"You what?" James asked as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. And to be fair, neither could Isaac.

Still, their visible shock did nothing to deter Marie. "I want to rejoin the team," she repeated firmly. "I want to go with you three to LA."

"But you…" James shook his head slowly. "Why?"

The short woman narrowed her eyes, ready to retort. Yet before she could, Isaac stepped between the two. The middle of the camp wasn't a good place to argue. Despite the early hour, people were already moving about, and he had noticed more than a few glancing their way.

"Let's not do this here," he said just loud enough for the trio around him to hear. "Come on, we don't want to put on a show."

While Elaine agreed right away, James and Marie stared each other down for a few seconds longer before finally relenting. Isaac gave a quick nod and led the way. Within a minute, they were out of camp and away from the curious eyes.

Still, to avoid an unnecessary argument, he was the first to speak up.

"Okay, so while I'm happy to have you back with us," he said, looking at Marie. "I don't really understand the change of heart. You said being on the front lines wasn't for you."

The woman sighed. "I know… I know what I said. I'm still scared, but I can't just sit here and do nothing. Not after everything I heard yesterday. Not when Earth might cease to exist if we do nothing." She looked up, her eyes filled with resolve. "Listen, I may not be as strong as the three of you anymore, but I can still hold my own. And I have two supporting skills now."

Isaac's eyebrows raised a bit. "Two? Healing Touch and…"

"River's Blessing," Marie elaborated. "I just got it. It's pretty good—a temporary buff I can place on anybody that works a bit like a second wind. You tire slower and heal a bit faster, among other things."

Huh… Neat.

"All right then." Isaac shrugged. "No need to really convince me. Like I said, happy to have you back, Marie."

She gave him a broad smile, already starting to step forward as if to hug him. But before she could do that, another voice froze her in place.

"Ari, are you sure about this?" James asked, refusing to look at anyone. "You know what happened in Sacramento. This will probably be worse…"

"And that's exactly why I have to come," Marie stated, clenching her fists. "I don't want to stay scared forever and be someone who always hides behind giants like you and Isaac. And… and if I don't do it now, I probably won't get another chance."

"And there's no convincing you otherwise, huh?"

Marie shook her head. "No. I have to do this, both for myself and to keep you alive long enough to find your family."

That got James to look up, and before the short woman could react, he pulled her into a hug. "Thanks, Ari," he muttered. "And I'm happy to have you back, too, if that wasn't obvious."

Now I feel like I'm intruding… Isaac thought as he averted his eyes from the two. He glanced at Elaine, who was already looking at him. They shared a shrug and waited for the moment to end. Which thankfully, it did after a few seconds. It was getting a little awkward just standing there.

James clapped his hands after separating from Marie, a grin on his face. "Okay then, people—we've got ourselves a proper team now!"

"Proper team?" Elaine asked. "What are you talking about?"

James' grin only widened. "Well, we've got me—the tank, always up front." He gestured to Marie. "Ari as a support and healer. Isaac as the main damage dealer. And you, princess, as a sub-damage dealer or flanker if you prefer that name."

Isaac resisted the urge to facepalm. "You have played way too many games."

"Hey! It fits," James retorted, glancing at the others. "Right, guys?"

Marie just gave a helpless shrug, clearly lost in the references. Elaine, on the other hand, was frowning.

"You're not wrong about you and Marie," she said. "But overall, Isaac is a much better flanker than I with his Legacy, at least for now. And honestly, as it is, all of us are decent damage dealers. If we're going to assign roles, we should probably wait until we've all unlocked our Legacies."

Silence fell across the group as they stared at her, surprised. Elaine flushed under the attention, suddenly looking sheepish.

"What?" she muttered. "I play every now and then… Hobbies, remember?"

"Princess!" James exclaimed. "I never thought you were a fellow woman of culture! Maybe there is hope for you yet."

Elaine groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Forget I ever said anything."

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"I, for one, have no idea what you people are talking about," Marie said, her brow furrowed.

"Travesty!" James cried out, throwing an arm over her shoulders and already dragging her back toward the camp. "Let me educate you, dear Ari, about the Holy Trinity of MMORPGs."

This time, Isaac didn't hesitate to drag his hand down his face.

Is it too late to go out on my own?

"You okay?" Elaine's voice forced him back to reality.

He nodded with a sigh. "Yeah… Come on, I have no idea where those two went, but we still have to find Daryl. Supplies won't gather themselves."

Elaine didn't protest, and together, they headed toward Daryl's tent, hoping that the man was inside.

"Oh, one more thing," Elaine spoke up halfway to their target.

Isaac hummed. "Yeah?"

"Marie agreed to be our spokesperson, so that's her role now, not mine."

He snorted, sparing her a glance. "I see what you did there. Well played."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Elaine said, but the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her.

Despite everything, he smiled too.

Sure you don't…

Thankfully, Daryl had no issue parting with a portion of the supplies Galt had stockpiled over the last few days. In his words, they had enough food to last a few weeks, so giving out some of it to their strongest fighters was not a problem. Though, he had also mentioned that sooner or later, they would have to figure out new ways of securing provisions.

Still, Isaac tried not to think too hard about that part and focused on getting ready for the road ahead.

In the end, though, he and his team didn't take that much. Just a spare small camping tent, some essentials they couldn't go without in the wild, and, of course, some long-lasting food. Most of that went into the four smaller backpacks they found around the camp, but the heavier items went straight into their Storage Brands. Or well, Isaac's and James' brands.

Overall, it took them about an hour to organize everything, but by the end of it, Isaac felt like they should be fine for a few days. Not that he could predict that. Nobody really knew what the wilds beyond the Safe Zone had in store for them.

"And you're sure I can't convince you to stay a few more days?" Daryl asked after leading them out of the camp. "Regina should be back soon, and I'm sure she would have liked to have a word or two with you."

Isaac shook his head. "Sorry, but we'll have to pass. We have a bit over a week to reach LA. That's not a lot of time, all things considered."

The older man sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know… I just hoped you would stick around a bit longer. Rest some more before running headfirst into danger again. Never underestimate a good balance between work and relaxation."

"No can do, old man," James said, slinging an arm over Isaac's shoulder. "We will rest when we are dead. Not a second sooner."

"He's just joking," Marie stepped in, shooting James a glare. "We will be careful, Mr. West. Thank you again for all the supplies, and good luck with the camp."

"Of course." Daryl smiled before giving them all a quick glance. "Well… Not much left for me to say then. Good luck, you four. Look out for each other, and show this 'wider Universe' what humans are made of. Oh, and I expect to see you again sooner or later. That Fast-travel function exists for a reason."

Isaac nodded. "We will see about that once we reach LA."

"You do that. Now come here." Daryl stepped forward and pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Stay safe out there, kid. This world is yours for the taking."

"I will do my best," Isaac muttered as they separated. "See you soon."

With that, he turned around and motioned for the others to follow. They all did, though not without James throwing a mock salute toward Daryl first.

For about ten or so minutes, they walked in silence, with only some distant screeches as their companion. However, like always, one person in their small team couldn't stay quiet for too long.

"So what's the plan, boss?" James asked, falling into step beside him. "Or are we just following the famous words of 'Improvise, Adapt, Overcome?'"

Isaac shrugged even as he felt all the eyes on him. "First, let's get to the Safe Zone's border. We will figure out the rest from there… That said, we must get Elaine and Marie to level ten as fast as possible. Legacies are game changers."

James nodded. "Roger that… Say… think the forest changed at all?"

Isaac didn't answer right away. He had been wondering the same thing, which was also one of the reasons they decided to head toward the same place he and James scouted before their trip to Sacramento. At the very least, they could compare what they saw back then with what waited there now.

"No idea," he said at last. "But remember what Daryl said. It could have been an illusion. For all we know, there could be a sea of lava waiting for us."

That earned him a chuckle from the older man. "As optimistic as always. You sure you don't want to just fly ahead and check it out yourself?"

"Nah." Isaac shook his head. "In the end, we will still have to face whatever is waiting for us there. Might as well do that together. We're a team, right?"

"That we are."

"Well, this isn't creepy at all…"

As much as Isaac wanted to laugh at James' remark, he couldn't. At least not with the scene stretching out before them.

"I take it this place didn't look like this before?" Elaine asked, stepping closer to the faint blue barrier that marked the end of the Safe Zone.

"No, it didn't," Isaac muttered, his eyes still glued to the land beyond.

It was still the same forest filled with half-bald pines, but now, it had gained some particular—or creepy, as James put it—additions. For one, while the ground still looked dry and decayed, it was now shrouded in a thin layer of mist that nearly reached their knees. That alone wasn't too bad, but with how dark the woods were, it definitely set up a certain mood.

Besides the mist, the forest now also sprouted plenty of bushes. They had no leaves and looked as dead as the soil beneath them. What made them truly stand out, however, were the glowing crimson splotches of goo clinging to their branches. What was it? Isaac had no idea.

He had already tried Analyzing the weird substance, but the Interface gave him nothing. Worse still, some trees also had similar goo splattered over their trunks. Although those were dark yellow instead of crimson.

"Should we find another place to enter?" Marie suggested, a dagger already gripped tightly in her hand.

"No." Isaac shook his head. "We have to go south anyway, and for some reason, I doubt this forest ends anywhere near. We go in here, but first, I will do some scouting. There's no way this place doesn't have monsters."

"Looks perfect for an ambush," Elaine noted, her eyes still on the forest.

"Exactly," Isaac agreed, already reaching toward his Legacy. "Wait here, I will be back soon."

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