“What? Yours to kill? I’m Julian, this is Hannah. We’re out here looking for more survivors and thought you might be trapped up there!” Julian called back, craning his neck to find the voice.

  Leaning against the edge of the rope bridge, a short, chubby Veilstrider stared down at him. The dead flesh all Veilstriders shared was offset by pale skin, and his mix of chestnut brown and jet-black hair reminded him of Harvey. Unlike his friend, the man’s Arcanist robe was somehow still in near-pristine condition even after days in the trial.

  “Well… Julian,” he droned, obviously annoyed. “We don’t need any help. Especially from a lumbering oaf like you. Isn’t that right, ladies?”

  Nobody dared speak up, the rest of the villagers all staring at their hands. He hadn’t noticed it before, but the chubby hothead was the only man around. The rest were all women, ranging from Elena’s age to Amy’s. Even weirder, only a single rope ladder up into the outpost remained. The rest had fallen to a heap on the floor with burned strands hanging down where they should've attached to the other buildings. The final one ascended into the most prominent building, and the man stood just outside its front door.

  According to Hannah, married men like himself weren’t allowed to notice if other women were attractive, but he couldn’t ignore that the prettier veilstriders were all wearing expensive lingerie sets he’d seen selling for exorbitant amounts in the earth tab of John’s shop. It was too cold for clothes like that, and it didn’t provide any protection in a fight. Even if they were safe from the beasts on the ground, there were still birds around. The sight made his stomach churn.

  “Isn’t that RIGHT… ladies,” he repeated, stilted laughter erupting all around. The smiles didn’t meet their eyes, and he could see most holding back tears.

  “What the hell is this?” Hannah shouted up at him, only somewhat recovered from her massive energy expenditure. “Where are all the guys?”

  “Unlike myself, the other men in this outpost were weak…” He began, pacing on the catwalk while pensively stroking the six beard hairs sprouting like weeds from his chin. “I took advantage of the System’s arrival and became stronger, while they all rushed off to their deaths.”

  “Likely story.” Hannah scoffed. “How’d they die?”

  “Hunting accidents.” The nasally man responded. One of the women chuckled, but flinched back as his gaze snapped her way.

  “Really. So they all died hunting while you hid in your little treehouse?” She mocked.

  “Like I said, they were weak. They may have had strong bodies, but that doesn’t compensate for a weak mind…” He began.

  “Dude, knock it off with the villain speak. We’re all just people here, let’s talk like it.” Julian sighed.

  “Is that a challenge? You'd better watch your tone with me, or I’ll kill you where you stand!” He screamed, a single vein bulging from his forehead. Somehow, even the dead flesh turned bright red.

  Julian laughed until he saw the women above recoiling.

  “I’d like to see you try.” Hannah jeered. “My money’s on the hunk.”

  “Hunks don’t survive in these stories. It’s one of the few times where the men smart enough to survive get the girl. When he dies, you can join us in the clouds. You’re fierce, and I could use a woman like you by my side.” He replied.

  Julian’s gut twisted. He’d met men like this before. Small, loud, angry at the world, and on a power trip. The problem was that a power trip in a world with the system meant magic and murder, not shouting into the void.

  “What’s your name?” Hannah asked.

  “My name is Charles Gunderson, but most simply call me the arcanist.” He replied.

  “Listen, Chuck…” She began, climbing down from Buttercup’s saddle. “Everyone’s an Arcanist now. You didn’t exactly patent the name.”

  “The class was named after me!” He interrupted. “The system knew of my arrival and paid homage to my power.”

  “Sure it did.” She replied sweetly, a fake smile plastered on her face. “I’m going to guess what really happened here, and you’ll let me know if I’m on the right track. You showed up in this trial scared and confused, but you found your way to this outpost, and the people here were nice enough to take you in. The whole treehouse thing is way nicer than ours, by the way, I’m kind of annoyed.”

  “Be careful, Hannah,” Julian whispered.

  “No! I’m not going to feed his delusion. They brought you in, and you saw a chance to finally get strong enough to feed the little power fantasy festering in your head since the last time someone looked at you wrong. Now that magic was real, all it took was a little murder for you to get exactly what you wanted. A town full of women with no other options, surrounded by hungry bears. Sound about right?”

  “How… who…” He stuttered, teeth clattering as he held his wand with a white knuckle grip. Unable to finish a word, he launched a ball of fire right at Julian’s head. He barely had time to raise his shield, but still felt the searing heat bend around the plate armor. He was relatively uninjured, but the same couldn’t be said for the Arcanist.

  An arrow was sticking out of his neck, blood leaking down onto his pristine robe. He was high enough level to survive an attack like that, but the shock of wood blocking his windpipe left him completely stunned.

  “I will NOT!” Hannah screamed, “Stand by while you attack my friend. I’ve seen enough. It’s your turn to die.”

  “Hannah, wait! I’m fine, let’s all just.” Julian begged.

  Before he could finish his sentence… Hell, before she could knock another arrow… the gaggle of Veilstriders standing above fell upon the man like locusts. Pent-up fury exploded out as fists and feet rained down upon him. They had no weapons, but didn’t need any after ripping the wand away from the injured man.

  No matter what Julian said, the violence didn’t stop. Based on their reactions, Hannah’s guess had been right on the mark, and she glared up at his flailing body with fire in her eyes. Fury turned to sadness as days of fear and adrenaline finally shook free. Julian watched as some fell to their knees, holding their heads as tears fell like rain. Others wrapped each other in a warm embrace, thanking the lord that he was finally gone.

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  Julian looked down at Hannah and saw tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t care what you say, he had to die.” She growled.

  “I wasn’t standing up for him.” He asserted. “It looks like he really deserved it. I’m just not used to the idea of executing people.”

  “Get used to it. Some people are sick in the head. Not everyone we find out here is going to be like you and Harvey.” She added.

  “Honestly, he kind of reminded me of Harvey.” Julian sighed.

  “What!” She turned to him with an accusing gaze.

  “Not the power-hungry part. The scared and alone part. Harvey found us, and we helped him get his head back on his shoulders. This guy took a different route.” Julian sighed.

  A naked body plopped to the ground beside them, bones crunching when it landed headfirst. Blood and bruises covered the entire corpse. The duo stood in stunned silence, staring at the mangled corpse with disbelief. They’d grown accustomed to violence, but this was brutality.

  Charles' face was forever frozen in abject horror. Humanity’s flaws hadn’t disappeared when they became Veilstriders, and he’d let himself become a man dozens of women couldn’t wait to kill.

  Hannah groaned in disgust, using her boot to roll him over so she didn’t have to stare at his naked front. As she did, a chunk of flesh fell away like a dislodged puzzle piece. It glistened, crystalline ink reflecting the sunlight. Kneeling down, Julian saw two tattoos encrusted on flayed skin.

  Gross. How the hell did that happen? He thought.

  None of Chuck’s skill sigils had fallen off, and his weave hadn’t changed at all. His instincts told him to crush the thing and walk away, but he tentatively reached to pick it up.

  “Eww, gross gross gross! Don’t touch that!” Hannah urged, but still moved to get a closer look.

  The instant his hands met flesh, a screen appeared above it.

  “Wow, I’m literally holding his legacy,” Julian mumbled. “And he’s got the same Mark I have.”

  “That’s crazy. Does that mean yours would fall off like this if you died?” Hannah asked.

  “I guess. Pretty strange to imagine someone using them for crafting.” Julian mused.

  “You should keep it. Maybe Elena could use it for something. Hurry and put it away before the others see it.” She whispered.

  The skin disappeared into his slipsack, and they turned to the women still cursing his name up above.

  “Are you guys ok?” Hannah asked.

  “Yeah! Now that he’s dead!” A teenage woman shouted. “We’re finally free!”

  It took a few minutes for people to start heading down. Apparently, the only rope ladder up was under a trapdoor locked in Charles’ house. He’d destroyed all the others after stealing everyone’s weapons and killing everyone who still tried to fight back. With the only safe way in and out of the outpost, he’d effectively held the town hostage for days.

  They offered to climb up and meet them instead of talking around the buzzing corpse piles, but the survivors were desperate to be back on the ground.

  “What happened? Are you guys ok?” Hannah asked, concerned.

  “No. We are definitely NOT ok.” The teen, who introduced herself as Elizabeth, replied.

  “Tell us everything. You’re safe now.” Hannah urged.

  They moved upwind from the corpse piles, escaping the noxious smell and giving the group a chance to catch their breath.

  “Charles was already here when I found the outpost. Apparently, he’d stumbled on the place the very first night and claimed it for himself. We were just happy to have warm food, water, and a safe place to sleep. Everything was fine for the first few days, and the outpost had grown to a few hundred people. Most of us were terrified, especially after we saw the vision of the undead, and Charles had gotten a skill at level 5 to help people sleep. Apparently, he’d been an anesthesiologist before the integration.” Elizabeth explained.

  “A skill to help you sleep?” Julian asked, puzzled.

  “Yeah, super weird in retrospect, but we were grateful at the time.” Elizabeth shuddered. “He released this mist that would help calm you down, and offered to stop by each room on the third night. Building by building, he knocked us all out, stole all of our stuff, and then threw anyone he didn’t like off the side. When we woke up, half of the outpost was dead while the other half was defenseless. Pretty soon, a bunch of animals started eating the bodies, and Charles was able to keep leveling by shooting down from the catwalks. That added more meat to attract more animals, and every day he got stronger while we were all trapped below level 5.”

  “That makes sense. I couldn’t figure out how one person had enough essence to take out half an outpost, but it makes sense if you thought he was helping you. I remember what those first nights were like, and I would’ve let him knock me out if I thought it’d help.” Hannah replied softly. “I’m so sorry, you guys.”

  She pulled Elizabeth into a hug, and she didn’t let go for a long time.

  “I thought dying was bad enough… but the last week has been so much worse…” Elizabeth shuddered through Hannah’s cloak.

  “Let’s get you guys dressed and armed. Hopefully, that will help.” Hannah encouraged. “Do you know where he put your things?”

  “It’s all in his house. We can find it.” Elizabeth replied.

  Some refused to climb that ladder again so soon after breaking free, but enough came to retrieve everything they needed. Julian looked around the outpost while Hannah handled the logistics. It had everything Veils End did, but was in significantly better shape. These treehouses were like an island resort compared to the rotting shanty town he called home. He found John’s shop and the Loom, confirming the outpost had the same amenities as his own. The one thing it didn’t have was a blacksmith, and Julian saw no evidence that a mine was nearby.

  Convincing these women to leave for Veils End wouldn’t be a challenge, considering most already refused to set foot up here, but the state of Treetop Village didn’t bode well for convincing any others to follow them home. Perhaps they’d find someplace better, but part of him still hoped that his outpost would be where they made their final stand against the undead. Even letting them reach a forest as wild and beautiful as this one felt like a loss he wasn’t willing to bear, and they’d done so much already to prepare for the coming war.

  When everyone was properly clothed and equipped, Hannah convinced them to join them in their search for more outposts. She painted a rosier picture of Veils End than what it really was, and explained that they needed to bring as many people there as possible.

  “If we all fight together, we have a chance. If the undead hit each outpost one by one, we’re dead before the war even starts.” Hannah exclaimed from her place in Buttercup’s saddle. Julian watched as steely determination overcame the fear in the eyes of Hannah’s new recruits, and was happy to let her take the spot in the front. She’d earned it.

  Now that they knew there were other outposts out there, they had no time to waste. They were racing against the clock and had to gather everyone together before the undead war machine reached Veils End.