The rising moonlight did little to ease Andrew's nerves, much less with the surrounding darkness being home to moans of the roaming undead. His careful steps were muffled by the dewy grass as he pressed his weight steadily into each foot, moving slowly as he reached to pull out his bow and arrow from his invisible quip. He'd learned to not question much else about these mechanics after being exposed to the mysteries of the land, thus leading this action to be second nature to him.

Eyes focused on his front door, Andrew couldn't help but feel the fresh touch of terror grasping his bones, chills running down his spine as the torch light above illuminated the stained front entrance. A slight breeze from the trees raised the hairs on the back of his neck, but it was what he saw that made his death grip on his bow nearly splinter the wood before he could bring it up to his face.

Blood, all over his front door.

Streaked across it as if a murder had taken place, the red liquid trailed down and into the strips of grass beneath, staining its green color to a sickly darkened crimson. He'd have to rush in, however, as now night had entirely overcome the land, meaning its evils and terrors were awakened to search for nourishment in his image.

His breathing became haggard as his arrow nocked itself between his fingers and the bowstring, raising it as he stepped closer to his front door.

Looking closer at the ground beneath, he saw there was a trail of blood that grew thicker the further it went, somewhere out in the open fields where zombies now roamed.

Okay, focus.

His breathing slowed to a more relaxed pace as he brought the bow closer to his face, standing to the side of the door and listening for any sounds. Even drowning out the ambient sounds of the night, he couldn't make out anything unusual from within his home.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, he aimed his bow and kicked open the front door and stormed in. Blindly running on adrenaline as all sense flew out the window, he primed his bow at the first sight of movement and fired the arrow, which imbedded itself in the back of whatever he shot.

Which happened to be Duke leaning over a chest and covered in blood.

"Who tHE F-"

Duke spun around from the chest he was at and launched a volley of throwing knives at the door, Andrew freezing up shortly before ducking, the knives flying over his head and skewering a zombie behind the archer.

Duke readied a few more knives before noticing his target was none other than his best buddy.

The same best buddy that had lodged the arrow in his back.

...

You little shit.

Andrew jumped to his feet and slammed the door before anything could get in, then turned to face the man he had just shot.

Duke stood there with knives one hand as his eyes bore holes into Andrews face, Andrew unsure as to why he saw an arrow jutting out of his backside.

It then occurred to him that he had shot him, and not some other creature that made its home in his own. He quickly brought his hands up in surrender, trying to apologize and justify his hasty actions.

"Wait, Duke, that was an accident-"

Thud

"..."

"...Um, Duke?"

He was now collapsed on the floor as Andrew lowered his hands with surprise.

"..."

"..Duke, seriously wake up."

"..."

"..Crap."

Andrew headed to Duke's unconscious form, his nose likely having broken from the impact.

"Oi, Duke, get up."

"..."

"..Seriously man?"

It wasn't until he looked over his friends body that he noticed the unnerving amount of blood that stuck to him. It stained his clothes and his armor, much of which was ripped and destroyed as scratches and wounds littered his body, some still leaking the red liquid at a slower pace. There was also the arrow imbedded into his back, but Andrew chose to ignore that.

So the blood outside was his..?

It suddenly made sense as to why his friend now laid on the ground unconscious after only a single arrow, with half of his armor missing and his chest seeming to cease its normal movements of rising and falling.

Shitshitshitshit!

His first thought was to stop the bleeding, but he had no idea if it was wise to rip the arrow out or leave it in. Unfortunately, his only source of healing could be found in the form of mushrooms, but he knew this wouldn't do much considering how much blood was leaving his friends body. He ran through the chests in the home, which only found him more mushrooms, further instilling panic as he knew time was running short.

Then he got the idea to loot his friends inventory in hopes of finding any healing potions, though he knew Duke would've taken some already if he had any. What he did find, however, was a bunch of silk that was somehow perfectly intact and unstained, much like everything else inside.

He went to work on treating his friend, using the silk as a wrap to stop the bleeding in the most prominent areas, also choosing to remove the arrow but cover its hole as well. Before he sealed the wounds, he grounded the mushrooms he had into a liquid substance and poured them over the open wounds, he seeing the regeneration slowly kick in before he covered his friend in the silk.

Hours had passed as the night wore on, the moon beginning its descent as clouds began to move in from a distance, holding the promise of the first occurrence of rain since the men had arrived. The mobs outside simply roamed about, not seeming to care about the chilling air while the residents in the other nicely furnished home rested well and without any disturbance.

Andrew looked over Duke's form, relieved to see his chest rising and falling as he remained asleep, though almost entirely covered in bandages. It would seem like having vast knowledge of the land would provide him with some ways to properly treat wounds, but the reality was that the most he knew was that healing potions were a mans best friend. He felt proud nonetheless, being able to stop the bleeding with mediocre practice and transporting him to his designated dirt pile.

It puzzled him how he got those wounds though. The worst he'd seen was him being lit aflame or taking some scratches from zombies, but never missing chunks of flesh in his sides or entire bits of shrapnel imbedded within him. He'd have to confiscate his grenades later, he mentally noted.

Now relaxing in the kitchen chair, he realized that a nurse would be a great addition to the growing town. All Duke needed was to consume a life crystal and they'd arrive soon enough.

...

A Nurse?

if I remember correctly, which I do, Duke consumed at least one of those life crystals, thereby expanding his maximum life. Doesn't that mean-

BAM!

He jumped at the door slamming open, then a booming voice coming from its position.

"STEP AWAY FROM THE PATIENT, PISSANT!"

"Huh?!"

His thoughts a complete mess, Andrew could barely register why a woman in a white uniform kicked open their front door, let alone storm in past midnight with insults.

"Who are-"

"Move! I didn't come here for introductions!"

And he obliged, opting to close the door instead.

The woman marched towards the mummified Duke, letting out a sharp breath that held clear disappointment upon seeing the sad sight.

"Next time kid, let the professionals deal with situations like these. Last thing we want is for him to sprout mushrooms and become some corrupted freak." She berated.

Confused and shocked, Andrew stepped to the lady before asking her once again. "Wait, miss, who are you?"

No way I was right.

She didn't spare him a second glance as she ripped the bandages off, pulling out her medical bag with its supplies in it.

"Can't you see the red crosses all over my uniform? I'm a Nurse you idiot, now would you back up? I'm trying to make sure your friend here doesn't die from your crude 'treatment'."

How am I right?!

Andrew stood mouth agape as he witnessed his best mate have his bandages ripped off and his ribs fiddled with, the healing effect from the mushrooms having worked for nothing in the end. The Nurse was unaffected by this, obviously, seeming to enjoy how the organs rejected the mushrooms parasitic properties and accept her medicinal magic.

But my hard work! He mentally cried.

"You daft moron, grinding mushrooms like that would be for consuming through the mouth, not open wounds dumbass! Otherwise your buddy here would have been infected through the mushrooms spreading its parasitic offspring." She snarked.

"They're to be digested naturally, placing them over open wounds like that spells trouble." She continued.

Andrew nodded in understanding, the grim realization that he nearly ended his friends life creeping up on him as he sat back down in the chair. He let a sigh escape him, until the Nurse finished right after.

"Alright, your friend here is gonna be fine. Surprisingly, I don't think the mushroom infection would've done much anyway. His anatomy is just like ours, but everything seems to be working at an impossible capacity. He healed faster than the infection could spread, and I couldn't seem to permanently scar him, no matter how much I prodded."

She stood from the dirt ground, not having realized she dirtied her uniform as she walked over to the other chair at the table, taking her seat as she released a sigh.

"So who're you guys anyway?" She asked him suddenly, knocking Andrew from his near slumber.

Don't think too deep on the question. Now's not the time to get philosophical.

"I'm Andrew, and his name is Duke. I'm not quite sure as to how we got here, but we both just woke up in a field and worked together since then, which was like four days ago I think."

He continued, grabbing a mushroom from a chest as a snack, handing one to the Nurse. "The same way you're the Nurse of the land, I am the Guide. I provide nearly unlimited knowledge on anything one may come across, my powerful memory making use of mapping out the world along with my mastery over archery."

"Duke is the Terrarian over there. Don't ask me why I know what he is, as I said I have 'nearly' unlimited knowledge."

"Yeah, your severe lack in medical care showed me more than enough." She joked.

"Harr harr." Andrew sarcastically laughed. "Anyway, he is the dude I'm 'Guiding'. I aid him with my knowledge as he explores the world and defeats foes we come across. I'm not quite sure why, but I'm certain he's going to have to get stronger in order to survive this mysterious land."

The Nurse leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes as she took in the information.

"Hmm, so you guys are like me." She started. "No idea how or why, but I woke up in the middle of the forest surrounded by zombies 'n shit. I just started running in some direction that sorta pulled me, even with these heels on. Next thing I know I'm at your front door and I sense this guy inside." She motioned to Duke.

Andrew hummed in understanding, he getting up to look at the Grandfather clock Duke had brought back during their trip in the mine. It read only to the hour, which he found odd, but noted it said four in the morning.

He decided to head over to the door and open it to see if daylight struck yet, completely oblivious to the possible dangers that may pop out at him. Still, he opened it and noticed the first few rays of sunlight panning over the trees, zombies leaving off to who knows where as the light bathed the land, the moon retiring for the time.

"Ah, it's morning!" He called, turning to her.

She was sleeping on the chair in the same position she finished her story in, snoring as her limbs dangled by her sides.

On the other hand, his long unconscious friend began to stir in his sleep, breaking the trance before waking to the light hitting his face.

Duke groaned as he sat up, pain gripping his sides like an iron press as he held onto his ribs, now wishing he had stayed asleep.

Andrew walked over as the door closed, going to a chest and pulling out the last mushroom they had, then walking over to Duke.

"Morning sunshine!" He cheered. "You look like crap."

Duke grunted. "And I feel like it too." He took the mushroom and swallowed it whole. "Thanks for the arrow in my back by the way." The pain still lingered in his backside from where he was shot, Andrew slightly grimacing at the memory.

"Well, at least my aim isn't bad." He joked.

Duke stifled a groan before standing, the pain started to wash away before he headed to the door. "Right."

Then he stopped before reaching the handle, turning to face Andrew.

"Mind telling me who that is?" He asked as he pointed to the sleeping Nurse.

"Ah, right, see last night I tried to patch you up, but I really almost turned you into an infected mushroom monster."

Duke stiffened, now on edge. "A wha-"

"Then she kicked down the front door and started fixing you up, the right way. Turns out she's the Nurse!" Andrew exclaimed.

Duke was still concerned over the mushroom infection, but shrugged it off like most else that bothers him. "Huh, well I'll get to building her a house."

He once again headed for the door, before he stopped himself short. "Oh right! Before I forget."

He went over to his chest and pulled out a rather large wooden contraption he found when mining with Andrew, who explained it to be a loom.

"Right, Andrew, you said I can make a bed with this?"


Some hours later

The sun had risen higher, the morning giving a gentle warmth that captured the essence of serenity. Birds chirped for breakfast as bunnies hopped around with their alter egos hidden by the pure sunlight. Duke paced around a field of grass that he had just cleared for building, wondering how this home would look. He wanted to capture the essence of living in a village, without overcrowding the area so as to allow breathing room.

At the moment, his home was in the middle of a wide green field, to its right about a minute of walking away was the home of Milton and Dolbere, and he stood lower south between the home. He planned to make a pathway of stone that connected the homes, in the middle being a fountain and some lanterns to light the area, fences to keep unwanted intruders from entering.

With a grin and a spring in his step, he began building. He gathered enough stone and wood for the main structure, dirt being used to fill in unsightly holes in the terrain. He built a large area of wood, building the roof high enough to where headspace was no longer an issue, keeping a cone shape. He built the wall with wood and stone bricks, then dividing the main area with its own walls to allow for the building of emergency rooms and a waiting area.

He built a small reception counter where patients could be checked in, adding some lamps and torches around the space. Across from it he made a waiting area where he placed sofas and chairs to make a comfortable area in hopes of alleviating future stress.

Wanting to add bathrooms as well, he extended the overall structure to cover more land, making separate men's and woman's bathrooms that held sinks and toilets, features he discovered through fiddling around with the crafting interface. That was another thing he valued, how he'd open his inventory and a screen showed everything he currently held and the crafting section. No doubt it puzzled him how he only needed to get near other stations for new recipes to be shown, but he chalked it up to the world being its normal confusing self.

It wasn't until he nearly finished the home when he walked inside to finish up the examination rooms and noticed a lack of light, or rather, natural light. Any light he placed was artificial in the form of torches or lamps that he quickly grew bored of. He needed to find Andrew to discover how to get windows.

He left the building and walked down the stone path he made to his house, the fences and lamps not yet being placed as it was something he wanted to begin, deciding to finish later. He'd also have to add a second floor to the Nurse's home as he made the entire first floor for her business practices, though there was a temporary bed in the corner of one of the rooms.

Coming to the end of the path, he found Andrew practicing his archery on some nearby trees as the Nurse sat under the shade of nearby trees, likely still tired from her work overnight.

He walked over to his friend, who had just gathered his arrow when he saw Duke approaching, also seeing the unfinished house behind him.

"Wow, you really got to work?" Andrew commented.

"Yeah, still in progress though. " He replied. "I ran into some issues and I was hoping you could help."

"Sure, what's up?"

"You know how our houses rely on torches for light?"

"You want windows?" Andrew answered.

"Well I was- wait, what? How'd you know?"

"I noticed the first night you built the home, but I didn't say anything since we'd have to go to the desert to get the sand, which would then need to be heated within a furnace to turn into glass."

"Ah. Well could we go now? Seems like there should be enough of the day left." Duke asked.

Andrew looked up at the sun, seeing it was barely reaching noon. "Hmm, yeah I'd say we could make it." He answered.

"Alright sweet! I'm gonna drop my things off first, then we'll head off!" Full of excitement, Duke ran and entered his home, Andrew watching before shifting his gaze over to where Milton and Dolbere lived.

I wonder how they're doing?

He heard the door open again and found Duke charging full speed at the unfinished home of the Nurse. After entering for a short time, he exited and ran back to Andrew, surprisingly not out of breath.

"Sorry, had to light the place up with some boring torches so she could move in when she wakes up." He said.

"Ready to go then?" Andrew asked.

"I'll lead the way." Duke said.

They walked past the sleeping Nurse and made their way to the desert, its dunes being barely visible due its distance from their home. Andrew looked around, taking in the scenery as he hadn't gone in this direction, only moving around Milton's home during their training and a bit into the forest. He watched the trees sway from breeze that had begun to pick up as flowers danced in the sunlight. One of them, Andrew finding it to be an Angry Dandelion fought Duke by spitting seeds at him, them cutting through his skin but not making it further. He quickly dispatched it and danced on its corpse.

Continuing forward, Duke spoke. "So how'd the Nurse find us anyway?"

Andrew kept walking as he turned to him with a puzzled look, then remembering Duke wasn't awake during her barging in. "Ah, well after I made my poor attempt to patch you up from your wounds, she bust down the door and pushed me aside to treat you properly. According to her, she woke up in the field shortly before, much the same way Milton did, and was drawn to our house."

Duke nodded in understanding before Andrew continued with his own question. "Now that I think about it, what did you do that hurt you that bad?"

"Oh right I didn't tell you; I fought some human monster creature when I went down mining yesterday!" He exclaimed like it was nothing.

Andrew cocked an eyebrow as he had no clue as to what what Duke meant, now wishing he had been there to gain some information on whatever it was.

"And it was strong enough to rip flesh and muscle off of you?" He asked, terrified of the strength of it.

"Well, yeah mostly, but some of it was from my own grenades blowing up in my face."

Andrew's expression staled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Hey it was a pretty good plan! It jumped at me a lot, and with great speed too. I used that to my advantage by planting a grenade then bolting out of the way, and it worked!" He said with pride.

"But only the first time, right?" Andrew grinned.

"Shut up. We only speak of the victory."

Andrew laughed at that.

"But I gotta say, something weird happened when I killed it." Duke said. "I was cornered and splashed it in the face with a healing potion out of instinct, then jumped away. But when I turned around, it was reacting horribly to the potion, clawing at the ground and letting out shrill screeches. Its skin burned as blood spilled out of anywhere the liquid traveled. Pretty gnarly thing to see."

Andrew's shocked expression was replaced by one of curiosity. "Do you think other monsters would react the same to the healing potion?"

Duke shook his head. "No idea, but I'd rather not try it if I'm cornered and it ends up healing them."

"Right, so a single test subject should be fine. Actually, Kaitlyn might have some theories on what healing potions could do to rotten corpses."

"Yeah, but it wasn't a corpse. At least, I don't think it was." Duke said. Oh yeah, she told us her name when she woke up to us arguing over where the beds would go. Not sure if it suits her though, she seems a bit scary with a sweet name.

Andrew turned to him, the air around them chilling slightly but neither would notice due to the conversation taking place.

Duke continued. "It had pale skin that matched its long, messy grey hair. The claws, along with the rest of the body, were soaked in blood, most of it centering around its mouth of powerful jaws."

Andrew grimaced imagining it, whatever it was.

"But that wasn't the weirdest part."

Duke looked at the ground now, his walking stopping as he recollected the memory in his head. Andrew stopped too, waiting for an answer.

"When I killed it, it changed. I don't know if it was cursed or not, but it changed into a woman."

Andrew was lost.

"She seemed to be young, probably cursed at that age I bet. She changed from claws and fangs to normal fingertips and healthy teeth. Her skin brightened to something nicer, and her hair changed to curl around her as its color grew healthier."

"I checked her pulse and breathing, but there was stillness."

Andrew now understood why Duke seemed heavy on this topic. They still had yet to notice the clouds and sky darkening.

"What are the odds she was cursed, forced to live as long as she did in such a state, waiting for someone to come by and end it for her."

Andrew put a hand on his friends shoulder, hoping to relieve some stress and guilt. "Don't be so down on it, you likely did her a favor. No one should have to suffer like that. You helped her, and her returning to her original self proves this."

Duke lifted his head, his usual self seeming to return at a steady pace. "Yeah, you're probably right. She was strong though. Really strong. She could probably bend you backwards without even trying!"

Andrew laughed, satisfied with Duke's quick transition in mood. "Right, but can she take me on with a bow?"

"I'll bet she can, even a grenade couldn't put her down."

"Yeah, but that's because you planted it."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

They traded jabs at each other as they laughed on to the desert while the small forest animals and slimes hid in the trees, worried of the oncoming torment. The two had just barely noticed this though, when a bolt of lightning struck down a tree to their right.

They looked to the sky to see ominously dark clouds that threatened to wash them both away with the dirt, so they ran for the nearest source of cover they could find, it being a cave opening into a hillside.

As the storm raged outside, they huddled in a corner of the cave, careful not to fall in the dark drop below.

It was cold and damp within, the rain outside sometimes blowing in and wetting the two. Duke then got an idea, as surprising as it sounds.

"Oh yeah, check this out!"

He looked into his inventory that was visible to Andrew, who watched him craft a campfire and place it before them, its heat immediately being welcomed.

"Hah, I'm surprised you thought of that." Andrew said.

"I'm daft, but not dumb." Duke replied.

"I'll give credit where it's due. It sucks though, we weren't that far off from the desert. I bet it's just behind this hill here."

"Yeah, but I don't think it'd be a good idea to go out right now."

"You're right, flying fish along with slimes and zombies have adapted to the rain and will no doubt be hungry for us the moment we reveal ourselves."

"Flying what?" Duke asked, clearly confused and slightly worried.

"During rain, or thunderstorms like this one, special creatures can adapt to the environment. As such, fish are now able to fly around with the rain to assist their wings, while zombies wear slime on their head to protect from the rain. The slimes themselves equip umbrellas from who knows where, but they do."

Duke took this information in, slowly growing accustomed to the bizarre workings of their new home as Andrew scooted closer to the fire.

Some time had passed in a comfortable silence, Duke watching the outside as Andrew sat at the fire.

Then he spoke up again. "Hey Duke, what do you think was here before us?"

Realizing that this question had pricked him too, he leaned back and looked to the roof, the chilling air seemingly having no affect on him. "You mean who?"

Andrew nodded. "That too."

"Ah. Not sure, but if I were to guess, a civilization of some sort."

Andrew hummed in response, his eyes getting lost in the crackling flame before him, the flame that would never go out no matter how long it stayed there. It was much like the one back home, it too not having lost its heat even through the days and nights it'd gone through, never needing a refuel of gel or anything similar. Kinda like Milton's home.

"Hey Duke-"

"..."

"Hm, guess working does do something to you."

His friend laid against the stone wall with his eyes closed, seemingly having gone to sleep.

"Guess it would take a while before this storm passes."

"Help."

?

"..."

"...What?"

"Andrew please." Duke whispered out, his eyes still closed. "Help. The fires are everywhere."

"Harr harr, you're probably squinting your eyes to distort the campfi-"

"HELP PLEASE!"

"Wha-"

BAM

Rumble rumble

The cave shook with particles of silt and dirt falling from the roof, its wall having been struck by Duke's fist which cracked its target, his eyes still closed. Only now, he was snarling.

"Andrew, please, do something." He begged.

Andrew was starting to worry, unsure of what exactly his friend was talking about and what led to the sudden outburst.

"Duke, wake up man, you're probably having a dream or something." He leaned over to his tense form, reaching a hand out for his shoulder.

It was then that he heard faint shrieking, screams of the damned and the suffering coming from his mind. More specifically, it grew louder the closer he got to Duke, who now had an expression of anguish and pain.

"H-hey Duke, what is th-"

Leaving Andrew no time to react, Duke instinctively reached for Andrews arm, clasping it in an iron-tight grip with his eyes still closed, Andrew reeling in shock for a moment before his eyes closed too.

Then the cave was silent.


"Defend! Don't fall back no matter what they bring!"

"We're running low on ammo over here!"

"We've got men down!"

"They've breached the walls!"

"Where is the King?!"

Fires raged and ate at the land as armor clad soldiers fought against horrifying creatures of myth, each of different form and color that radiated death and doom.

A castle crumbled behind the soldiers as flames engulfed it, a dark figure looming behind it, rising slowly to its full height above the land.

Andrew looked on in horror, frozen still from fear as he could feel nothing else, paying no mind to the screams and cries of all those around him.

Battle cries shook him from his stupor, looking around him to find that among the fires and ever-present form of death, women in green vines stood against the massive figure, chanting ancient songs that seemed to provide barriers of light and attacks of magic, each burning into the horrid creature. There were hundreds of women, all formed against the being as another man stood far closer to it, on top of the ruined castle wearing armor that shone with the light it radiated alone.

The mysterious beast released a horrendous screech that shattered and cracked the land around them, the earth's interior seeping onto the surface in some parts as it blasted its own energy down at the women. Their barriers were powerful, but repeated attempts at shattering it found the creature its victory, as it eventually broke through and disintegrated them gruesomely, many screaming as their flesh and bones melted into the ground.

One, presumably the most powerful of the women, seemed to counteract the attack with her own spell. However, rather than burning to the ground like her allies, her skin shifted and morphed as a purple aura crawled around her body, corrupting every part it traveled around. She grew large pointed teeth and crude claws on her hands and feet, her hair changing to a nasty grey as her eyes turned to a gleaming red, bloodshot with hunger.

Andrew watched in horror to the unfolding events before him, nearly releasing his own yell before his eyes suddenly shut.


He gasped for air as tears involuntarily streamed down his face, not knowing he had tripped and planted himself into the ground as a sob choked its way out from him. Across, Duke sat with his eyes boring into the flames, a single tear falling from them.

"W-what was that." He asked.

"..."

"D-Duke! What the HELL WAS THAT?!" Andrew screamed now, the violent memories racing through his mind as the pained screams filled his subconscious, he having to cover his ears in hopes of drowning it all out.

Duke sat where he was, fists slowly clenching as another tear threatened to escape. He had seen it too, feeling and hearing exactly what Andrew wished to forget. Why?.. Why did that happen..

Then Andrew's voice whispered through the cave, the rain now lightening up as the sun sank lower into the horizon. "Duke."

"..."

"T-those were Dryads." He said, his voice momentarily breaking.

".. I know.." He replied.

"What was that?" He asked, now uncovering his ears as he sat against the wall, his legs to his chest as his arms remained gripped around them.

Duke looked at his right hand, seeing the item he had picked up from the creature he had killed not too long ago.

"This, maybe?"

Andrew looked at him, seeing the Metal Detector in his hand. He didn't need to touch it to know what it was, as he knew Duke wasn't lying. He had flinched seeing it that close, not wanting to relive another experience so soon.

"I got this from the woman-creature I killed. I waved it around when I was building to find some tin other ores, but this didn't happen then."

Andrew's shaking calmed as he listened.

"As soon as I brought it out next to you, I saw the vision. And for some reason, I pulled you into it too."

Andrew nodded, then spoke. "Perhaps, some things in this world hold memories, or at least something familiar of the past."

"Like the way Milton feels familiar with the knives he has, or how you are an expert in archery?"

Andrew nodded. "Maybe. This metal detector would support that theory, as what you said about the woman you killed seemed to look like the Dryad in the vision."

Duke's eyes widened, his heart sinking at the thought he hoped wasn't true. "Y-you mean I killed a Dryad?"

Andrew nodded in grim agreement. "I think you killed the Cursed Dryad."

They both thought of their visions with more fear than anything else, before deciding to close the entrance of the cave off to sleep. Duke moved slower than he normally would, Andrew's consultation from earlier in the day now being completely shot. Andrew chose his dirt patch near the fire, hoping the warmth would sooth any trembling that'd strike him before he slept.

Duke slept closer to the entrance, hoping the outside groans of zombies would drive him to rest sooner, knowing he and his friend were at least safe from whatever the world could currently throw at them.

Night passed swiftly, but neither men could sleep. Both were too occupied with deciphering what they saw and what it could mean that they neglected their basic necessity for rest. Even so, Duke picked up the fire as Andrew waited by the entrance, the morning light promising safety and care, though neither Duke nor Andrew could understand if that was so anymore.

Agreeing to at least finish what they came for, they went over the hill and found the desert biome closer than they expected, it being a short distance from where the hill ended. They reached its edge, immediately taking note of the drastic temperature change between the visible line of grass and sand.

Having collected about 300 sand and killing off some pestering vultures, they decided to continue exploring the desert at a later date, opting to go home instead. Upon arriving, they found some trees to have fallen over, though the houses were intact, as well as the pathway Duke had constructed. In the short distance across their home, both men found Milton to be walking over, Dolbere right behind, both noticeably cheery.

Dolbere greeted the two first. "Hello there lads! We noticed yer absence an' wondered if ye'd left us fer good!"

"Though I told him otherwise. It seems he enjoys your company Duke." Milton said with a smile.

"Yeah, we just went off to get some sand is all." Duke replied, Milton noticing the slight staleness in his voice.

"Oh, there you guys are!"

Hearing the newer voice, the group turned to the stone path that connected the three homes, they finding Kaitlyn on her way to them.

Dolbere leaned closer to Duke, whispering behind his hand. "Careful lad, one small scratch on yerself an' she'll toy with whatever ya's got inside."

Then he caught a beaker to the dome, falling to the ground from the velocity of the small glass, Duke seeing a small bruise forming on the Dwarfs head.

"I heard that you kamikaze midget!" She yelled, Milton witnessing the fire his roommate had told him of.

"He came in over 3 times yesterday, each having something to do with a missing limb or something of the sort. Honestly, he's damn lucky you gave me my space to work in, otherwise he'd be planted six feet under already." She snarked.

Then her mood lightened up, entirely contrasting the dark aura that had surrounded her not long before. "On that note, I wanted to say thank you for the home."

"Think nothing of it. I still need to add some windows though, so you may have to wait a little longer for the finished product. Same for your home Milton."

Both in question nodded in understanding, letting Duke get to his work. As he headed towards Kaitlyn's home, Andrew caught up to him, leaning in so the others wouldn't hear.

"Duke, you need to bulk up. I gave it some thought on the way back, and I think you'll end up-"

"Fighting the thing? I thought the same." Duke interjected.

"Then we might need to go exploring again." Andrew suggested.

Duke couldn't choose between feeling troubled or excited, deciding that Andrew's answer would determine it. "Where to?"

Since their trip, Andrew showed his first grin, holding out a map of the places they've been to.

"See the hill we went over? I'm not sure how I missed it, but there was water from the sky spilling onto it."

"Wooow rain, so?"

Andrew smacked Duke's head, then returned to the map. "Well, it's a floating island, a land in the sky that's home to rare treasures and ores that spawn in great veins."

Now Duke was interested, turning his head to the map as they entered the clinic.

"There was also the desert that we could explore, and its underground variant!" Andrew exclaimed.

"That's two places already! How about the white and blue land further behind this house?" Duke asked.

Andrew then let loose a wide grin, his role as the Guide igniting back to life. "That's the Tundra! Look Duke, all of these places have what we need to strengthen you to where you need to be. What do you think?"

The fire in Duke's eyes returned. "After finishing these buildings, I'd say there's some exploring to do."


A/N: So, what do you think?

Writing this chapter, I felt I really needed to bring in more plot and story, otherwise it'd be another fic that has no real purpose or meaning, and I definitely don't feel like waiting till Duke reaches Moon Lord to reveal "OH, BIG PLOT STORY I FORGOT TO TELL EVERYONE!".

I feel pretty happy with this, as I got to try something new with emotions, story building, and the introduction of the Nurse! This also happens to be my largest chapter so far, which is another thing I wanted to know; do you want larger chapters, chapters around this size, or something smaller? I personally have a lot of fun writing that I get lost in the word count, and I've never really done this much before. Reading this back, it sounds like I might deal with burnout if I don't watch out, but I'll be fine!

- Thanks Nanomemes for the review! Demolitionist was a shiet ton of fun to write, and I plan to do a bit more with his character and shenanigans, but we'll see how the plot handles it! Nymph really shook me to the core when I first found her, so I wanted Duke to show something similar. He hasn't died before, and the respawn mechanic will be decided in the future, as it's something tricky I don't want to feebly play with in this story. Ups the ante! I try to keep this story captivating and entertaining in some way, so it's great hearing it's working. Glad to be back!

Again, thank you to everyone who continues to read, and thanks to everyone who has commented and left reviews! I don't lie when I say it's a huge motivation and creativity boost, so keep 'em coming!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!