Chapter 9

  Day 5 arrived too quickly, announced by the sounds of camp coming to life, the crackle of fires being stoked, the murmur of voices discussing the day's plans, the clatter of cookware as breakfast preparations began.

  I'd spent most of the night working on the communication hub, making refinements and testing the range. Sleep had been elusive anyway, my mind cycling through the same scenes, the orc's family totem, Darren's swing, Corwin's scream, that system notification calling it "rewards."

  Byte chirped softly beside me, sensing I was awake.

  "Morning, buddy," I murmured, scratching behind his sensor array. "Ready for another day in paradise?"

  He beeped skeptically.

  Before heading out, I spent a few minutes finishing the messaging interface I'd been cobbling together the night before. Nothing fancy, just a basic app written from half-remembered college coding knowledge, with a contact list, message threads, and a signal strength indicator tied to the hub. It wasn't going to win any design awards, but it worked.

  I pulled myself up and headed toward the medical tent to check on Corwin. The morning air was cool, carrying that faintly metallic tang I was starting to associate with dawn on this world, underlaid with the alien sweetness of flora unfurling its petals toward the twin suns. The larger sun had joined its companion in the sky, and together they turned the purple haze of early morning into a bright amber that looked nothing like Earth daylight.

  Inside the tent, I found Corwin propped up against some pillows, looking pale but alert. The magical healing had closed the wound where his arm had been, leaving smooth skin that ended abruptly just below the elbow. No bandages necessary anymore, just the stark reality of what he'd lost.

  Jackie was curled up on a pile of blankets in the corner, finally asleep after what must have been another long night keeping vigil.

  A healer, Josie, I remembered, noticed my approach and offered a tired smile. "He's stable. Felix's emergency work and the healing potions did their job. He woke up a few hours ago."

  "That's good," I said, though my gaze kept drifting to where his arm should be. "Has he... how's he doing with it?"

  Josie's expression turned sympathetic. "As well as can be expected. He's alive, and he knows it. But processing the rest..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

  I nodded, understanding. "I'll check back later. Let Jackie sleep, she needs it."

  "Will do."

  * * *

  I found Elara near the central fire, looking over maps with a couple of scouts. She glanced up as I approached, her expression shifting from concentration to mild curiosity.

  "Maura. How's the communication project going?"

  "Good, actually. Really good." I pulled out my phone, showing her the custom interface I'd built. "The base station I set up last night is working. Phones can connect to it within about a hundred meters, maybe more if you push enough mana into maintaining the connection."

  Elara's interest visibly sharpened. "A hundred meters? That's... that's actually useful. We could coordinate patrols, warn about dangers."

  "Exactly. But I've been thinking, if I can build relay stations, extend the network, we could cover a much wider area. Maybe even reach other camps if there are any nearby."

  One of the scouts, a young man named Tomas, leaned in. "What would you need for these relay stations?"

  I pulled out the sample materials, Glowroot fibers, Mystic Radiance Stone fragments, Techvine slivers. "More of these. A lot more. In my testing last night, I found that the Mystic Radiance Stone works really well as a signal focal point. The Techvine conducts both electricity and mana efficiently, better than I expected, actually. The same stuff that saved Byte's life back in the forest is now the backbone of our communication network." I scratched Byte's sensor array and he preened. "And the Glowroot... I'm still figuring that one out, but Data Integration shows it stabilizing the energy flow."

  I caught myself and clarified: "I mean, that's what I discovered through experimentation. I'm still learning what these materials can do. Each test teaches me something new."

  Elara nodded thoughtfully. "We've got a cache expedition planned for this morning. I'll make sure the team knows to prioritize these materials. Where did you find them originally?"

  I pointed to the map. "Back where I fought the boar. There's another cache marked a few hours east of there, might be worth checking."

  "Good idea." Elara marked the spot with a small stone. "I'll get a scouting team out there today. And we'll have another team search the forest for natural deposits."

  Tomas spoke up again. "What about safety protocols? After what happened with Corwin..."

  Elara's expression turned serious. "Food is still top priority, we need to eat. But yes, we're being cautious. No one goes out alone. Everyone carries weapons. And if you encounter other initiates..." She paused, her jaw tightening. "We try communication first. Hands visible, weapons down. Give them a chance to walk away. But if they attack, you defend yourselves."

  The scouts nodded grimly. The orc encounter had changed everyone's perspective on what the tutorial really was.

  "Oh," I added, "there's one more thing. The shop should be opening today, right? It's been five days since the tutorial started."

  Elara checked her HUD. "You're right. Should be any minute now, actually. John wanted everyone to gather when it opens so we can discuss what to prioritize buying."

  As if on cue, a notification appeared in my vision:

  Tutorial Shop Now Open!

  Access available for the next 24 hours. Browse available items, equipment, and resources. Payment accepted in Credits only.

  "Speak of the devil," I muttered.

  Elara grinned. "Perfect timing. Let's go find John."

  * * *

  The camp gathered near the central fire as word spread about the shop opening. John stood on a makeshift platform, just a couple of crates stacked together, addressing the growing crowd.

  "Alright, everyone. The shop is open for the next twenty-four hours. We need to be smart about this." He pulled up his own HUD, sharing the display so everyone could see the available categories:

  Weapons & Armor

  Survival Supplies

  Magical Items

  Crafting Materials

  Information

  "I'm proposing we pool our credits," John continued. "Buy things that benefit everyone, food, medical supplies, tools. Personal purchases can come after we've secured the essentials."

  There were murmurs of agreement, though I noticed a few people looking uncomfortable. Not everyone wanted to give up their credits.

  "How much does everyone have?" someone called out.

  John consulted his device. "Based on quest completions and the work everyone's done, most people have between 500 and 1500 credits. Those who were on the cache expeditions or the orc encounter have more."

  I pulled up my own stats, both to check my credits and to finally assign those free points I'd been holding onto.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Name: Maura Everhart

  Race: Human

  Level: 7

  Base Stats:

  Strength: 10

  Dexterity: 14

  Intelligence: 17

  Wisdom: 11

  Constitution: 13

  Charisma: 14

  Free Points: 4

  Credits: 2,000

  Points: 200

  Achievements: [First Kill]

  I'd been holding four free points, two from reaching Level 6, two from Level 7. After the last few days of combat and technical work, I knew where they needed to go.

  I allocated two points to Dexterity and two to Intelligence. The moment I confirmed, I felt the familiar surge of energy as my body and mind adapted to the enhancement. My thoughts felt sharper, connections forming faster. My hands steadied, movements becoming more precise.

  Updated Stats:

  Dexterity: 16 (+2) Intelligence: 19 (+2)

  Much better.

  I also noticed I had a new skill selection available from hitting Level 7. The options appeared:

  Holographic Decoy: Create a holographic duplicate to distract enemies or explore dangerous areas.

  Quantum Sync: Synchronize with nearby technology, gaining control or insights into its functions.

  Echo Pulse: Send out a pulse revealing hidden electronic devices and magical traps.

  I considered each carefully. Echo Pulse seemed situational, useful for traps, but we hadn't encountered many. Quantum Sync was tempting, especially for working with Byte, but I already had Data Integration for analysis.

  Holographic Decoy, though... if I'd had that during the orc encounter, maybe I could have created a distraction. De-escalated the situation before Darren swung his axe.

  I selected it.

  The knowledge integrated smoothly, and I immediately understood how to use it. On impulse, I activated the skill, pushing mana into creating a duplicate of myself standing beside me.

  The hologram flickered to life, an exact copy down to the details of my Technomancer suit. I concentrated, making it wave. Byte looked between us, his LED eyes widening with confusion before he beeped incredulously at the duplicate.

  After about thirty seconds, my mana reserves noticeably dipped. I released the skill and the hologram vanished.

  "That's going to be useful," I murmured.

  * * *

  I checked my quest progress while I had my HUD open:

  Technomancer's Trial: Develop five prototypes (1/5 completed) Floral Mastery: Collect fifteen unique plants (7/15) Technological Tinkerer: Enhance Byte (0/1)

  The communication hub counted as my first prototype. I felt good about the progress, though I wondered how others were doing with their quests.

  John's voice pulled me back to the present. "We're going to send a delegation to review the shop inventory. Maura, Elara, Felix, and I will assess what's available and report back. Everyone else, start thinking about what you'd be willing to contribute from your personal credits."

  The crowd dispersed, buzzing with speculation about what the shop might offer. I spotted Jackie hovering near the edge of the gathering, looking restless.

  "Jackie, can you keep an eye on Byte for me while I'm in the shop review?" I asked. "He gets antsy when I'm focused on tech stuff for too long."

  Her face lit up. "Obviously. Come on, Byte." She scooped him up with practiced ease, and he chirped contentedly. Those two had gotten thick fast.

  I moved to join John's delegation, but Felix intercepted me first.

  "Hey," he said quietly. "Can we talk for a second?"

  "Sure. What's up?"

  He glanced around, making sure no one was in earshot. "About Corwin. He's stable, but he's... struggling. With the arm. With everything." Felix's expression was tight with guilt. "I keep thinking if I'd been faster, had more mana, knew more about healing..."

  "Felix, you saved his life," I interrupted. "The arm was gone before you even got there. There was nothing you could do about that."

  "I know. Logically, I know. But it doesn't help." He ran a hand through his hair. "He's asking about prosthetics. Wondering if there's magical replacement limbs or something. I don't know how to answer that."

  I thought about the shop, about Technomancer abilities, about the way techvines had integrated with Byte's systems. "Maybe there is something. Let me look through the shop. If not now, maybe I can build something later."

  Felix's expression brightened slightly. "You think?"

  "I don't know yet. But I'll try."

  * * *

  The shop interface was extensive, hundreds of items categorized and subcategorized. John, Elara, Felix, and I split up the categories to review faster.

  I focused on Magical Items and Crafting Materials, looking for anything that might help with communication networks, Byte upgrades, or potentially prosthetics.

  Crafting Materials had everything I'd already found in the wild, plus dozens more I hadn't seen yet:

  - Glowroot Fiber Bundle: 50 credits

  - Mystic Radiance Stone (Large): 100 credits

  - Techvine Coil: 75 credits

  - Mana-Conductive Wire: 80 credits

  - Arcane Battery Cell: 150 credits

  There were also schematics:

  - Basic Communication Array: 300 credits

  - Mana Storage Device: 250 credits

  - Prosthetic Limb Framework (Basic): 500 credits

  That last one made my heart skip. I immediately flagged it for discussion.

  Magical Items had potions, enchanted weapons, protective charms, and more. Healing potions were expensive, 100 credits for a basic one, but we'd need them.

  After an hour of review, we reconvened.

  "Medical supplies," Felix said immediately. "Healing potions, antidotes, bandages. We're running low and I can't keep everyone alive on my mana alone."

  Elara nodded. "Weapons and armor for the scouts. We're still using starting equipment for most people. Better gear means better survival."

  "Food supplies," John added. "The preserved rations in the shop will last months if stored properly. It's expensive, but it's insurance against failed hunts."

  I pulled up my findings. "There's a schematic for prosthetic limbs. Five hundred credits for the basic framework, but with my Technomancer skills, I might be able to build something functional for Corwin."

  Felix's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

  "I'd need to study it, gather materials, experiment. But yeah, I think it's possible."

  John considered this. "Can you still contribute to the communal pool?"

  "I can do both," I said. "Five hundred for the schematic, five hundred for the pool. That still leaves me a thousand in reserve for materials."

  John nodded. "Do it. If you can give Corwin his arm back, that's worth the investment. For the rest of us, I'm proposing we pool 20,000 credits total from the camp. That gets us healing potions, food supplies, and some basic equipment upgrades. Anyone who contributed gets priority access to the supplies when needed."

  It was a good plan. Fair. Practical.

  I purchased the schematic before I could second-guess myself. The knowledge downloaded into my inventory instantly, a dense package of blueprints and material specifications that my Technomancer skills were already itching to unpack.

  * * *

  By evening, the camp had made its purchases. Healing potions were distributed to the medical tent. Food supplies were locked in secure storage. A few people had bought personal items, better weapons, protective charms, information items about the local area.

  I'd contributed 500 of my credits to the pool and spent another 500 on Corwin's prosthetic schematic, keeping 1,000 in reserve for materials.

  As the sun set, I made my way back to the medical tent to check on Corwin. He was awake, staring at the tent ceiling with an expression I recognized, the look of someone processing a loss they weren't ready to accept.

  "Hey," I said softly.

  He turned his head, managing a weak smile. "Hey. Jackie said you've been working on communication stuff. That's cool."

  "Yeah. Getting there." I hesitated, then decided to just say it. "I bought something from the shop today. A schematic for prosthetic limbs."

  His expression sharpened instantly. "You... can you actually build one?"

  "I don't know yet. I need to study the schematic, gather materials, experiment. But with my Technomancer skills..." I met his eyes. "I'm going to try. I can't promise it'll work, or when, but I'm going to try."

  For the first time since losing his arm, Corwin's expression showed something other than pain or exhaustion. Hope.

  "Thank you," he said quietly.

  "Don't thank me yet. Thank me when you can actually use it."

  Jackie appeared at my elbow, Byte trailing behind her with a happy chirp. She'd been keeping an eye on him all day while I worked.

  "He's been a perfect gentleman," she said, scratching Byte's head. "Are you making more robot friends? Because I'm calling dibs on the next one."

  I laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."

  * * *

  As the twin suns sank below the treeline, the sky cycled through its nightly show: amber to copper to deep violet, colors no Earth sunset could produce. The bioluminescent moss along the camp's paths flickered to life, and somewhere in the forest, a creature began a low, resonant call that pulsed like a heartbeat.

  I joined the group gathered around the central fire. The mood was better than it had been the previous night, the shop opening had given people hope, tangible evidence that there were resources available, that survival was possible.

  But as the conversations flowed, I noticed the undercurrent of unease creeping back in.

  "I heard something near the treeline last night," one of the scouts murmured. "Rustling. Something big."

  Another nodded. "Andru and I saw movement three nights ago. Like something was circling the camp."

  "Probably just animals," someone suggested, but they didn't sound convinced.

  I thought about the creature from our first night, the one with the blank face and the wrong laugh. We'd doubled patrols after that, but we hadn't seen it again.

  Didn't mean it wasn't out there.

  "Maybe it's Darren," someone joked darkly. "Still wandering around feeling guilty."

  No one had seen him since John sent him on solo resource gathering. I didn't know if that was normal or concerning.

  As the group began to disperse for the night, Elara pulled me aside.

  "The cache expedition is heading out at dawn tomorrow. I want you with us."

  "Me? I'm not exactly combat-ready."

  "You have skills we need. Data Integration, technical knowledge. And after Corwin..." She trailed off. "We need redundancy. If something happens to me or the lead scout, someone else needs to be able to navigate and make decisions."

  I wanted to argue, but she was right. Relying on one person for critical skills was dangerous.

  "Okay," I agreed. "I'll be ready."

  * * *

  Back in my shelter, I tried to sleep but found myself restless. I pulled up my HUD, reviewing the prosthetic schematic I'd purchased.

  Prosthetic Limb Framework (Basic)

  Description: Provides structural framework and neural interface for creating functional prosthetic limbs. Requires additional materials and expertise to complete.

  With my Technomancer abilities, I could probably improve on the basic design. Make something better than just functional.

  Make something that might give Corwin his life back.

  I was still thinking about it when I finally drifted off.

  And when the screaming started, I was on my feet with my energy sword activated before I was fully conscious.

  The sound came from the edge of camp, high-pitched, terrified, abruptly cut off.

  Then that laugh. That wrong, too-high-pitched laugh that made my skin crawl.

  The creature was back.

  And this time, someone had seen it up close.

  by FrankG

  No memory. No name. No idea who she was before the crash.

  A mechanical spider rebuilt her dying body on an alien planet.

  When the System gave everyone combat classes, she got Engineer. In a forest full of warriors where only fighters survive.

  They want her dead. The System locked her at Level 0 to guarantee it.

  But something hacked her evolution.

  Now she's leveling in secret. Every level makes her sharper. She sees patterns in alien technology others miss. Reads systems they don't understand. Turns broken machines into traps that cut through enhanced flesh.

  She remembers nothing about her past. But she's learning this forest runs on ancient tech nobody else can touch.

  The warriors hunting her have strength to shatter stone and speed she'll never match.

  They're faster and stronger. She just needs them to step in the wrong place.

  What to expect:

  ? Underdog engineer vs combat-class warriors

  ? Intelligence, preparation, and problem-solving

  ? LitRPG progression focused on strategy and invention

  ? Fast-paced survival and escalating danger

  Novel Cover Drawn by: Dagmara Gaska (;