January 4, 2026—07:30 AM | Rest Period - Time Remaining: 13 Hr 24 Min
Courage whistled soundly as he enjoyed the still, tranquil moment of culinary peace. The apocalyptic nightmare outside the walls of their temporary shelter seemed miles away, held back by the heavy barricades and the comforting aromas filling the enclosed space. The whistling filled the room with a relaxing, smooth tone that harmonized perfectly with the sound of the pan frying and the fire cracking. It was a bright, almost inappropriately cheerful melody that stood in stark contrast to the grim reality of their survival situation, yet it was exactly what the exhausted survivors needed to ground themselves. Sparks danced upward from the makeshift hearth, illuminating the dust motes floating in the stagnant air of the ruined office building.
Not too far from the cooking station was Gilbert, who was now tasked with breaking down the nearby furniture to use as fuel. It was a tremendous, humiliating struggle for Gilbert as he fought to split apart the stubborn wood. His soft, uncalloused hands, which had spent thousands of hours precisely clicking gaming mice and gripping controllers, were now blistered and raw from the rough friction of the shattered table legs. Sweat poured down his forehead, stinging his eyes and matting his unkempt hair to his scalp. Usually, Gilbert would grunt and share his frustration under his heavy breathing voice, complaining endlessly about the physical exertion and the unfairness of their situation, but instead, he put all his focus into this one monumental task of simply splitting wood. He swung the blunt edge of a heavy pipe down onto a fractured wooden chair, his entire body shuddering with the impact, desperate to prove he wasn't entirely useless.
Across the room, Malenia took a break from fishing and was now busy cutting her catches. Her armor, though dented and scuffed from the previous harrowing encounters, still carried an aura of intimidating authority. She was initially going to let Gilbert continue cutting away at the fishes, but after a not-so-thorough investigation, it was evident that letting Gilbert continue his "work" would be a detrimental mistake that could negatively effect the group, especially Courage. Gilbert had been hacking at the aquatic creatures with the grace of a blindfolded butcher, reducing the valuable sustenance to unrecognizable mush. Once Malenia took over and controlled the prepping, it was clear as night and day that her proficiency with the blade translated smoothly over; each cut and slice not only removed the most amount of meat, but she was also effortlessly removing the tiny bones within the cuts. Her movements were mechanical, precise, and devoid of wasted energy. Had Malenia let Gilbert continue, he would have created clumps of damaged meat rather than neatly prepped cuts.
[LIVE FEED: UTAH SECTOR CHAT]
SaltyLake_Warrior: Bro is actually sweating a river just from breaking a chair leg 💀 Utah's rep is officially in the absolute gutter.
GamerGrill_Watcher: Look at him staring at the sword lady again. Oh no... The cringe is coming. I can feel it in my bones. 😬
ArchWeeb99: Five bucks says he calls her m'lady within the next five minutes. Any takers? 🎩
DoomScroller: RIP Gilbert. He's about to get sliced into sashimi right next to those fish if he tries anything funny. 🗡️🩸
Utah_Holdout: Honestly, at least he's trying to do manual labor for once? Barely, but still. 🤷♂️
Gilbert read through the holographic messages that fluctuated from the bottom up rapidly, their glowing text reflecting in his exhausted eyes, but he no longer had the urge to retaliate to their comments and insults. He was simply too tired. His muscles burned with lactic acid, and his lungs demanded oxygen faster than he could supply it. He let the heavy pipe drop to the concrete floor with a dull clatter, wiping his brow with the back of his filthy sleeve.
"Food is ready!" Courage announced proudly as he smiled widely with a spatula in one hand and a frying pan in another with a perfectly cooked fish. The golden-brown crust of the fish sizzled beautifully, releasing a mouth-watering scent of garlic, wild herbs, and seared fat that immediately made everyone's stomach growl in anticipation.
Everyone gathered into the VIP room before sitting down around a table that was clearly makeshift, pieced together to be used as the dinner table from the nearby office desks. The desks were pushed together unevenly, covered in scratches and old coffee stains from a world that no longer existed. Gilbert, sensing a rare opportunity to assert some social grace, took this chance to build up his relationship with Malenia as he quickly walked in front of her and pulled a chair out for her to sit. He puffed out his chest, ignoring the painful ache in his lower back.
"Have a seat, mi-lady," Gilbert said, looking at Malenia with a bizarre sense of bravado and confidence from an unknown origin, operating under the delusional assumption that by doing this she would forgive him for all his wrong-doing and snideness. He offered a clumsy, sweeping bow, his eyes darting up to gauge her reaction.
Malenia, however, did not see Gilbert's attempt as a warm welcoming as she moved to the opposite side and pulled her own chair. She bypassed him entirely without breaking her stride, her heavy boots thudding against the floorboards. Internally, Malenia felt her jaw clench tightly. The sheer audacity of this incompetent, soft man treating her like a fragile maiden was almost as nauseating as his complete lack of basic survival skills. She saw right through the pathetic, theatrical display; it reeked of desperation and sycophantic ulterior motives. He was a severe liability desperately trying to play the role of a knight, completely ignorant to the reality of the blood-soaked world they now inhabited.
"I'm just trying to build a relationship, that's all," Gilbert responded with honesty, dropping his arms awkwardly to his sides as a flush of embarrassment crept up his neck.
Malenia paused, her hand resting dangerously close to the pommel of her blade. "Do not mistake us sharing a camp for us sharing a bond," she hissed, her voice laced with heavy, venomous suspicion. "Men like you offer unearned favors as if expecting a reward in return. Speak your true intentions, or keep your mouth shut entirely."
"Look, I understand why you will be suspicious and think I am trying to get between your thicc legs," Gilbert blurted out, shockingly blunt as he dropped the chivalric act, remembering to mentally censor the sensitive word to avoid pushing her over the edge. "Truthfully, that would be a dream but I know doing so will just get me kill so how about we turn a new leaf. Cool?" Gilbert suggested while looking at Malenia eye-to-eye.
Malenia slowly unclasped her helmet and took it off, staring back at Gilbert. She fixed him with a glare as cold and unyielding as a winter storm, her golden eyes piercing straight through his bravado. "I appreciate your rare moment of self-awareness regarding your mortality," she stated, her voice sharp like a honed blade. "We will share this fire and survive. But if you ever speak of those 'dreams' again, I will personally see to it that you never wake up from the next one. Are we clear?"
"Yes mommy," Gilbert whispered under his breath, a pathetic reflex slipping out before he could stop it, hoping his response did not reach her range of hearing.
Malenia, luckily, did not catch his muttered words over the ambient crackle of the fire. However, she noticed his hesitation and demanded he give her a clear, verbal response.
"Y-yes Ma'am," Gilbert replied, panicking as Malenia's piercing anger was something he was still not used to. His heart hammered in his chest like a trapped bird.
[LIVE FEED: UTAH SECTOR CHAT]
SaltyLake_Warrior: BRO DID HE JUST SAY WHAT I THINK HE SAID?! 🚨
GamerGrill_Watcher: "Yes mommy" 💀 I can't. I'm physically cringing into another dimension right now. Make it stop.
ArchWeeb99: He is down absolutely abysmal. Utah is completely doomed. We have no hope. 📉
DoomScroller: He's incredibly lucky the sword lady has bad hearing over that fire, or we'd be watching a live execution right now. 🪦
Utah_Holdout: I had to mute my stream for a second. The secondhand embarrassment is lethal. 🤢
The heavy, suffocating tension in the room was suddenly shattered as Courage cheerfully pushed the door wider, bustling in with a large plate full of perfectly cooked and spiced fishes. "There's just something about cooking that centers the soul, you know?" Courage beamed, setting the heavy platter near the center of the makeshift table. He eagerly shared his thoughts of cooking regarding why he loved the process and how he's glad Malenia and Gilbert were here to assist him. "It's the process—taking raw chaos and turning it into something that brings people together. I couldn't have pulled off a feast like this without my prep team."
Malenia nodded respectfully toward Courage, her harsh demeanor softening slightly. "Your skill with a blade in the kitchen rivals a warrior on the battlefield, Courage. The prep work was a small price to pay."
Gilbert, eager to agree and diffuse the lingering threat of Malenia's wrath, chimed in enthusiastically. "Yeah, bro! Teamwork makes the dream work!"
Gilbert quickly got up to help Courage with the food by distributing one fish per person onto their plates. As he awkwardly shuffled around the table, plopping the golden-brown fillets down, Courage and Malenia chatted quietly.
"Your blade work on the fillets was exceptionally clean, Malenia," Courage noted, admiring the bone-free cuts.
"Efficiency is paramount, whether carving meat or cutting down enemies," she replied evenly, accepting her plate.
Everyone then sat down and enjoyed their meal while sharing their thoughts regarding the harrowing last wave they went through. The comforting warmth of the food slowly melted away the adrenaline and exhaustion of the day, allowing them a brief respite from the horror.
"I will be honest, I did not think we were going to survive through that whole ordeal," Gilbert admitted between large mouthfuls, his cheeks bulging. "Like, when we got stuck in that building with a ship of massive proportion I genuinely thought it was over."
Courage paused, his fork hovering over his plate as a shadow crossed his usually cheerful face. "It was incredibly close," he agreed, his voice dropping an octave as they shared their thoughts. "When the hull of that massive ship breached the upper floors... I thought the structural collapse alone would bury us all alive."
Malenia took a slow sip of water, her eyes reflecting the dancing firelight. "Survival is rarely pretty. That monstrosity of a vessel had us cornered, but panic is a faster killer than any crushing debris. We held our ground. That is why we are eating today instead of rotting under the rubble."
As Gilbert took a massive bite of his fish, he could not help but moan in enjoyment by the blasting flavor, the juice, the tenderness of the inside, and the crispness of the outside. "Oh fuck, that is good, Courage, you are one hell of a chef."
Courage chuckled warmly, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, while Malenia finally took a small, dignified bite of her own fish and shared her thoughts too. "It is... remarkably well-prepared," she admitted, a rare hint of genuine praise in her voice. "The spices do not overpower the natural flavor of the catch. Excellent work."
"I agreed 100%, this dog, no, my brother right there is a Chef with a sword not a warrior with a cooking pan. Mmm mmm mmm, this is worth the hoard if it means eating something like this after," Gilbert rained his praises over Courage, gesturing wildly with his grease-covered fork.
Everyone continued chatting while enjoying the meal, the sound of chewing and the clatter of silverware mixing with the crackle of the improvised fire. However, Gilbert could not resist his urge and continued consuming one fish and another until eventually everyone had their fair share of the food, but it was obvious Gilbert ate significantly more than the rest. A pile of picked-clean bones sat in front of him, a testament to his lack of restraint.
Courage leaned back in his chair, sharing his delight to know that Gilbert really loved and enjoyed his cooking. "Eat up, Gilbert! You're definitely going to need the calories for whatever this place throws at us next."
Malenia however shared her absolute disgust by Gilbert's inability in controlling his urges, especially in eating. She watched him lick his greasy fingers, her lip curling. "There is a distinct line between necessary sustenance and pathetic gluttony," she stated coldly, crossing her arms. "A warrior who cannot exercise basic discipline over his own stomach will inevitably lack control on the battlefield. Your inability to curb your urges is repulsive."
Eventually, the plates were empty, and it was time to clean up the mess. Seeking any excuse to escape Malenia's judgmental glare, Gilbert took it upon himself to volunteer cleaning the dishes while everyone else did what they were good at.
Courage smiled, sharing his thoughts. "Hey, thanks, man. I appreciate you pitching in with the cleanup. The water basin is just down the hall."
Malenia, conversely, shared her thoughts with a sharp scoff. "Just ensure you actually scrub them clean. Leaving grease and food residue behind will attract vermin and scavengers. Do not half-measure this, Gilbert."
Gilbert gathered the precarious stack of greasy plates, pan, and utensils; and scurried out into the dimly lit corridor. He plunged his hands into the cold water basin, shivering as he scrubbed the ceramic clean. Once the dishes were clean, Gilbert carried the stack back down the corridor. He was about to return back inside the VIP room, but just before he entered, he could hear his name being mentioned. He froze in his tracks. Pressing his back flat against the cold, peeling wallpaper, Gilbert held his breath and took this chance to eavesdrop and learn what his teammates actually felt about him behind his back.
Inside the room, Malenia and Courage truthfully shared their thoughts, opinions, and suggestions regarding Gilbert.
"You coddle him endlessly, Courage," Malenia's voice drifted through the crack in the door, harsh and uncompromising. "He is a severe liability to our survival. Did you see him during the last wave? He cowered behind a desk while we held the line against that monstrosity. If he panics again, his utter incompetence will get us killed."
"Come on, Malenia, that's a bit harsh," Courage replied, offering his own suggestions while his tone remained placating but laced with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I know he's... definitely rough around the edges. And totally out of shape. But we can't just abandon him. Maybe he just needs some proper motivation? Some actual training?"
"You cannot train a coward who still believes this nightmare is some kind of joke," Malenia countered sharply, the sound of her whetstone scraping aggressively against steel punctuating her words. "He lives in comfortable delusions. I am telling you this now, Courage: I will not risk my own life to save a man who will not lift a finger to save himself. The next time a wave hits and things go south, I will not hesitate to leave him behind. He either learns to fight, or he dies. That is the reality of this sector."
"I... I don't want to be left behind again…" Gilbert whispered to himself, his voice trembling as he stood in the cold hallway where the other two could not hear or notice him. The weight of Malenia's harsh truth settled heavily on his chest, suffocating the last remnants of his delusional fantasies. He gripped the edges of the wet plates, his knuckles turning pure white as old memories of abandonment flooded his mind.
[LIVE FEED: UTAH SECTOR CHAT]
SaltyLake_Warrior: Wait... "again"? Did the neckbeard just drop some actual tragic backstory lore? 📖
GamerGrill_Watcher: Oof. I came here to laugh at the cringe, not to actually feel bad for the guy. That sounded way too genuine. 🥺
ArchWeeb99: Don't fall for it chat! He's just throwing a pity party because sword mommy called him out on his BS. 🤡
DoomScroller: Feelings aside, Malenia ain't wrong though. If he doesn't step up, he's just monster bait. 🥩
Utah_Holdout: This is it, Gilbert. This is the moment. Time for the training arc. Stop being a creep and pick up a weapon! ⚔️
Gilbert stared down at his own distorted reflection in the grease-streaked metal of the top plate. The chat was scrolling rapidly in his peripheral vision, but for once, he didn't care about their relentless mockery. The reality of the apocalypse had finally, painfully pierced through his protective bubble. If he didn't change his ways, if he didn't adapt to the brutal rules of this new world, he was going to die alone in the dark.
Taking a deep, shaky breath, he pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped back into the VIP room.
Courage was wiping down the makeshift table, while Malenia sat near the fire, the rhythmic sound of her whetstone sliding against her blade filling the space. Both of them looked up as he entered, surprised by his sudden, rigid posture.
"I heard you," Gilbert blurted out, his voice cracking slightly, dropping the stack of plates and utensils onto a nearby table with a loud clatter. He didn't puff out his chest. He didn't try to mask his fear with false bravado. "Through the door. I heard what you said."
Courage winced, tossing his rag onto the table. "Gil, listen, man—"
"No, do not apologize for speaking the truth, Courage," Malenia interrupted, her voice slicing through the thick tension like ice. She didn't stop sharpening her sword. Her golden eyes locked onto Gilbert, unflinching and entirely devoid of pity. "Good. It saves me the trouble of repeating it to your face. You are a liability, Gilbert. And in this sector, liabilities end up as corpses."
Gilbert swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. Usually, this was the point where he would deflect with a sarcastic comment or retreat into bitter silence. Instead, he forced himself to hold her intimidating gaze.
"I know," Gilbert said, the admission tasting like ash in his mouth. "I panicked. I hid. I... I don't want to die out here. And I don't want to be left behind again." He took a tentative step forward, his hands balling into clumsy, trembling fists. "Teach me. Both of you. Tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes."
Courage's tense shoulders dropped, a look of genuine relief washing over his tired face. "Gil... that's a huge step, man. I can definitely show you some basic stamina drills to get your cardio up."
"Cardio will not save him when a beast has him pinned to the earth," Malenia stated flatly. She finally set her whetstone down and rose to her feet, her heavy armor clinking ominously. She towered over him, her presence suffocating and demanding absolute respect. "You want my instruction? Fine. But understand this carefully: there are no 'time-outs'. You will bleed. You will ache. You will likely vomit from the sheer physical exertion. I will push you until your weak body breaks, and then I will push you further."
She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper that sent shivers down Gilbert's spine. "And the moment you complain, the moment you decide it is too hard and try to quit... I walk away. And the next time the horde comes, you will face them completely alone. Do you accept my terms?"
Gilbert felt a cold sweat break out across the back of his neck. The fantasy was truly dead. The brutal reality was standing right in front of him, promising him nothing but intense pain and suffering. But it also promised survival.
"I accept," Gilbert said, his voice trembling, but his eyes strangely resolute. "I won't quit."