The silence pressed in on him, broken only by the distant sound of dripping water. Whatever it was ahead, it should be harmless. They were in between waves—there shouldn't be any beasts here.
Shouldn’t.
Jack swallowed his uncertainty and followed the tunnel to its end. It opened into a small chamber, its uneven floor littered with debris—broken pottery, old rags, and what looked like rusted tools. But what caught his attention wasn’t the mess.
A figure huddled against the far wall—a woman clutching a young boy.
The woman’s face was pale, streaked with dirt and sweat. Her wide eyes locked onto Jack, brimming with terror. In one hand, she held a crude dagger, the other wrapped protectively around the boy who was pressed tightly against her side. The child peeked out from her tattered cloak, his big, frightened eyes staring at Jack.
“Wait!” Jack blurted, raising his free hand and lowering the torch. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
The woman’s grip on the dagger tightened, her gaze darting between Jack and the tunnel as if calculating an escape route.
“I’m part of a group defending the fortress,” Jack said, keeping his tone calm and measured. “We’re fighting back the waves. Are you... survivors from the Breach?”
She didn’t answer right away. Her shoulders sagged with exhaustion, her shallow breaths hinting at how fragile her strength was.
“Please,” Jack urged gently. “I can take you somewhere safe. You don’t have to hide anymore.”
The boy whimpered softly, clutching at his mother’s cloak. She hesitated, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. Then, slowly, her grip on the dagger eased.
“My husband… He…” she said, her voice hoarse and trembling. “Since the soldiers fell. My son and I... we couldn’t get out.”
“You’ve done well to survive this long,” Jack said. “But you don’t have to stay here. We’ve fortified part of the fortress. There’s food, water... safety.”
The woman didn’t respond immediately, still holding the boy as if letting go would mean losing him. Jack took a cautious step forward, lowering himself slightly to appear less threatening.
“I promise,” he said softly. “You’ll be safe with us.”
The boy peered out from the cloak again, his dirt-streaked face curious despite his fear. He whispered something to his mother. After a tense pause, she nodded. Her movements were stiff, cautious, but it was enough. “Alright,” she whispered.
She rose unsteadily, her legs shaking. Jack offered his hand to steady her, but she declined, pulling her son up with her. Together, they began retracing the tunnel. Jack held the torch high, lighting their path as his mind raced with questions. Survivors in the Breach? Was this one of the hidden packages that Horace told him about? If so, what could this ragged pair possibly do to help defend the fortress?
When they reached the well, Jack paused. “We’ll need to climb up,” he said, gesturing to the chain. “I’ll go first and help you from the top.”
The woman gave a silent nod. Jack climbed quickly, tucking the torch into his belt, and once at the top, he extended his hand to help them out. The boy gasped in awe as he emerged into the courtyard’s light.
“We made it,” he whispered.
The woman, however, froze. Her eyes swept over the courtyard—littered with the carcasses of beasts. Seeing the remains of the animals that had killed her husband and her friends, her face paled, her nostrils flaring. For a moment, Jack feared that she would dive back into the dark well, and he took a step forward to offer a hand to the woman.
However, her gaze landed on the dead soldiers, and her expression shifted. Her gaze hardened, and she regained composure.
“You said you’re defending the fortress,” she said, her voice sharper now.
Jack hesitated. “T-that’s right.”
Her lips thinned into a determined line. “Then my son and I will help.”
Jack blinked. She couldn’t mean... fighting? They looked frail, worn down by hunger and fear. He glanced at the wall, stalling. “What... what can you do to help?”
“We’ll work the back lines,” she said firmly. “Just give me something to do. Anything. My son, too. Where do you want us?”
The moment she spoke, a notification flashed before Jack’s eyes.
Hidden aid package discovered!
You’ve recruited two NPC aids.
Esther, the Survivor
Backstory:
Esther came to the fortress with her husband, a soldier recently promoted to a key post. She quickly gained a reputation in the fortress for being industrious and resourceful, ready for whatever work was necessary.
When the Breach overwhelmed the fortress, Esther’s husband fell defending the walls. Alone and desperate, she channeled her resourcefulness and grit to protect her son, Riku.
NPC skills:
-
[Roll Up Sleeves]: Esther will assist with any task you assign her, no matter how demanding or unfamiliar.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
-
[Quick Learner]: This NPC has a Major Slot. Deposit a profession and all related skills into this NPC, enabling her to use professional knowledge according to your instructions. While Esther has a deposited profession, you lose access to its skills but still earn professional XP.
-
[Malnourished]: Esther is weak due to prolonged hunger and needs regular nourishment to regain her strength.
Riku, the Apprentice
Backstory:
Riku is a bright and courageous young boy who grew up idolizing his father, often mimicking his drills and stories of bravery. From his mother, he inherited a talent for crafting, spending hours tinkering with scraps to create small tools and toys.
When the Breach came, Riku’s resilience shone through—despite his fear, he remained a source of comfort to his mother. Though malnourished and weary, his spirit remains unbroken, and he’s eager to prove himself.
NPC skills:
-
[Eager Helper]: Riku is enthusiastic and will assist with any task you assign, adding a touch of creativity and energy to the work.
-
[Quick Learner]: This NPC has a Minor Slot. Deposit a profession and all related skills into this NPC, enabling him to use basic professional knowledge under your instructions. While Riku has a deposited profession, you lose access to its skills but still earn professional XP.
-
[Malnourished]: Riku is weakened by lack of food and must be fed consistently to stay functional.
Jack stared at the notifications, his eyes wide.
Is this what I think it is? Two assistants!
Jack couldn’t help but think of Ariadne’s gibbon, who helped her manage her camp while she leisurely hosted and welcomed the guests. The moment he saw that gibbon, he’d been dreaming of having a similar assistant, someone who he could boss around and who would do some of the grinding for him. Piri had answered his prayers!
As he scanned their skills again, his mind raced with possibilities. Having two extra hands to take on the professions they couldn’t manage was incredible. The only downside was the [Malnourished] debuff. Esther and Riku looked the part—pale, gaunt, and visibly weak. Having two more mouths to feed would put an extra strain on their supplies. Still, if the beasts in the next waves packed a little meat on their bones, that wouldn’t be a problem.
Jack smiled brilliantly. “Of course! Your help is more than welcome. Let me cook you something—you must be starving. We can then talk about work.” He began building a cooking fire, his mind still churning over how best to allocate their new assets.
Meanwhile, Amari’s messages started flooding in. “Jack, you lucky duck, I love you! How did you get this package?! It’s awesome!”
Jack grinned. Looks like they got the notification, too. Wait. Does that mean that Amari hasn’t found anything yet?
The realization hit him hard. If Amari got a notification when Jack unlocked a hidden package, the reverse was true, too. Amari had been exploring the map for hours, and Jack hadn’t received any notifications triggered by his finds. Had Amari come up empty-handed so far?
Horace and Marie arrived on the scene, drawn by the notifications.
“Hi!” Horace greeted the NPCs with a broad smile, then immediately zeroed in on Jack. He threw an arm around him and gave him a playful noogie. “Jack! I hate you, you beautiful doofus!”
“You’re sending some mixed signals here,” Jack said, wriggling free.
Marie, on the other hand, didn’t bother with pleasantries. She gave Esther and Riku a long, appraising look before turning to Jack. “The question now is: what do we do with them?”
Horace nodded, already considering the possibilities. “Having someone assist with trapping would be great,” he said, glancing at Riku. “There’s no such thing as too many traps.”
Marie shot him a sharp look. “Yes, there is.”
Horace blinked. “What? No, there’s not!”
“Yes, there is,” Marie insisted. “The first time we came to the Breach in our old accounts, I died because I stepped on one of your traps. You forgot to mark it for the rest of the team.”
Horace scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Okay... fine. Almost no such thing as too many traps. Especially when you have a blind teammate.”
“You…”
While Horace and Marie bickered, Jack weighed their observations against his assortment of professions. It would be useless to give beekeeping away. The bees did most of the work, and he had nothing to gain from using one of the slots with it. Bushcrafting could be useful if he wanted to leave one of the NPCs in charge of cooking or crafting medicine, but that wasn’t taking much of his time.
Then there was pottery and brewing. He could leave one NPC making pots and the other making mead in an ongoing operation. Unlike Marie’s concerns, they could do so within the safety of the fortress and harvest clay, water, and honey safely.
Finally, there was bard and butchering. Having one of the two constantly playing songs to buff the party while Jack stayed in the backlines crafting and attending to other stuff was tempting. Regarding butchering, he could also leave the kid doing loot duty, freeing him up for other things.
But what about teaching them? Jack wondered as he stirred the pot. Do they just pick up the professions automatically, or do I have to teach them? The notification wasn’t clear.
The pot finished boiling, and Jack served the golden, honey-thickened broth in two bowls. Riku’s and Esther’s mouths watered as they watched him ladle the food, their eyes wide with hunger.
“Here you go,” Jack said, handing them the bowls.
The mother and son devoured the food. Esther paused long enough to meet Jack’s gaze. “Thank you,” she said softly, her voice filled with gratitude.
Jack nodded. “You’ll get stronger in no time,” he said.
Marie and Horace were still discussing the best solution to allocating the resources. “Amari’s professions are useless here. If he gives away archaeology or paleontology, he loses all his attack buffs,” Horace said.
Seeing that Jack was done cooking, Marie beckoned him to join the conversation. Jack approached, and Amari’s hovering screen appeared around the circle. His background moved at high speed.
“Cool! I didn’t know we could do this,” Jack said, glancing over his shoulder. The NPCs seemed unalarmed by the sight of a hovering screen.
“How’s it going over there?” Jack asked Amari.
“Busy! But good,” Amari said.
“Have you found any aid packages?” Jack pressed.
“Yes. I’ll explain later,” Amari said, keeping his comments brief and never stopping movement.
Then why haven’t we received notifications? His thoughts were interrupted by a loud, guttural roar from Amari’s side.
Jack stiffened. “What was that?”
Amari’s screen wobbled slightly as he moved, but he didn’t stop. “I’ll explain later.”
Jack sighed. What on earth is he doing?
Marie took the reins of this brief meeting. “So, we have two extra pairs of hands to help with things. We have to decide what to do with them. Amari, what are your thoughts?”
“None of mine,” he said simply.
“Horace?” Marie asked.
“I’m almost done at the wall. Not much use for carpentry. Trapping would be handy, though.”
Marie nodded. “My stocks of poison are full, and I don’t feel comfortable sending the woman alone into the mountains. She could get killed.”
“Jack. What do you think?” Amari asked.
Marie and Horace turned to Jack expectantly.
Jack gulped hard. Jack could tell that they were relying on his opinion here. It made sense. He alone held half of the team’s professions. Moreover, he was the one who found these two. Even though they were a team with equal say, he could tell his voice would speak louder here.
“Carpentry, trapping, herbalism, poisoning, archaeology, paleontology, pottery, bushcrafting, beekeeping, bard, butchering, and brewing,” he muttered, trying to organize his thoughts. “I see nothing in their skill description that says we can’t change this decision later. Right?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“In that case, I have a suggestion,” Jack said. He hesitated. This decision could have a significant effect on their survivability. He just hoped that he was looking at this right.