Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 4: Chapter 3.1: Schwartzenbadger

Read chapter 4 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Chapter 3.1: Schwartzenbadger Chapter 3: Schwartzenbadger Alex sat alone on an upturned log in front of a now low-burning fire. The night air washed through his hair and over his neck, sending a chill down his spine and forced him to stand up and move around a bit to get his blood flowing. It was currently his watch for the night in their camp They had agreed on a rotating schedule, four spots per night with each of them getting to sleep through completely every other night. Simple enough. Alex poked at the fire a bit before throwing another small pile of broken branches on top to feed the dying heat. The canopy overhead was still a patchwork of gnarled branches and thick leaves, which blocked out any light from the moon or stars. So, the only he could see by came from the fire, casting a tight circle of gold and orange illumination that didn’t so much light-up the forest, as it pushed the darkness back in a ten-foot retreat. Watch for danger and keep the fire going. That was the only real job for the person on night watch. All fine and dandy when you weren’t the one sitting alone at ass o’clock in the morning. No animals seemed to be up, or at the very least no animals that were ignorant to the skills of stealth. All that broke the still quiet were the whispers of the wind through the trees and foliage, and the sound of his own breathing. That was fine though, Alex was more focused on something else. What was it? Alex was still beating himself up over what his brain was trying to remind him of earlier. He couldn't shake the slow-rising feeling of dread that was building deep inside him. An idea that if he didn't remember soon, whatever it was, he will forget permanently. A rustle of sound caught him out of his reverie, prompting him to glance towards the trees just outside their camp space. A rustle of a branch, the same branch that had rustle the last four times. He was having trouble figuring out if it was the wind, or the bush was hiding more legs than it needed. He turned his attention to the small tents around him instead. Four of them, stitched together from spare uniforms and supply tarps. The best they could manage with thread and sheer desperation. Henry had done most of the work. The guy turned out to be some kind of silent seamstress savant, making tents like he was hemming dress pants before a gala. They left Henry to it as he channeled the spirit of Betsy Ross. They hadn’t managed to get food that day. All the squad had for potential hunting tools were the pairs of tiny cloth scissors from their sewing kits, and one hunting knife, which Henry had brought along with him for their mission. The same knife Alex had strapped to his thigh right now. He felt confident with the knife at least. His father had brought Adam and him on hunting trips before when they were younger. They used guns for the actual kills though. Alex didn't know anything about snares or traps. Why would he? Why would anyone these days, with all the technology and advancements they have at their disposal? Nonetheless, it was all they had now. Alex sat back down beside the fire, the fire now just large enough to fight off the worst of the cold. He let the heat warm his face, prickling his cheeks and casting his thoughts back to the same damn loop that had been chewing through his brain for hours now. The siren, the blast, the light, and then nothing. Alex had asked everyone else about it earlier as they were sitting around the campfire. No one said they remembered anything about the blast. Nothing outside of what Alex also remembered. But Alex knew there was more. He just couldn’t reach it. Couldn’t catch the thought before it skittered from his grasp and back into the dark. It was like trying to remember a dream while you were still dreaming. Like catching smoke with a tennis racket. Earlier during the day the rest of the team had shifted the conversation to other matters, pondering their location, the time it would take to be discovered, and the n