Everything improved only to worsen again. Felicia and Doku made sure to refill everyone's stomach. Khan, Ilman, and the squad leaders had killed many monsters, so the entirety of the group got the chance to appease their hunger. Yet, the lack of that distraction allowed them to focus on what they had just survived and lost.
The calm achieved after scaring away the flock forced the recruits to acknowledge their new situation. They had gone from fighting to defend the teleport to a struggle for their very survival. The battles had been part of a mission before, but everything was different now.
The crisis didn't differ between the species. It killed both humans and Niqols without caring about their status, wealth, and origin. Only power mattered in the wild, and it became clear how the aliens were one step above the recruits in that field.
