"Thank you. I run straight ahead. Can you flank whatever that is?"

  Michael nodded again and sprinted left into the shadows.

  Ben accelerated through the trees. Moments later, he burst into a small clearing—and saw the source of the commotion.

  A young couple—barely in their twenties—was cornered by two large wolves. The man sat slumped against a tree, clutching a bleeding arm wound. The woman stood in front of him, waving a thin walking stick in desperation. She was exhausted, her clothes torn—barely holding the wolves at bay.

  Ben didn’t hesitate. He charged in with a roar, drawing the wolves’ attention. They turned, abandoning their prey and moving to flank him.

  Thinking fast, Ben sprinted toward the smaller wolf, creating distance from the larger one. The smaller wolf crouched, ready to spring.

  Ben didn’t wait—he charged head-on and swung his axe at its head. The wolf leapt sideways, evading the blow.

  Ben pressed the attack, stepping in and landing a heavy cut along the wolf’s side.

  He sensed—rather than heard—the larger wolf approaching fast from behind. He ducked and spun, but the wolf was already mid-leap.

  At that moment, Michael appeared from behind a tree and struck the wolf hard in the neck with a bare-handed punch. The blow wasn’t fatal, but it disrupted the wolf’s leap—giving Ben the opening he needed.

  He swung down with an overhead chop, nearly severing the wolf’s head in one blow.

  Spinning back, Ben prepared to face the smaller wolf again—only to see it retreating, limping and panicked, into the darkness.

  Breathing hard, Ben looked at Michael. "Thank you."

  Michael nodded once, eyes already scanning the woods for further threats.

  Ben exhaled—and turned to check on the wounded couple.

  “Oh, thank God—thank you for helping us. I thought we were done for.” The young woman’s voice shook as she looked between Ben, Michael, her partner, and the dark forest around them.

  “Those wolves had been chasing us for miles. We were just camping, you know? Just having a good time. And then this system message appeared, and we were stuck out here in the middle of the forest. I’m sorry, I’m rambling. I’m Liz, by the way. Zack—are you okay?”

  Her head whipped around again, checking her injured companion and scanning the woods for more threats.

  Ben approached calmly. “Hi, I’m Ben, and this is Michael.” He knelt beside the wounded stranger. “Anything I can do?”

  “No, it’s alright,” Zack said through gritted teeth as he finished fashioning a strip of his torn pants into a makeshift bandage.

  “Thank you, though—both of you. Like Liz said, the wolves had been after us for a while. But when we got the message about finally entering the Protectorate, they seemed to go wild.”

  “Yes,” Liz added quickly. “We’d been looking for the Protectorate all day and thought we’d be safe once we reached it. Apparently not. Do you know anything about it?”

  Her eyes searched Ben’s face, hopeful but wary.

  “I do know a bit about the Protectorate, yes,” Ben replied, voice steady. He gestured behind him. “It’s just over there. We’re a small settlement right now.”

  Then he frowned slightly. “But I’m curious—what exactly did your message say?”

  “About half a day ago,” Liz explained, “we got a message with a high-level map. It showed the ‘Protectorate of the Blue Mountain Forest’ and marked its location. Not much else, but it sounded like a safe zone, so we came here.”

  Ben’s mind was already racing. Are the systems pushing people toward us? Another new wrinkle to figure out.

  “Interesting,” he said aloud. “In any case, let’s get you under a roof so you can rest. Zack—can you walk?”

  Zack nodded grimly. With Liz’s help, he rose to his feet, wincing but steady enough to move. The three of them started the slow walk back toward the settlement, Michael taking the rear, eyes constantly scanning the forest.

  When they emerged into the clearing, the couple stopped and stared.

  “Wow. You’ve got a wall—and a whole little village in the middle of the forest,” Liz said, wide-eyed.

  “It looks like a fantasy setting. Do you know anything about what’s happening? About the system? Have you been here long?”

  Now that safety was in sight, the stress of their ordeal seemed to be catching up with her, words spilling out in a rush.

  Ben offered a reassuring smile. “Yes, we’ve been here a long time. This used to be a woodcutters' camp. The wall is new.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Let’s get inside first. We’ll figure things out together once you’ve had some rest.”

  At the gate, Adam greeted them and quickly ushered the newcomers inside. Within minutes, the couple had been settled into the office building with a pair of cots where they could rest for the remainder of the night.

  The next morning, Liz found Ben at breakfast. “I just wanted to thank you again—and apologize for last night. I think I was just at my wit’s end. Now, with some food and shelter—and after talking to our parents this morning—I feel so much better. Truly, thank you.”

  “No worries,” Ben said warmly. “And no need to apologize. This is all new and crazy for all of us. I’m just glad you made it here.”

  He paused for a moment, then added: “We’ll likely be making a trip to town in the next couple of days. You’re of course free to move on, but you’re also welcome to stay and travel with us. Entirely your choice.”

  “Thank you,” Liz said sincerely. “I’ll discuss it with Zack—but most likely, we’ll go with you.”

  ***

  A short while later, Ben was sitting with Adam and his mother in the office.

  "Excellent—time to work through a couple of things," he began. "Adam, do you want to start with the settlement interface?"

  "Sure, happy to." Adam leaned forward, clearly energized. "The good news is it looks like we can get almost anything you'd expect in a proper settlement through the interface. We already have the wall in place under Defense. There are upgrade options there, but some of them are locked behind higher settlement levels."

  "Sounds about right," Ben nodded.

  "But maybe even more interesting," Adam continued, "in the General section, there are categories for Housing, Crafting, Learning... even Transportation, though that one is currently empty. I assume we’ll need to hit higher levels before that unlocks."

  He glanced between them. "Three things seem most relevant for now."

  Ben gestured for him to continue.

  "First, there’s a library. The description is vague—honestly, everything in this interface is a bit vague—but it looks like it comes with books, not just a building. That might help us understand this new world better."

  "That would be incredible," Ben said, leaning forward, eyes alight. "Whether it’s knowledge about our skills, the system, or... well, anything. It could be a real game changer."

  Allison nodded enthusiastically. "Agreed."

  "Second," Adam said, "is Housing. If we want this place to grow, we have to think about where we’ll put people. They can’t all stay in our handful of cottages."

  "Very true," Allison agreed. "Even for our two new guests, we had to set them up in the office. And—side note—two of our team members want to bring family here. Luz wants her sister and nephew to join us, and Damien’s fiancée may come too. Or maybe that’s just Damien wanting her here," she added with a smile.

  Ben smiled. "Understood. I’d be fine with them joining, unless either of you objects. We’ll just need to decide when and how."

  Both nodded their agreement.

  "And third," Adam continued, "there’s something called a System Shop. From what I gather, it’ll let us buy and sell items directly through the system."

  "Wow," Ben said. "That could really accelerate us—at least until our crafters can produce what we need. And even then, it might help supply them."

  "Exactly," Adam said.

  Ben raised a finger. "One other thing, though: I spoke with Barry about helping to train everyone. Not just the dungeon runners, but the watch team and anyone who’s interested. Is there a Dojo or training field available?"

  "There is. The Learning section looks quite extensive, though most options are locked for now. We can purchase a basic training field immediately. A proper Dojo will unlock later."

  Before Ben could ask more, Allison interrupted with a smile. "Adam, I notice you haven’t told us what any of this costs yet. Can we even afford it?"

  Adam grimaced. "Well... it depends."

  Ben laughed. "That’s an accountant answer if I ever heard one."

  "Fair enough," Adam grinned. "We currently have..." He stared off for a moment. "...210 Settlement Credits. No—212. It’s rising. Someone must be killing creatures in our territory right now."

  His tone grew slightly worried.

  "Let me check outside," Ben said, getting to his feet.

  He jogged to the palisade and spotted Simon, a slender long-time team member, patrolling.

  "Hey, Simon—anything happening?"

  Simon nodded in greeting. "No, boss. All quiet."

  "We just noticed something in the interface—creatures are being killed in our zone. Can you ask Jamal and Michael to join you on high alert?"

  "Will do. Should we go outside?"

  "No, not until we know where the threat is coming from. I don’t want to send anyone out blindly."

  Simon nodded and moved off. Ben returned to the office.

  "Nothing yet. But let’s continue while we can."

  Allison nodded, and Adam resumed. "Right. So: the basic library would cost 200 SCs. It’s a discounted item—the base price is apparently 500 SCs. Future upgrades will be more expensive."

  "It’s interesting the system seems to be nudging us in certain directions," Allison said. "But promoting knowledge makes sense."

  Ben nodded. "Agreed. Please continue."

  "Housing: right now, we can get apartment buildings—five units, ten beds—for 150 SCs. Or a slightly larger one with four bed units for 180 SCs."

  "And the System Shop?" Ben asked.

  "It’s even more discounted—50 SCs, down from a base price of 1,000."

  Ben raised his brows. "That’s a steal."

  "And the training field would cost 200 SCs."

  Ben looked to his mother. "Thoughts?"

  "If the system wants us to have something, I’d consider that seriously. And people need proper housing—it’ll make them feel safe."

  "I agree," Ben said. "My gut says we buy the shop first and hold onto some SCs for flexibility—probably grab an apartment building once we know people are coming."

  Adam nodded. "Sounds good. If we’re aligned that apartments are our path for now, I’ll calculate the SCs needed for that and other infrastructure so we’re ready to plan."

  "Perfect," Ben said. "Now—Mom, what’s the current thinking on the dungeon schedule?"

  "We’re fine. I’ve got a list of volunteers who want to clear the rat dungeon—almost the whole camp," she smiled. "I’ve scheduled runs every other day to avoid burnout and allow time for other duties. Barry, Jamal, and Michael want to tackle the wilderness dungeon on their own. I’ll run it too, though not immediately."

  "Great," Ben said. "It’s nerve-wracking, but I love how eager people are to grow."

  He picked up a piece of paper. "Last thing—Protectorate values. I wanted your input."

  He read aloud:

  Community – stronger together

  Growth – ever forward

  Safety – protecting everyone

  No matter your background, if you commit to these values, you can be a citizen of the Protectorate.

  Allison beamed and hugged him. "I love this. I’m so proud of you."

  Adam looked serious. "If we can bring this to life, it’ll be incredible."

  Ben smiled. "I’m glad you both like it. Let’s present it at the next team meeting and get everyone’s buy-in."

  "Yes," Allison agreed. "But remember—in the end, it’s your call."

  Outside, Ben went to talk with Simon again. Jamal and Michael were with him.

  “Any news?”

  Before Simon could respond, they all turned westward at the sound of a commotion. Moments later, a group of teenagers, led by two women, entered the clearing in front of the palisade. They looked exhausted but well-equipped with hiking clothes and backpacks.