Chapter 59 – How to Exit the Campaign Map?
"Lu-Luke!" the little redhead called.
"Yes?"
"C-can I use the canteen to wash up later?"
"Sure. You both can use it. In fact, keep the canteen and leave it near the fire when... you're done with whatever... you know... just... you got it."
Anna nodded.
This meat smells really good. Actually, it's probably because I haven't eaten properly in days.
"Where did this meat come from?"
"It's from a three-eyed, two-tailed, horned boar," Alice said.
That's a lot of details…
"But how did you two find each other? It must have been hard wandering around. It's good we managed to reunite so quickly."
"Found each other?"
"Quickly?"
They both responded.
"We've always been together…" Alice remarked.
"What? So, I was the unlucky one alone for five days?"
"Five days?" Anna looked puzzled.
"Yeah. I was on a five-day journey walking across the shallow sea, afraid I might be the only one alive in this world."
"Wait…" Alice frowned. "What do you mean five days? Explain better."
"In short, I woke up lying in the shallow sea and had to make my way to this beach. A lot of weird things happened, but I made it here alive in the end."
"And your journey from waking up in the shallow sea to getting here took five days?"
"Yes."
They exchanged glances.
"What? I feel like I'm missing something here…" Luke asked, confused.
"Luke, we've been on this island for eight days."
"What?"
"It's been eight days since we crossed the portal. We came out together on the beach."
You've got to be kidding me. I was the only one sent somewhere random, God knows where. Wait, eight days? I've only been here for five days…
Anna seemed to notice Luke's confusion and explained:
"We crossed over and stayed on the beach looking for you. We knew that when people cross a Campaign Map together, they appear near each other. So, we camped on the beach, but the nights were dangerous. Lots of skeletons roamed around. We decided to move up the mountain path and stayed close. The fire was a way to signal you... we were worried. We kept feeding the fire and taking out the skeletons, so if you showed up, you wouldn't think it was their camp and walk away."
"I see, wow. That was really helpful."
I was the only one sent to a distant location, and… three days late. What happened? I wasn't unconscious for those three days; I would have drowned or been killed by a creature. This is strange… I even arrived 'late.'
"In the end, it all worked out," Luke agreed, steering the conversation away.
I hope it's not a consequence of carrying this stupid diary. But if it is, it's an easy fix. Once I get out of here and return to Earth, I'll never set foot in this place again. Problems like this aren't everyday issues. It's not every day that a Campaign Map appears on my way to work... so I'll just ignore it. Ignorance is bliss.
Looking at their state, Luke realized the girls must have gone through a lot.
I love you, Midnight Cloak. You always keep me looking stylish, even when I'm covered in dirt like this. I just need to dismiss and summon you again. Of course, I need to take a bath and get all this dirt off my body... I hope I don't smell. No! I don't smell. I bathed a day ago in the shallow sea. It was funny, being a naked human in the middle of nowhere. But I guess I'm sweaty. Damn, I need to wash up... but it's night. I'm not going out there just for a bath.
"Here, have some," Alice pointed to the pieces of meat in the pot.
"That smells good," Luke said, drawing his knife. He washed it with the canteen and then skewered a piece of meat.
They ate while the girls explained a bit about their experience on the island. Luke recounted his experience with the Veil but omitted certain details. He doubted anyone would believe he saw monstrous seagulls performing a blood ritual while laughing at the whale's death, or that he fell into a sand Veil that dropped him into a deep ocean where he saw giant creatures beyond comprehension.
Alice seemed to understand he was withholding details. He briefly explained that the shallow sea was a horizontal sand Veil and that dangerous creatures could somehow cross it to snatch anything on top.
They were a bit surprised to learn that the shallow sea was a massive Veil. Alice stared seriously at the wall.
Just like there's a castle in the haunted city, is there a structure like that in this Veil? From what little I saw, it looked like a huge cave with many tunnels. Where would those tunnels lead? What awaits deeper inside? I definitely don't want to find out.
Luke gathered the courage to ask a question that had been gnawing at him, one he had buried but now needed to share with the group.
"Alice... what are the chances our exit is inside the deep ocean Veil?"
Anna went silent upon hearing that, a possibility she hadn't considered. Luke saw a shift in her expression—a mix of fear, anxiety, sadness, and other emotions she tried to hide. He regretted asking but couldn't avoid the question.
If that's the case, we traded one prison for another...
"I'll be honest… I don't know. There's a chance…"
That was all she said.
I knew that could be the answer, but hearing it is different…
"But I also don't know... The exit is unpredictable but not impossible to find. As I explained a bit to Anna, a Campaign Map has a goal to be completed. It's somewhat like the challenge we faced in the Inner Self, but harder. So, when someone challenges a Campaign Map, they need to be certain of it. Challenging a map means living the campaign; that's what I was taught. However, the Campaign Map provides an exit for those who give up. It doesn't force anyone to complete its challenge, so finding an exit is easier than completing the campaign itself. That's what I know... I know it's possible."
"So... you don't know anyone who escaped? You just learned it's possible to escape?" Luke asked, feeling frustrated. No one was to blame, but he felt that way nonetheless.
Alice shook her head slightly. "No, I don't know anyone personally. But it's what I've been taught. There are always stories of people who've escaped, but I've never met them. It's something we have to believe in."
Luke took a deep breath, trying to quell his frustration. "Okay... so, we have to figure this out ourselves. We need to find that exit. Together."
Anna nodded, her expression resolute. "We will, Luke. We'll find a way out."
Alice gave a small smile. "Yes, we will. We're in this together."
"No! I've met people who completed a Campaign Map; someone close to me has done it. This person taught me everything I know. It is indeed possible to exit a Campaign Map. High-ranking Deviants who challenge them do it. They gather information about the campaign and bring it back to their respective Houses. That's how the Houses prepare for the campaign and enter the maps to complete them. So, it is possible. We're not here for legendary cards or similar rewards. We just need to find the exit."
"And how do we find the exit?"
I have to ask this. What if she dies? Then what? I need to know everything she knows to avoid getting stuck here.
"It's like in the Inner Self challenge. You need to find an NPC. At some point, we'll come across one. Just like there are NPCs that can give you simple quests here, there are NPCs that give you varied missions, tell you about the main mission... and there are NPCs that can somehow provide clues about the exit from the Campaign Map," Alice explained.
"So it's very similar to the Inner Self challenge…"
Anna seemed a bit more encouraged.
I'm screwed... I have no idea what an NPC looks like or how they give you a mission. I'm screwed... in my Inner Self, none of this existed.