A bee returns to the hive with nectar.

  +10XP in [Beekeeping]

  Knowing his bees had a way to keep producing honey—and that his [Beekeeping] minor would keep leveling up—gave Jack relief. He wouldn’t have much time to care for them, and seeing them thrive despite that made him smile.

  The air around the gate smelled of sawdust and damp stone. The fortress gate had transformed in the short time he’d been exploring. What was once a gaping wound now looked like a patchwork of makeshift repairs. Beams and stone jutted out at odd angles, bound together with debris and thick ropes. It wasn’t pretty, but it held—for now.

  The same couldn’t be said for the other breaches in the wall. They still yawned open, exposing the fortress to any potential attack. Jack frowned as he scanned the scene, his eyes catching on the pile of empty bomb shells and wood stacked neatly in the courtyard corner. It seemed everything Horace and Marie had hauled in the carriage had been unloaded.

  “Jack!” Marie waved from a short distance away, her face urgent. He jogged toward her, and without another word, she turned on her heel and left the fortress.

  “So, how was the citadel?” Jack asked as he caught up, his breath puffing in the cool air.

  “Pitiful,” she replied bluntly. “But I’ve done what I could. Let’s hurry. Amari and Horace are running out of stamina, and they’ve had to use some of their emergency snacks already.”

  “Right, right.”

  They followed the winding road downhill. The road ahead narrowed sharply, the cliffs pressing in. At a sharp curve where the cliffs loomed close, Jack stopped short.

  “Wait. Is that—”

  “Yeah,” Marie smirked.

  The carriage angled across the path like a barricade. Its reinforced metal plating caught the light, suddenly making sense. They had turned the carriage into a wall!

  “That’s smart,” Jack said, impressed, though his mind immediately jumped to what would happen if the barricade failed. He could already picture the beasts swarming over it like a living tide.

  Beyond the carriage, Horace was hard at work, burying thick wooden stakes at sharp angles into the rocky ground. With every log he hammered into place, he swiftly sharpened it into a deadly point. Nearby, Amari moved with practiced efficiency, scattering caltrops like he was spreading seeds in a field.

  “Jack! Marie! Glad you’re here,” Amari called, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Jack, could you—”

  “On it!” Jack said before Amari could finish.

  He moved quickly, grabbing nearby rocks and forming a circle for the fire. He placed the fuel, and his hands moved automatically, striking flint against steel until sparks flew. The fire roared quickly.

  You’ve crafted [Mid-Temperature Fire].

  +500XP in [Bushcrafting]

  The only ingredient Jack had on him was honey. Cooking this recipe was going to be straightforward— too straightforward. Water. Honey. Boil. The notification blinked into existence moments later:

  You’ve crafted [Survival Stew].

  +110XP in [Bushcrafting]

  The sweet, earthy aroma of honey filled the air as he stirred the pot, the flames crackling beneath it. He stifled a sigh at the system’s quirk: no matter what he cooked, it always resulted in [Survival Stew]. Jack ladled the golden liquid into bowls and passed them out. Amari slurped it down as though it were the finest broth he’d ever tasted.

  “The citadel’s gate was breached,” Marie said, her voice matter-of-fact. “I’ve barricaded it as best I could. There were a couple of weapons left inside—nothing great, but usable.”

  “Which ones?” Horace asked.

  “No war hammers, sorry. But I found a mace, a spear, a couple of swords.” After a dramatic pause, she added, “Oh, and two or three shields.”

  “Shields?! That’s awesome!” Horace said, sighing in relief. As the tank, his equipment dropped its durability the fastest. Having a couple of more spares would go a long way.

  “What about you, Jack?” Amari asked.

  “I found a spring of water and clay. There’s also a spot where my bees can forage, so honey production is good for now.”

  Amari nodded, taking it all in. “Very well. Water and food are guaranteed.” He paused for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. “The map is quite wide, and I still have much to explore. Here’s what we’re going to do. The first few waves should be the easiest. Marie, you’ll defend the fortress on your own. With our traps and your bombs, you should easily handle it. Do as we discussed.”

  Jack clenched his fists. Marie was more than capable—she’d proven that time and again—but the thought of her facing even a 'small' horde alone gnawed at him. He glanced at her satchel of bombs, then at her calm expression, wondering how she could stay so steady while he felt like a bundle of nerves.

  “Horace, keep working on the gate and the wall,” Amari continued. “Once that’s done, lay as many traps as you can between the carriage and the gate.”

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  “Roger that,” Horace replied.

  “As for me,” Amari said, cracking his neck, “I’ll keep exploring the map. There’s a lot we haven’t seen yet. There might be hidden advantages we can use. Marie, hit me up once the first boss comes.”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” she said.

  Jack nodded along, but the unease in his chest lingered. The idea of Marie alone in the fortress didn’t sit right with him.

  “And me?” Jack asked hesitantly.

  “For now, keep Marie topped up with stamina and health. Don’t you have the butcher profession now? After each wave, you’re on loot duty.”

  “OK!” Jack said, his voice firm. Loot duty wasn’t glamorous, but it was necessary.

  “If you have free time, do whatever else you want that can help. Music, crafting items,” Amari added, standing up. Amari stood up. “5 minutes until the first wave. We’ll stay in touch.”

  With that, he ran down the road. Horace ran in the opposite direction, and Marie climbed the carriage, standing heroically facing the upcoming waves.

  Jack couldn’t help but notice a new energy about the group. This kind of scenario was not relaxing, but now that they were on a secluded map, they were out of IronIre’s reach and seemed lighter. The Slayer couldn't disturb them no matter how much he wanted to. Not here.

  With free time on his hands, Jack grabbed the ocarina. He had three new songs to master: [Dance of the Turtles], [Jolly Good Fellow], and [Clay Dome]. He didn’t even know what the last two did. He really should find out. If they could increase the group’s chance of survival, he had to learn them fast.

  His fingers hovered over the holes of his ocarina as he replayed the [Clay Dome] melody in his mind. It wasn’t too complicated, but the note bends across several steps were tricky. He tried working on the glissandos, fingers aching as he worked to perfect the technique.

  For a moment, all that could be heard on the cliff was the imperfect glissandos and Horace hammering wood planks to close the wall up the road.

  Just as he felt he was getting the hang of it, a system notification rang.

  The 1st wave comes! Beware!

  The notification sent a jolt through him. Marie, standing on the carriage, calmly checked her satchel of bombs. She murmured to herself as she counted the fuses, her fingers moving quickly and precisely. Jack had seen her do this a dozen times, but it still amazed him how calm she stayed in the face of an incoming horde.

  For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Amari sent a message. “Roaches,” it said simply.

  A faint skittering noise broke the silence, growing louder with every passing second. It was subtle at first, almost like the rustling of leaves in the wind. But soon, it grew, echoing off the cliffs. Jack hauled himself up the carriage out of curiosity.

  His imagination got ahead of him. Roaches… He pictured them already—glossy black creatures the size of horses, with massive pincers and legs that could crush a man. His grip tightened on the edge of the carriage as he braced himself for the monstrosities to appear.

  Then, he saw it. A patch of black in the distance, moving in eerie unison. Jack squinted. At first, he thought they were far away, but the closer they got, the more he realized something was off.

  "Wait… no way," Jack muttered.

  There were about thirty cockroaches marching up the road in a straight line. Each one was about the size of a small mouse. Jack blinked in disbelief. This was the Breach? He sat back, slack-jawed. "Seriously?"

  Marie glanced up from her satchel, unimpressed. She casually lobbed a small cracker into the mass with the same energy she might use to toss breadcrumbs to birds.

  The explosion went off with a faint pop, barely louder than a firecracker. When the dust cleared, there was nothing left but a few singed shells scattered on the road. The rest of the roaches had been vaporized.

  1st wave clear

  You’ve won 1 breach point.

  Breach store unlocked.

  The next wave will come in 2 hours.

  Jack stared at the road for a long moment, then turned to Marie. "Uh… that’s it?"

  Marie smirked, shaking her head. "Dude. It’s the first wave! If they sent a pack of T-Rexes on the very first wave, who would want to do this?"

  Jack glanced back at the charred remains of the tiny roaches, a mix of disbelief and annoyance flickering across his face. "I guess you have a point," he muttered.

  Reading the notifications, Jack’s eyes landed on the store. What is this Breach store? He clicked the new icon in his vision. Three options appeared: [Next Wave], [Aid Package], and [Reward Chest]. The chest and the box looked rusty and falling apart, reminding him of the first chests he’d seen in Piri’s mazes.

  “What is this Breach Store all about?” Jack asked.

  “I’ll tell you later. Just get the loot already! Hurry, or we’ll lose the bonus!”

  “What bonus?” Jack asked.

  Marie planted her hands on her hips and shot him a withering glare. “Do you ever listen? Loot! Now!”

  “Fine! Fine!” Jack hopped off the carriage and immediately regretted it. He narrowly avoided stepping on a caltrop—then landed squarely on another.

  “Ow!” Jack yelped, hopping on one foot as a caltrop embedded itself in his boot. He grumbled under his breath as he picked his way through the stakes and traps, limping slightly.

  Finally, he reached the blast site and he started picking up the loot.

  You’ve looted a black roach.

  You’ve picked up eight coppers.

  +1XP in [Butcher]

  You’ve looted a black roach.

  You’ve picked up eight coppers.

  +1XP in [Butcher]

  Sweet! I’m farming butcher XP! Sadly, his only butchering skill, [Skinning], only worked with scales and feathers, none of which the roaches had.

  “You’re slower than molasses in January,” Marie yelled. “Hurry!”

  Jack finished looting the last roach and scrambled back to the carriage. “There! Done!”

  The crabby grenadier relaxed somewhat. Marie seemed to be the kind of person who was happy as long as you did what she wanted. Sighing, Jack asked again. “So. Care to explain the store?”

  “Hmmm. I guess we have the time. So, here’s how it works. You can invest points to get better rewards. That’s the chest.”

  “What kind of rewards?” Jack asked.

  “Weapons. Armor. Recipes. Mounts. Use your imagination,” Marie said. “Or, you can invest in aid packages to survive longer on the map.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow. “What kind of stuff can you get from aid packages?”

  “Food. Supplies. Maybe, if you’re lucky, arrow towers or NPC soldiers. But don’t hold your breath.”

  “What about the bonus you were talking about?”

  As if to answer his question, a new message popped up in his window:

  You’re quick and efficient. You’ve won 1 breach point.

  The next wave comes.

  Jack blinked. “What just happened?”

  Marie grinned, her tone smug. “I clicked the [Next Wave] icon. You get double Breach points if you do it within 5 minutes of the wave ending. Easy, right?”

  Jack stared at her, dumbfounded. “Wait, I thought we were trying to last as long as we could on this map! Shouldn’t we wait the two hours out?”

  Marie shrugged, looking far too pleased with herself. “By getting this extra Breach point, we can invest in better aid packages. Better aid packages mean more resources. More resources mean we can last more waves. Trust me. It will be worth it.”

  The skittering grew louder again, sharper and more insistent than before. Marie adjusted her stance, a small, almost gleeful smile tugging at her lips as she reached for another bomb. “OK! Here we go again.”

  Sighing, Jack didn’t even bother to practice the ocarina. Something told him that clearing this wave wouldn’t take much time, and he was about to pick more loot before he knew it.