Kade stepped into her cabin, dropping into the first chair along her path. The cramped and practical space seemed to press in on her tonight. Her desk was a familiar chaos. Maps she hadn’t touched since the cataclysm. A half-written log abandoned mid-thought. The briny tang of salt mixed faintly with oil somewhere in the air. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it wasn’t calming either.

  For a moment, she let her shoulders sag. The Eye of the Storm. They called her that because she projected calm under pressure. A steady presence in chaos. But even storms had their limits. The events of the last twenty-four hours went well beyond that line in the sand.

  A knock startled her. It was a polite tap, though the door was already ajar. She turned, raising an eyebrow at the figure in the doorway. Lt. Mark Lawson stood there, one shoulder leaning casually against the frame, the faintest grin playing at the corner of his mouth.

  "You’ve got a moment?" he asked, his tone light. "Or should I come back when the ‘Eye of the Storm’ is done fraying around the edges?"

  Kade let the jab land, though she didn’t show it. He wasn't wrong and she could either accept it with grace or bite his head off. She waved him in, allowing a hint of a smile to tug at her lips. "The Eye of the Storm has had a long couple of days, Lawson."

  He chuckled, stepping fully inside. The cabin seemed smaller, with his broad frame taking up space. The door swinging shut behind him. He carried a few sheets of paper in his hand, folded neatly.

  "For what it is worth, I think you're handling everything pretty well, considering the circumstances."

  "I appreciate that. Now, what is it you really came to talk to me about?"

  "Crew manifest," he said. "I thought it might be a good time to talk about… tightening things up. Figuring out where we can make better use of people."

  Kade gave him a measured look, letting him take the seat across from her desk. The lines of exhaustion on his face mirrored her own. While crisp, his uniform bore the faint creases of someone sitting for too long or standing for too little. A Marine through and through. And he was trying; she’d give him that.

  "Yes, I wanted to talk to you about that. Alright," she said, "Let’s hear it."

  Kade leaned back in her chair, letting the faint creak of the wood fill the pause as she scanned the manifest Lawson had placed on her desk. The numbers didn’t lie, but they didn’t tell the complete story either. Fourteen Marines left from the original twenty. And now, the twenty remaining motley defenders that had come onboard when they left Newport. There had been thirty-two defenders plus Myers when the Horizon Talon had first arrived, but the last battle of the dock had claimed more than its fair share.

  Beyond the raw numbers, the recruits they had taken onboard were from different military branches. The majority were from the Sovereign Maritime Corps, but a handful were standard Army service and even had two from the Air Force. She was sure there was an interesting story with those last two, but that would have to wait until another day.

  The real question was how to blend them all into what remained of the Sovereign Maritime Corps, if it even still existed. Was the Horizon Talon the last effective fighting force, or simply the only one they’d encountered so far? Kade had her doubts. Even with the global population reduced to a fraction of its former size, it was obvious some faction within the Government had seen the cataclysm coming and tried to prepare for it.

  Other organized units had to exist. Although fairly self-sufficient, the Horizon Talon couldn't operate independently for extended periods. Once this business with the captain and Naomi was concluded, the ship and crew would need a home port.

  "You’re right," she said finally. "They’ll be more useful as front-line fighters, except maybe the two from the air force. But you know as well as I do that the first few weeks are going to be rough in terms of coordination and fighting effectiveness in a group."

  Lawson leaned against the edge of the desk. "You're right about the two from the air force. I'll leave them with you. Now the rest. They’ve got decent training, but they’re not Marines. Yet."

  That drew a chuckle from Kade, soft but genuine. "Sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you. You sure you’re not regretting joining this crew?"

  "Well, the food could be better, and I could do with fewer giant tentacle monster attacks," Lawson deadpanned.

  "Food’s always terrible," Kade said. "You’d think we’d have earned at least decent bread after surviving a cataclysm. As for fewer kraken attacks, I'll send a note to command and see what they can do about that."

  Lawson’s grin widened. "If I can whip the new recruits into shape, maybe I’ll ask for a promotion. Lieutenant Commander of Provisions."

  "Dream big, Lawson," Kade replied. "But let’s focus on keeping this crew in one piece first."

  He straightened slightly, the humor fading just enough to let something more serious settle in its place.

  "I was thinking smaller units might work better," he said. "We have the numbers to fight in bulk, but the encounters we're seeing are more shaped toward small group encounters. It almost feels intentional. Breaking the platoon down into tighter squads of three or four Marines per team would give us more flexibility. Let each group focus on specific strengths."

  Kade nodded. "Smaller units make sense. Forces coordination, though, and that’s going to be a pain with the new recruits."

  Lawson shrugged. "Pain’s temporary. Give them a week of getting yelled at, and they’ll figure it out."

  "You’re very inspirational, you know that?" she said, her tone flat but her smirk giving her away. "I'm not sure we want to do this two hours before dealing with whatever we find at the Block Island."

  "Now you haven't even heard the rest of my pitch yet. For now, let me give you the elevator pitch."

  Kade raised a hand, cutting him off. "Alright, save it, Lawson. All the high-level overview is going to do is get me to ask a bunch of questions, anyway. Let’s hear the full breakdown. Plus, sitting around worrying about what happens in two hours isn't going to help my mental state any."

  "Alright then," he said, "Let’s talk details."

  Kade grabbed a pencil from the edge of her desk. "You’ve got my attention. Start talking."

  "The new recruits are… interesting. More diverse classes than what we’ve got in the Marines. Makes sense. The dock defenders were in a different kind of fight at the start of all this," Lawson said.

  "Different, how?"

  "We were stuck in one type of encounter," Lawson said, gesturing lightly to the list. "The defenders we picked up at the dock are all part of other military units. So they all have unique experiences. Some were protecting civilians, holding their ground. Others had to get creative. You can see it in their classes."

  "Alright," she said. "Tell me what we're working with. Let’s hear it."

  "Two Clerics. Solid types with healing and basic protection spells. Then there’s a Sun Cleric. I'm not entirely sure what the difference between a Cleric and a Sun Cleric is, but apparently, they’re a step up. Something about being better against the undead. I want to treat these three folks like combat medics."

  Every sailor and Marine had basic first aid training, but even a novice officer could quickly see that the crew would need more healer-type classes. The effectiveness Kade had seen so far was unrivaled. The holy trinity, she remembered her nephews calling it during one of her visits. A frontline fighter will take most of the attacks. They wore the heaviest armor and had abilities to mitigate damage. Then, the healer keeps everyone alive during combat. Finally, the damage-dealing classes eliminated the threats before the other two roles ran out of gas.

  This notion was unlikely to translate directly into the Simulation's new reality, but the basis was valid. It would take a mix of roles and classes to keep everyone alive. The lone hero type may play well in the movies, but this was reality, and teamwork was a force multiplier. Even though they had hit points now, the battle with Skornik proved that no matter how many hit points you had, you didn't live through massive head trauma.

  Kade snorted softly. "Undead? Really? Is that actually a thing now? Because if it is, I’m not sure I want to know."

  Lawson didn’t look up from the list. "You tell me. The Drowned we fought. Undead or not?"

  The memory made her pause. Her lips pressed into a thin line as the image surfaced unbidden of waterlogged bodies moving on their own accord, their eyes blank and unseeing.

  "I’m going to say no. If I don’t, I’ll never sleep again."

  "Fair enough," Lawson replied, "Next up, one Tempest Mage. Weather and storm magic. Should be useful. And a War Mage. A class that focuses on battle magic, no frills."

  "What about the Tempest Mage. Weather and storm magic? What's that?"

  "Something about being able to create wind for the sails, plus some offensive spells. It should give us a maneuverability advantage as we're not as beholden to the whims of the wind as much. We can make our own wind," Lawson replied.

  "Magic, on a ship. No way that could go wrong," Kade sighed.

  Lawson’s lips twitched in amusement. "Don’t worry. We’ll keep them far from anything that could burn down the ship. Training could be interesting, though."

  "Comforting," she replied. "What else?"

  "Three standard Fighters. Basic, reliable. Then there’s a Magebreaker."

  That caught her attention. "A Magebreaker? That’s not exactly dock defender material. I'm going to make some assumptions based on the name, but do we know what exactly a Magebreaker brings to the table?"

  "No idea how that happened," Lawson said. "But I’m not complaining. It could be a game-changer if we run into an enemy spell caster. From what I'm told, they can neutralize the threat. Then they've got the basic rogue class toolbox as well."

  "I think that is one person we need to keep an eye on. They could very well be the cornerstone of our fighting force."

  "I very much agree, it's still too early to tell but a class like sounds like it is going to grow into a powerhouse," Lawson said.

  Kade's fingers brushed against the edge of the manifest, her thoughts shifting gears. "What about Myers? I assume he's still strutting around like a peacock about his performance in the admin building and his swashbuckler class."

  Lawson let out a low laugh. "Oh, he hasn’t shut up about it. I think he’s cornered half the new recruits already, introducing himself as ‘Lord of the Cutting Wit and Master of the Blades’s Dance.’"

  Kade rolled her eyes. "Universe save us all. I’m surprised he hasn’t injured himself yet."

  "To be fair," Lawson said with a smirk, "he’s better than most of the Marines are with swords."

  "I’ll give him that," Kade admitted. "But if he starts swinging from the rigging quoting Errol Flynn, he’s going over the side."

  "Fair enough," Lawson said, clearly amused. "For what it’s worth, he seems to know when to stop pushing. Mostly."

  "Mostly isn’t enough," Kade muttered. "Alright. So, we’ve got Myers, the Magebreaker, and a Cleric who can apparently handle undead. What’s next?"

  Lawson’s humor faded slightly as he shifted his focus back to the list. "We need to figure out how to integrate them properly. We've already decided on smaller units, but do we specialize or keep them general function? What do you think?"

  Kade leaned back slightly, staring at the names and annotations on the manifest. The slow, deliberate pace of the conversation was helping her focus, drawing her mind away from the storm of uncertainty swirling outside.

  "All right, I think the answer is both," she said after a moment. "We've got enough people for a few squads. We'll keep most of them for general purposes, but also build a specialized response team."

  Lawson rested his hand on the table as he spoke, the manifest now a visual guide for their discussion. "I think five teams are the way to go. Four general combat groups and one special response team. Roughly six or seven people per team. That gives us coverage and some flexibility. "

  Kade tilted her head slightly, considering. "Don't you think you’re spreading thin?"

  He nodded. "I know, but we’re limited by what we’ve got. I’d love to have a Cleric in every group, but that’s not happening. We’ve only got the two Clerics and that Sun Cleric. Ideally, the Sun Cleric would be with the response team, but that leaves the other teams without enough support."

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  "Plus, I'll remind you about something I said earlier. Outside of some of the large-scale battles we've been in, such as the docks. Most of our encounters seem to be geared toward smaller groups."

  "And what about leaders?" Kade asked. "You can’t babysit all of them."

  "Briggs can handle one of the combat teams," Lawson replied immediately. "He’s solid, and the crew respects him. But we’ll need others to step up. Some of the new recruits might have potential, but they’re untested."

  "What about the specialists? Myers and the Magebreaker? They will not slot neatly into combat teams." Kade said as she continued to poke holes in Lawson's plan.

  "Exactly," Lawson said. "That’s why I’d like to put them on the response team. Myers is a wildcard, but he’s also shown how valuable he can be in a pinch. And the Magebreaker… well, let’s just say I’d rather have someone who can shut down magic on standby."

  Kade let out a thoughtful hum. "And what about me? Where do you think I fit in?"

  "Not on a specific team. You’re overall tactical command. That’s how we’ve been running things, anyway. You call the shots. I handle the moment-to-moment action on the ground." Lawson responded.

  "Convenient," Kade replied. "You don’t see me giving up the away missions anytime soon, do you?"

  "Not a chance," Lawson said. "But you know it works. You monitor the bigger picture. I focus on execution. It’s a system."

  "Maybe too much of a system," she said after a moment. "Are we being too rigid here? The world’s already thrown the rulebook overboard. Maybe we shouldn’t be trying so hard to hold on to it."

  Lawson frowned, processing her words. "Mission-variable teams?"

  "Something like that," Kade said. "Four core teams to keep things simple, but keep the specialists flexible. Plug them in where they’re needed instead of grouping them into their own team."

  He was quiet for a moment, then nodded. "That could work. The specialists would add value without bogging down the core teams. Keeps us adaptable."

  "And we wait until the captain’s back before making anything official," Kade added. "He might have his own ideas."

  Lawson’s smile returned. "Smart. That way, if it works, I get credit. If it blows up, it was your call to wait. Great thinking!"

  "It’s a skill," Kade said dryly.

  "Speaking of flexibility, I don’t think you’ve ever told me. What’s your class?" Lawson said, changing the subject.

  "That is an excellent question. I don't believe we have discussed my abilities or my class. In short, I'm a Corsair. It's a Fighter-based class that focuses on using leadership skills to boost those around me. I'm not a terrible fighter myself, but where my class really excels is boosting the fighting abilities of everyone around me," Kade explained.

  "I haven’t checked my system log since the docks," she admitted. "Let me clean up my simulation notifications and see if I can give you a clear view of my class."

  "Well, let’s see what the ‘Eye of the Storm’ is packing," Lawson quipped.

  With a roll of her eyes at the nickname, Kade reached out mentally, pulling up the familiar glowing interface of the simulation system. The way the overlay slipped into her perception like it had been there all along always gave her a moment of vertigo. The screen shimmered faintly in her mind’s eye.

  +2 Leadership | Congratulations! Look at you, commanding respect! Now try not to let it go to your head… or the brig.

  +1 Sword Combat | Congratulations! One step closer to being the sharpest tool in the shed. Literally!

  +1 Dirty Fighting | Congratulations! The rules don’t matter when survival is on the line. Honor fades, but the scars of the victorious tell their own stories.

  +1 Stealth | Congratulations! Wow, you finally figured out how to step quietly. The shadows are quaking in their boots.

  "Well," Kade began, scanning the log. "Looks like I picked up a couple of points in leadership. No surprise there. One in sword fighting, one in dirty fighting. And…"

  She hesitated. "One in stealth."

  "Stealth?" Lawson asked, his tone halfway between amused and impressed. "That’s new."

  "Yeah, must’ve come from our mad dash back from the admin building," she said. "You know, dodging cannonballs and monsters by hiding in the shadows. Fun times."

  "Guess the system rewards creativity," Lawson said.

  "Apparently," Kade said, her voice dry. She paused, glancing back at the log. "Makes me wonder, though. Is there a limit to how many skills we can pick up?"

  Lawson shrugged. "Beats me. But if there is, wouldn’t the simulation make you confirm new ones or something? Like a prompt to choose?"

  "Yeah, that’d make sense. Randomly adding skills with no input would get messy if we’re supposed to manage them long-term. It probably means there’s no cap. Or if there is, we’re a long way from hitting it." Kade said, after thinking for a moment. "That being said, we also expect the simulation to have some rhyme or reason. I'm sure there is, but right now, we're so far out at sea about what that rhyme or reason may be. There might as well be a warning on the map of here there be monsters."

  It wasn't clear what the numbers meant, but Kade couldn't argue that she was more effective with her cutlass than a few short days ago. Not to mention, dirty fighting had a purpose. The Marines had always been brutal hand-to-hand fighters, but it was clear which ones had been gaining skill in dirty fighting. They used their entire body and environment to their advantage in ways that weren't traditional. What remained to be seen was if the numbers were making them better fighters or if they were becoming better because of experience, thus making the numbers go up as a reflection of that gained experience.

  Letting her mind follow that train of thought for a moment, Kade wondered if there were other skills that she and the rest of the crew should try to increase. If the Simulation operated like a game, be it a lethal one, should everyone try to generalize their abilities or create focused builds?

  Kade rubbed her temples for a moment at the distracting thought. She was certain that some mathematicians would be fascinated by working out the formulas behind how the Simulation operated. Assuming they were still alive.

  Shaking off that macabre thought, she continued scrolling through her log before pausing. Her eyes widened slightly, and she let out a small, incredulous laugh. "Oh, great. Leveled up again, too."

  Level up! Congratulations, you are now level six. Go forth and defend the realms, mighty hunter. You receive one (1) stat point for Charisma and may allocate one (1) additional stat point as desired.

  Looking at her character sheet, she considered her stats for a moment. The Simulation automatically assigned one point to Charisma as her primary stat. She'd gain another point of intelligence next level up as part of the flipping back and forth between her two primary stats. That left her with one free point to assign.

  For the moment, she had a balanced build, with intelligence slightly ahead. The question was whether she should stay balanced or try to load up her primary stat. Charisma and intelligence made her class abilities stronger, but based on what small information she could gather, constitution gave her more health.

  Considering everything they'd seen, she felt she needed to get more health. At least until she got some decent armor and a few more levels under her belt, then she'd lean more into stats that directly affected her abilities. The Corsair class appeared to be one that would scale very well, but it also looked as if it was a bit bootstrapped because its primary stats didn't help her personal survivability.

  She couldn't know, but hoped that gaining new abilities would offset the class's weaknesses. Though, as the executive officer, she wasn't really supposed to be leading troops from the front. Still, the Corsair didn't appear to be a class expected to set in the rear and just command others. Plus, that wasn't her style.

  "Big day for the XO," Lawson quipped. "Anything else interesting?"

  Kade hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Not exactly. But now I’m wondering. There has to be a way to share these screens with someone else, right? Would make team planning a lot easier."

  "Actually, there is. One Marine figured it out by accident. You just… think about who you want to share the screen with. The simulation sends you a prompt asking to confirm."

  Do you wish to share your character screen with Mark Lawson?

  Yes/No?

  Kade’s gaze sharpened as she thought about sharing her screen. "Well, that’s interesting."

  Surprisingly, it looked like it was an all-or-nothing sort of screen sharing. That felt a little personal, and Kade was sure that once things settled into a new normal, it would be considered impolite to ask someone to see their character screen. Still, if there was one thing everyone in the service knew about military life, you didn't have such a thing as privacy or modesty. The fact that most warships had unisex facilities and showers drove that point home. There were no men and women in the service eyes, just warriors standing on the bulwark.

  "Have a look," Kade said as she selected yes on the prompt.

  Name: Sarah Kade

  Class: Corsair

  Level: 6

  Health: 280/280

  Mana: 180/180

  Stats

  Strength: 7

  Dexterity: 7

  Intelligence: 9

  Constitution: 7

  Charisma: 7 (8)

  Abilities

  Deck Fighter

  Against the Tide

  Blade Whirl

  Stormwall Stance

  Command Presence

  Skills

  Sailing: 8

  Ocean Craft: 8

  Ocean Navigation: 6

  Leadership: 9 (10)

  Sword Combat: 9

  Dirty Fighting: 7

  Stealth: 1

  *Upon first post-reboot use, the system will assess skills gained after the simulation error but before the reboot.

  Lawson hadn’t spoken for a moment, his eyes having that far-off stare that was a tale-tell sign of someone looking at the Simulation interface. His thoughtful silence lingered like a pause in a storm.

  "It fits you," he said at last. "The class, I mean. Corsair. It’s not just a leadership role. It’s a fighting one. That’s who you are."

  Kade didn’t answer immediately. Her fingers tracing faint circles on the surface of the desk. She’d heard similar things before, but coming from Lawson, it hit differently. He wasn’t one for empty praise, and he sure as hell didn’t hand out compliments for morale. If he said it, he believed it.

  And deep down, she knew he was right. She wasn’t built for politics or backroom deal making. She led from the front. Took the hits with her team. Bled with them. Her strength wasn’t in titles. It was in presence. Iron will forged in fire, steadied by chaos.

  Lawson crossed his arms, his posture shifting into something a little more casual. "The bonuses make sense in the field. You’re always out there, pulling people together. From what I can tell, your class takes that and amplifies it."

  Kade thought back to the docks. Amid the chaos of cannon fire and the guttural cries of monsters, she’d seen it too. There had been moments when her team had moved with almost uncanny coordination, strikes landing harder and faster, near-misses transforming into decisive hits. Her Against the Tide ability had lit the air like a beacon, its effects subtle but undeniable. The team had been better. Not just as individuals, but as a cohesive whole.

  "It’s practical," she admitted finally. "But I’m not sure how far it stretches. How close do I need to be for it to matter?"

  "That's a good question. The description is not overly helpful in that regard, is it?" he said plainly. "But we can test it. Even if it’s short range, it just means we’ll need to place you where you’ll make the biggest impact on a mission by mission basis."

  Kade nodded slowly, though the uncertainty still tugged at her thoughts. There were other questions too, the kind she couldn’t ignore. Did the ability scale with the size of the group? Would its effects diminish if the team spread too thin? She knew how vital coordination was in combat. A poorly placed leader could be worse than no leader at all.

  "There’s no doubt you’re a force multiplier," Lawson said. "So wherever the situation’s toughest, that’s where you go. If we hit another scenario like the docks, having you in the thick of it could turn the whole fight."

  Her lips twitched into a faint smile. "So I’m the safety net. If things get bad enough, throw me in and hope for the best."

  "More like you’re the trump card," Lawson corrected. "Your class is a force multiplier, Kade. It doesn’t hold the line by itself. It pushes the team to move it forward together. That’s not a secret weapon you keep sitting on the sidelines."

  Her thoughts drifted to the practical mechanics of her class. Against the Tide wasn’t just about boosting morale. It enhanced attack speed, critical strikes, and even raw damage. She’d seen the effect in real-time. It made her team faster and more lethal. But how much of that was instinct, and how much came from the Simulation itself? It was one thing to feel the shift in combat and another to measure its limits.

  Lawson seemed to sense her train of thought. "We should run some tests," he said. "Figure out the range and see if there’s anything else we can leverage. It’s not just about boosting the team. It’s about knowing how to position you where it counts."

  Yes, they'd have to do some tests to determine her abilities' limits. The drawback was that the tests would need to be done in actual combat situations, and that wasn't the best place to test anything. Still, there would be plenty of opportunities to do less critical and riskier missions once the Captain was safely back on board and in command.

  "Not to change the subject, but I'm going to," Kade said after a moment. "Check out the piece of armor I received from the assault on the admin building."

  Tidebreaker Chest Piece

  Quality: Uncommon

  Enchantments: Waveborne Resilience, Self Repair

  Description: This expertly crafted chest piece is made from layers of water-resistant leather treated with a sheen of whale oil and reinforced with flexible whalebone strips. Lightweight yet durable, it serves those who must weather the harshest conditions of the sea. Etched with the patterns of crashing waves in silver stitching, the armor radiates the untamed strength of the ocean.

  The chest piece is a masterwork of seafaring craftsmanship, created for those who brave the chaos of storms, waves, and battles. Legend holds that the tides themselves are woven into the armor, granting its wearer both the strength to stand firm and the adaptability to move with the relentless flow of the sea. From the harrowing decks of warships to the treacherous shores of uncharted lands, this armor has become a trusted companion for those who survive by their skill, courage, and command of the ocean's power.

  When worn, this armor will grant its wearer plus one (1) to constitution. Additionally, it will repair any damage done to it over time.

  There was still a long road ahead until Kade felt equipped to deal with the monsters and situations they had been facing, but the chest piece, along with the other pieces of gear she had gotten over the past few days, was a fantastic start. It didn't hurt that the armor was gorgeous.

  While her shoulder guard was metal, it went well with the silver stitching of the leather chest piece. The contrast between the leather and metal wasn't off-putting either. The two almost looked as if they had gone together. Plus, wearing a lot of metal armor while onboard a ship wouldn't do. Even if the two didn't match, Kade would still be happy with the leather chest piece. Even with her Seafarer's Ring, she didn't want to test being thrown overboard wearing heavy metal armor.

  "Now that looks good," Lawson responded. "The stat bonus is nice, but I think the real winner is going to be the self-repair enchantment. We haven't seen any sort of crafting classes yet, and to be blunt, it looks like we're going to be on our own for a while."

  "Just because we haven't seen crafting classes doesn't mean they don't exist. It has only been a few days since all of this kicked off," Kade replied.

  She understood what Lawson was saying, though. It certainly felt more like months since the Simulation reboot rather than days. Constantly running from one crisis to the next was taking its toll. Just one more crisis to deal with, she thought. Then we take a breath and come up with a long-term survival strategy.

  "On a more concerning note, if we didn't think the Simulation was sentient, we probably should start. The quest name changing on the admin building assault, along with the snarky message, was one thing, but when we completed the quest, it added an item reward. Check this out," Kade said as she flipped the box of crayons onto the table.

  Lawson picked up the box to look at the item's stats. It was hard for Kade to read his face as it quickly went through a range of emotions in several seconds, but she could tell what he was thinking because she had felt the same thing. The item itself was useless, but it showed that something was going on behind the scenes in the Simulation. It wasn't much of a surprise given what little of information they knew about Project Catalyst. Kade's interactions with the Simulation's snarky messages and prompts increasingly convinced her that a powerful sentient AI was running it.

  The question that followed that realization lingered in the air, unspoken but oppressive. Was the AI that governed the Simulation a benevolent creator, a malevolent overseer, or something far more unsettling? To the AI, did the so-called 'players' amount to anything more than ants scurrying underfoot, their lives insignificant and unnoticed? Or worse, were they akin to livestock, monitored and managed with cold efficiency, their existence reduced to a resource to be exploited? And which fate, the question demanded, was the greater horror? To be ignored by the god of their world or to be owned by it?

  "If that isn't terrifying, I'm not sure what is," Lawson finally said. "I mean, the item itself is pretty harmless, if not downright funny even. What the item represents is… concerning."

  "Yeah, I agree. Thankfully, it is not a problem for today. Today, we deal with something easier for the mind to grasp. The rescue of a comrade," Kade replied.

  Lawson agreed with the comment and, with nothing further to discuss, excused himself to grab a quick nap before they arrived at Block Island. The pair agreed that the inevitable party would likely keep them from resting for quite a while. With one final thought about what was waiting for them at Block Island, Kade could only conclude that there was nothing she could do about it at that exact moment. They had the framework of a plan and would have to wait to see what they were actually dealing with before making any further adjustments.

  I am hearing talk of another band of adventurers somewhere in the Surviving the Simulation Universe under the name The Grand Crusade. Same vast, immersive waters with different heroes and storms. They say it begins when a good man and mild prepper meets the end of the world. Sounds like trouble worth watching.

  For those who want to sail ahead, our Patreon carries extra wind in its sails. Five chapters ahead on Tides of Ruin and seven chapters ahead on The Grand Crusade are waiting there. Your support keeps the Talon supplied, lets the author chart longer voyages, and gives you an early look at where these waters lead.

  Lieutenant Sarah Kade

  Second in Command, Horizon Talon