My not quite panicked, but certainly not calm, cool, or collected retreat carried me back into the forest. Soon, the vast open plains were obscured by the trees, so I slowed my run to a light jog, my body handling the strain surprisingly well. I continued to follow the path all the way back to the ruined and rusted building, stopping at around a hundred and fifty feet. After making sure I was most definitely at least that far away, then taking a few steps back just to make sure, I slowly began walking around the ruins, making sure that I was always within eyeshot of the ruined structure. As I walked around, I discovered two more paths that led away from the ruins, both of them angled away from each other.

  For a moment, I considered following them, but I ultimately decided to hold off, at least for now. This wasn't a game where I could just load a save, and I sure as hell wasn't back home, where idle curiosity usually only led to wasted time. Here, I was one short walk away from getting trampled by a robotic deer or gored by a robot bull.

  And that was just the "nice" robot animals in this world.

  I continued to walk the perimeter around the structure, crossing between trees and around rocks and rubble, before I finally stepped back onto the original path. I let out a long breath, not even realizing I had been holding it at the end before I started to walk back to the ruins, focused on the dark opening that led back to the "real world." Before I could get more than a few feet, I heard the sound of a cracking branch, and I whirled around.

  Standing there, just off the path, opposite to where I had come from, was a singular. Its large, glass eye was already glowing yellow, and as it swung its long neck around, it spotted me. Immediately, the eye lit up red, shining bright enough to cast harsh, ominous shadows. Raising its large head, it began making a whirring, whining, charging sound, its eye glowing brighter and brighter. I had just enough time to cover my helmet with my arm before it released its attack, a snapping crack of light filling the entire area. Even with my arm protecting me, I could still see the near-blinding flash.

  I quickly uncovered my face, fighting through the daze to find the watcher, its eye still glowing, was charging at me aggressively. It pivoted at the last second, swinging its ass end around as it attempted to bash me with its thick tail. It looked clumsy and awkward, as the robot was clearly not meant for open combat. Still, it almost got me as I dove backward, just barely out of range, its tail smashing into a stump, obliterating the partially rotted growth.

  "Fuck, fuck, fuck, shit!" I shouted, pushing myself back along the ground, bringing my rifle up as I did.

  In my panic, I barely even aimed, flicking the safety off blindly before pulling the trigger. A three-round burst barked from the end of my rifle, two bullets going wide while the first slapped into the watcher's side, sending out sparks and chunks of the machine's internals. It stumbled, still partially carrying the momentum of its swing, giving me just enough time to adjust, sit up, and aim before pulling the trigger twice more, dumping six more rounds into the bipedal, zoomorphic robot. This time, most of them hit, with the last burst punching through its neck.

  The large robot managed to stay on its feet until the last burst, the bullets hitting something vital as the light in its eyes cut out immediately. Its forward momentum carried it towards me just a bit more before it collapsed by my feet. Its internals sparked a few more times before it went still and silent.

  I sat there, watching, my rifle trained on the robot for a good thirty seconds, waiting for it to pop back up. When it failed to do so, I scrambled to my feet, casting a quick look around before running full tilt toward the dark opening under the crumbling, rusted building. I didn't slow down until the last second, passing into the darkness and nearly slamming into the dark door. Desperately, knowing that my gunshots were loud enough to attract all sorts of unwanted attention, I fumbled with the door's handle before finally managing to open it. I all but lept through the door, finally slamming it closed behind me. When the door was finally sealed shut, I let out a long breath of relief.

  I was safe, I had survived, I was okay…

  For a long moment, I just focused on catching my breath and repeating that mantra in my head. I had successfully completed another quest and even managed to survive an encounter with a killer robot. Sure, it was one of, if not smallest and weakest robot in the game, if I remembered correctly, but it still meant something.

  I had survived.

  Once my heart rate had returned to normal, I flicked my rifle back to safety and slowly made my way out of the large hall of doors, heading back to the main hall. Maxwell was not by the desk, but that was fine. I headed to the table where I had unloaded my stuff, collapsing into one of the leather chairs. I carefully took off my helmet and placed it on the table before removing the magazine from my rifle. I cracked open the box of spare rounds and replaced the rounds that I fired before clipping it back in place.

  By the time I had resealed the box and put it to the side, Maxwell stepped out of the doorway closest to the desk, along the back corner of the room. He spotted me the same moment that I spotted him, his expression turning bright as he did.

  "Ah, good, welcome back, Sir," He said, making his way to me, remaining standing. "Should I assume that you were successful?"

  "I think so, but I have no way of knowing for sure," I pointed out with a frown. "I walked around the entrance at least a hundred and fifty feet away, probably closer to two hundred. It should still count."

  "Hmm, and judging by the smell of gunsmoke, you encountered some difficulties?" Maxwell asked as he made his way to the desk.

  "Yeah... just a small robot," I explained, watching as he pulled out the quest paper with a flourish. "Turns out the door is connected to a word I know from a video game called. Lots of dangerous robots styled after animals."

  "Yes, well, I did tell you it would be a challenging world, didn't I?" He pointed out, before tapping the parchment. "The good news is you did, in fact, complete the quest. You now have access to the first structure, the tier-one barracks. Shall we figure out where it belongs?"

  After I nodded in agreement, he reached under the desk and pulled out a large rolled-up map, as well as a small rectangular box. He unrolled the map, holding it open on the desk with four weights, before gesturing for me to come closer. As I approached, leaving my rifle behind, I could see that the, with the Headquarters marked in blue. Maxwell handed the rectangular box to me.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Just place this down where you would like the barracks," He explained. "Once you confirm, it will appear."

  "Instantly?" I asked, frowning when he nodded in confirmation. "I suppose that's not any weirder than having a hall full of doors connected to broken versions of other realities. Is there any reason not to place it right against the Headquarters?"

  "For simple structures, that would be fine. You could even apply some of them as direct upgrades or expansions to the Headquarters," Maxwell confirmed with a shrug. "But structures with ten tiers of upgrades or more cannot be fused with the Headquarters. Also, most structures require space to grow."

  "How many tiers do the barracks have?" I asked, turning over the simple box in my hands. "Should I place it further away?"

  "I… don't know how many tiers the barracks have, Sir," Maxwell admitted, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "I suppose ten or more would be the best answer I could provide. As for how close you can go, the map will show you."

  I raised an eyebrow before looking down at the map as Maxwell gestured to it. I held the small box over the map, and a gray area appeared on the surface, right under the box. It was about three times the length and width of the box. I toyed around with the location for a moment before settling on the simplest placement, right behind the HQ. The gray area took up a significant chunk of the now-defunct baseball field, while the box itself took up a chunk of the infield. I made sure there was room for two large vehicles and then some between the two buildings.

  "What do you think?" I asked, looking up at Maxwell, who was tapping his chin.

  "I believe that will work. It even matches the roads, even if they are useless at this point," He commented, pointing to the ruins beside the barracks. "I'm sure you can clear those out or repair them eventually. If you are sure, just confirm the placement, and we can go inspect the new structure."

  I chewed the inside of my cheek for a moment before scratching my head. While there was very little in the way of strategy I could do with only two buildings, putting them like this would hopefully make it easier to surround the HQ and the barracks with less critical buildings, making it more difficult for someone to sneak into them. That was very far into the future, but hopefully, being smart now would pay off later.

  Or I had no idea what I was doing and had just made a terrible mistake that would haunt me forever. Either one was possible.

  "I'm certain, do it."

  "Very well," Maxwell said with a nod. "Barracks location selected.

  The suit-clad man reached out and pressed down on the small green box that represented the barracks. I then watched as the box pushed into the map, sinking down until Maxwell was only touching paper, a green box now colored in the map, with a grey box around it. He quickly removed the weights, rolling up paper as if he hadn't just broken physics on a fundamental level, before stashing it under the counter.

  "I believe you should lead the way this time, Sir," He said with a smile. "You are armed, after all."

  I nodded and returned to my table, grabbing my rifle before making my way down the hall, stopping by the large front door. I looked behind me at Maxwell, who nodded to me before I turned back and pushed the door open. While earlier, the sun had been beating down on the front entrance, it was now considerably less intense. A few hours had passed while I was busy, so the sun had set a bit, and it was slightly less warm as a result. I looked around carefully before stepping out of the doorway fully, Maxwell right behind me.

  After double and triple-checking that we were alone, we began to walk around the HQ, getting a good look at the building's exterior for the first time. It was interesting, the of the exterior was very different from the interior and fit in well with the surrounding buildings, sort of a simple, concrete art deco. The concrete looked far from brand new, but the building still stood out because there was broken. Not a single crack or broken window, no chunks of debris scattered around, meaning it was in better shape than anything within a fifty-mile radius.

  "Holy shit, we stand out like a sore thumb," I said, shaking my head. "We need soldiers asap, or a raider group is going to overwhelm us by accident."

  Maxwell said nothing as we continued to walk, the new barracks coming into view. It, just under a hundred feet in length and half that in width. It certainly lacked the grandiose design of the HQ, with simple rough stone walls and doors. Part of me was curious if that would change as it got upgraded, since it would clearly get larger, but there was no way to know until it happened.

  "Kinda looks like a motel," I commented, opening the door and stepping inside.

  The interior was just as simple as the exterior, with four bunk beds along one side and a small amount of living space, including some tables, chairs, and a couch. Each bunk bed had storage underneath the bottom bunk, and there were cabinets along one wall, more than enough for eight people. On the far end, I could see two doors, one marked bathroom and the other marked showers. A quick check showed a public version of each, though the showers were thankfully cubicle style. Everything in the interior was clean and in good condition, as far as I could tell, but the cabinets were empty, so who knew how long the fresh bedding would last.

  As we looked around, the last thing we stumbled on was a dispenser of sorts. I fiddled with it for a second before it turned on.

  "That seems to be the barracks food dispenser," Maxwell explained. "It would dispense the soldiers three meals a day, on command. At the moment, all you have access to are basic rations, but that could change as the building is upgraded."

  "Should I grab some dinner before we head back?" I asked, scrolling through the options, mostly joking.

  There weren't very many.

  "That won't be necessary. I fulfill that role for anyone staying in the HQ," He explained, standing a bit taller and straightening his tie. "Though the food choices are not any less basic."

  "For now, food is just fuel," I said with a shrug. "At some point, we can start to worry about quality of life in that direction, but for now, as long as we get what we need to live and work, I'm satisfied."

  "Wonderful. Then perhaps we should return to the HQ?" He asked, gesturing to the door. "I believe you have reached the end of the tutorial quests, meaning there should now be several options waiting for you to choose from."

  "It's a bit late to be starting something new," I pointed out, taking one last look around and shaking my head. "Especially since I have a feeling my simple options died with the end of the tutorial you just mentioned."

  "Then perhaps we shall just consider the options," Maxwell suggested, following me out of the barracks. "So that you know what you are doing tomorrow."

  "Sure, that works for me," I responded, scanning the area as we made our way back to the HQ, my gun at the ready.

  It didn't take us long to return and seal ourselves inside. Once the door was secure, I sat down at one of the tables, and before long, Maxwell returned with two unmarked MRE-like plastic pouches, as well as two bottles of water. He handed one of each to me before sitting down across from me and beginning to unpack his meal.

  "So, how bad is this going to be, exactly?" I asked, tearing open my own pouch. "I've heard horrifying things about veggie omelets."

  "Nothing that bad, sir," Maxwell assured me, taking a bit out of what looked like some sort of stew, using a fork. "I suspect the primary issue will be a lack of flavor, not an overwhelmingly negative one."

  "Well, I suppose that's better than having to eat something revolting," I admitted before digging into my own meal.

  I was pretty sure it was some sort of pasta and chicken combo, as well as some sort of extra protein bar. I wasn't actually sure, though, because it was all so incredibly tasteless, mushy, and bland. The best part of the whole meal was the small drink mix pouch, which I added to my water and shook, creating a vaguely fruity sports drink, like watered-down Gatorade.

  By the end of the meal, the sun was starting to finally set, the world outside the hall going dark. I frowned and looked around inside at the very well-lit interior.

  "We should go to sleep early and turn out the light," I said. "Seeing windows with light in them will attract a lot of attention."

  "I suppose you are right... Very well, let me show you your room, and then I will close up for the day."

  I stood, and after one more look out a nearby window at the wasteland around us, I followed after Maxwell.