"My god, are we there yet?"

"Not yet Zack about another day or two through the mountains and pass the lake and there should be a semi-open area near the river."

"My goodness we should be there like hours ago" we been in the forest for days with no end in sight of our journey. Hell, I don't even know the spot where we are supposed to stay." I said while holding a walking stick, I found near the forest we enter.

"Oh relax Zack, enjoy the wilderness, smell the fresh air, you could not just enjoy this pleasant experience of the outdoor?" She said while plucking the petal of a white flower she's holding.

"Lisa... not even an hour ago we saw a giant blue ape like guerrilla thrown a whole TREE at us."

"Oh, stop being a baby it didn't even hit us."

"That is not what I'm worrying about, when it charges at us one of the vines of the tree entangle the guerrilla and snap it like a kit-kat. Not its neck its whole body."

"So, what's the problem?" She threw the once white flower to the ground.

I can't believe that I'm having this conversation. "Stop taking breaks every hour just because 'I need time to recover the trauma that my body suffer'."

"HEY, walking takes lots of mental power." She said while picking up another white flower next to her.

"This whole forest is trying to kill us." I then took a deep breath. "Then let me translate your excuse then 'I'm a fat bitch and I need to rest since walking is new experience to me and my body needs to recover the damage it suffers even though that we don't feel tired.' Sounds better to me."

"Your a stupid blot."

"WHAT!"

"Settle down you two" Marcus said as he was scraping some of the saps from the tree into a jar. "I swear you two make me want to kill myself." He then points to Lisa while still holding the knife with sap on it. "Stop taking a break every hour. If we build our base, then you can rest to your heart content." He then points to me "Stop asking if were there yet it is getting annoying." He drops the small knife in the jar, seal it, and drops it in his bag. I somehow got a feeling that he is not using his inventory for some reason. "Now that I got you two to stop planning to kill each other, let's go. We have to get to the mountains before sun goes down, I don't want to camp yet or walk in the rain."

He then began walking away from us. Both Lisa and I look at each other for a moment then follow Marcus.

"Bloody moke."

"Ill born nit"

............................

Luckily, we made it just passed the mountains before the sun went down. The mountain was not that tall and we made decent time when all of us minus Lisa climb it in record time. Lisa just levitate over it while shouting motivational quotes from the 80's. She only stops and offer us all a trip up when I threw a pebble at her. During our time in the air, we saw what I thought to be a normal mountain goat and a tiger on one of the ledges. My moment of normality was cut short when the goat has a gem on its head, was a damn giant with floating rocks around it, and it was using earth magic and try to impale the tiger from the ground up while the tiger with red glowing outlines set itself on fire. When the tiger dodges, it counterattacks with a fire ball from its mouth. This went on for another minute before they decided to charge at each other. The engagement was cut short when I use the bow and arrows I found at the fort and shot at the both of them. As we got closer, the bodies were lying on the floor. I walk up to the lion and his body has gone into my inventory while the goat was still alive but barely breathing, I looked at it for a minute before it fell limp. With that, I gather his body as well. I open the menu and selected their bodies and click dismantle and acquire their pelts, meat, a few organs, and the goat gem. Both Lisa and Marcus were looking at me with disdainful eyes.

"What?" I said while holding the gem that was in the goat forehead. They both look at each other before silently agreeing that it was normal.

Currently we are resting near the base of the mountain with the campfire light up Marcus was reading a book, Lisa was juggling different element balls like it was the circus act, while I was cooking our dinner from the goat. From time to time, we hear a loud roar coming from the forest before it was cut short. "Seems like your drones are doing work brother." I told Marcus who just flip another page of his book. Unlike Lisa book, the title of his books is 'Sub-Human Anatomy and Effects'. "Also, where did you get the book?"

"I just wish that they stay away from the kill zone. As for the book, I got it from Lisa."

"I knew you'll like the book." She then stops juggling by making the 'balls' disappear. "Anything interesting?" She asks with undivided attention.

"Whoever wrote this book clearly know what they are doing. The information on here is too accurate and detailed, yet, it does not feel like a book. I wonder what his references are?"

"Funny story Marcus." This caught Marcus attention and he gave Lisa the looks of 'go on'. "The person who wrote the book is not a book but a journal..." There was another loud roar in the distance before it became a whimper then a silent. "...the dude had a whole bunch of slaves of both beast-men, humans, and other races. He conducted test and such until he was killed." Both Marcus and I looked at Lisa with the expression of 'Really?' She just shrugs then summon her elemental 'balls' and continue juggling them. "Or so the assistance says it happens. Let me tell you he was really weird. His shop is weird compare to the others."

"How so?" I asked since I never been down there.

"Let me tell you the first day I went down there, some guy got shank to death. After the 20th something stabs or so, he just simply walks to a blacksmith that was a few feet away asking for touch up on his knife while two homeless man were staring down each other for the loot of the corps. Once that was done, someone drag the body to a butcher stall and began selling meat of his body. All of this and people didn't bat an eye like it was another day of the week." She said while trying to not break her juggling focus.

"What about the assistance" Marcus asked

"Oh him...well for start, he is always smiling to his jars that contain different organs like eyes, kidneys, ect. When I first enter his shop, he always refers to me as 'Studious follower of knowledge'. The weird part is when another person enters the store, he began to shoo them away claiming them to be 'Betrayers of Knowledge' or 'Enemy of Intelligence".

"I bet you he is like Steve, goofy glasses and buck teeth" I commented which Lisa just simply smiled

"Trust me that man is built like a body builder. Tan, bald, and tall."

"Sounds like someone has a crush." Lisa smile quickly became the look of disgust If I didn't blink, I could have missed its change.

"Anyway, his 'shop' is more like a living room. Two bleach white couches and a dark wood coffee table in the center, a dark wood bookshelf filled with books and organs, and a damn golden chandelier" Both Marcus and I look at Lisa as if she is spouting nonsense. "The weirdest part from him was that when I ask questions about the book on display, he actually offers me the copy of that book for free." Marcus grab the book began inspecting it. "Trust me I check the book and its clean. No magic was detected, and the cover is clean."

Marcus open the book again and continue his reading. "He is very strange. A man who thrown away ethnics for a singular purpose of discovering new information to the world is someone I can respect." A moment of silent before Marcus chuckle to himself. "His footnote is actually interesting."

This is completely phenomenal; the skeletal structure is nearly identical when comparing us humans to these sub-humans. My original hypothesis was that sub-humans will have a more complex skeletal than us humans, However, I was incorrect. Their skeletal structure is nearly identical to humans minus a few 'racial' differences within the sub-humans' groups like elves and dwarfs. The bones of a cat sub-humans are more nimble and lighter, the claws seem to be able to extend and retract just by squeezing the muscles in their hands. The most peculiar of all is the tailbone. Humans whether we should acknowledge it or not, do have 'tail bone'. Somewhat in time us human may or may not have tail is something I should research another time. Back to the topic the cat sub-humans tail bones are very minuscule and plentiful which give it the ability to move on its own. A theory is that the tail of the cat sub-humans supports their abnormal agility compare to humans is yet to be seen.

A few theories I must research is

· If humans do have a tail one point in time, why did our tail disappear or did humans evolve and we do not require a tail?

· If humans did have a tail, were we sub-humans at one point in time and ascended or banished? which brings back to theory one, Why?

· Are there a subcategory for a cat sub-human? What is the difference between a black cat and blue cat sub-humans or is it the Trible and community theory that James D Woods had in mind?

· If the skeletal is nearly identical, what cause such minor changes. An example would be a human have ears on the side of the head while most beast sub-humans have them on top or the side cover with fur. Another unique theory would be why do the bird sum-humans have feathers instead of hair and no visible ears yet the look almost completely human.

· Did all life originated to one point in time and branch out which created multiple race or were the blasted church on to something when the 'gods' created life. (Very unlikely.)

· And Finally, If the beast sub-humans were to enter 'beast mode', how would their anatomy change compare to humans and their sub-humans' counterpart. If we were sub-humans at one point, could we regain such transformation, or was it taken away from us, or stolen?

"If he is asking all these questions just by looking at bones, wait till he hears about Darwin" I commented

"Or DNA" Lisa quickly follow up with which got both of us laughing

"To be fair, he is working with what he got, and I am only just started reading this." Marcus said while closing the book and putting it in his bag. "Well goodnight." Marcus said while extending his hand before a familiar potion appear from thin air and quickly drank its contents.

"Yeah good night Marcus, and Zack."

Right before I was able to drink my brinks brew, Lisa stopped me. Taking a deep breath, I handed her mine and grab another one.

"What? No Zack listen I just want to say sorry for yelling at you earlier today."

Earlier today? Oh, that time. I almost forgot about it. "It's alright."

"Water under the bridge?"

"Like snow in hell." I raise the potion towards her which she did the same in response and we made a toast and drank its contents before putting the bottle in my inventory.

..............

"Morning Zack, how is your day going?"

I woke up to the sound of crackling fire and a silent of the forest. Not even the tweets from the birds. When I sit up straight, I was meet with the stench of something rotten and Marcus checking his little sentry by the fire while cooking some meat. I found my answer when I see corpse of monster throughout the forest. "Morning Marcus... how long were you up and what happen over there?"

Marcus looked at the line of corpse then back to the drone. "They got too close, so the drone shot them down. As for when I wake up, not that long, 3 minutes ago give or take." He turns the drone around some more. "Zack take a look at my sentry over there." He put his sentry back into his inventory and began cooking the meat. The sentry drone is not that tall going up to my hips with guns on the side and an antenna on the top. When I grab the drone, I received a message.

Faction Restricted Item

Cannot equip: SD-MK XI

Owner: MS1894SM

Access denied

Access denied? When I try to lift the sentry up, the thing wouldn't even move an inch. Frustrated, I kick the sentry with some force only to feel the shock of pain run up through my leg. "Marcus if this is a prank, it's not funny." Marcus turned around towards me while I was holding onto my leg.

"What are you doing? Anyway, look at the sentry bot, your more tech-savage then I am." He said while focusing on cooking the meat while Lisa is starting to wake up.

"Mornin-oh god what is that smell." She then looked at the both of us then towards the forest of bodies. "How in the hell did we sleep through that?"

"Brinks brews does that sometimes. As long as we are not in immediate threat, or someone disturb us, we should be asleep for a set amount of time." I said while still trying to move the bot from its place. "Son of a bitch...Lisa can you help me move this?" Lisa got up from the ground and walk towards me while stretching her back. I guess it's a habit thing again we don't need to do that. When she touches it, she stops for a second. Continuing on, she was trying to pick it up with all her might then got frustrated then kick the bot harder than I did. She drops to the floor while holding onto her foot. A few seconds later, she got up like nothing ever happened then looked me in the eyes.

"You're an asshole"

"It's not me I swear on my mama"

"Like that makes a difference." Then an idea hit her she then made a staff appear out of thin air in other words her inventory. The staff had a black base with purple energy cracks on there all the way till the top part with black ooze dripping from the tentacle to the ground. Which surprisingly disappear before it hits the ground and a blue and purple eye scanning the area. "Hold this." She extends the staff out which I took without questions I held onto it for a few seconds before my hands loosen the grip and drop it towards the floor.

Faction Restricted Item

Staff of the Faithful

When I bend down to pick up the staff, it suddenly became much heavier and refuse to move from its spot. "Just as I thought." She then looked towards me "Zack you mind if I can barrow one of your weapon?" She was asking a question, but her tone was more of a demand of said item. To be fair, it's not like she'll just steal my items.

"Sure, hold on." I went in my inventory and got one of my spears Unnerving Hope I don't know why since most of the skills are locked due to stats requirements for her. "Here." I said while extending the spear to her she held onto it for a few moments before it drops to the ground. Lisa bend down to get it before giving up. I pick up the spear and put it back into my inventory and summon the bow from the fort.

"Hear me out..." Lisa looked at me while holding her staff she picks up from the ground. "...we can't use each other's weapons since it requires each other's factions to use it."

"Lisa..." I said while looking into her eyes. "...I tried to cause an avalanche on Mt. Everest, taken a bath at a mall water fountains, even set a bag of poop on fire in front of the man who claimed to be the prince of Nigeria doorsteps just to see what happens but this..." I said pointing to her staff " ...the most stupidest shit I ever heard."

There was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Yet you are not denying it."

"Nope I believe you which sucks since I can't use the freeze gun Marcus faction has." I said while walking back to the campfire. Marcus handed both Lisa and I meat kababs. "You burnt the meat a bit here."

Marcus just continues to eat his kabab. "I tried to make them well done just to be sure. Also, I'm free cooking not using the cooking menu so...yeah."

"Where did you get the meat?" Lisa asked while I try to enjoy my seasonless meat.

"Walk up to the dead body of the animal and either cut it up yourself or claim the loot. Just to let you know, if you have the time cut it up yourself you will get more items."

The three of us sat silently around enjoying our kabab from the boar...dear...hoggish- thing. I'm just not going to think about it and enjoy the meat with no...flavor. Now that I think about it, everything that I ate has almost little to no flavor and feels like eating carboard or drinking stale flavor water. Coincidently, the three of us finish eating Marcus and I threw our sticks onto the fire while Lisa threw hers into the forest We took a step back and let Lisa open a pit from the ground and swallow the campfire whole the close it back up which removes any traces almost as if the campfire never happen.

"That will never get old and not creepy at all. Also, what do we do about the dead animals?" I said pointing in the litter of corpse scatter across the edge of the forest floor.

"Leave them If we are lucky, we can reach the location in a few days." Marcus said while drinking water from a water bottle. He saw me looking at it and extend it towards me to which I declined so he drank the rest and toss the trash back into his inventory.

"What about me?" Lisa asked in disbelief

"Should have said something" Marcus responded to which took out another water bottle. "Want some?"

Lisa took it and put it away "Ill drink it later I'm not thirsty yet."

"And you might never will, but I rather not be taking chances out here...rather not go through dehydration again." Marcus stretch his legs. Again didn't need or have too and continue our journey.

"I wonder if I were to make a baseball team with people who starts with the letter R, who will I pick?"