Starvation Island: A LitRPG Mystery Novel by I.O. Adler

Author:I.O. Adler [Adler, I.O.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lucas Ross Publishing
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

SIMON NUDGED JACK. “Why did you help us?”

Jack and Mei stood with the victorious red team as the green team withdrew from the clearing.

“Yeah, Jack, why did we help them?” Mei asked pointedly.

“I wanted your team to know Mei and I are serious about cooperating.”

“Plus, we have their food,” Hannah added.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to eat. And it’s our food. We’re sharing it, and Mei and I get a say in what happens to it and how much we each get.”

Hannah looked over at Rasho as if hoping for support. “It’s on our beach.”

“And without our help, you would have lost to green team,” Jack said. “We need to have a conversation about what we’re trying to do here.”

“What did we win, anyway?” Simon asked. “Hoping for some veggies and fresh fruit myself. Scurvy’s a nasty business.”

Rasho stood by the driftwood sculpture as if waiting for it to do something. The scoreboard changed. The information for the last game round vanished, replaced by the team scores.

Green Team: 6

Red Team: 4

Blue Team: 0

Red had gained one by winning.

“Congrats,” Jack said. “It still doesn’t tell us where the extra point red and green team earned came from.”

Mei studied the board. “Maybe making it to the island alive gets you one. That explains why blue is at zero.”

“That’s dark and twisted.”

“Yeah, and don’t forget whose game this is.”

Simon walked around the sculpture. “That’s all well and good. But that doesn’t amount to food in my belly.”

The wreckage sank into the sand. No cloche with a victory meal appeared.

“At least you guys won a few fish with the last team challenge,” Hannah said. “All we get is the crap we collected.”

The pile of items recovered from the clearing remained where the teams had placed them. They picked through it. Jack hoped for a medium-well soy steak topped with butter to drop from the sky, but no joy.

Simon tossed the ship’s wheel aside. “It’s junk.”

Jack couldn’t argue. Their ‘treasure’ hunt had resulted in three piles of trinkets, keepsakes, and trash. If only they had been smart enough to save a sail and rigging, they could work improvements to red team’s shelter.

Mei picked up the dolphin corkscrew. “It’s dull, but might serve as a tool.”

“Bring it,” Rasho said.

“So we get to come back with you?” Jack asked.

Rasho looked at his two teammates. They both gave a curt nod.

“Grab anything metal we can use as a lure. Anything made of bone or workable wood could serve as a hook.”

Jack grabbed the logbook. It had a metal clasp. Perhaps it would serve as a spinner for a fishing line and the pages as kindling. When he flipped through the book, he saw it was filled with scribbles, along with a map spread out over two pages.

“Hey, everybody?”

Mei looked over Jack’s shoulder. “Is that what I think it is?”

“I think so. This is the real prize. What we have here is a map of the island. Now who can read this chicken scratch?”

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