He stretched in the hard bed and found there was little pain, only that thick, foggy heaviness that came after you didn’t sleep for a couple of days, or pushed your body well past its factory settings. Did he have Dr. Holt to thank for that? Or did the ANIP system do most of the heavy lifting. If only they could do something for his dry eyes.
Looking around, he saw that he was lying in the undercity medical centre, which is what he expected to see. The air here was crisp and filtered. Smooth walls hummed with hidden machinery. Several consoles flickered softly along the edges of a wide circular room. It looked like someone had cut a slice out of a spaceship and buried it under the village. Somewhere nearby, a monitor gently beeped in time with his pulse. He grimaced. He had always hated hospitals.
Shifting on the bed he felt the thick infirmary sheet under his fingers and an IV tugged at his arm. There was an open-style wardrobe up against the wall and he could see a fresh trainee uniform plus a bin with his personal belongings. His bracers were sticking out of the top of the bin and he assumed his ring was in there too since it wasn’t on his finger.
His ribs ached in a deep, tender way as he moved. It was the only place he noticed any remnants of the fight.
Right. Connor.
The last moments before blacking out drifted back in pieces. Connor’s wild, frustrated eyes. The ground rushing up to meet him. He couldn’t really remember the last blow, only that he had formed that mallet out of the mana. He was pretty sure his punch had landed. He remembered the force of Connor’s gauntlet hitting him in the chest. But how did it end?
Alex sighed again, softer. Well, that could have gone better.
He looked around but there was no sign of Connor.
Footsteps padded in from the hallway, quick, almost at a jog. His squad appeared in a cluster at the doorway—Jay leading the way, followed closely by Mel, Sarah, Danny, and Rae. They wore matching looks of relief.
“You’re awake!” Mel said. She swept in, braid bouncing, and reached a hand out towards him. He instinctively covered his sore ribs, but she poked him in the shoulder. “You scared the crap out of us.”
Jay crossed his arms and gave Alex a mock-stern look. “Dude. You can’t just almost die like that. It’s Sunday morning and we have stuff to do.”
“It was Saturday night,” Mel said. “And he didn’t ‘almost die’. He’s fine.” She eyed him. “You are fine, right?”
“Still deciding,” Alex croaked, then tried, but failed to clear his throat. “Water?”
Danny passed him a cup instantly. “What happened, man? We heard three different stories. All of them started with Connor. One of the guards thought he stabbed you—which obviously isn’t true; We asked when we were here earlier. Nobody seems to know what actually happened, but you have the entire village talking about it anyway.”
Rae stepped forward, quieter than the rest. “They made us leave. Earlier. We were told to let you rest.”
“Yeah, but we skipped the Dominator’s obstacle course class so we could come see you again,” Mel said.
Alex smiled tiredly. Their presence was a weird comfort for someone who generally preferred to be alone. “I’m okay. Really.”
“Great,” Jay said with a scowl. “So now you can explain why you and Connor decided to have a boss fight without inviting the rest of us.”
Alex hesitated.
Not because he wanted to hide anything, but because he needed to figure out the framing. Or maybe just the right words. Part of him was getting angry just thinking about the stupidity of the fight. Another part of him just didn’t want to throw any more fuel on the “Connor is a jerk” bonfire. He’d much rather just move forward and ignore the whole thing. Unfortunately Connor probably wasn’t going to make that possible.
“I was down by the lake,” Alex said slowly. “Just clearing my head. Connor showed up. He… wanted to talk.”
“Is that what you call it?” Rae muttered.
“It started that way,” Alex went on. “I think… I think I at least get him a little better. No excuse for his behaviour, but I think he’s under a lot of pressure. Like, a lot of it. Between parents and producers, I think he came into this program expecting to be the top dog, and still feels like that is where he has to be. Right or wrong.”
“Right,” Jay said, pointing down at his hands, “poor Conner. But if that’s it then why are you making fists?”
Alex took a deep breath and tried to relax. He couldn’t quite do it though. He didn’t like fighting. Confrontation made him anxious. But it really wasn’t fair that Connor was taking his shit out on him.
Danny frowned. “It’s not…” He trailed off, looking for the right word. “It’s not right to take out your issues on someone else just because you can.”
“No,” Alex said, “It’s not. But I don’t really know what to do about it other than ignore him.”
Danny leaned forward. “He attacked you. The ANIP system caught everything and we saw the playback, or at least the little bit of the fight that was leaked. The instructors are pissed. Reach stormed in here this morning, while we were checking on you and pulled Connor out of his bed over there.”
Rae laughed. “That was funny actually. Reach marched him out in his hospital gown. He didn’t even let him get changed first.”
Mel nodded but with a serious look on her face. “Connor attacked you and he’s going to pay for it, so don’t defend him.”
“Oh, I’m not defending him,” Alex said. “I guess I’m just trying to understand him. I don’t know how else to deal with him.”
The group fell quiet.
Alex took a slow inhale, grounding himself, then continued. “I don’t like fighting, or confrontation much. But I’ve always tried to avoid holding grudges. If I let every angry person live in my head rent-free, I’d be a very crowded building. Connor’s got problems he needs to figure out, but they aren’t my problems and I won’t let them be.”
Sarah shook her head in wonder. “That’s pretty zen for a guy who got knocked out 8 hours ago. What’s your secret, guru Alex?”
“Practice,” Alex said dryly. “Also mild concussion symptoms.”
That earned a laugh, but the tension didn’t fade entirely and Jay asked, “So you’re just going to forgive him?”
Alex shook his head. “No. I didn’t say anything about forgiveness. The guys an ass. I just don’t really want to dwell on it I guess.”
Mel made a face like she wanted to argue, then sighed. “Fine. But if he so much as breathes weirdly at you, or any of us, again…” The words came out more and more strangled until she finally just trailed off, scowling into the distance.
“Noted,” Alex said and gently patted her on the arm. “I’m not going to hesitate next time. But we’re going to have to train harder. The guy might be a tool, but he’s tough to beat. I’m not sure I actually won the fight last night.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Next time? I’ll be surprised if the show even lets him stay after this,” Sarah said.
“Do you think he’s going to be there today? At the Forest Challenge, I mean?” Danny asked.
“If they’re not kicking him out, he’ll be there. But I don’t know. Up until now the instructors have mostly seen his ‘Mr. Perfect’ side, so they may give him a stern talking to and a pass,” Sarah answered.
“He’s been all over Alex in weapons training,” Rae said.
“Yeah, but Sir Bill,” Sarah said, dripping the instructor's name with a little extra sarcasm, “is basically oblivious to everything that isn’t some form of ancient weapon technique.”
Rae just shrugged noncommittally.
The door hissed open again, and Nurse Halden poked her head in. “Mercer, good, you’re up.”
Everyone parted, allowing the nurse to step up to the bed. She held up a finger for Alex to follow with his eyes and watched the movement before saying, “Your scans all look clear. No fractures. Mild bruising, especially on your ribs, and dehydration. So, maybe consider drinking more fluids. You should be good for now—we’ve been pumping them into you all night.” She pulled the piece of medical tape off his IV as she talked and gently removed the needle from his arm.
Alex thanked her and slowly eased off the bed when she gestured him forward. His legs protested, but held.
“The Forest Challenge starts in 90 minutes,” Sarah said. “Better hit the showers and get some food.”
~~~~~~~~~~
The path into the forest was narrower than Alex expected. Really, it looked less like a path and more like the company had simply taken over an existing small game trail.
Branches overhead wove together like netting, filtering the morning light into thin gold strips across the moss and ferns on either side of the trail. The smell of rich soil and rot filled the damp air.
Alex walked with his team in a loose line. He had his staff across his back, bracers snug on his forearms, and his HUD flickering softly at the corner of his vision. He looked at it and saw that it was pretty warm still, considering it was October. The temperature was displayed in both Celsius and Fahrenheit: 26/79 degrees.
“Hey, are the months the same here?” he asked no one in particular. Jay, who was walking beside him, just shrugged.
Ahead, Reach and Vance discussed something in low tones. Behind them walked the upper-year liaisons assigned to their teams for the Forest Challenge—Marcus and Hiro for Alex’s squad, Kieran and a tall, easy-going girl named Laina for Connor’s.
Connor himself walked at the head of his team, immediately behind the instructors and in front of Class A. He walked with his shoulders squared and his pace was either stiff or determined. He didn’t look back. He hadn’t acknowledged Alex at all when they first gathered to head out. He was a rigid silhouette moving through trees.
Jay leaned toward Alex. “He hasn’t said anything to anybody since we left the village.”
“What’s he going to say?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know… ‘Sorry’ maybe?” Jay whispered, “you guys went full anime rivalry last night.”
Mel, walking on his other side, said, “I can’t believe he’s even here. Are we going to need to keep our eyes open?”
“I doubt it,” Sarah said over her shoulder, but her brows were knit in obvious concern. “If he’s here then he had a hell of a talking-to and agreed to something. Whatever it is, I’ll bet he’s walking on thin ice right now. He’ll be fine for today I think.”
“Famous last words…” Mel didn’t look convinced, but she let it go as they filed out into a small clearing that could hold them all.
Reach was standing in the middle of the glade. He raised one hand to get everyone’s attention and said, “All right, listen up! First stage rules apply as briefed: you’re moving as a single cohort until we reach Checkpoint One. Cameras are live and recording, so if you’re planning on vomiting, do it off-screen. Saves us editing.”
The upper years all laughed and Kieran turned around and gave them all a thumbs-up.
“We will not interfere unless your lives are genuinely at risk, which shouldn’t be an issue,” Reach continued. “Teamwork matters. Coordination matters. And, whatever happened last night” he said, looking from Connor to Alex and back again, “will not cause us any problems today, or I will personally throw you both in the lake. Head first.”
Connor stiffened. Alex resisted the urge to shrink. He had only defended himself—it wasn’t fair to get lumped in with Connor like that.
Vance spoke next, voice echoing through the forest like a distant storm. “This challenge is meant to test your planning, adaptability, communication, field planning and team cohesion. And of course, all those combat skills you’ve picked up since you started. This is your big debut episode and the world will be watching…”
“Next Tuesday at 8 pm!” Kieran interjected.
Vance shot him a look before continuing. “You are representing not just yourselves, but your teams, your instructors, and Dungeon Inc. as a whole. Don’t make us regret the time we’ve spent on you.”
“Pfft. The only time she spent on us was to yell at us every time we did a lap on the track,” Mel said.
They continued forward, entering the forest once more.
The path wound between thick roots, stone outcroppings that reminded Alex a little of Northern Ontario, and strange dark ferns that waved about in the light breeze. Alex felt the energy shift around the group—nervous excitement and competitive tension.
He thought back to Connor’s cracked voice the night before. The words spat out through clenched teeth: I was supposed to be the best. I have to be. You ruined everything just by being here, Mercer. He was an angry person, but underneath that anger? It was all fear and desperation.
Alex didn’t excuse his behaviour. He wouldn’t forgive it, but he thought he understood it. That didn’t mean he wasn’t still pissed though.
It didn’t matter what Connor thought ultimately though. Alex had no intention of backing off just to make Connor’s life easier. Alex was here to win, just like everyone else. Even if he had to bust his ass to be the best adventurer on the show. And Connor could go suck rocks if he didn’t like it.
After another 15 minutes or so, they reached a treeless rise in the terrain and paused. From the ridge, Alex saw the stretch of the forest laid out before them—layers of green, gold and darker shadow. The challenge waited out there. Their first trial. Their first televised episode. Behind them he could just make out the smoke that rose over Alpha Base in the distance.
Reach lifted a hand. “Welcome to Checkpoint One. From here your teams will split up. Class A, you will descend the hill following the trail to your left and enter the forest where you see the blue flag tied to the trees. Class B, same drill, but you are following the path to the right, down the north side of the ridge.”
Jay cracked his knuckles. “This is it. Capture the Flag begins.”
“Try not to pull anything Class B,” Mel yelled over at the other team.
Danny adjusted his bow. Sarah and Rae checked and adjusted their blades. Mel strummed a few notes on her harp as she continued glaring over at the other team. Jay just stood there at the edge of the ridge, battle axe in hand, staring down at the forest.
When the time came, they would race down the hillside and head back into the forest as quickly as possible. This was the plan they had been discussing all week. Move at a jog and get to the flag first. Until they saw what they were up against, they couldn’t really make a plan other than that, so getting to the flag first was critical.
Alex stretched his neck to the side, releasing a loud pop. Ahead lay the challenge. He smiled. Connor could go to hell for all he cared. From here out he was going to focus on himself and what he could do to secure this victory for his team.
One of the trainers blew a whistle. The sharp blast surprising Alex out of his thoughts. He looked over and saw Team B starting off at a trot.
“Okay, Side Quest Heroes, how about we beat them to the flag?” His team cheered and they left the ridge at a run.
***
I was trained to believe that a plant is either pharmacologically active or it isn’t. You isolate the compound, test the dose, chart the side effects, and then move on to the next test sample. That framework held up reasonably well on Earth. It holds up poorly here.
Mei says the mistake is thinking the plant is the medicine.
What I have learned—slowly, and through much correction—is that nearly all flora on this continent is metabolically active in ways we never had to account for back home. Mana saturation changes baseline expectations. What plants can do, and be used for, is so widely varied that I can’t help but feel like it has all been planned out by somebody.
It does make study difficult though as even individual plants will carry different active compounds depending on what phase they are in their growth, or whether they were harvested beneath a full moon, or whether they were prepared in the correct way. None of which would be scientifically acceptable back on Earth.
But here? Poultices just seem to “work differently” on certain people, teas lose potency if prepared by the wrong hands, treatments fail entirely when replicated without the correct breathing patterns or intent. Intent, frustratingly, turns out to be a real variable here although I’m still trying to understand why and how.
The most useful correction Mei gave me was this: stop asking what a plant does and start asking what it wants to do. Once framed that way, outcomes become more predictable and yes, I do know that my university professors would cringe at that sentence.
My nanomedical toolkit still outperforms local methods in acute trauma. There’s no contest there. But recovery times improve measurably when mana-active herbal adjuncts are used in parallel. Inflammation resolves faster. Scar tissue organizes better. Patients regain stamina and return to active health sooner.
I no longer document local flora as curiosities. I document them as colleagues—temperamental, situational, and occasionally brilliant.
Mei finds this obvious. I find it humbling.
The private medical journal of Dr. Caleb Holt, M.D.
? Featured Web Novel ?
Hordes of Tartarus [Isekai / LitRPG]
LitRPG Isekai Progression Mythos Action
Vincent washes up on an Ancient Greek island under attack after a drunk selfie gone wrong. To survive, he must fight mythical creatures, level up fast, and upgrade the hamlet’s defenses before the next wave of horrors is unleashed upon the islanders.
But holding the line isn’t enough. Vincent must also complete quests, clear dungeons, and learn new skills if he wants to stand a chance against the escalating threats.
Beyond the island, the Titans have escaped Tartarus and wage war against the Gods who once enchained them. Gates to the Underworld rupture across the lands, unleashing horrors meant to wipe out humankind. And rumors say the Gods are losing.
Can Vincent, through increasingly brutal foes, unpredictable bosses, and precarious bonds with the islanders, emerge victorious against the Hordes of Tartarus?
What to Expect
Quests Kingdom Building Mythic Beasts Epic Worldbuilding
- Weak-to-Strong progression with skills, loot, and leveling
- Greek mythos with heroes, monsters, dungeons, bosses, and escalating challenges
- Island defense and strategic kingdom-building
- Evolving alliances and personal bonds that shape the journey
- Worldbuilding depth with Gods, Titans, and consistent action-driven adventure
DON'T FORGET: Drop a rating or a comment! Pretty please!