Trip to O

Lyle smirked at Jacob's enthusiasm but shook his head. "You say that now, but wait until you're knee-deep in something's guts."

Jacob scoffed. "Pfft. That's the best part—I love getting knee-deep in things."

Puff's composed demeanor cracked into a smile on Aria's face before she quickly lowered her gaze, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Connor, however, was more measured. He wasn't about to let excitement cloud his judgment—not again. Last time, they'd nearly died because they underestimated the creatures of this world. This time, he needed a plan.

"What kind of monsters are we dealing with?" he asked, shifting his weight onto his prosthetic.

Finn sat up, his easygoing demeanor slipping just a little. "Depends on how far we go. Near the camp? Mostly scavengers and small fries. Some Bigger than they should be, sure, but manageable. Farther out?" He whistled. "That's where things get nasty."

The last time we went out, we saw footprints that looked human, along with signs of a struggle based on the surroundings. Of course, as you know, when things die, they disintegrate. So, whatever was killed was no longer there, making it hard to tell who won and who lost.

"But we're going in a group, right?" Jacob asked.

Connor sighed internally. This kid always assumes someone will be there to help instead of learning to handle things on his own.

"Oh, we'll be there," Lyle said matter-of-factly. "In fact, we're going to help others too. After all, human society only achieved great things by relying on a strong community."

Connor scoffed internally. Of course—one built on bullshit and the discrimination of others. Don't forget the part where they bullied those less fortunate just to boost their self-esteem. He shot Lyle a suspicious look.

Oh, snap! This whole time, I was so busy worrying about how to survive that I never even thought to ask myself the real question…

"Wait, how do we leave this place? What the hell is this bullshit?" Connor snapped.

"Oh, right. You didn't get the notification," the other person replied. "It's called the Trial of the Jungle. The quest requires that only one person can win—unless you have a special system quest."

They paused before continuing, "Out of a million people, only one will remain by the end. I'd say it's best to start forming alliances while we can."

Ohhh, I knew it, Connor thought. He's only helping us, so he'll have allies in the end to boost his chances of survival. He stared off, lost in his own thoughts.

"Oh, so that's what that was," Jacob said.

"What?" Connor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was on the menu. If you had looked carefully, you would've seen it, but you didn't," Jacob explained. "I thought it was like The Snackrifice games—you know, if we tried hard enough, maybe they'd let us make it, just like in the movies."

Everyone paused what they were doing to stare at him.

"Is that so?" Finn asked.

"Yeah," Jacob replied.

Connor sighed, placing a hand on his head at his brother's remark.

"Right…" Lyle said awkwardly, shaking his head after hearing Jacob's take on things. "You're an interesting guy, you know that?"

Jacob grinned. "Oh, you think so? Ah, thanks!"

"That's probably the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," Jacob said with a grin.

Lyle gave him a long, measured look before replying, "Sure."

Then, something broke the silence.

"You said only one person can win, right?"

Lyle nodded. "Yes."

"Then how do I know you all won't just try to kill me in my sleep? This seems like the perfect setup for backstabbing."

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" Lyle said with a smirk. "But don't worry—I've already thought of that. I have everything under control."

"Ohhh, you do? Well, that's a relief. I'll just leave my survival in Dr. Lyle's capable hands."

"Well, I'm no doctor," Lyle corrected. "I was a fighter jet pilot. My sis— I mean, Aria over here," he gestured toward the blonde-haired girl, "she was the doctor."

Connor smiled, though, in his head, he scoffed. This damn politician-slash-actor…

"Oh, excuse me," he said aloud, feigning sincerity. "I just want you all to know—I'll be leaving my well-being entirely in your hands, okay?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You might want to look after yourself."

"Ohhh," Connor interjected smoothly. "Like Lyle said, it's all about community. And in a community, I'll be relying on all of you." He gestured across the adventurers, his finger sweeping over each one—

Until it landed on Markus.

Then Markus pointed his finger and said, "You..."

Before anything else could happen, Finn cut in. "Alright, that's enough for today. We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow—monster hunting and all that. We should probably get some rest."

Everyone glanced around as the sun began to set, the sky darkening as night crept in.

They slowly settled down on the ground beneath a tree, making do with their lackluster bedding arrangements. Naturally, the conjoined twins, Connor and Jacob, struggled the most—Connor was ready to sleep while Jacob kept kicking his legs up, likely too excited about what tomorrow would bring.

Connor took a deep breath, and Jacob, sensing it, immediately stopped. His thoughts wandered to a story of a boy who embarked on adventures, sailing the seas with friends in search of treasure name the One Peas.

Now, it was his turn for an adventure, and he couldn't wait. Eatyour O'Dough or Eiichiro Odda, well, whichever one it is; I'll see you soon, he thought as he began humming the tune.

"We are—

Come on, let's go!

Nobody can take it away,

You won't betray me anymore."

He kept slurring the lyrics, and Connor, not wanting to be the downer, joined in alongside his brother, just like in old times.

They kept singing the song into the night, their humming growing quieter as the moon moved across the sky, until it eventually came to a stop, signaling that they had likely fallen asleep.