The group settled in the barn for the time being. They were fortunate that one of the stalls was unoccupied and had been recently cleaned. Even though they had a clean area to stay in, that did not prevent the stench of animals and manure from hitting them.

  “I can’t believe we have to stay in a barn,” Josh said with frustration. “Fighting bandits is one thing, but this stench is a whole other. I don’t know how long I can stand this.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Austin sighed. “I’m sure we won’t have to stay here long.”

  “I hope not,” Josh grumbled. “Sean, do you see anything?”

  Once the group settled in the barn, Sean immediately created several birds made of water to patrol the area. As the birds flew around the farm, Sean’s eyes were closed. While the birds could report back to him, if he closed his eyes and focused on them, then he could see through them.

  “Nothing yet,” Sean said as he opened one of his eyes with an annoyed expression. “I’ll let you know when I see anything. Otherwise, I need to concentrate.”

  “Right, sorry,” Josh apologized. “Just let us know, I’m ready to get out of here.”

  “I will,” Sean said flatly before he closed his eyes once more.

  “I guess we'll just sit around until then?” Josh asked the rest of the group. “I wish that old man had been more welcoming.”

  “I can’t blame him. We are strangers entering his land. He should be wary of us,” Maya responded. “We also don’t have to sit around. We can meditate and work on our Essence.”

  “Ugh, I guess you are right,” Josh groaned. “Meditation just feels so tedious.”

  “If you slack, you’ll fall behind everyone,” Austin said. “Have you been keeping up with daily meditation?”

  “Depends on your definition of daily,” Josh said nervously, scratching the back of his head.

  “There is only one definition,” Austin said as he rolled his eyes.

  “Then not really, I do it like every two days,” Josh replied.

  “You need to work on a daily schedule. You are one of the few people I truly trust. Because of that, I need you to be as strong as you can be, too,” Austin said.

  “Fine, I guess you’re right,” Josh said. “I just find it really boring.”

  “Not everything is going to be exciting,” Austin said. “Now, get started on some meditation while we wait.”

  Josh sighed but relented to Austin’s request. He moved to sit in a corner of the stall and closed his eyes. Even though Austin suggested they meditate, he did not. He figured it would be a bad idea for them all to have their eyes closed in meditation. So, he allowed Josh to meditate because he needed it way more than Austin did.

  “Not gonna meditate?” Maya asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Austin said. “You can if you want, but I figured it might be a good idea for one of us to watch over this area. I know Sean is watching over, but it just would make me feel more comfortable.”

  “I understand,” Maya nodded. “You want to make sure our immediate surroundings are okay.”

  “Yeah, I guess just worry like that,” Austin said with a nervous smile.

  “I understand,” Maya said before she kissed Austin on the cheek. “It’s just who you are. Since you are watching over, I’ll meditate for the time being.”

  Quiet came over the barn as Maya and Josh meditated. Many of the farm animals were asleep for the day, and Austin was left with the quiet of the night. As he sat in the quiet, Austin used his Essence to observe the surrounding area. His observation skills had improved so much that he could perceive things that did not have Essence. They showed in his sight as smaller than beings with Essence, but he still could see them. His observation extended from himself like a bubble. He first saw Maya, Sean, and Josh as flames of Essence. Then, as the bubble passed through the animals, he saw them as tiny flickers of light. Eventually, the bubble extended to surround the collection of buildings. The many family members of the house each showed as tiny flickers. He could even see the trace of the smallest animal as he extended his sight. He was happy to see that there did not seem to be anything odd as he observed the area, but he still felt the need to continue his observation. Sean could handle the long-distance sight, while Austin would handle the immediate vicinity.

  Austin started to notice movement from the family’s house. Someone had left the house and moved towards the barn. Austin assumed it was Jacob checking on them, but then he heard the footsteps as the person entered the barn. They were light and soft, as if they carried little weight.

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  Austin opened his eyes as an elementary-aged boy peered into the stall. The boy had curly brown hair, and his eyes were wide as he looked over the group. The boy quickly hid when he noticed that Austin saw him.

  “I won’t bite, you can come out,” Austin called to the boy.

  The boy peeked his head up over the stall’s door and looked over Austin. “You look like a regular guy.”

  “I mean, I am,” Austin chuckled. “What did you expect?”

  “Well dad said that you were a group of heroes. So, I expected you to be really big and muscley,” the boy said. “You don’t look much different from my dad.”

  “Well, does your dad look after you and make sure you are safe and healthy?” Austin asked the boy.

  The boy paused for a moment in thought before he responded. “Yeah, I guess he does do that.”

  “Well, he is a hero. A hero does not just fight bad guys,” Austin said. “They do what is best for the people around them. So, a hero can look like anything.”

  “I guess that makes sense,” the boy nodded. “But you are supposed to beat up the bad guys, right? Some of them are bigger than you.”

  “Trust me, you don’t have to worry about their size,” Austin chuckled. “I have beaten things bigger than myself.”

  “Whatever you say,” the boy shrugged. “I’m not sure if I believe it.”

  “You don’t have to believe me. You’ll see when I fight them off,” Austin said. “Now, are you supposed to be out here? I’m sure your grandpa wouldn’t like you talking to me.”

  “Shhh,” the boy looked at Austin mischievously. “I snuck out. No one is supposed to know.”

  “Get back to your house before they find out,” Austin suggested. “I don’t want your grandpa to get mad at me.”

  “Fine,” the boy huffed. “Before I do…are you sure you can handle the bad guys? They have been causing a lot of trouble for my grandpa. I want them gone.”

  “You can trust me. I’ll handle them,” Austin nodded with a grin. “I promise.”

  “You better not break it,” the boy said intently as he turned to run back to the house. “If you do, well…I’ll do something to you!”

  Austin chuckled to himself as he watched the boy run out of the barn. He could not be sure what was real in the tower, but he still felt affirmed in his goal to protect the family. The boy made Austin think of what Elliot could be like when he got a little older. The boy had the same energy that he saw in Elliot, and he had this strong desire to do good. Austin hoped that Elliot would have that same desire in the future.

  The quiet of the barn left Austin alone with his thoughts. After his encounter with the boy, he could really only think of Elliot. When the Survival Game started, Austin was worried about their survival, but he also felt like it was a chance to reconnect with his family. His office job had taken up so much of his life that the change was almost welcome to Austin. Now that they were back on Earth, Austin felt that he was in a similar situation to before the Survival Game. He started to wonder if it would be better to let Natasha lead the town. She did not have the burden of family like Austin, and then Austin could spend more time with Elliot. Austin decided that he would find time to talk to the others about it.

  “Typical,” Sean’s annoyed voice broke the silence as he opened his eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Austin asked.

  “They are moving in from the west,” Sean said. “Cowards waited until nightfall to move in.”

  “They prey on the weak,” Austin shrugged. “I wouldn’t expect any different.”

  “Fair enough. It is still deplorable,” Sean said. “You ready to move out?”

  “Of course,” Austin said. “Let’s finish this trial and move on to the next.”

  The pair woke Maya and Josh from their meditation. Everyone gathered their gear, and Maya and Josh readied their weapons. Over the past few months, the pair had grown very acquainted with their weapons and made them into an integral part of the way they fought. As the group moved out from the barn, Austin summoned his shield in a flash of silver light and water gathered in Josh’s hand until it formed a transparent blue katana.

  The group moved through the darkness of night to intercept the bandits. The only light that pierced through the darkness was the moonlight from the half moon. Luckily, they were all at least Coppers and had enhanced vision. Austin still made note of the deep darkness and wondered what the bandits’ capabilities were to move in it.

  The area they moved through was a forest, unlike the thick field of corn that the group arrived in. The bandits probably came from that direction, so they were not slowed down. That also meant that Austin and his group were not slowed down. With the pace they moved at, they could easily intercept the bandits before they made it to the farm.

  Austin was the first to see the group of bandits. As he saw them, he quickly expanded his Essence to see how strong they were and to try to ascertain their numbers. There were six of them in total, and they were all Copper level. Five of them were on the lower end of Copper, while the sixth was roughly in the middle of Copper. Austin felt relief at this realization because even with their numbers, they were all weaker than Austin’s group.

  “Sean and Josh, wait for my signal and move in,” Austin ordered the group. “Maya, follow me closely. I’ll start the attack, and you follow up.”

  Sean and Josh quickly skidded to a halt at Austin’s order, while Maya and Austin continued running in the direction of the bandits. As they ran, Maya started to activate her technique. Auburn fur grew across her body as her teeth and nails sharpened.

  Austin started to fully make out the group. The six men were dressed in leather and wielded axes and swords. Austin quickly identified the strongest of the group, a man with brown hair pulled back into a wild ponytail. He carried a colossal sword that any ordinary person would have trouble swinging. Of course, Essence use made someone way different than ordinary.

  With the strongest bandit in his sights, Austin reeled back his shield arm. Then, with a burst of Essence, he sent the shield flying into the bandit. The shield rushed as a silver blur until the loud noise of metal hitting metal was released. The bandit swung his massive sword with ease and stopped the shield’s trajectory. As the shield was sent flying away, Austin pulled it back to him.

  Maya quickly ran in front of Austin as the shield flew back to him. Her arms were outstretched as she readied her axe, easily carrying the large weapon with one arm. Josh and Sean quickly moved into action at Austin’s attack as well. Gales of wind blew past Austin with large birds of water following. The battle was now on.