The steam train screeched as it ground to a halt, metal against metal, sending a hiss of steam into the chilly dusk air. Xander felt the jolt as the train stopped, his hand tightening handrail to keep himself steady. They had made it back to Starlight, but the sense of safety that usually accompanied these returns was absent. Instead, the cold weight of looming disaster pressed on his chest.

Starlight had been busy since the expedition had left. The tracks were located a brisk five-minute walk past the edge of the Starlight Oasis. Instead of trying to extend the safe zone's defensive wall, it appeared JT had built a station at the tracks in the short term. Xander stepped off the train first to find a large gathering of Starlight residents cheering and waving.

JT stood at the head of the crowd, his usual confident posture slightly slouched, though his face brightened as he spotted Xander. Clad in a worn leather coat, the leader of Starlight strode forward, hand raised in greeting.

"Xander! Harvey! Good to see you back in one piece!" JT's voice boomed.

The expedition members trickled out behind Xander, their faces lined with exhaustion but visibly relieved to have made it back.

He offered JT a curt nod, keeping his face neutral. There was no time for pleasantries, not with what they had to report. The moment was fleeting, and JT's smile faltered when he caught the grim set of Xander's jaw. He knew. JT always seemed to know when something dark loomed just over the horizon.

Harvey hefted his warhammer over his shoulder. Without waiting for an invitation, he stepped beside Xander and motioned JT closer. His voice dropped, low and urgent.

"We don't have time for a welcome party," Harvey said. "An undead army is marching toward Starlight."

JT's face paled, his eyes widening. "What?"

Xander smiled grimly. "We've got a few days, at best."

JT took a step back, his face tightening as he processed the information. He cast a quick glance at the crowd behind them, still blissfully unaware of the impending doom.

"We need to get inside. Now." JT's voice was tight with urgency. "The City Hall war room."

Xander agreed, glancing over his shoulder at the rest of the party. The crowd was still cheering, but their attention had already drifted to a different spectacle. Thalindra.

She had emerged from the train last, towering over the others like a figure from another age. Her tall frame drew every gaze, her dark black skin and curving horns making her look as though she had walked out of a legend. The crowd, initially excited to welcome their returning expedition, was now silent, whispers spreading like wildfire as people stared at her in a mixture of awe and fear.

"Hello everyone," Thalindra said, trying to break the tension. "I look forward to getting to know all of you."

"Demon?" someone in the crowd murmured.

"What is that?" another voice asked.

"Bloody hell!?" JT exclaimed losing his composure momentarily, "Xander? Harvey?"

"She's with us, a friend," Harvey replied.

Xander suppressed a sigh. Thalindra had been with them since the last leg of the journey, but the citizens of Starlight hadn't yet encountered beings from before the Simulation crash. She had only recently awakened from her stasis, and even now, she seemed to struggle with reconciling herself to the reality that her world was gone.

"Everyone calm down! Thalindra is a Valdren. I'm sure you all saw the Simulation message on this. Here is the short version. She's got a ton of knowledge of the Simulation and is here to help." Xander said, addressing the gathered crowd.

"Alright, you heard the man. We've all seen a lot of strange new things. People are people, and Starlight is open to all," JT hollered.

With JT's declaration, the crowd seemed to remember itself, and the excitement of the expedition returned. For the moment, they were all willing to grab on to any life preserver in the storm. If JT said Thalindra was here to help, they were willing to put their faith in JT for the moment.

"Thalindra, stay close," Xander said softly. While everyone appeared to be at least somewhat accepting of Thalindra, the last thing they needed was someone doing something stupid on top of everything else.

Thalindra's eyes flicked toward Xander, her expression impassive, but she gave a slight nod, falling into step behind him. The people of Starlight kept their distance, but their eyes never left her.

JT shot Xander a questioning look. "Is she... safe?"

"She's proven herself several times already. She's an ally," Xander replied, his voice firm. "We've got bigger problems to worry about than her, and we're going to need all the help we can get."

JT didn't press the issue, but the unease lingered in his eyes. Xander couldn't blame him. Thalindra wasn't just an enigma to the people of Starlight; she was also an enigma to him.

Xander pulled away from JT and motioned for Zoey, Kane, and Ford to gather near him. The three members of his adventuring party were already on high alert, eyes scanning the station for any sign of trouble.

"We don't have much time," Xander said. "I need you to head into the markets and gather supplies. Focus on healing potions, rations, and first-aid kits. Anything that'll help us in a prolonged fight."

A half-smile tugged at Zoey's lips. "You know me, Xander. I'll grab everything we need. And I'm stocking up on arrows. Something tells me this is going to be a long one."

"You're not wrong," Xander said, appreciating Zoey's sharp focus. She liked to make people think she was all about the loot, but Xander knew better. Despite everything, she always kept her head in situations like this.

Ford shifted nervously. He was young, and while his faith was unwavering, there was always a hint of hesitation in his movements. "Do you think we'll have time to fortify the defenses?"

"Maybe not, but you've still got me," Kane said, resting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You keep me patched up and I'll keep the rest off your back."

"We're heading to the war room to plan out a defense now," Xander replied, his tone grimmer than he intended. "But first, we need those supplies. I have a feeling we're going to be at the shit end of this thing."

"We'll be quick." Jo replied.

Xander watched as the three of them slipped into the market district, their pace quick, no hesitation in their steps. He trusted them to gather what they needed, but the ticking clock in his mind kept him on edge.

Harvey clapped a hand on Xander's shoulder, his voice a gruff reminder of the urgency at hand. "Hey, let's go. We need to keep up. JT is practically sprinting to the war room."

Xander gave one last glance to the dispersing crowd, lingering for only a second on the figure of Thalindra, who remained silent and observant. The people of Starlight might be wary of her now, but Xander knew they'd need every ally they could get before this was over.

"Yeah, sorry, I just needed to get the rest of the crew situated," Xander said. He turned on his heel to follow Harvey, with JT half a block away, and jogged through the cobbled streets toward City Hall.

The streets of Starlight were eerily calm, the tension not yet fully reaching the hearts of the city's residents. But that calm wouldn't last. Xander's gut churned. The undead army they had seen would crush this city unless they could come up with a miracle in the war room. It would tear through Starlight like fruit through a blender.

As they approached the administration building, Xander noticed someone had added additional fortifications since the expedition left. Were once there was a straight entrance into the building, there was now a concrete barricade that act as a buffer zone between the entrance and the street. Guards stationed outside, their expressions growing serious as JT approached.

"Captain Jones!" JT called out to guard captain Mason Jones, "Get every available guard and send a runner to gather the council. They're needed in the war room ten minutes ago."

Mason's eyes flared with concern, but he nodded and began barking orders to the guards.

JT led the group through the heavy oak doors of City Hall, their footsteps echoing ominously in the grand foyer. When they reached the door to the war room, JT hesitated for just a moment, looking back at Xander and Harvey. "Whatever happens next, we do what we always do. We protect this safe zone."

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Xander followed JT and Harvey into the war room, the doors closing with a low thud behind them. A large wooden table, cluttered with maps and scattered reports, dominated the space. It wasn't the first time Xander had stood in this room to discuss the future of Starlight, but this time felt different. This time, it was for all the marbles, he thought.

Captain Mason entered and stood at the far end of the room, issuing quick orders to a pair of guards before dismissing them. He sent the runners to gather the council members, and soon enough, they trickled in. As each councilor took their seat around the table, Xander could feel the fear building. The way they had been summoned told them something terrible was coming, but they lacked details. They wanted to ask a thousand questions; Xander could see it, but no one wanted to be the first one to speak.

JT took his place at the head of the table, his hand resting lightly on the edge of the map. His expression was calm, but Xander could sense the urgency in him. The leader of Starlight wasn't one to show his nerves, but even JT wasn't immune to the growing threat.

"We have two days," JT began, his voice firm but measured. "Two days until the undead reach our walls. We need to make every minute count."

Harvey stepped forward. "We slowed them down, but they're still coming. Hundreds of them… maybe more. And they're heading straight for us."

The room fell silent, the councilors exchanging uneasy glances. Xander stood off to the side, observing his spear resting against the wall beside him. Harvey continued, recapping the key moments of their expedition with an urgency that didn't need embellishing.

"There was a saboteur," Harvey said, his voice sharp. "We caught him, but not before he enacted his plan to lure the undead here. Then there's Thalindra. She helped us on the way back but is not from our time. We found her in stasis in a dungeon under the old train museum. She's still coming to terms with what's happened to the world."

Several councilors turned their gazes to Thalindra, who stood near the back of the room. Xander watched her carefully, trying to read her posture. She didn't shrink under the scrutiny, but there was a tightness in her shoulders, a stillness that read to him more like resignation than pride. She offered the room a faint smile and a small, deliberate wave. Though diplomatic, Xander saw her eyes glance downward for a second. Not fear exactly, but the weight of being judged.

She's still not sure if she belongs here, Xander thought. Hell, I'm not sure any of us do anymore.

Harvey quickly moved through the rest: the large-scale battle near Champaign, the unexpected confrontation with the Cult of the Simulation, and their narrow escape from the undead army that now marched toward Starlight. The words were succinct, but the council's shocked reactions filled in the gaps.

By the time Harvey finished, the room felt colder. Xander could sense the unease spreading, even as he stood silently in the back. He watched as JT absorbed the information, his brow furrowing deeper with each new revelation.

Finally, one councilor couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his hand on the table, his face flushed with anger. "This is because of that expedition!" he spat, pointing at JT. "We've brought the wrath of the Simulation down on us. All of this is your fault!"

Xander stiffened, but kept his silence. He had heard this before. It was the same fear, the same misguided blame that had permeated politics for generations before the reboot happened. The specific wording also echoed the rhetoric of the Cult of the Simulation, which believed humanity who interfered in the natural order of the Simulation was to be punished by the AI. Xander didn't suspect the man was part of the cult as the fear in his voice clarified that his accusations weren't entirely rational.

JT didn't flinch. He met the councilor's fiery gaze head-on, his voice steady but with an edge that silenced the room. "The decision to send the expedition was made by everyone in this council. We knew the risks. Now is not the time to point fingers."

The councilor opened his mouth to argue, but JT cut him off, his tone sharper. "None of us could have predicted this. What matters now is what we do next. If we stand here blaming each other, the undead will be at our gates before we've even started reinforcing them."

For a moment, the only sound in the room was the crackle of the torches on the wall. The councilor, still red-faced, sank back into his chair, his mouth drawn into a tight line, but he said nothing more.

JT turned back to the table, his finger tracing a line along the map that outlined the city's defenses. "Captain Mason, where do we stand with the walls?"

Mason stepped forward, his face grim. "The walls will hold for a short period, but they weren't built to withstand this kind of assault. They kept out roving bands of monsters, not an organized army. We're short on materials and I'll need every available hand to strengthen them. We were already reinforcing the gates, but it's not enough."

JT nodded, his gaze shifting to Xander. "Xander, I need you at the blacksmith's forge. You've got experience with weapons, and we're going to need as many as we can produce in the next two days."

Xander nodded. "I'll start immediately. We'll need spears, shields, anything we can make quickly."

Mason continued, "I'll also need teams rotating at key points along the walls. We can't defend everything at once, so we'll need to focus on the weakest points and reinforce those areas with whatever we have."

"What about ranged defenses?" one councilor asked.

"We don't have enough archers," Mason replied, shaking his head. "This will turn into a knockdown drag out relatively quickly."

The discussion continued, and then Harvey turned to Thalindra, whose quiet presence had loomed at the back of the room. "Thalindra, have you've seen large-scale conflicts like this before? Any advice?"

"I've never seen a world event like this," she admitted. "But in my experience, armies like these often have key leaders. If you can identify and eliminate them, the rest of the army will weaken."

Xander nodded. "I've seen it before. At Saint Joseph, we took out the gnoll commanders, and their forces fell apart quickly after that. It's worth targeting their leaders. This is on a whole different level, though."

JT considered this, then nodded. "We'll need strike teams ready for that. Xander, your team will be one of them when the time comes."

"You have experience with engineering as well. You were a tremendous help with the repairs on the train. Could you offer some insight into where we can bolster our defenses here?" Harvey asked Thalindra.

Thalindra studied the map as she considered the layout. "There are a few weak points. Corners where the walls meet that could be reinforced with bracing. And the gate could benefit from some additional layers of defense. I can help strengthen these areas if you give me a team."

JT nodded approvingly. "Work with Mason on that. We need every advantage we can get."

"I don't suppose we have anyone who knows anything about siege stuff, do we?" JT said, looking around the room for a moment. "Well, shit. I was hoping there was someone who was former military or some history buff." JT's tone of voice had been getting progressively sharper throughout the meeting.

A hand raised toward the back of the room, catching Xander's eye. Xander didn't know who she was or why she was in the room, but she wasn't one of the councilors. An assistant, Xander wondered? Seeing that JT hadn't noticed the mousey girl in the back, Xander said, "Hey Harvey, you got someone with their hand up over there."

"Hand up!?" JT said, spinning around to find the person Xander had called out. "Young lady, this isn't school. If you have something to say or contribute, then speak up!"

The young lady stood up, clearly scared out of her mind, as all eyes focused on her like a laser beam. "Well… umm… my father has a Fortress Engineer class."

JT stood staring at the girl, a range of emotions playing across his face. He suddenly turned to Mason with a strong edge of stress creeping into his voice, "We have an engineer specializing in defensive positions, and we weren't aware of it. I thought we were processing all refugees to identify people with critical classes! Dammit, Mason."

"You, girl. Run and grab your father." JT said, still glaring at Mason. The dam of stress that JT had been trying to hold back finally reached its bursting point.

The door flew open as she sprinted out of the room. Either in terror or because she was going to find her father, Xander didn't know.

"JT, how about we take a quick break while we wait for the Engineer?" Xander said softly, looking at JT, conveying that they needed to de-escalate.

JT caught the look Xander was giving him, and he paused momentarily before replying, "Yes, yes, you're right. My apologies, everyone. We're all extremely stressed out, and I'm afraid I let it get the better of me. Take a moment, grab a drink, hit the restroom, and return with the thinking caps on in five minutes."

"Are you okay, JT?" Xander said, moving closer to the person he considered a friend. "That outburst was a little out of character for you."

"Yeah, just let the stress get to me. Keeping this place running is hard enough without the AI trying to make it worse with an army marching towards us. I'm fine now. Thanks for calling me out there."

"No problem, man. We can't have you breaking down on us. Like it or not, everyone is looking toward you to being the emotional anchor right now," Xander said, slipping back into project manager mode, "Sucks to be sure, but you're a natural at this kind of thing. Let your experts do the exporting. Don't solve everything yourself; be the person who keeps everyone moving in the same direction."

The young girl returned with an older gentleman in tow a short time later. Everyone else had already filtered back into the room and taken seats. Xander was standing in his usual spot, holding a cold soda. He had to reduce his soda consumption because of scarcity, yet JT had evidently been saving some, giving Xander a can soon after they came back inside.

"Alright, we're all back. First, let me apologize to everyone again for getting a bit flustered," JT said, giving a brief smile to the young girl who had been the final straw to break loose his frustration. "Now, let's get back to business. Sir, I'm assuming you know the situation we are in? A large army heading this way will be here in no less than two days; we need to bolster our defenses."

"Right, I'm Enzo DeLuca, and this is my daughter, Sabrina. I apologize, JT, but I had not shared my class with anyone as I signed right on as a laborer," Enzo said. "Military history was a passion of mine, and I thought this Simulation was mocking me by giving me the Fortress Engineer class. I see now that I may have been hasty in that thought process."

"The army is coming from the north, yes? This is good for us if they come straight at us as they'll break against the walls before focusing on the gates to the east and south. This advantage is nullified if they set up camp and strategize before attacking. Do we know how strategic this attack will be?"

"None," Xander answered. "We saw coordination in their movements, but I couldn't even guess how intelligent the general was. I think it would be best to approach this as if we were fighting an opponent that is highly motivated and intelligent at this type of thing."

"When in doubt, plan for the worst, I concur. I can help with this; let us get to work," Enzo said, pulling a grease pen from his pocket to lean over the map.

As the conversation continued, the tension in the room remained high, but Enzo was making plans on the map for new construction and defenses, along with a couple of surprises, as he called them. Gone was the panic that threatened to grip everyone from a lack of knowledge of approaching the situation. The situation was no less urgent, but now there was direction and determination. Every available resource was being allocated to the defense of Starlight.

JT stood at the head of the table once more, his voice firm. "We have two days. Make them count. If we're not ready by the time the undead arrive, there won't be a Starlight to defend."

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