Maximilian woke up as a dull chime spread through the building. The sound was reminiscent of wind chimes and barely loud enough to wake him. He sat up in bed and looked around. Confusion washed over him for a moment before the past day's events returned. "So it wasn't a dream." He mumbled to himself. He sat there for several moments and reflected on everything. When the chimes began again he decided it was time to move. He wasn't sure if today the Network or the dwarves would change up their act. The first day was the carrot while today would be the stick. He was about to leave when he saw something on the table. It was another crystal slip, though this one was a bit higher quality than the others. It looked like refined crystal instead of the rougher stuff they had last time. He picked it up and tried to connect with it. When nothing happened he decided to send a small amount of spiritual energy. A familiar warmth spread through him, this time focused on a spot at the base of his throat. When the sensation passed a new skill prompt appeared.

  Million Voices: Proficiency NA: A Million voices. One Intent

  The skill also came with a basic primer and it was something he had been worried about. The skill was based on translation. It would translate the intent behind his words to others and their words to him. It wasn't a high-quality skill and had limited use but it was better than nothing. He assumed that the Network provided it and thus it would be enough for the tutorial. He let out a dry chuckle at the unreasonableness of the situation. How long had people trained to speak with multiple languages only for whatever this network was to make it child's play? He shook off the melancholy and made his way outside. Once again there was a procession of all the ancestries. None of which looked happy. Maximilian joined the rest and a while later they all stood in the large room. Thrawn and the other dwarves stood in their usual spot. Now that he could understand the conversations around him things were more interesting. Million Voices worked on every language he heard whether it was human or not. The most common sentiment amongst the ancestries was fear. It was the lizard people that were the odd ones out. They seemed almost giddy for whatever came next.

  Even with the translation skill, it was difficult to know what they talked about. It sounded like they had either an ancestor or god associated with violence and feats of strength. Either that or they meant a literal person that they wanted to impress. Either way, it was a bit frightening. Maximilian wondered if they were crazy or if the rest of them were for not wanting to fight. It would happen regardless, so was it better to worry and resist or accept and embrace it? He hadn't decided on an answer by the time the door shut. The dwarves stood up and the crowd went silent.

  "Alright, Fledglings it's time for you to cut your teeth on something. You all will be sent to different locations. Groups will be randomly assigned. We wish you fortune and good battles." Thrawn stated just before pillars of light engulfed everyone.

  Maximilian closed his eyes as his light engulfed him. When he could see again he stood in a cave. The chamber he had been sent to was twice as big as his apartment. The stone was dark blue with several stalactites and stalagmites. A moment after he appeared five other white lights joined him. From each another person stepped out. Three were humans and two were lizard people. There are two men and a woman among the humans. From what he could tell they were in their early twenties. They wore a mix of jeans and winter boots. The lizard people were different stories altogether. He couldn't tell if they were male or female or if they even had genders. They were both around five and a half feet tall. They had dark green scales that were covered in scratches and other marks. They had yellow reptilian eyes with vertical pupils. All five of them held spears in their hands. Before he could find the right words for the situation the voice returned.

  Reach the lowest level of the cave system and obtain the gemstone inside.

  Maximilian waited for any other details but that was it. He considered asking for clarification but didn't The voice either couldn't hear them or only answered when it wanted to. "We wish you a strong hunt." The lizard person's words felt foreign in the silence. Maximilian looked up at the pair as they started down a pathway to the right. The trio turned and started on the opposite path. Maximilian considered going after the lizard people or trying to get them to join but he decided against it. He wasn't sure he could trust his fellow humans let alone other people. He jogged after the trio and settled into pace behind them.

  "My name's Maximilian." He began. "I picked a spell."

  "My name's Jackie and this here is Samantha. Not sure how we managed it but we knew each other before this craziness." Jackie replied. Now that he got a good look at her he changed his assessment. She was probably closer to his age. Around 28 or 29, she had a nasty scar underneath her right eye.

  "Hi." Samantha began though she didn't look at him.

  "My name's Gerald. I am or was an army ranger. I got to admit I've never fought with anything but my rifle so this should be a uh interesting experience." Gerald flashed a smile as he spun his spear and promptly dropped it.

  Maximilian nodded. "I picked the lightning skill. It lets me create small bolts of electricity. It's hard to know for sure but I could probably fire five or six hits before I run out of energy."

  "I suppose that's the risk then." Gerald began. "Our weapons don't run out of power as long as we can keep swinging."

  Maximilian nodded his agreement and then looked at the others. "Not sure what your stats are like but mine are pretty decent. Especially with the extra five points."

  "Same here." Jackie started. "This is the best I've felt I—" She was interrupted by a low guttural growl that made the hair on Maximilian's neck stand up. The group froze as three pairs of white eyes appeared in the shadows about fifteen feet ahead. Gerald and the others raised their spears as three black wolves stepped out of the darkness. Each one was massive, nearly twice as big as a normal wolf. Their teeth were like daggers. Maximillian couldn't help but wonder what they would feel like as they ripped through bone and muscle. He banished the thought as his heart tried to rip itself out of his chest. For a solitary moment, the world stood still as both sides waited to see what would happen.

  The lead wolf let out a blood-curdling roar and all hell broke loose. The three wolves rushed forward. Spiritual energy surged into the symbol for Static Bolt, the time it took for the electricity to appear felt like an eternity. Gerald and the women clashed with the wolves and came out on the losing end. Gerald held the lead wolf in place but Samantha was forced to the ground. Jackie managed to slash her target across the face but received a nasty cut across her right arm. One that caused her to drop her weapon. Maximilian unleashed his attack just before the wolf sunk its fangs into Samantha. The bolt caught the wolf in its right eye and blinded it. Before he could prepare another shot the wolf leaped from Samantha and rushed him.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Time slowed as the wolf bore down on him. Maximilian's blood ran cold as he realized he wouldn't be able to unleash another attack before it arrived. As the wolf got closer he acted, almost without thought he sidestepped and slammed a hammer fist into the top of its skull. He managed to force the wolf down and away a second before Static Bolt activated again. He unleashed the bluish-white bolt and this time it passed straight through the wolf's eye. The wolf collapsed unmoving to the ground. In the next moment, he was filled with a surge of energy that caused his vision to swim and nearly forced him to his knees. As soon as feeling passed he was back on his feet. He surveyed the scene and planned his next step. Gerald was still locked in combat with the lead wolf while Jackie barely held her own against the second wolf. Samantha was gone. Her spear was discarded on the ground.

  He wasn't sure what he should do. He could help Gerald since his wolf was bigger or he could help Jackie who was hurt. Options warred with his fear and paralyzed him with indecision. Jackie screamed and brought brought him back to the moment. He had to act or they would all die. He bit back the fear that sat in his stomach like a stone and went for the spear. He unleashed Static Bolt as he ran. The electricity caught Jackie's wolf across the left side of its face. In the next moment, he grabbed the spear and launched it with all the strength he could manage. "Duck!" Gerald narrowly got out of the way before the spear embedded itself into the lead wolf. The wolf let out a growl as the spear sunk three inches into its side before it dropped. Maximilian left that wolf to Gerald and activated his skill again. Adrenaline surged as he lined up another shot. The bolt shot through the air and through the back of the last wolf. Maximilian whirled around just as Gerald ripped his spear out of his wolf's head.

  When he realized the battle was over he sighed and collapsed to the ground. Adrenaline was rapidly replaced with exhaustion as he processed what just happened. That was real combat. They could've died. As he sat there his fear was challenged by something else. A hunger. He had almost died but he hadn't. He had won. Not only had he won he got stronger. He felt himself gain a level even with the energy lost to his skill. He pulled up his status screen and found three free points. He opted not to spend them right away. He would have to think about what would benefit him the most but it was proof. Proof that he would get stronger if he kept going. That he wouldn't be helpless.

  "Thank you." Jackie's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and back to the cave. He took her offered hand and stood up.

  "No problem." He looked down at the nasty scratch on her side and grimaced. "Are you alright?"

  She reluctantly nodded. "I think so, I should be fine if we can finish up."

  "Did either of you see where that other woman ran off to?" Gerald asked.

  Maximilian shook his head. "No, after I helped her she disappeared. We know she didn't go ahead of us so it shouldn't be hard to find her. Are you two ready to move?"

  Gerald nodded and tossed Maximilian the other spear. Just as they were about to leave a blood-curdling scream shattered their confidence. Maximilian's face fell as realization dawned. That voice was feminine and clearly human. The group looked at each other for a moment before Gerald picked Jackie up. "Come on!" The pair sprinted in the direction of the voice. When they arrived they found Samantha and the two lizard warriors in battle with three more wolves. The lizards held their own but Samantha wasn't. She had hidden behind a pair of stalagmites. Which forced the other two into a two-on-three fight.

  Maximilian shot Static Bolt into the face of a wolf just as it tried to rip out the leg of the lead lizard person. He tossed his spear to Samantha as Gerald joined him. Maximilian unleashed another bolt of electricity as Gerald put Jackie down. The wolf yanked its head back and narrowly avoided the attack. Maximilian swore as the wolf turned toward him and rushed him. As soon as it had crossed half the distance it leaped into the air. Before he could unleash another attack Gerald stepped in the way. The wolf impaled itself onto his spear with such force that the spear came out the other end. Maximilian was about to unleash another Static Bolt only to find that the Lizard people had already killed their targets.

  Maximilian jogged over to Samantha alongside Gerald. He had expected to see an injury or some sign as to why she wasn't fighting but there was nothing. He waved his hand in her face but there was no response. "Hey, are you alright? Samantha right?" He tried a few more times when she didn't respond but gave up.

  "I've heard of this," Gerald said. "It looks like something the military vets would talk about. Some people just freeze up when faced with danger."

  "We can't just leave her here," Jackie said as she shook her cousin. "We could carry her."

  "We thank you for your assistance. We might have been injured had you not come when you did." The larger of the two Lizardfolk called out as the pair walked up to the group. "You should leave this one to return to nature. If they are unable to fight then they will drag the group down. An ignoble death would follow."

  Jackie glared at the man-sized lizard and for a moment Maximilian was worried that she'd attack them. Thankfully Gerald got between them. "Alright, everyone let's calm down here. I am not anyone's diplomat but I think we've all seen that there are more wolves than there are people. We should work together until we've finished."

  Maximilian stood up, put on his best campaign smile, and held out his hand to the lizard people. "My name is Maximilian, Maximilian Croft. I am or I guess was a leader amongst my people." The Lizard person stared at it for a moment and then offered his own. Next, they had the most awkward handshake in history. It was a bit like he had stuck his hand in between scissor blades and watched them close while he hoped that they wouldn't cut his hand off.

  "My name is Saleki and this is my mate Muteki. We are hunters." The second lizard person then bent over ripped the hind leg off of one of the wolves and bit into like a macabre chicken leg. Something that caused Maximilian to forget what he was about to say. He forced himself to smile which was a sign to Muteki who held out the bloody leg to him.

  "It is important that we keep our strength. We must continue our hunt."

  "I am right thank you for the offer but it is not necessary. We humans don't eat our meat unprepared. It can be harmful."

  "I see, that is an unfortunate flaw for living beings. It makes survival more difficult." Maximilian was going to push back and explain that they had built shops and all kinds of things devoted to food but the lizard person had a point. It wasn't very helpful right now.

  "If you don't mind my question, what is your ancestry called?"

  The two lizard people looked at each other for a moment. They then got a faraway look in their eyes as if they could see something he couldn't. Maximilian was about to ask but he put two and two together. His assumption was proven correct less than a second later. "We are considered of the beastkin. Though we are also listed as Lizardfolk."

  Maximilian looked at the others and then nodded. Everything he learned only made him more curious about the rest of the universe and the multiverse. Part of him wanted to explore it but he knew that wasn't realistic. At least not anytime soon. They already struggled with the tutorial let alone whatever monsters existed out there. He would need to learn a lot more before he could consider it. "Right well, we should continue. The voice didn't say anything about a time limit but I don't want to find out." Especially if it turned out the wolves would respawn. They would run out of power soon and then they would all be in trouble.

  "I think we should rest for a little while. Some of us are hurt and we might be able to restore a bit of energy. Once we are all ready to go we can set out." Gerald added.

  "We will wait together," Saleki replied. "I look forward to our hunt."

  Maximilian was going to insist that they continue but there was something he wanted to do. He sat with his back against the cave wall and pulled up his status screen. It was time to decide how to spend his points. The way he saw it he had two options. He could improve his strengths or shore up a weakness. Since he had no idea what a point meant in terms of his combat power. He leaned toward Agility. Right now his Intelligence was already at fifteen which should put it at the top of what a person could be right now. Amongst the tutorial takers anyway. His agility was only at 10 which was good but could be better. He didn't want to run the risk of the wolves catching him by surprise. He went back and forth on it for a few more minutes but ultimately he settled on speed. All three points went into agility. With that decided he got to his feet and waited for the others. It was time to hunt.