be shocked at how good you can make a camp in the wild. You can show ‘em how a girl does it.”

I turned away to hide my smile as Jun agreed with him and was suddenly very into setting up a campsite. Clint was sly and a great motivator.

We walked for about an hour, running into a stray Blight creature here and there. We were able to avoid them or take them out before causing ourselves any trouble. After eliminating one of the needle variant Blights, we stumbled across a very clear and deep stream. Clint suggested following it to the source. The water was so clear, I wondered if it came from a natural spring and agreed that following it might lead us to a good camping spot.

The trees started to change as we followed the stream. I watched as the forest changed from oaks and pines to trees I did not know of. The bark on one of the types of trees was white like aspen trees, but rough like juniper. The leaves on this tree were tiny, in small rows like a mimosa tree and they were covered in soft, golden velvet. Another tree was smooth and cool to the touch, like it was made from metal. The leaves were broad with five tips, looking similar to a webbed hand and just as big as my hand. This tree also had some kind of seed pod hanging on its branches. Neither Clint nor Jun had ever seen trees like this either.

The stream we followed did not change in size, though we had walked for quite some time. I was beginning to worry that we would go too far from the black tower before we found a decent place to set up camp. I also worried about the amount of daylight we had left.

I worried for nothing, however, as the ground started to rise and the stream bent around some trees. When we made it around this bend, we came upon the source. It was completely unexpected. At the head of this stream was a fountain surrounded by a cliff. The fountain was ten feet wide and circular. At the center was the statue of a woman carved in some kind of blue stone. She was dressed in a romanesque robe and was bent slightly with a large pot in her arm. Water flowed from that pot into the fountain and one collapsed wall of the fountain fed the stream. The ground around the fountain was cobbled stone all the way to the cliff behind. There looked to be a few stones here and there missing and I found a good spot to widen for our campfire.

This was a good spot, just what I was hoping to find. Clint inspected the cliffside as Jun splashed around in the fountain. I kicked around at the spot I selected for our fireplace and soon had it wide enough for a good sized fire. Thank you hooves. I also found that some of the cobbled stones looked like they could be flint. Something to try on Clint’s sword to see if we can get some sparks.

Jun set out to collect firewood again as Clint and I started looking for trees, downed branches, and the like to start making our shelter out of. If only we had an axe. Clint’s sword proved useful in removing sizable branches with a good few whacks, but he could hardly fell a tree. I also didn’t want to risk reducing the durability of his blade when we relied on it for safety.

When the sun was starting to sink and the sky was darkening, we had collected enough branches as thick as my arm to create two lean-to structures. Jun had collected lots of firewood, some kindling, three large rocks that were flat but raised enough to sit on, and some soft moss for bedding. The only thing we were missing was food and my stomach complained loudly at this.

“I don’ think we have enough day left to hunt you down some food, Alice. You gonna make it?” Clint asked as he started to spread out some of the bedding material.

“I am not sure I have much of a choice. I could try eating some mysterious berries, I guess.” I had sat by my fire pit, prepared it with kindling, and was trying to get a spark using some flint and Clint’s sword.

“Dying from a stomach ache sounds like the least heroic way to go. Might as well Leroy Jenkins into the swarm of Blight back at the tower.” Jun said as she picked at some bark to add to the kindling in the pit.

A spark fell from the sword and flint and landed on some dried leaves. I paused and waited before leaning in to slowly blow on it. Everyone watched it tensely and with some careful handling, soon there was a flame. I did my best to not smother it with more fuel and soon we had a roaring fire.

In excitement, we danced around the fire. We shouted and cheered, it was quite an accomplishment. The last light from the sun left the sky and we were well lit by the fire. There was enough firewood to last the night. I sat down with a sigh of relief. I was tired and hungry, but satisfied with where we were. There was no hopelessness here. We had things under control.

“You know, I haven’t seen any Blight while I was out gathering wood.” Jun said after a moment of silence.

“We didn’ come across none for a breath while we was followin’ the stream.” Clint said.

They were right and this was strange. It had made me forget that we were in a game, the peace we had come across here. For the first time since we entered the floor, I pulled out my guide book.

“What can you tell me about this fountain?” I asked on the first page.

This is the [Fountain of the Maiden]. Its waters have said to be peace giving and in ancient times warded evil away from the town it used to reside in. Now it is in ruins.

I relayed the information since the other two cannot read what is in my book or hear the Nothing when it speaks this way.

“It must sill ward from evil, that’s why we haven’t seen any attacking creatures here.” Jun said. “I wonder if it works if we carry it around.”

“We don’t have anything to carry it in,” I pointed out. “It is something to test, though. I’m sure we can make a wooden bowl or something. We can test if it just makes monsters not come near or if it will actually make them run away.”

“Holy water grenade! Oh man that would be cool if we could use it like that.” Jun mocked throwing a grenade and it exploding. “That would get rid of all those Blight.”

I nodded. It was a great idea. We just needed something to carry the water in and to test how Blight reacted to it.

“What if it cures them?” Clint asked as he added a log to the fire. “Aren’t they cursed or some such? If the water wards evil, it might remove the evil curse and make them plants again.”

“That is a good theory. We’ll have to find a gourd or carve out a cup for the water. A job for tomorrow, though. I don’t trust the water to keep us safe here. We should still set up watch. One person staying up while the other two sleep and switch out part way through the night. I am impossible to wake up, so I will go first.” I offered, watching the fire. “Who wants to go next?”

Clint elected to go next and Jun would take the early morning shift. The beds were made and with no food to eat, it was just easier for everyone to go to bed so they can ignore the hunger pains. I was alone in the dark, tending to my fire. I let it burn down enough that it gave a decent glow, but wasn’t announcing our presence too far out. The warmth of the fire was cozy, but not exactly needed. The night didn’t bring colder temperatures. I was surprised but not ungrateful for it.

The light of the fire was barely bright enough for me to read by as I opened my guide book again. I was surprised to see that I was now level 4. Our trekking around and killing Blight on sight was really paying off. I noticed I had a few other skills that had been added to my skill list.

…………...Level 4

................Level 2

...................Level 1

“Interesting.” I whispered, not wanting to wake my companions. I turned to the first page and asked, in hushed tones, for information on these skills.

A skill that allows for an easier time finding items for everyday needs like food, warmth, shelter.

The higher the skill level, the easier it will be for the player to find what they need to survive.

Handy, I guess all our searching for supplies for the camp and starting the fire really took off my survival skill. I hoped it would make it easier to find food tomorrow. I was so hungry.

A skill that allows for the better collection and identification of useful plants at higher levels.

Currently, you can tell if an item is edible or not using your herbalism reference on page 7.

I was floored. Food, I could tell if something was food. It was like a gift from a god. I guess it technically was. I sighed in relief. I would not starve tomorrow. Thank the stars.

A skill that allows for the player to better recognize patterns in the landscape of floors to find important landmarks and remember the locations of places they have been.

I was already naturally good at that, but if the game would give me a boost, this skill could be handy. I wondered if I would be able to draw maps later on as I grew the skill or if the game would consider that spoilers like with death. It was something to table and come back to at a higher level and once we got out of our current situation.

I set aside my book and watched out into the dark. Things on the surface of this game seem impossible, but my party was having considerable luck. Was it just luck or was my planning putting us ahead of danger? It was exhausting to think about, but I couldn’t stop thinking and worrying and planning as I watched over the night to keep my new friends safe.