A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 287

One of the staff members, Isaac Tannes, explained, "According to the rules, trading supplies with another team last night was already an exception. You've used up that one chance, so you can't make another swap now."

Caitlin pleaded, her hands clasped together, "Can't you cut us some slack? Please, we really need help!"

Isaac simply shook his head coldly.

"Is there any other way for us to earn supplies?" George asked.

"Yes," Isaac replied. "But it involves a quiz game. I'll ask 30 questions about survival and exploration—stuff that your instructors have already covered. For every five consecutive correct answers, you'll earn one supply package. You can win up to three packages."

At that, everyone's eyes lit up. "Really? That works!" they chorused.

He continued, "Now, keep in mind that the questions aren't too challenging, so the rewards will be modest. Also, only one person can answer each round. There'll be no hints from the team."

"That's fine," Herne said confidently. "We only need something to get a fire going. Nothing else really matters."

"Alright then. Send out your challengers," Isaac instructed.

After a quick team huddle, George, Chad, and Thomas stepped forward.

George went first—and didn't disappoint. He nailed the first five questions perfectly.

The group erupted in cheers, and together, they shouted, "We need a fire starter!"

A few voices added, "We need a magnesium rod!"

"Sorry, all I have are matches," Isaac replied as he handed George a small box.

"Matches will do," they said, smiling hopefully.

But when George opened the box, he froze. Inside were only three matches.

"Are you kidding me?" he exclaimed, holding up the nearly empty box for the assistant to see. "There are only three matches in here!"

The others noticed it, too.

"Why are there only three matches?"

"Did you grab the wrong box?"

"Did you give us the ones you've already used?"

Isaac maintained his calm. "I did warn you—the supplies are intentionally kept to a minimum."

Silence fell over the group.

"That's just not fair," George grumbled. "You're clearly trying to make things harder for us."

Isaac raised a hand. "You can still search on your own. Out in the forest, we've hidden five fire-starting kits. Not a single one has been found yet, so there's still a good chance you can grab one!"

The team exchanged doubtful looks.

"Alright. Three matches are better than nothing," Herne finally conceded.

Chad piped up, "If we answer more questions correctly, can we get more matches?"

"No," Isaac said firmly. "On this show, every opportunity is a one-shot deal."

20 minutes later, Herne's group settled in an open clearing. Hunger had finally caught up with everyone, and they immediately got to work gathering firewood and building a makeshift cooking area.

Herne and George carefully split the collected wood with the small hatchet and a pocket knife, peeling off the bark to get to the dry inner wood they'd need for kindling.

Then came the nerve-wracking moment—lighting the fire.

Drawing on their camping experience, Herne and George handled the task with the utmost care, as if they were tending to a cherished family heirloom. Finally, using the three matches, they managed to ignite a small fire.

Once the flames caught, the team let out a collective sigh of relief and soon began roasting meat and simmering soup.

In the chatter that followed, someone texted in the live chat.

"Finally! They actually got a fire going!"

"It looks like Herne's crew won't be going hungry today!"

"Haha! It's like they're celebrating a holiday out there!"

"Imagine if they were with Demi—every day would feel like a festival!"

After lunch, in order to protect their hard-won flame, Herne's group decided to stay put, designating their current spot as their base camp. They left Ana and Caitlin behind to keep watch over the fire while the others spread out to search for more flags and supplies.

Their luck kept holding out—Herne managed to snag a chicken, and Thomas even caught a rabbit.

With plans for a feast of grilled chicken and rabbit that evening, the team felt that maybe, just maybe, life in the wild was treating them pretty well.

But as fate would have it, even on the best days, storms could roll in when they least expected it.