Alex stared in disbelief. What he was seeing was beyond anything he could have imagined happening in this tutorial.

  The camp was packed full. There were hundreds of goblins here, maybe over a thousand. He couldn’t tell. But worst of all were the prisoners.

  He saw maybe a hundred? It was impossible to see clearly, but he was guessing around that number. The people, or denizens, as the Universal System called them, were all chained up in metal cages that were far too small. They were filthy, cramped, and barely alive.

  He could smell them from where he was. They were all left in their own filth, bloody and beaten, and in some cases worse… He could see that a few of them were maimed beyond reason—arms missing, or a leg, fingers, random bits on their bodies. Alex was disgusted by their state… not because it was unsightly, but because it made him angry.

  Races of all kinds were in the cages. Many of which he had become used to seeing over the last week. Humans, elves, dwarves, varying beastkin, orcs, and even a few new ones he hadn't seen before. One group in particular caught his eye. There were a few of them in one of the cages; they looked similar to elves, except they had wings. Bright, colorful wings. Reminiscent of a butterfly or dragonfly.

  Are they…fae? Alex remembered reading stories about them and seeing them in books or movies. They looked very similar.

  He watched for a while, seething with rage at what was being done to these people. He wanted nothing more than to run in there and free them.

  But he wasn’t stupid…at least not all the time.

  There were too many goblins, even for him. The levels of the goblins he could see were higher than before, too. The average seemed to be level 8 or 9. But he could see some shamans that were Bronze, along with the usual commanders who were around level 11.

  Where’s the General? He pondered. I feel like he should definitely be here. This camp is too large, filled with prisoners, and teeming with higher-level goblins. This isn’t a typical camp.

  He continued to observe the goblins, trying to figure out their purpose. It seemed strange to Alex that they would build a prison camp. There wasn’t much value in prisoners unless they needed them for other reasons.

  The camp was quite large compared to the ones he had seen before. Goblins ran in all directions. They fought, slept, ate, and did things Alex wished he could unsee.

  The ground in the camp was a wasteland. Most of it was a muddy mess; scattered wood and firm debris provided the only passable sections.

  It would be impossible for me to walk through the camp silently. Even with stealth, I would more than likely slip into the mud or lose a boot in knee-deep filth.

  There were ramshackle buildings scattered across the site. Some small, some larger. Most were of poor quality, pieces of dirty canvas draped over wooden frames. But there were a few larger variations of buildings. They were primarily made of wood and sat much larger and definitely more sturdy.

  An hour passed as he sat there, stewing in his anger, before Alex finally saw the general.

  Goblin General (Level 13)

  Goblins are a race considered to be the scourge of any planet. Basic goblins are aggressive and not intelligent. They only care about killing, looting, and breeding. This specific goblin variant is a General type. The Generals are the most powerful and most intelligent goblins in an army. They excel in combat, tactics, and usually command a massive force. They are not to be underestimated.

  It leveled up, Alex thought to himself as he observed the general.

  Dark green skin, ears sagging low, scraggly beard, a hobbled walk, a face old with age. This goblin looked much older than the other two Alex had seen.

  It is also wearing a lot more gear than the previous Generals. I see rings, robes, boots, a staff, and a wand on its hip. All in good condition. Is it all from that troll dungeon? They definitely had access to it.

  The last one is definitely a mage-type, no doubt about it.

  He spent another 30 minutes watching the General, but nothing interesting happened. It went inside one of the larger buildings and didn’t come out.

  With no other options, he pushed down his rage and left. He needed to get back to his camp and check on his team. They’ll get ready and then return here, hopefully freeing the prisoners and killing the goblins.

  As he sped through the forest again, Alex tried to consider what the best course of action for them would be.

  Prisoners will definitely be the priority. But we can’t let the General escape either; time is running out. Event 2 will begin in a few days, and we can’t risk having two events at the same time. Honestly… I could use a day off before it starts, too. Its been non-stop since we entered here.

  Not to mention, it said the event would end with rewards.

  We need the extra boost from the rewards to help us survive Event 2, whatever it is. We should definitely get some rewards at least. We killed a lot of the goblins and fought two of the five generals. It’ll be three after today.

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  I also need more power. More skills, abilities, anything. I wish I could learn to use a sword better, too. I’m still flailing around with it, relying on my speed.

  Water Magic.

  I forgot to get someone to show me more of it after dealing with Dick Dbag and his goons. That’s the first thing I’m doing when I get to camp; before we leave, I’m learning it. I don’t know if it will come in handy, but I’ll take anything I can get.

  Excited to learn more new magic, he sped up, making great time on his return to camp.

  Coming up on their cave camp, he was happy to see there wasn’t any smoke, fighting, or chaos of any sort. On the contrary, things looked great, actually. Earth mages had increased the outer defenses. They built more walls, thickened them, and even drove earth spikes into the lower portions.

  The gate had been enlarged, and 2 extra guards were stationed there. The walls were also lined with guards along the top. Most weren’t alert and were quite relaxed, but an additional set of eyes didn’t hurt to have.

  Damn, someone's putting the earth mages to work! They’re running things better than I would be. He thought, chuckling at his lack of leadership experience, since he was the one actually in charge.

  So weird to think about. My life has changed so much, so quickly.

  When the guards saw him, they immediately opened the gate, avoiding making eye contact or acknowledging him otherwise.

  Is that fear? Or are they just awkward like me?

  Through the gates, he took a look around the outside courtyard. There was a corner by the cave wall, on the right side, filled with tents and small wooden structures. Those were the people who either preferred to be outside or didn’t yet have rooms inside the cave. The restructuring of the cave took more time and a lot more mana, especially when most of the earth mages worked on the outer defenses first.

  The courtyard's middle remained open, allowing people to walk freely to different areas. The opposite side, the left side of the cave entrance, was the cooking and eating area. He saw several fires burning; some were cooking meat, others were loaded with a large stew pot. They didn’t really have proper cooking pans or utensils. Fortunately, some people with metalworking experience forged rough-looking pots for cooking. They were ugly as hell, but they got the job done. There was also poorly crafted wooden seating near the fires. Benches, chairs, tables, and anything else they could easily make.

  Closer to the front gate of the courtyard, near where Alex was, there were quite a few people training. He saw swordsmen practicing swings, archers shooting arrows into targets, and mages casting some of their basic spells.

  It's so much more organized now. Less than half a day, and things have changed this much. I’ll need to figure out how all this happened.

  He walked towards the cave. No one spoke to him, and most avoided eye contact. But the few that did, Alex simply nodded a greeting to them. He knew he needed to get closer to the people he was in charge of, but he just didn’t have the time right now.

  After the tutorial? I don’t know how things will work, but hopefully some of these people can leave with us if they want. I would hate for someone to live through the tutorial and then be sent back to Earth, alone, weak, and die because of it.

  Standing before the cave, he admired the entrance. It had changed. It now looked less like a natural cave entrance and more like a man-made one. It was symmetrical and smooth.

  The first thing he noticed when he walked into the cave was a large room on the left. It hadn’t been there before. It had been a standard cave wall; they hadn’t added any rooms or terraformed it at all. The right side was where Alex had initially started the bedrooms.

  Curious, he walked over to the new, large room. Inside, he found a few of his team members and the people he had left in charge.

  “Uhhh.. hey. This is new. What’s this room?” he said when he walked in.

  “It’s the leadership headquarters, or council room if you will. Or whatever name we want to call it. But basically, it's for those in charge to gather and discuss things. It is also a place where people can bring any problems they have. Someone in a leadership position should always be in here.” Kren Clawstrike, the older cat beastkin, said to him.

  “That’s a good idea. Did you do all the changes outside, too? Things seem more organized.” He asked.

  “Not just me, all of us you put in charge. We met and agreed on some things. We’ve spent the past few hours weaving them in. We presumed you wouldn’t mind the changes, or us taking the initiative.”

  “Not at all. I’m glad you all did. I worry less, knowing you all are taking care of everything.”

  “Aye, laddie. Yer can rely on us.” Durgan Forgehammer added, sitting at a large, circular stone table, surrounded by stone chairs.

  Bazga Lagum was also sitting there beside him, but the orc nodded along. She was looking over a piece of canvas on which someone had drawn a crude map.

  “What did you find, Alex?" Derek asked.

  “We should gather the rest of the team and leadership before I explain it all. I’d rather not have to repeat it.”

  Sam and Bazga had run off to find the others after that. When they returned a few minutes later, they had their remaining team members, along with the rest of the leadership, in tow. Maradeim Virmys, the elf, and Myris Meadowtail, the deer beastkin.

  Everyone was there and sitting around in the uncomfortable stone chairs. Alex told them what he had found.

  “I followed the smoke, and it led me toward a large goblin camp. There were maybe a thousand goblins there, the average being level 8 or 9. I saw plenty of Bronze ranks too. Shamans and commanders. And of course, the final general.

  There is a high chance the general is a mage-type. It wore a staff and robes, with a wand at its hip. All its gear looked much better than usual. I was thinking they had gotten a lot from the troll dungeon; they definitely had easy access to it.

  The worst part of the camp, though. The prisoners, I saw over a hundred. It was hard to tell. But there were people of various races, all trapped in cages. Most were in poor condition. Starved, beaten, maimed, or mutilated. So we can’t count on them for support if we freed them early.

  The terrain in the camp was terrible. Fighting on it will be difficult. It's a mud-filled mess. There are scraps scattered about to give them a foothold.” He finally finished.

  Silence filled the room for a moment; no one spoke. Everyone looked thoughtful, considering what Alex had shared with them.

  Sarah spoke up first, her eyes glistening with moisture at the thought of those people, but also determination. “We need to rescue those people.”

  “I know. And we will, I promise. But we can’t go and rush in. The number of goblins would overwhelm us.” Alex said to her.

  She nodded in understanding. But Alex could see the worry on her face. She was a healer through and through. Always worried about the well-being of others.

  “When do we leave?” Derek asked.

  “Soon. Let's say... an hour. I need to do something first.” He said, remembering water magic.

  “Then let's meet back here in 30 minutes; everyone can use the time to come up with ideas, and we’ll continue the discussion," Derek continued.

  “Fine with me. Does anyone know where I can find someone with water magic skills?”

  “I do,” Sarah said. “I can introduce you.”

  ‘Awesome. Thanks.”

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