The other three newbies fell silent, glancing around. Amber was specifically focused on the group of people next to them who were chatting with each other as they dove into their slop first. Amber watched them, waiting, then picked up her spoon and shoveled a small bite onto it. She took a nibble, her nose crinkling. She swallowed, then sighed and took a bigger bite.

  “Maybe there’s a perfectly logical reason there’s fewer people,” Fang said. “When the start of the apocalypse happened, they needed to have more housing for everyone.”

  Richard said nothing, feeling a pull in his stomach. If he knew the afterlife comprised moving to a different planet to help with an apocalypse, he’d certainly find that odd. He wanted to help this planet, because if all these demonic creatures hit Earth, he would hope someone would help. But was he the kind of person who could kill a Mog if necessary? Perhaps. If it was trying to kill him first.

  The door opened, and it took Richard a moment before he recognized Elias. Richard fought the instinct to hide behind Fang, even though that was ridiculous. As far as Elias knew, they never met. And in Richard’s opinion, he wanted to see how long he could push back that meeting.

  A man strode forward with barely contained rage in his blue eyes. He had light brown hair cut almost to the scalp. The newbie table wasn’t the only one that had fallen silent. The dull roar of the mess hall dimmed considerably as the man approached Elias. Elias had an almost bored expression as the man started hissing at him. The bored expression turned into a hint of a smirk before Elias started whispering back. This was clearly a personal conversation, and the man touched Elias’s elbow as though to take him outside to continue the conversation, but Elias shoved his hand away, the bored expression turning far more smug.

  The door opened, and Dmitri rushed in. “Alright, you two. Enough.” Dmitri seemed to speak for everyone else, too, because the mess hall’s volume picked up again. Despite the clear sign everyone needed to go back to their business, Richard couldn’t tear his gaze away. Dmitri moved toward the man and Elias, placing a hand on both their shoulders as he tried to steer them out of the mess hall. Elias again shoved Dmitri’s hand off his shoulder as the man glared daggers.

  “Hey.”

  The voice was so sudden that Richard jumped. The four of them turned to see the changeling guy Richard had seen earlier.

  “I’m Otrin. Been here about a year. You’re all newbies, right?” Otrin asked. Everyone at the table gave a hesitant nod. “Let me tell you something I wished I knew when I was in your shoes.” Otrin raised four fingers. “The four classes’ survivability rate. Farmers have the longest, with most of them living here a good ten years. We had someone who’d been here almost twenty years before he passed away six months ago. The next class to survive the longest is the ones that have specialized gifts, like healing and potions. Their average life is about seven or eight years. Since a guard’s job is to protect everyone, they would clearly have a shorter life span, with most of them living on average about four or five years.

  “Scavengers, though. They get a year or two, tops. And if you’re on a mission led by that son of a bitch—” Otrin raised a finger to point at Elias “—you have perhaps a year. Maybe less.”

  Everyone turned to stare at Elias, who still wore a bored expression.

  “Why don’t they do anything about it?” Amber asked.

  “Because they can’t prove it. Elias tells everyone they weren’t strong enough. But most of us know it’s because any witness that can prove he abandoned them in dangerous situations is dead.”

  It was a good thing Richard finished eating, because he found his appetite quite gone. Amber and Leylah’s eyes were wide, and Fang gave Elias a glare of his own.

  “What if someone can prove Elias kills the people he’s with?” Richard blurted out before he could stop himself.

  Otrin chuckled. “Not going to happen. But I pray to Order that someone here get’s a gift for speaking to spirits. Then again, we’ve already died. Perhaps this is the only afterlife we’re given.”

  Otrin slapped Richard on the back like he hadn’t just dropped an existential crisis on them all. “Choose your classes carefully.” The changeling then walked away.

  Silence returned to the table, and Richard did everything in his power to keep himself from squirming. It was odd to realize how much he hated silence. Hated sitting among people lost in their own dark thoughts without saying something. Was this part of his personality on Earth?

  With everyone eating, Richard picked up on a pattern. The clothing these people wore gave a clue to their class. The people he guessed were farmers wore heavy-duty clothes, like overalls and long-sleeved shirts. Some of the other members wore heavy armor that covered them almost from head to toe. Those must be the guard class that needed to protect themselves. The scavengers had long coats, almost like trench coats. They each had gloves and a sort of lighter armor protecting their torsos. No doubt to make it easier for stealth missions. Once he saw the similar outfits, he couldn’t help but see that everyone was grouped into their own class, talking amongst themselves.

  Judging by their clothes, Richard deduced that the man and Elias were both scavengers. Dmitri had successfully taken the man and Elias out of the mess hall, and the volume was now back to normal. Silence remained at Richard’s table, though. He was finished with his meal, but he didn’t know what to do with the plate.

  Long after everyone finished and sat in a soul-eating silence, Dmitri opened the door again and smiled at Richard and his table. He walked over, sliding next to Leylah. “Hey, you four. How was dinner?”

  “Good.” Richard tried to pretend that they hadn’t sat in silence for the last five minutes and instead had a jovial conversation about the deliciousness of the meal. “We have to ask, though. That… uh… darker colored…” Somehow, Richard saying the word fertilizer colored slop didn’t feel like a nice thing to say to the guy who was in charge of base two.

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  “Protein slurry,” Dmitri said.

  Richard glanced at Amber. Was that a nicer word instead of slop?

  “There are no animals here that you’d want to eat. Believe me. And we couldn’t get enough protein from plants to meet demand.” Dmitri brushed his finger against the liquid left on Leylah’s plate and licked it. “But we’ve figured out a way to give ourselves the nutrients we need to keep going. To keep our bodies surviving. It was only five years ago that Amrynn figured out how to make it taste like meat. You’ll understand the blessing it is if you become a guard or a scavenger. They have protein paste for those who are traveling out. You’ll come to appreciate the slurry.” Dmitri knocked his knuckles against the table. “Alright, newbies. If you’re done, I’ve got the four leaders of each class just outside the mess hall for you all to meet. Ready?”

  Richard had no desire to continue eating after Otrin talked to them about Elias. He knew Elias’s character. That man had no issue killing Richard. But how could he possibly tell Dmitri this? Despite all the magical things he witnessed in his short time here, Dmitri and Lucy had reacted negatively to his knowledge of his last name.

  Richard got up with everyone else, dumping his tray in the kitchen area before following Dmitri and the others out of the mess hall. Four people stood on the dirt road leading to the gate. Richard was surprised to know two of them already. Amrynn stood next to Elwyndor, talking in a breezy manner. They looked far more relaxed than the two men, who were talking to each other in short, clipped words. Of the two men, he recognized only one as the man who had shared angry but quiet words with Elias in the mess hall. This man must be the leader of the scavengers. The other man had his arms folded, with blonde hair and brown eyes. When the folding arms guy noticed Richard’s group coming over, he gently nudged the scavenger leader in the elbow and the two of them stopped talking. All of them turned, trying to smile. Richard took that as their being willing to hide things from the newcomers.

  “Welcome. It’s nice to see a good bunch of you,” the scavenger leader said. Despite the memory of the barely contained rage on the man’s face at dinner, he seemed almost pleasant. In any other setting, it would have been fine. For a leader who, according to Otrin, wouldn’t last a year, it was strange. Yet Richard found something comforting in it. He was scared his personality would take a huge shift, but perhaps this man would prove that it wouldn’t be the case.

  “These leaders are not chosen because they’re the ones who have been here the longest. They’re chosen because they have the best qualities of leadership,” Dmitri said. Richard wondered why Dmitri said it that way before he realized that, judging by everyone’s reaction of Elias, no one would want him to be leader. A thought also struck Richard about what would happen if Lucy were the leader of those with specialized gifts.

  Dmitri patted the scavenger leader on the back. “They also know when to get the work done. Every morning after breakfast, you will report here near the orb. A leader or a member of their group will be here to meet you. The day will be separated into four segments so you can study each class every day. It will be on rotation to shake things up.”

  Fang raised his hand. Dmitri nodded to him.

  “What if we don’t want to leave the wall ever?” Fang was staring at the stone wall. “Do we still have to meet with the scavenger and guard leaders?”

  “Yes. I know it seems dangerous, but we’ve never lost a newbie in all the time I’ve been leader.” Dmitri pointed at the two men. “And I trust these leaders with my life.”

  Fang didn’t look convinced. The scavenger leader smiled, taking a step forward. “Fang, is it?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m Marcus. Leader of the scavengers. Tomorrow, when I’ve got you, we won’t be leaving the gates. We’ve found that you get some experience by sitting down and studying books of pressed plants. We’re not leaving these gates until everyone has reached at least level three.”

  “Same with the guards.” The other man waved. “Hi, I’m Jace.” He then pointed to a building. “You’ll be practicing with many weapons in the safety of that building before I let anyone leave the gate.”

  Fang’s shoulders relaxed at this.

  Dmitri smiled at the four newbies. “We’ll be ringing a bell for breakfast. Make sure you wake up for it.” Dmitri clapped his hands before rubbing them. “Alright. I’m going to leave you here to ask questions of the leaders. I’ve got to help Timick set up his telescope and make sure the ceremony is ready for when you get the system.”

  Dmitri left, and Richard couldn’t help but watch the leaders. Amrynn’s smile was pleasant, and Richard realized he was happier to see Amrynn than Lucy. Richard also wondered why Jace wasn’t bigger. The leader of the guards was rather thin. Though he was certain Jace could still jump off a fifty-foot wall and be fine.

  Elwyndor cleared her throat. “Alright, no doubt it’s been a long day. But this is a good chance for you to ask any questions you want.”

  He had been staring at the leaders so long he realized none of them had actually asked a question.

  “Any question we have?” Leylah asked.

  Amrynn nodded. “Whether we answer it is a different matter altogether, but you can ask your question.”

  Despite this open invitation, Richard still wasn’t sure which of his many questions he should ask. Instead, Leylah took the initiative.

  “I… actually have a question. For you.” She looked at Jace. “Um… if I want to be a guard, does it matter if I’m—”

  “A girl?” Jace said, almost bored, as though he’d been asked this a million times.

  “Short?” Leylah asked at the same time.

  A smile crossed Jace’s face. “No. It makes no difference.”

  Leylah studied him with one eye closed. “Really?”

  “Yes, really. The system is the great equalizer. If you get an ability from the skill tree to help your strength, then it will give you the same basic strength that everyone gets. No matter your build, no matter your gender.” Jace gestured at himself, no doubt pointing out his rather skinny frame. “As you can clearly see. Not only that, but Order’s gift always gives you something extra for the team. She will respect the class you chose, and will give you something that can only help us fight in the apocalypse.”

  Richard raised his hand. “So… I don’t know quite how to say this…”

  “Do your best,” Marcus said.

  “Isn’t… can’t there possibly be a way to… stop? Stop the apocalypse?”

  “Yes,” Marcus said. “By working together as a team. Not just in your own separate classes, but as a base camp. There are rumors of portals deep in the forest, and if we can explore more of it, then we can end this. We’re in a rough patch right now because—” Marcus’s voice faltered, but he pushed forward, “—because we’ve been losing some people lately. But I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to end the apocalypse on their own. Or that they have to stress about what class is the best for the company instead of what you’re truly interested in. It’ll take all of us to end the apocalypse, and it’s best if you’re in the class you’re most comfortable in.”

  It was such an easy smile that came to Marcus’ face. The other three leaders nodded, and that agreement made all the stress in Richard melt away. It was wild how Marcus could pick up on the insecurities Richard didn’t express out loud and put him at ease.

  Dmitri walked back with a huge smile on his face. “Timick was practically finished when I walked over there.” He turned toward Richard and his group, beaming. “Alright, my friends. Let’s show you your planet of origin and get this welcome ceremony underway.”