Seeing Abu go flying, Nicole screamed, “Abu!” Her heart raced as she sprinted toward him, desperate to protect him from being trampled.

  She threw her whole body into the mutant rhinos side.

  Jeff saw an opportunity, adrenaline pumping through his veins. With a wild leap, he landed on the rhinoceros’ back, stabbing it repeatedly in the head. “Stab, stab, stab!” he growled through gritted teeth. The beast, confused and enraged, kneeled and bucked, to throw him off. Jeff losing his grip, was flung into the air. Annie, seeing him hurtling toward her, rushed to catch him.

  “Jeff, I’ve got you!” she tried to say, but with his weight bearing down, it came out as a strained, “Jeff, I got—oop—bull!” They both crumpled to the ground in a tangled heap.

  The mutant rhinoceros, back on its feet, prepared to charge again, its eyes fixed on them. Heath, still half-clueless and flustered, swung his oversized club blindly. “Where is everybody? Why are these museum exhibits attacking us?”

  By sheer luck, his wild swing connected with the rhinoceros’ head, sending the massive creature sprawling onto its side. The beast thrashed, struggling to rise again.

  Seeing their chance, the group, now somewhat recovered from their wounds, swarmed the fallen rhinoceros, hitting it with all they had until it finally lay still, defeated.

  KERBOOM

  “Oh my, that was a tough fight,” Nicole said, her breath heavy but a satisfied smile on her face.

  “Are you okay, Jeff?” Annie asked softly, kneeling beside him, her worry evident in her eyes.

  “I’m fine,” Jeff grumbled, grabbing a couple of bandages to patch himself up, his pride more wounded than his body.

  Abu, still wobbly from his earlier flight, pointed to Heath. “You might want to check on Heath. He got bit pretty bad by that coyote… dog… thing.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Annie said, tossing some bandages over to Heath, who caught them with an exaggerated grin.

  “Thanks, nursey,” he said with a wink, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

  They all sat around for a moment, panting and catching their breath. Nicole, ever practical, began collecting the mana coins scattered from the fallen skeletons and beasts. “Look at this! Forty coins—four times what we made on the other side.”

  Jeff nodded, wiping sweat from his forehead. “It was a great idea to come over here.”

  “That’s right,” Nicole said with a smirk, proud of her decision.

  Abu mumbled to himself, “I think that was my idea…”

  “Should we head back now?” Annie asked, glancing warily at the darkening sky.

  Nicole shook her head. “We’ve got a couple of hours before nightfall, and we still have demon dog wards. We could stay out all night, maybe even into tomorrow.”

  “All night… in the wilderness, with just us?” Annie asked, eyeing Jeff. After a moment, she added, “I guess we could take a chance. I’ve got tents—enough for everyone, but they’re only big enough for two people.”

  Heath chimed in, “I’m used to being by myself, unless you want to stay with me, Nicole.”

  Nicole quickly shot back, “Abu, you can share a tent with me.”

  “Certainly,” Abu said, nodding. “I don’t care who I share with, as long as you don’t mind if I snore a little.”

  Heath suggested hopefully, “Maybe we can fit three in the tent?”

  “No, I think two is fine,” Nicole replied firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.

  Annie, smiling to herself, said, “Me and Jeff can share the other one, and you, Heath, can have a tent all to yourself.”

  Heath leaned back, grinning with satisfaction. “Finally, you guys really understand the value of my leadership.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  ***

  The rest of the evening passed without any major battles, though they did manage to take down a swarm of slimes and a small group of giant ants. By the time they were setting up the demon dog wards, they had accumulated nearly 100 coins—a solid step toward Nicole’s dream of building a sandwich shop.

  As night fell, the tents were put up, the wards were activated, and the group settled in, exhausted but triumphant. Outside their camp, demon dogs prowled, but the wards glowed faintly in the dark, holding the creatures at bay. Inside the tent, Annie shifted, her voice teasing, “You should hold me a little tighter,” she said to Jeff with a sly smile.

  Jeff, his face deadpan, glanced at her. “I don’t think I need to hold you at all, Annie.”

  They sat quietly for a moment, the silence filled only by the faint sounds of the wilderness. Annie pouted, crossing her arms, “Well, should one of us go out and stand guard?”

  Jeff shook his head, unfazed. “Nah, out here in the wilderness, I doubt we’ll run into many bandits.”

  Annie raised an eyebrow, skeptical. “Jeff, this is exactly where bandits would be.”

  “Sometimes you just gotta let the world fly, Annie,” Jeff replied, his tone casual.

  Annie sighed, running her hand through his hair with a wide-eyed smile. “Alright, Jeff. I guess we’ll stay in our tent, even with these death flags you just willed into being.”

  Despite the ominous feeling, nothing happened that night. But morning brought a new kind of trouble.

  ***

  As the sun rose, a group of 25 soldiers appeared, marching toward them in formation, armored in America United’s red, white, and blue. A purple flag fluttered in the breeze as they approached.

  “We’re soldiers of America United,” one of them barked, his voice gruff. “Here to collect taxes. Show us your resident cards.”

  “Resident cards?” Jeff repeated, baffled. “We don’t have resident cards. We’re adventurers.”

  The sergeant narrowed his eyes. “Are you citizens of Fort Bone?”

  Jeff shook his head. “No, not at all. We’re just passing through.”

  Annie bit her lip nervously as the soldiers scrutinized them. “Well then,” the sergeant continued, “if you’re not citizens of America United, you’ll need to pay the adventurer’s tax. Five coins per person.”

  Nicole gasped, her eyes widening. “Five coins? That’s ridiculous! I can’t pay that!”

  The soldier shrugged, his expression cold. “Then it’s either pay the tax or spend time in our prison gang. We can always use more hands.”

  Heath chuckled to himself, earning glares from the group. “Back in ’82, I had a great time in prison. They used to call me Big Heath.”

  “Quiet, Heath!” Annie hissed, shooting him a look.

  Ignoring the comment, the sergeant pressed on, “So, what’s it going to be? Pay or prison?”

  Jeff sighed, realizing they had no choice. He reluctantly pulled out the coins. “Fine, twenty-five coins. Here you go.”

  The guardsman accepted the payment, but his greedy eyes lingered on the rest of Jeff’s pouch. With a smirk, he added, “And, oh, let’s say another ten coins each for not having proper registration forms.”

  Jeff raised an eyebrow, his tone growing colder. “Wait, I thought it was five coins each?”

  The sergeant grinned, his teeth bared. “That’s what Americans United charges, but Private Lecoff here is suggesting a little extra… for us. You want your armbands, don’t you?”

  “Armbands?” Jeff repeated, utterly confused.

  "Yeah, here you go." The soldiers handed them five purple armbands, each stamped with a small American flag and a date. "You can adventure as much as you want in this territory, but make sure you're back in a town before the date runs out. Otherwise, you'll pay the fine and the charge again."

  Jeff clenched his jaw, seeing the 25 soldiers standing there with their crossbows drawn. He knew they couldn't fight their way out. Reluctantly, he handed over the extra coins in exchange for the armbands, feeling the weight of each coin as if it were a stone in his gut.

  "Well, enjoy your day here in America United," the sergeant chuckled, a mocking smile playing across his lips. "And don’t forget to tell your friends."

  With that, the soldiers marched off, their boots pounding the ground, leaving Jeff and the group staring after them, their pockets considerably lighter.

  Nicole watched the soldiers disappear, her frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "That just isn’t right, Jeff," she muttered, her hands balling into fists.

  Heath, his face red with anger, grumbled, "They just took all our coins. I’ve never paid so much in taxes—not even when I ran my own business!"

  Jeff, ever the optimist, tried to keep the mood light, though the sting of their loss still lingered. "We can get them back. If we work hard today, we can make enough for your sandwich shop, Nicole."

  Nicole sighed, hands on her hips. "How are we gonna get them back? I’m all for hard work, but what if they tax us again?"

  Jeff raised his armband, trying to reassure her. "Well, we've got these now," he said, though the confidence in his voice wavered.

  Annie, quieter than usual, gazed into the distance. The excitement from earlier in the day had drained from her, leaving her feeling heavy with the reality of their situation.

  The group spent the rest of the day hunting relentlessly, pushing themselves to the limit, almost until nightfall. When they regrouped, exhausted but determined, Annie glanced at Jeff, her eyes filled with hope. "Should we stay here for another night?" Her voice was soft, and it was clear she wasn’t just talking about the adventure.

  Jeff, ever practical, shook his head. "I don’t think so. We barely made back those coins. If we get taxed again, we’ll be left with just 15, and it’s a lot more dangerous on this side than back at Fort Bone. Besides, it doesn’t cost anything to return to the fort. If we move quickly, we can make it before nightfall."

  Abu, ever prepared, tightened his gear with a confident nod. "All right, let's go." His nunchucks jingled at his waist as he led the way, their steps quickening as they jogged toward the safety of the wall, determination etched on their faces.