Waking up was like having all of her senses lit up at once. The bed was hard and misshapen. Warm furs had been piled atop her, and there was a warm weight on her right side. The pain and headache were gone. Her body was rested and she could feel the generator in her chest humming softly.

  The cool breeze and smell of the ocean on it were calming. Her brain had gone through so much that just having the soothing atmosphere made her sigh in pleasure. The gentle sway of the bed reminded SarthDarah that she was still on a ship. There were still several people around that would be expecting to see her, and more that might be out there trying to kill them. She just wanted to relax here for a few more moments, enjoying the deep breathing of the sleeping Kuru that SarthDarah had finally opened her eyes to see.

  They were barely inches apart. The heavy blankets that covered them seemed to bring them into their own world. This world that Kuru had brought her to, the one that SarthDarah was becoming less and less sure that she could conquer for her new Mistress, was a lifetime away yet as they lay there together.

  “You’d be cuter if you didn’t snore.” Kuru whispered.

  “I snore?” SarthDarah’s cheeks flushed.

  Kuru nodded, her eyes opening, then she brought a hand up to brush SarthDarah’s face. The two just lay staring at each other for a few moments.

  “We need to get the others together and form a plan. We still need to make it off this world, but I’ve decided to grant you your armor. I believe you earned it, and that I can trust you to fulfil what I have asked of you. We are so close to getting home.” Kuru pulled SarthDarah into a tight embrace. “I can’t wait for us to be back where we belong. This test will be over and we can move on to the next phases.”

  SarthDarah was too comfortable to complain. She didn’t think Kuru was wrong with anything she said, she just wished they didn’t have to rush from the warm bed she had just woken in.

  “About the memory thing…” SarthDarah started to ask.

  “I fixed that minotaur good once I caught him. He was piggybacking in your mind. That rotten mental attack he hit you with before slamming you through the ship gave him an in. Then it was just a lucky coincidence that I took you in without noticing that he was there.”

  SarthDarah nodded, then Kuru had taken care of that problem. That also explained why she had been blindsided with that crushing blow. It still didn’t explain why the memories of the girl she used to be led to a life she couldn’t remember at all. It was all blurry and the sounds garbled the closer she got to her adult life.

  SarthDarah couldn’t access anything that was after the accident that led to her leaving her parents place. Even that memory was just a blur of vehicle motion and yelling voices. Something didn’t add up. Something had to connect that moment to the one where she met Kuru and agreed to come to this world as a mercenary.

  Kuru slid gracefully out of the bed and stretched her arms up high as she stood. Her body was captivating, the long lines of her smooth curves made SarthDarah wonder just what they would feel like if she had more time to explore them. With a soft flash of dark light Kuru went from naked to dressed. SarthDarah barely contained her pout before Kuru turned to look at her.

  “Stand, I wish to see you in your prize.” Kuru had a smile on her face that could brighten the darkest of nights, SarthDarah was powerless to say no.

  As she slid from the bed, one thing became clear that had not been at the front of her mind yet. She too was naked. SarthDarah had been aware that her monk's robe had become a tattered rag by the end of her fight on that ship, but she had still been wearing under wraps and loose pants. Now she felt every fiber of the furs she was under slide one by one over every inch of her bare flesh.

  SarthDarah shivered, not from cold, but from the realization of how she had ended up in this bed in the state she was in. The scream before she faded, seeing Anunt and Kuru trying to reach out for her. Then she remembered a flash of pain as Anunt cast magic over her, ripping away injury and replacing it with health. It had not been a pleasant experience, definitely not what SarthDarah had expected healing to be like.

  Her mind was already losing its calm center that it had been in when she awoke. Putting her bare feet on the hardwood floor, SarthDarah felt the abrasive wetness from the sea spray that covered it. She had pulled one of the blanket furs up with her as she stood, attempting to cover her slender body from sight. SarthDarah turned to look towards Kuru, catching her own reflection in a mirror first.

  Her hair was pulled up into a tight bun, knotted two or three times over itself to hold the growth it had seen, a few strands hung loosely in front of her ears to frame in her cheeks. She had an elongated, yet pretty face. It was surprising to see how shallow her cheeks were.

  Her hands looked large compared to her lithe figure, the scars on them showed that she had used them roughly. When had she managed to get the scars around her eyes? They looked like streaks of torn flesh leading away from the center of her face and upward into her temple and hairline. She ran her hand over her face a few times, pulling at the ears and strands of hair.

  How did she not know herself? Had it really been so long since she had seen what she looked like?

  “Admirable, but you look better without the fur of a beast around you.” Kuru’s voice sounded hungry, and she was standing just out of SarthDarah’s line of sight from the mirror.

  SarthDarah stared at herself in silence for a few more moments before letting the blanket fall to the floor. Letting herself be bare before Kuru, which wasn’t new apparently. Letting Kuru look, the more the piercing eyes went up and slowly back down the more confidence SarthDarah felt.

  Kuru came up next to her, her eyes feasting on the sight of two SarthDarah’s. The reflection in the mirror showed how excited she was, while the real body began to tense from the scrutiny. Her muscled core clenched, SarthDarah found herself showing off subconsciously.

  “Another time, without the hassle of outside interference… a different story.” Kuru bit her lip, then waved her arm up and around SarthDarah.

  Warm, dark green, silk settled around her. It fit snugly but did not restrict her movements. Then a heavy set of pauldrons, green with gold edging, sat upon her. The weight was only there for a moment before it melted into the silk. It seemed to be absorbed into the lighter material, but kept its outward elegant appearance.

  The breastplate was a swirl of yellow fire, it spun upon her chest until it formed into a dragon chasing a tiger that chased the dragon around and around. When it finally stopped, it too seemed to have melted into the silks, becoming one with the rest of the armor settling onto her. The green stayed dark in the shadow of the molten gold that shone with flames.

  A pair of hakama pants had wound neatly around her lower half, a belt of rune etched gold and a metallic substance that gave off a gray-silver shimmer under the light of the flickering flames. Stripes of gold attached and melted into the silks that hugged her body, flowing from under the raging animals on her chest down under the belt and to the bottom of the pants. The fringes of the hakama were sharp and jagged, like they had been burnt away at the ground.

  She felt the pants flow loosely around her legs, even as a thin layer of silk wrapped tightly around her thighs and provided support all the way up to her abdomen. Her feet were wrapped in soft padding and then encased in a layer of silk and molten gold. The wraps and metallic liquid molded onto her feet and formed a comfortable shell that protected her as well as gave her more sure footing.

  SarthDarah marveled at herself in the mirror. The armor was magnificent, she couldn’t have asked for more out of it. It was comfortable, looked extremely expensive and most importantly, SarthDarah could feel that her body was in sync with the new material surrounding her in such a fantastic embrace.

  “What is this?” SarthDarah asked with wonder.

  “It is what I promised you. The armor, my gift to you, is one of a kind. It molds to your body and won’t recognize anyone else after it has attuned to your energy signature. Only the best for my new Commander.”

  SarthDarah was pleased with what she had received. Though she felt like she was still only half way understanding what she was truly getting into. The new armor flashed and gleamed as flames flickered up and down the golden bands that edged and outlined her. It enchanted her, the feeling of how much more protected she was, how much more power she could unleash by being more confident. It made the see-saw in her mind tip in over balance toward following Kuru without question.

  “Though, I do still require you to get us off this planet. Admiral Griffon made contact with me while you were still asleep. He is here and is ready to bring us along with the rest of the Federation Naval operatives he has here back to his Star Cruiser.”

  “I suppose you want me to make this boat fly?”

  Kuru Laughed. “No darling, I need you to keep us safe and the rest of the new recruits in line. We have to get to the capital, and that is something we need to discuss with everyone present. I don’t want to have to repeat myself.”

  “Are you two awake in there?” A soft female voice came from outside the door. “The two giants are starting to get aggressive in asking to see our Commander.”

  “We are, you can tell them we will be out there in a moment.” Kuru replied. “That is probably a testament to their loyalty to you. Good, your squad needs to trust you and be willing to do anything for you.”

  The two stood for a moment, SarthDarah taking in the emotions that came with knowing Jorn was ready to break something just to see her. And the other giant? Lavia? Had SarthDarah really made such an impression on her already?

  “One thing before we go.” SarthDarah grabbed Kuru’s arm. “Ironfiddle gave me an upgrade while we were on the Minotaur ship. Once it was installed, I sensed something. I could sense all the energy around me, even the shadows that the Minotaur Captain was using. I could also sense something else, only for a brief moment, but it happened a few times. A large explosion of energy that I couldn’t discern the nature of. It was far below the water level, deeper than I thought the water would really go.”

  Kuru stared at her for a long time before she sighed and shook her head. The sway of the ship was gentle, but the waves were crashing loudly into the ship. More than just a bit of tension was in the touch that SarthDarah didn’t realize she had been craving. There was something about Kuru, her energy. That trick she did to manifest things out of nowhere.

  “There are creatures that even I do not know. It could be something, it could be the beast at the center of this world keeping it rotating.”

  “What is your magic?”

  “That’s a second thing, SarthDarah. Your curiosity is a bit too much for such a crucial time. Ask me that again some other time.”

  Kuru pulled away and walked to the door. It opened as she neared it, a small fairy hovering at the handle nodded to her as Kuru walked out. SarthDarah followed, unsure of what the answer to her question would bring.

  Once they were back to the main deck, the open air greeted SarthDarah with a fresh wave of salty sea breeze. Lavia and Jorn were either side of her and poking at her new armor and asking questions so fast that she understood neither of them. Duerlin quietly waved to her from the helm, his eyes holding a steady gaze on the horizon.

  It was almost odd to hear the music on the wind, then SarthDarah remembered the Dwarf. The stout bard was playing his tune lazily from near the main mast. He relaxed upon a few squished sacks. The ship was cutting through the water at a decent pace, the wind pushing them along towards the nearing coast line.

  “Lyria, please fetch Anunt from below would you. I have a briefing that I want everyone in attendance for.” Kuru told the Fairy that had opened the door and followed them out. “Everyone else, let’s head up to the steering deck so we can talk and where Duerlin can keep steering.”

  As they gathered and moved up to the steering deck, Jorn held SarthDarah back for a moment so they were last to climb the stairs.

  “What really happened?”

  SarthDarah looked down, unable to look at Jorn. She had told them to run, and had made it sound like she could handle all of it on her own. Had watched Eldrin die without being able to stop it. How could she tell Jorn that she had failed?

  “I…” SarthDarah started, then realized she was at the top of the stairs and now everyone was looking at her again.

  She froze, unable to say the one thing that they all needed to hear from her in this moment. They had followed her, and then watched her nearly be killed. Would they all decide she wasn’t worth following? Kuru seemed to think she was still fit to lead them all.

  “You had to have used up almost all your power to pull off that stunt.” Jorn gave her a gentle punch on the shoulder, SarthDarah barely felt it through the new armor.

  “Yea, I uh,” SarthDarah felt the punch more in her gut than her arm. “It was a bit overwhelming when Eldrin got gored. I let my control slip a little.”

  “A little?” Lavia interjected. “You blew up the ship, twice!”

  “She did do that, and nearly killed herself again.” Anunt came up from behind with Lyria flying by her head.

  “It has me already thinking of a new song, don’t be too hard on the lass.”

  “None of us want to be hard on her, we just want to know what happened to Eldrin.” Lavia retorted, then punched Jorn in the gut as he started to laugh.

  “What happened to him was unexpected.” SarthDarah still couldn’t get the image of the horns clearing a hole through Eldrin’s chest out of her head.

  “Please, what happened to him was his own fault. I assume no one else here would have disobeyed a direct order from their Commander. Since he was the only one who stayed when told to retreat, it was at his own risk that he challenged that bull to a fight.”

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  Kuru was right, but she was cold and calculating about it and didn’t share any of the rest of their distress at losing a member of their group. She wasn’t fighting for her life in any of it. SarthDarah realized that Kuru had barely fought at all when confronted, she had surrendered or let others act as her shield. What did that mean? Wasn’t she an immortal with limitless power? Was it just an illusion?

  SarthDarah still didn’t know why Kuru had chosen her specifically to lead. Each one of the people standing on this deck could have had the same power had Kuru given it. Why her? Was it something to do with her broken memories between leaving her parents and joining Kuru?

  “The rest of you all need to know what is about to happen.” Kuru interrupted her thoughts and brought SarthDarah back to the situation at hand. “We are heading back into the port we tried to defend not long ago. It has since been reduced to rubble and ash.”

  Duerlin was still steering, but he winced and made a noticeable choking cough. He had been in the middle of the port town when it had been bombarded and had barely made it out.

  “Duerlin, sorry. He was in the middle of town while we all were out fighting in the Mandragola fields.”

  Now everyone had turned to look at him. It was something of a miracle that he had escaped. He had severed his connection and gone to look for his brother, SarthDarah and Jorn had left him behind.

  SarthDarah blinked at that memory. There had been a hole there that suddenly felt like a freshly repaved patch of road. Duerlin had stayed logged into his body here, but had let his soul go back to another place to search for his brother. The other swordsman that they had failed to save in time. The one that Duerlin had not wanted to agree was dead.

  SarthDarah bit her tongue hard before her mouth could ask the question out loud. Her wince of pain went unnoticed by every one, except for Duerlin who was staring straight back at her with the same pained expression. He remembered his brother, she remembered a new term. She had wanted to ask what a respawn was, but something told her at the last moment that it would be a bad idea to ask that question now. She would have to wait until she could talk to Duerlin alone.

  “After Duerlin escaped town, the Capital city launched a missile barrage. It struck the port town and the surrounding fields only a few hours after we departed, somewhat reluctantly, from the small bay that port was in.”

  “Are we headed right back to the destroyed port?” Jorn asked, his face solid and solemn.

  “No. There is another just to the north of it. That one is under Imperial control and will probably launch an attack at us when they see this ship.”

  There was a moment of pause, everyone was processing the information in their own way. Jorn twitched a little as the boat rocked and then he sat down on a crate. Lavia was chuckling to herself softly while Lyria buzzed back and forth nervously. Ironfiddle had stepped back and started to blow gently on a small flute he pulled from a pocket. Anunt was stone faced and staring straight at Kuru. The healer in their party was the only one who seemed to want to say no to her.

  “What’s our plan then?” SarthDarah was already thinking of ways to launch the group from the ship if needed.

  “We are going to beach the ship halfway between the port that was Arpay, and the port of Safe Harbor. There’s a break in the mountains there and a road that leads to the capital. It is much shorter and safer than traveling the mountain pass from Arpay. We have a ride to get us off planet and back to a Federation Naval Command Star Cruiser.”

  “So let me simplify; land, sneak up road, get into the Capital, fly away on spaceship?” Jorn surmised, his clipped talking a symptom of the sea sickness taking over him again.

  “You were fine until now, what happened?” Anunt quickly lost her hostile face and went to put a hand on the big man's forehead.

  “He’s pretty much got it right.” Kuru stated to the rest of them. “We need to stay out of sight of the local Empire, and the way off the planet is sitting at an airfield in the center of the capital city.”

  “Who’s gonna fly? Duerlin, can you pilot any ship?” Lavia jokingly laughed with the swordsman; who for the first time since SarthDarah had met him, smiled.

  “No.” His short answer was clipped.

  “Admiral Griffon is still here and waiting for us. The longer we take, the more likely he is to leave without us. That is why I have asked Duerlin to aim to be as close to the port as we can dare be. We need to move stealthily, but rapidly. We only have at most another day to reach the city.”

  “What happens if we take more than a day?”

  “Then, SarthDarah, we find out if you can all handle a full scale army or not.”

  The dark response was not a joke. SarthDarah could see it in Kuru’s eyes. They had to leave, or be forced to fight the entire world to stay. As much as she wanted to conquer a planet, she had to start with being able to beat a single strong opponent first.

  Settling her score with Queen would have to take priority at some point. Those Minotaurs would be ravaging around somewhere. Plus the other threats of this world. It was a whole adventure here, a deadly one. Would that be so bad? Isn’t that what the SarthDarah she saw in those memories wanted to grow up to be?

  Kuru could take her to many different planets though. Why conquer just one, when they could travel together and see them all? Could she get Kuru to travel with her? She could. SarthDarah only had to do what her mistress commanded. They were simple commands that kept both of their interests protected.

  Army or not, SarthDarah would get Kuru and herself off this planet. She looked around at the others, then decided that she would have them all with her.

  “I agree then. We need to make a strong push to move as fast as we can. How long until dark?”

  “Roughly six or seven hours.” Lyria answered.

  The little pixie had floated right up next to SarthDarah without making any noise. It made her jump slightly when the girl spoke. The shimmer of the wings made the light around her dim somehow. Yet the pixie was a modicum of professionalism, like she was supposed to be unseen and unheard until someone needed her directly.

  “How long until we make land?” SarthDarah looked back over to Duerlin for this answer.

  “Four or five maybe, hard to tell until we get closer. Then I’ll still have to find the right angle to reach the right part of the beach. We might get sucked in by the tide and pulled towards Safe Harbor anyway.”

  That almost worked out. If they landed before nightfall, at least they would be able to see where they were going. If they ended up drifting into the port, well, then maybe they would have to light a fire and blow something up. SarthDarah was confident they would be able to improvise for that situation. It was hard to plan for an unknown anyway.

  Kuru nodded at SarthDarah and then the rest of the group. They had a few more hours to rest and start planning. SarthDarah had some questions she wanted answers to, and this would likely be the only time she could get them. As much as she hated to let the thought in, the chances that one or more of the group here dying on the way into the capital was higher than she liked. SarthDarah could show bravado and swear she would protect them, but would that be the truth?

  It was hard to know what the outcome would be, but she was certain they would do anything they could to get to that ship. This world was too much for them in their current conditions. Hundreds of others had been wiped out, and by a plant monster. Were they even capable of conquering anything right now?

  Probably not, but if they didn’t escape to train and try again, then she would never get a different answer. SarthDarah had to stop seeing the negatives, her memories had been full of them. There had been positives there too, and that’s what had led her to being her. The positive things that she had focused on when the rest of her life seemed like a negative. That’s what made her SarthDarah the badass.

  She had promised to follow Kuru, and right now she had no other options, she had to make sure that her entire group survived. It was important that she had her friends along for whatever came next. SarthDarah had tried and proven that she couldn’t surmount every obstacle by herself. It had taken a massive group to beat back the Mandragola plants, even if it was SarthDarah that had landed the decisive blow.

  It had also been her that had gone one on one with the pirates in order to try and free them, and she had fought to a stalemate. It was also her that had ripped through the Minotaurs like they were wheat in a field. If it hadn’t been for Eldrin’s interference, well that fight with the silver horned naked minotaur would have been different. The captain was still too strong for her alone though. SarthDarah knew it had been a mistake to take him alone, but he would’ve killed anyone else that stood before him.

  Looking at her group, the strong fighters and handsome supporters, SarthDarah realized that she would fight that minotaur one on one a hundred times over to save them from having to do it. Even if she lost each of those fights.

  “Where did you get the new suit?” Lavia was running a hand over the golden trim, its rigged surface keeping SarthDarah from feeling it until the large lady tugged on it.

  “It was a gift.” SarthDarah’s voice was soft, and as she glanced over to Kuru, she blushed slightly.

  “It looks amazing on you” Jorn was still sitting and trying not to throw up, but SarthDarah noticed when he glanced at her.

  The attention made her feel nervous for some reason. The whole group was studying her, looking up and down her robes and trying to assess the new garment. SarthDarah took a moment to notice that the rest of them all still wore the equipment and clothing that they had before. No one else had gotten anything new. SarthDarah could pick out worn fabric and torn areas on each of her companions.

  Kuru was still spotless and looked as if she had just stepped through a portal from getting a shower and a fresh suit. The rest of them looked like they had been fighting for their lives and locked in cells for a few days. It almost made SarthDarah feel bad about having been cleaned and given new clothes, almost. It felt nice to be fresh and ready to go again.

  “We need to focus on our plan to get out of here, not your fancy new dress.” Anunt was particularly blunt.

  “She’s right, though the gold is nice.” Lyria cut off the retort Jorn and Lavia were about to start on.

  “Thank you Lyria, and I also agree with Anunt. We need to focus and rest while we can. The march to the capital is gonna be long and most likely filled with danger. Iron man, will you be able to keep up?” SarthDarah was trying to turn it into a joke, but the dwarf’s smile fell.

  “Ironfiddle, lass. I’m not actually a man either, so that joke falls a little flat for me.” Ironfiddle paused his playing and thought for a moment. “I think I’ll be fine. Ye all might be surprised what a bit of bard magic can do.”

  “Good, and I’ll remember that.” SarthDarah looked at Duerlin. “Can I ask you some private questions? About your brother?”

  Jorn instantly looked up and his eyes went wide. The rest of the group all looked curiously at them. Duerlin stared intently back at SarthDarah, it felt like minutes passed before he nodded once. He then turned to stare into the open waters ahead of them.

  Kuru smiled and patted SarthDarah lightly on the shoulder as she began to walk away. Lyria floated alongside, whispering something into Kuru’s ear. Jorn was quick to follow after them, tugging on Lavia’s arm and giving SarthDarah a long look before going back down the stairs.

  “You have my begrudging thanks. Reckless as you are, you still managed to save us again. I will give you my support, but you will also receive my criticism.” Anunt made her point clear before also leaving to give them privacy.

  “Ironfiddle?” SarthDarah asked.

  “Yes lass?”

  “Can we get some space?”

  “I be small enough to not take up too much.”

  SarthDarah frowned at the Dwarf.

  “See, bad jokes are no fun.” He chuckled as he hopped up and made his way below.

  SarthDarah rolled her eyes and shook her head, but couldn’t help but smile as Ironfiddle left. Then she remembered what he had given her.

  “Wait, one question for you before you go. What was that upgrade crystal you gave me?”

  “Hmm? That crystal was a simple sensory upgrade. Gives a huge boost to your passive perception and allows you to sense energies more clearly. I thought it would help me sense things for my buffs, but I just got headaches from all the extra sensory information.”

  “That doesn’t sound simple, but thanks. That answers a few other questions I had.”

  Ironfiddle nodded and then continued moving down the stairs. SarthDarah watched him go, then looked out over the ship and noticed the others all separating to contemplate what was about to happen. She almost felt bad about making them do it, but she was going to need all of their help to be successful.

  “Duerlin, did you know I had a little sister?” The swordsman at the helm shook his head no. “I almost forgot about her, I left my family a few cycles ago. My parents and I had a fight and I decided to go my own way. My sister was left with them and…”

  Duerlin turned to look at SarthDarah. They both had wet eyes when their gazes met. SarthDarah was choking on the words that came next.

  “She got brought into this world just like we were. I saw a memory of it. It was so hard to recognize her, and then to realize what it meant that she was there at the start, but not here now.” Her voice was shaky and broke a few times as she spoke. “I need to say that I am so sorry for not being able to save your brother. I thought I felt your pain before, but it is so much more than I realized.”

  “Your sister logged in?” Duerlin spoke softly. “That seems to be another bond we now share. Family can be one of the strongest ties, losing them breaks us more than anyone who has not shared that pain will realize.”

  They were silent for a moment. The waves crashing around them, the wind blowing past their faces, watching the light from the setting star get lower in the sky. SarthDarah felt an odd connection to the setting star.

  “Logged in?” SarthDarah felt odd at that term. “You mean recruited right?”

  “No, we logged into this world. These bodies. You ok, or did you skip another tutorial?”

  SarthDarah stared blankly at Duerlin. What? This was her. This had always been her. Another thread pulled in her memories, and some of the things Kuru had told her started to come back. This was her body, but they were in a new vessel. Was her mind breaking from the split? Did Duerlin have a different method of coming to his vessel?

  “Sarth? Are you good?”

  “Yea.” She was still trying to pull thoughts together, but it was like trying to get water to ignore gravity. “Just, had some things that I can’t remember right. I think I need more rest. After we get off world.”

  Duerlin looked skeptically at her, but didn’t say anything. He studied her new outfit, looking for something in her stance. He still didn’t say anything when he held out his hand to hers, a small chain dangling from it.

  “One of the priestesses that started with my group wore this. She gave it to me when we finished the tutorial. She told me it was because I had been the one to jump in front of an attack that would’ve killed her. That it has a protection charm on it.” The gold metal glimmered in the light. “She died shortly after we left the mountain cave that we started in. We got ambushed by rock creatures that spouted lava from their heads. I cut one in half with my sword, it absorbed something from it and gained the powers the creature had. Then the creature exploded and sent flaming rock everywhere. Most of the groups my brother and I ran into after that had similar stories. Very few of the groups remained whole after the tutorial. Some individuals lost their whole groups before the tutorial even ended.”

  SarthDarah blinked, she had skipped it completely. Would she have gotten a group if she stayed and waited? Would she have bonded and befriended them, just to lose them before they got to the bottom of the mountain?

  She thought about the lives that had been lost before they had been able to gain traction here on Tios. SarthDarah found herself wishing she had even half of those lost already back. They would be able to rush with more numbers and skills. That was a fantasy though. She needed to come up with a realistic strategy.

  “Why did you think they would respawn?”

  Duerlin looked surprised at the question. He took a few moments to answer, and he sounded extremely dejected when he did.

  “This was supposed to be a game. Somewhere we could play and simulate an experience, and redo things if the worst happened. We didn’t know our souls had been claimed by a Reaper.”

  “Reaper?”

  “Kuru. Didn’t she tell you? Her job is to ferry souls. Or imprison the ones that aren't redeemable. That’s the job of a Reaper.”

  SarthDarah’s generator hummed louder and she could feel the warmth grow as she began to process all of the answers she now had.

  “Did you still have a way out?”

  “Well,” Duerlin looked around to make sure no one had come back, then whispered. “Yes, but Kuru threatened to lock my soul in a void of darkness if I tried to escape again.”

  “How do you get out?”

  “It’s a rigged mental command in my headset. It only works for the person it was programmed for.” Duerlin shot down her next question before SarthDarah could even ask it.

  “So we're stuck here unless I can get all of us off the planet.”

  Duerlin nodded. The situation didn’t change. The answers just made the past a little clearer. SarthDarah still had to focus on what the future was going to be.

  SarthDarah watched the waves, noticing the small line that poked up over the horizon. Land, they were finally coming close enough to see the start of the shoreline. It wouldn’t be long now before they were running for their lives.

  Without another word, she left Duerlin to steer alone. The rest of her group had all split off around the ship. SarthDarah went to stand near the main mast, remembering how not so long ago they had been tied up here. It made her smile inside, even though it had been an unpredictable situation.

  SarthDarah thought about it, she had made the best of that situation by reacting in the moment. She would have the same unknown to face ahead, and she could face it with her instincts. She would trust her gut reactions to guide her. SarthDarah would absolutely succeed in getting Kuru and the rest of her group safely home.

  She would carry the memories of all the others that had come to this world and wouldn’t get to leave. The ones she knew, and the ones she hadn’t met.