He didn’t want to wake her, but she had him pinned under the blanket. He needed to stretch, and more urgently, get to the restroom before his bladder mounted a rebellion, but didn’t think he could walk on his own.
From the voices in the main room and the pale light seeping through the window, he guessed it was close to dawn. That meant he’d slept for around ten hours.
Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and tried to stretch without disturbing her, but as soon as he moved, Tami jerked awake.
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “Didn’t mean to wake you. Just trying to stretch out my sore muscles.”
She blinked, groggy and not fully awake yet. As awareness returned to her eyes, Bob continued, “Can you get someone to help me to the bathroom? I don’t think I can make it on my own.”
“Sure,” she murmured, rising to her feet and quietly leaving the room, closing the door behind her.
A little while later, it opened again. Kent walked in, Blake at his side.
“So, old man, can’t walk on your own?” Blake grinned, but the relief in his eyes betrayed his true feelings. Bob must have looked better than the day before.
“Go ahead and mock the wounded,” Bob replied dryly. “When you're the one laid up, I’ll return the favor.”
Kent smiled. “Good to see you looking better. George will be glad, he and Tami stayed up most of the night watching over you.”
“I don’t feel that much better,” Bob admitted.
The conversation continued as they helped Bob to his feet and guided him to the bathroom and back. He learned that nothing had bothered them during the night. Everyone had squeezed into the cabin, not wanting to risk sleeping outside after the chaos of the day before.
Tami and George arrived soon after with a light breakfast for Bob. As he ate, the others filled him in on what had happened after he’d fallen asleep, which wasn’t much. A few arguments about sleeping arrangements, but nothing serious. With around forty people crammed into the cabin, a few minor issues were to be expected.
When the food was gone and there were no more questions to ask, Bob leaned back, overwhelmed. His friends kept looking at him like he had the answers, like he could fix everything. But he was just as lost as they were. He studied their tired faces. Most of them looked the way he felt, drained.
Then, he voiced the question that had been lingering in the back of his mind. “What did we do with the bodies of the people who died?”
Silence fell over the room.
No one answered. Eyes shifted, and discomfort settled in until George finally looked up, guilt etched across his face.
“We kind of forgot… with everything going on. Getting everyone settled.”
Bob didn’t say anything for a moment.
Then he nodded, resolved. “Can someone help me outside? And gather everyone who’s able to come?”
George and Blake helped Bob out of bed. Kent turned to Dave and Jill. “Will you help me gather everyone?” They nodded and left while Bob stood shakily between George and Blake.
Tami started to protest, but Bob shook his head. “This needs to be done. I’ll rest afterward.”
They helped him out to a chair on the front deck while the others gathered everyone. Within minutes, a crowd had formed. When Kent confirmed that everyone who could come was present, Bob had them help him stand.
“Where’s my sledgehammer?” Bob asked. “I can use it as a crutch again so you guys won’t need to hold me.” Dave went and grabbed it. Once he was steady, he faced the group.
“I’ve never been one to sugarcoat things, and I’m not about to start.” Bob looked over the crowd and made eye contact with a few of them. “We don’t know what’s going on. I can’t fix it. I can’t get anyone home. Like it or not, we’re stuck here, together.”
He paused, partly for effect, partly to catch his breath. “You don’t really know me or my friends. You followed us because we were the lesser of two unknowns.” Bob’s legs started shaking and he was worried he would need to sit down. “We’ve had one night to rest, to start processing what happened. If you want to stay, that’s fine. If you decide to leave, that’s your choice too.
George noticed Bob’s trembling and stepped up next to him helping him remain standing. Bob nodded his thanks to George. “But before we do anything else—I need to keep a promise and I need your help. We brought the dead with us, and now we need to bury them.” Bob gestured to the bodies still on the makeshift cart. “I need help digging graves. I’d like to bury them over there.” He pointed to a cluster of maple trees north of the cabin, trees his family had planted years ago.
Several people volunteered without hesitation. While they dug, Bob finally sat down and watched. No one left. Everyone stayed.
It didn’t take long with so much help. Once the graves were ready, Bob stood again with George’s help.
“Let’s honor those we’ve lost.” His eyes found Ted’s. “Ted, would you like to say anything about Susanna?”
Ted looked stunned, but nodded and stepped forward. “My wife and I were just here visiting Zion… like most of you. I still can’t believe she’s gone.” His voice cracked. “When the chipmunks attacked, we were helping others. Susanna jumped in without hesitation. Bob didn’t know us, yet he stepped in to protect us. Most of his wounds came from trying to save her.”
Tears streamed down Ted’s face. “I’m grateful to Bob for giving her a peaceful place to rest… and not leaving her to those creatures.”
Ted moved to Susanna and Kent stepped over to help. They gently laid Susanna into a grave.
Standing again Bob asked. “Does anyone else want to say anything?”
A few stepped forward and shared words about loved ones and friends. When no one else moved, Bob said a few final words about remembering the dead and then, together, they buried them.
As the last of the soil was laid and the crowd stood silent, a strange warmth surged through Bob. A sound—like wind chimes over stone—echoed in his mind. Then, the notifications began.
CHARISMA +2
LEADERSHIP RANK +1
He didn’t ask for leadership, but if the System was going to thrust it on him, he would carry it. If only to spare someone else from the weight. He had stood before them, not because he wanted to, but because someone had to.
ORATOR RANK +1
QUEST COMPLETE: THE LEADER
REWARDS AVAILABLE
EXPERIENCE POINTS GAINED
Bob barely had time to react before more messages and a surge flowed through his body.
LEVEL UP!
YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 2.
ATTRIBUTE BONUSES APPLIED.
- CHARISMA +1
- PERSONALITY +1
- ALLURE +1
- FREE POINTS: +3
- PERSONALITY +1
Bob’s mind recoiled like it had just been punched and yet the system still wasn’t done.
NEW SKILLS AVAILABLE — CHOOSE ONE:
BOLSTER (RANK 0)
PARLEY (RANK 0)
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
MANA CHANNELING (RANK 0)
HAMMER TOSS (RANK 0)
SANCTUARY (RANK 0)
Bob staggered, the world tilting slightly as the last notification faded. George caught him by the arm just before he could fall, steadying him with practiced ease. Tami was already at his side, eyes wide with concern.
“You okay?” she asked. “Did you push yourself too far?”
“Maybe,” Bob admitted, but shook his head. “That’s not what did it.”
He slumped into the nearest chair and drew in a shaky breath. “It was the System. I forgot how intense it could be. It just… hit me all at once.”
Around him, voices rose concerned, questioning. His friends crowded close, trying to make sense of what they’d just witnessed. Bob held up a hand.
“I’m fine,” he said, though his voice was rough. “Just got a flood of notifications. Looks like I completed a quest——and unlocked... a lot.”
“A quest?” Kent asked, brows lifting. “You weren’t even conscious half the time.”
“I know,” Bob said. “I don’t get it either. But now that things have stopped flying past my vision, I can actually read them.”
He focused, drawing the notification back into clarity.
QUEST COMPLETE: THE LEADER
YOU HAVE GAINED THE TRUST OF THE MAJORITY OF HUMANS IN YOUR SECTOR.
REWARD: AN OUTPOST UNLOCKED.
DESIGNATE OUTPOST LOCATION.
HIDDEN QUEST REWARD ACHIEVED:
QUEST COMPLETED BY GAINING THE TRUST OF ALL OTHER HUMANS IN SECTOR.
REWARD: SPECIAL BUILDING AWARDED. AVAILABLE AFTER OUTPOST ESTABLISHED
Bob blinked slowly, then looked up. “Okay… so apparently I gained the outpost. And... a ‘special building’ for completing some hidden quest.”
George groaned. “Hidden quests now? Great. I can’t even finish the obvious ones. This is getting out of hand.”
Kent was already thinking ahead. “How do you activate the outpost? Is there a button? A spell? Do you shout at the sky?”
“I think… you just pick a spot,” Bob said. “It gave me a prompt.”
He mentally prodded the interface again. The question reappeared in bold, clear text:
DESIGNATE CURRENT LOCATION AS OUTPOST?
Bob didn’t hesitate.
Another prompt appeared.
DESIGNATE OUTPOST NAME
He hesitated this time, searching for the right words, something that felt like it mattered. Something that reflected what they needed.
“Kolob Sanctum,” he said softly. The System responded at once.
OUTPOST KOLOB SANCTUM (FLEDGLING) CREATED
SPECIAL BUILDING: MEMORIAL OF THE FALLEN (APPRENTICE) PLACED
KOLOB SANCTUM MANAGEMENT UNLOCKED
A pulse of energy rolled through the ground beneath them, low and deep like the beating of some ancient heart.
Bob looked up.
Things were about to change, again.
A deep rumble echoed through the ground as an obelisk rose from the center of the driveway circle. It was carved from a dark stone that reminded Bob of the basalt ledge beneath the cabin, glossy, black, and weathered. The pillar stopped growing at around ten feet tall. Its four smooth sides were flat and seamless, with a subtle, timeless weight, as if it had been standing there for centuries.
Bob stared, transfixed, until the burial site began to shift.
The earth trembled, then reshaped itself. A sprawling pergola materialized, stretching across a space easily 150 feet wide in each direction. Despite its massive span, it stood without visible support beyond its four corner pillars, each made of the same black stone as the obelisk. A wooden lattice crowned the structure, thick with vines heavy with grape clusters, casting dappled shadows over the ground below.
Benches of polished black stone formed a quiet circle beneath the pergola. Some faced outward, toward the cliff and valley beyond. Others looked inward, toward a newly formed wall, ten feet high, smooth and gleaming, like carved obsidian. Subtle etchings ran along its face, catching the light.
At either end of the wall stood statues of warrior angels, seamlessly fused into the stone. Each stood six feet tall, clad in full plate armor with open-faced helmets. Massive wings flared behind them, arcing over the top of the wall. One hand gripped a downward-pointed sword; the other was extended, palm up, holding a flickering flame that danced without wind or fuel.
In the center of the circle of benches a fountain bubbled gently, feeding a stream that wound its way through a grove of maple trees. The water flowed into a narrow waterfall that spilled over the cliff’s edge. Stone paths meandered between the trees, crossing the stream with arched wooden bridges.
In the center of the fountain stood two more angelic figures, this time dressed not for war, but in flowing Greek-style robes. They faced each other, both gripping a sword pommel shared between them. Water flowed like tears down their stone cheeks. A flame burned at the tip of the sword, casting a golden glow throughout the pergola. Bob couldn’t imagine what was powering the fire or the water, it simply was.
, he thought,
People began to drift toward it, drawn by the quiet beauty of the transformation. Bob spotted Ted among them. The man approached the wall, fell to his knees, and began to cry.
Concerned, Bob nodded to George, who helped him across the grass. As they neared, Bob finally saw what had broken Ted. Names had been etched into the wall. One in particular stood out:
Susanna.
And beneath it, the names of everyone they had buried.
As Bob focused on the wall, a message shimmered into view:
MEMORIAL OF THE FALLEN (APPRENTICE)
FACTION OWNER: UNCLAIMED
- FACTION MEMBERS GAIN +10% STATS
- FACTION MEMBERS GAIN +20% STATS WHILE DEFENDING
- FACTION MEMBERS GAIN +50% STATS WHILE DEFENDING THE LOCATION OF THE MEMORIAL
- UPGRADE REQUIREMENTS UNKNOWN
- FACTION MEMBERS GAIN +20% STATS WHILE DEFENDING
Bob blinked. The bonuses were staggering. Beside him, Ted remained on his knees, hand gently resting on Susanna’s name. His shoulders shook. Bob placed a hand on the man’s back, partly to comfort, partly to steady himself in the face of everything unfolding.
Ted looked up, eyes red. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Now, no matter what happens to me, she’ll be remembered.”
Bob nodded. “She deserves that. All of them do. I’ll use her memory to stay strong for the next person who needs saving.”
Ted hesitated, then glanced at the wall again. “You should claim it.”
Bob frowned.
Seeing Bob’s confusion. “The Memorial. When I focused on it. It says it’s unclaimed. You should take it before someone else does.”
Bob turned his gaze back to the wall and focused more intently. He stopped cold. .
CLAIM MEMORIAL OF THE FALLEN?
NO FACTION AVAILABLE. CREATE NEW FACTION?
NEW FACTION CREATED
NAME FACTION:???
“Um… I need to name a faction before I can claim the Memorial,” Bob said aloud. “Any ideas?”
George perked up immediately. “The Brotherhood! Finally! We wouldn’t have to joke about it anymore.”
Bob groaned. “Seriously?” He loved George but this was too much. “I’ve always thought it sounded like a shady thieves' guild.”
“Yeah, maybe not,” Kent said with a grin. “We don’t even know what a faction does yet.”
“We know it gives bonuses from the Memorials description,” Bob said, “and claiming it seems to require one.”
Tami tilted her head. “You already named the outpost Kolob Sanctum. Why not build on that? Kolob Guard? Kolob Shield? Kolob Protectors?”
“I like ” Kent agreed. “Sounds like we’re protecting more than just ourselves.”
Jill shrugged. “I don’t have any better ideas.”
Bob nodded. “Okay. Let’s go with that.”
FACTION CREATED:
- KOLOB PROTECTORS (FLEDGLING)
TITLE GAINED:
- FACTION LEADER (KOLOB PROTECTORS) (TRANSFERABLE)
KOLOB PROTECTORS (FLEDGLING) CLAIMS:
- OUTPOST KOLOB SANCTUM (FLEDGLING)
- MEMORIAL OF THE FALLEN (APPRENTICE)
WISDOM +1
INTUITION +1
COMPREHENSION +1
MEMORIAL OF THE FALLEN BUFF ACTIVE
- ALL STATS +10%
Bob stared at the glowing notifications, .
Looking around, he saw the faces of the people who had followed him, tired, cautious, hopeful. They weren’t just survivors anymore. They were starting to become something more.
“I don’t know what I’m doing,” he admitted. “Every time I act, something else changes. I’m barely keeping up.”
George helped him sit on one of the stone benches under the pergola. Around them, the others continued wandering the transformed memorial, but his closest friends gathered near, listening as he began reading the notifications aloud.
Piece by piece, he shared everything that had happened since the moment he’d stumbled after the burial. By the time he finished, Kent asked, “You said you got the outpost… but did it say anything about how to manage it?”
“No,” Bob said. “I feel like I’m juggling too many things at once and I’m dropping all of them. I still have a skill to choose.”
“You’re not dropping anything,” Tami said gently. “You’re keeping us alive.”
George added, “Maybe the obelisk is the key? It’s the one thing you haven’t interacted with directly.”
Bob nodded. “Worth a try.”
With help from George and Blake, Bob hobbled toward the towering obelisk. Up close, the obelisk loomed like a monument to something ancient and unknown. It was ten feet of dark, basalt-like stone that seemed to drink in the morning light.
At first, Bob had thought all four sides were smooth, but as he drew closer, he noticed that the southern face, the one pointing toward the campground, was different. Its surface was etched with strange runes and glyphs, subtle and angular, their lines shallow but precise. They shimmered faintly when viewed at an angle, like they were carved into layers just beneath the surface.
“What the hell is that?” Kent asked, squinting at the marks. “Writing?”
“Maybe,” George said. “But I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s not just writing,” Blake murmured, dragging his fingers across the stone. “It looks... patterned. Like it's showing something. A shape. That curve—could that be the cliff edge?”
Tami leaned in, brushing grime from one of the larger glyphs. “You think this is a map?”
“I don’t know,” Blake said, “It could just be squiggly lines but I feel like it is a cliff face.”
The others stared at the obelisk in silence. The runes offered no immediate answers, only more questions.
“Can you read any of it?” George asked.
Bob shook his head. “No idea what any of this says. It’s not English. Not Latin. Not anything I’ve ever seen. If it is a map I have no idea where or what it is showing.”
“Well, you’re the one who got all the notifications,” Kent said. “Try touching it.”
Bob placed his hand flat against the stone. It was cool, almost unnaturally so. For a heartbeat, nothing happened, then the obelisk pulsed faintly beneath his palm.