Alexandra materialized in front of a swirling vortex of white particles which shrank at a visible pace, ultimately disappearing tracelessly. The experience was hardly felt, leaving no sensations or discomfort. She almost stumbled from the abrupt shift but managed to stabilize her footing.
She looked to the top right corner of her view and sighted the golden shimmer displaying new numbers, it read: 168 : 00: 00
They were in a desert or an oasis from what she could see. Sand lay scattered as far as the eye could see. To her surprise, she was wearing a pair of black high-quality boots. Everyone was.
As she was the last to arrive, she had expected a few curious gazes. Two men stood in front of her, a contemptuous gaze from one and a contemplative from the other.
The one with a contemplative gaze matched the description of John, the volunteer leader, his confident posture added to this assumption.
" That's the 97th one, she also seems to be the final one. She kinda looks useless." The boy next to John with spiky black hair spoke with pride.
The one with the black hair was a head taller than John. Although he had the decency to lower his voice, Alex still heard him, all her senses had improved dramatically, after all.
John did not respond to the taller boy's words instead he walked closer to Alex.
" The others, were they too slow or did they not attempt to come at all?"
His curious gaze was piercing, yet Alex remained aloof to his scrutiny. He was certainly referring to the remaining youths.
" They refused to leave the platform." Her tone was firm, she refused to show any form of submission.
" Did you see them die or did you hear their screams?"
" Nope, I'm more interested in our next course of action. My name is Alex, and you must be John."
Suspicion still lingered in his gaze, Alex appeared far too calm and collected, different from the rest of the girls in his group.
" I'm John and that guy is Evan, " He pointed at the taller guy with black hair and then continued his speech.
"I've known him since I was young. We sent some scouts ahead to check the area for any form of shelter or even a different biome. The other guys are discussing any helpful skills they've got and dividing into groups." His Australian accent was thick and easily detectable.
Alex surmised he told her all this in hopes that she would be a useful addition. She had noticed most of the girls were segregated from the rest.
" Splendid, I've been assiduously practicing martial arts since I was young and I'm more inclined to slaying the monsters than any other form of contribution, I believe that will work?."
She decided to reveal this fact as she wanted the front row when they were fighting.
John exchanged a glance with Evan and sent him an almost imperceptible nod. By now he had lost all his suspicion. They were all thrust into this disaster together, what was there to suspect?
" Good. You can go stay with those guys over there, you'll be a great addition."
John pointed to the group of guys and a few girls who were discussing their talents and organizing themselves.
Before heading to the group she passed by the group consisting of only girls. She was disappointed but not surprised to hear that most of them were whining about the current predicament and discussing their fears of the future. It was clear to her that John and Evan had already discarded the ones they deemed worthless by leaving them to their own devices, rightly so.
Alex then conversed with the more productive team highlighting her skills and stating she did not want to be placed in any group. There were 52 females including herself and 45 males. Very few were somewhat acquainted with any form of combat, which Alex did not find startling. They were barely adults seeking education in a peaceful era, well, somewhat peaceful. Having combat experience was certain to be rare.
Regardless of their prowess Alex was steadfastly determined to break away from any group since the onset of the stages.
It had been an hour since their arrival and the scouts had yet to return. They had yet to encounter any weevils or scorpions, but the searing heat and thirst were slowly affecting the group.
Alex was only staying with them as it would certainly be easier to find resources with such a large group, and she still lacked vital information about the possible necessity of those around her going forward.
However, she was now reconsidering, her speed could certainly cover a vast distance incomparable to that of a normal adult male. Perhaps it would be better to discreetly venture on her own, although earlier than she had imagined.
Just as she was weighing her options, she noticed a dark-skinned male, about 300 meters away, with a relatively slim build approaching their group at a moderate pace. His slightly hunched back and measured steps hinted at fatigue.
Alex was certain this was one of the five scouts. Therefore, she approached John and Evan, then signaled to the tired man asking if he was a scout. They were both delighted and rushed to meet him; Alex followed closely.