Hvisland: A VR Colony Sim Game

Lara, Seb, Kat, and Rox had been walking along the riverbank for quite a while, but they had yet to find Yogi's body. I've also searched using the hover feature and to no avail.

Lara finally stopped, sighed, and looked up. "We'd better come to that cliff now. I guess it's useless to look for Yogi in a river that flows as fast as this. Besides, I want to quickly take care of my comrades."

"In that case, okay." Seb answered.

Once they changed course, I pressed the fast-forward button.

I turned off the feature when they were almost at their destination. Time does stop when they are in danger. But I don't want something like someone shooting a scout to happen again. What's more, I also have to share their burden, who will be doing a formidable task.

Rox was barking and fidgeting uncomfortably, a sign that we were close to danger. I ordered Kat to tie the dog to a tree.

"Calm down here, boy." Kat crouched down and rubbed her pet's head. "I won't be long."

Seb covered his nose at the sight of the shapeless corpses strewn on the ground, with dried blood and flies swarming over them. His body was also shaking like crazy. I had to keep encouraging him not to run.

If I could, I wouldn't have brought him here. However, Pif as the colonist with the highest medical stat had to continue to monitor Leva. Besides, Seb also couldn't take care of the woman in case of danger.

"Use the cloth I gave you." Lara tied a piece of cloth to cover her mouth and nose. The fabric was a tear from a sack of items used to wrap gifts from the Redtooth tribe.

Kat did what Lara did, but Seb seemed to have a hard time doing it. His hands were so shaking.

"Here." Lara helped Seb tie the cloth. "If you can't, you don't have to do this."

"Or you can just gather the resources they have, Seb." I whispered to the man. "And just stay away from the bodies."

Seb gulped, then said in a stuttering voice. "I'll just collect sacks, sleeping bags, tents and other useful things. I can't relax while you guys work."

"Ah, fine then. As long as you don't push yourself."

They started to work. Kat and Lara dragged the bodies and put them together into a pile, far from flammable objects. Meanwhile, Seb did as I was told. He checked the sack of goods, if there was no corpse nearby, or the corpse had been shifted by the women. Several times the man was frozen because he accidentally saw the lifeless bodies.

A small package fell from the hands of a man's corpse as Kat and Lara put it in the pile. Kat picked up the package from the shabby cloth, which was only the size of a human thumb. There was a small rope that tied the middle of the package, which was also thin.

"Ah, that's a dangerous thing." Lara began to explain, taking part in observing the object. "Well, now it won't be dangerous. If you eat it, it will have a terrible effect on you."

Seeing Kara looking a little uncomfortable and showing no sign of continuing her explanation, I told Kat to ask the blonde-haired woman.

"So, what is this? What effect does it have on our bodies?" Kat looked at Lara.

Lara shrugged. "They call it the devil's tears, even though it's in powder form. I don't know who named it and what it means. The thing is, that powder comes from a rare plant and has the effect of increasing speed and strength, but also makes you go crazy for a period of time. Well, just like Leva's berserk state back then."

I see. Maybe the person holding this thing would have used it against stump scorpions.

"So, what effect does it have on your body?" Kat continued her question, still per my order.

"Basically, it only affects your brain. Your movements don't really speed up, and your body really doesn't get stronger. Your brain will force your muscles to work way beyond the limit. Of course it will damage your body." Lara gulped. "And that's not the scariest part."

Kat tilted her head slightly, though her face was still expressionless.

Lara took a step closer to Kat's face, then hissed. "Once you consume this, you will be addicted. You will feel painful things because of it. And of course you can't fulfill your desire because this item is very rare. Some say that the effect can last up to a matter of weeks. So don't ever use it, Kat."

Kat was silent.

After saying that, Lara walked away, leaving Kat, who looked back at the small package in her hand.

"For now, keep it, Kat." I whispered into the amber-eyed girl's ear.

There's nothing wrong with keeping the thing, though I'm not sure I'd have any of my colonists use it ever.

Kat returned to work with Lara. It took about two hours for all the bodies to be collected. Some bodies are separated from others by quite a distance. I was amazed by the two women who didn't complain and continued to focus on the work. They are very tough .... Or not... They could just hide how they feel because all this must continue to be worked on.

I don't know how they feel. If their feelings were the same as mine, they would be in a lot of pain right now, having to do this crazy job while I was just watching them.

In fact, I feel this is all unfair. I, who made all this happen, did nothing but stand still.

Seb froze again as he found several wooden containers containing chunks of salt of various sizes near the cliff.

Lara, just putting the last of the bodies in the pile, came up to the man. "Like I said, you'd better take it, Seb. But it might be too heavy, so you guys carry it gradually over a few days. No matter what, this thing still has some really lucrative uses, you know. You can also sell it for a high price."

"Then, what if your tribe asks for this back?" Seb replied in an unconvinced tone.

"You just give it all." Lara shrugged. "You keep it, but that doesn't mean you have to defend it to the death. After all... I'm sorry if I put it this way. The ones who deserve the most are still my tribe because they are the ones who braved the dangers to get it."

She has a point.

"Just bring what you two can." I gave instructions to the man. "Tomorrow we'll be back here."

Seb nodded slowly. "Okay, if you don't mind."

"But, since we can't take them all, we'd better hide them around here first."

Lara continued her work. She and Kat picked up a few pieces of wood that were nearby. Starting from the former handles of various weapons, the tents' frame that had fallen, to the scattered branches. The two women put them all on the pile of corpses.

"May you all rest in peace." Lara poured oil from an explosive bomb, which happened not to be shattered, over the pile of lifeless bodies. Then, she backed away as she continued to pour, to create a path of oil extending from the pile.

Kat is ready with two fire stones.

Lara wiped her tears, closed her eyes and sighed, then knelt down. "Turn it on, Kat."

The amber-eyed girl rubbed the two fire stones in her hands together. The sparks that appeared landed on the pool of oil, instantly became a fire that spread, and eventually devoured the pile of corpses.

In no time, the fire burned the bodies. The three people who were nearby fell silent. All that was heard was the crackling sound of the fire.

"After this, what are you going to do, Lara?" Seb asked, narrowing his eyes from the glare of the flames.

Lara wiped her tears again. "I'm going to wander.... I don't want to go back to Redtooth. Well, I don't have anyone there either. I can't continue living with you guys because that would complicate things."

"Where are you going?" Seb asked again.

It took some time for the blonde girl to answer. "I don't know.... As far as possible."