Carin made it back to the dormitory without incident. The large, damp room was empty, the other laborers already out for their morning assignments. The air was thick with the smell of moldy straw and stale sweat.

She walked to her corner, the most isolated spot in the room, and carefully hid the burlap sack deep under her pile of straw. She sat down on the thin mat, her back against the cold stone wall.

She took a deep breath and gave the mental command, using the temporary name she had given it. "Open datapad panel."

The blue holographic screen expanded in her vision. The interface was more detailed now, with several new modules lit up. She tapped the glowing icon for the [Portable Farm Blueprint].

A detailed description scrolled across the screen.

This blueprint can bind to any 2x2 meter plot of land, transforming it into climate-independent, constant-temperature black soil.

Carin's eyes widened. Constant-temperature black soil. That meant she could grow food even in the deadly winter that was coming. She wouldn't have to rely on the clan's scraps.

But below the description, a red warning flashed.

Deployment requires 95 Energy Crystals as an initial power source.

She touched the crystals hidden in her inner pocket. It was a steep price, almost everything she had, but it was an investment she had to make. She tapped the "Confirm Activation Prep" button.

The blueprint dissolved into a beam of light that only she could see, shrinking into a virtual scroll that hovered in the top right corner of her interface, ready to be deployed.

Next, she turned her attention to the [Data Point Store] icon in the center of the screen. She tapped it, and a waterfall of merchandise cascaded down the screen. Her eyes scanned the list: "High-Yield Soybean Seeds," "Cold-Resistant Wheat Gene Fragments," "Primary Water Purifier."

Then she saw the prices. The cheapest seeds cost 500 Data Points. She checked her balance. In addition to the crystals, the corn entry had granted her exactly 100 Data Points.

Carin frowned. She opened the help file and quickly read through the ways to earn Data Points. Besides discovering new species, successfully planting and harvesting crops, or improving the survival status of the natives, would yield significant points.

The logic was clear. Plant the corn, harvest it, trade the harvest for Data Points, buy more supplies. It was a perfect closed loop.

She was so engrossed in her planning that she almost missed the sound of voices outside the door. The other laborers were back early.

Carin's reaction was a desperate, pained lurch. She willed the system panel to shut down, the blue light vanishing just as the wooden door was shoved open. She collapsed onto the mat, her fractured ribs screaming in protest. She pulled a ragged piece of animal hide over her face, stifling a real groan of agony.

A group of sweaty, grumpy females stomped into the room. One of them was complaining loudly about the small food ration she had received.

"Useless clan!" she snarled, kicking a wooden bucket out of her way.

The bucket rolled across the floor, bumping into Carin's mat with a dull thud.

Carin let out a small, terrified whimper, her body flinching under the hide. She played the part perfectly, the scared, weak laborer who couldn't even handle a loud noise.

The female who kicked the bucket looked down at her with contempt. "Waste of space," she muttered, then turned away to fight with the others over the water jug.

Under the hide, Carin opened one eye just a slit. She watched the chaotic, violent scene with a cold, detached gaze. Her fingers tapped silently against her thigh.

She couldn't deploy the farm here. There was no privacy, no security. Someone would see the glowing soil, or steal her crops. She had to move out.

And the only legal way for a female to move out of the dormitory was to bind herself to a male during the mating ceremony. She had to get that isolated, broken male with the stone hut.

She had to get Brannon.

The next evening, Carin stood at the washing area outside the dormitory. She scrubbed the mud from her hands, the cold water turning brown as it swirled down the stone drain.

From her pocket, she pulled out a small, red apple. She had found it at the edge of the market, discarded by a merchant who thought it was too bruised to sell. To Carin, it was a treasure, a rare source of vitamins and sugar.

She used the hem of her rough tunic to wipe the dust from the apple's skin. Just as she was about to take a bite, a hand shot out from beside her and snatched it away.

Carin turned. Sadie Boggs, a fox-female from her dormitory, was standing there. She had already taken a huge bite out of the apple, the juice running down her chin.

"Tastes sour," Sadie said, chewing loudly. "Perfect for a low-born like you."

The other females at the washing troughs stopped what they were doing. They turned to watch, their eyes gleaming with the anticipation of a show. They expected Carin to cry, to beg, to run away like she usually did.

Carin didn't do any of those things. She flicked the water from her hands and stepped sideways, a sharp twinge in her side forcing her to catch her breath as she blocked the only exit to the washing area. Her eyes, usually downcast and fearful, went flat and cold.

"Spit it out," she said, her voice low but sharp enough to cut through the damp air. "Or compensate me."

Sadie paused mid-chew, then burst into exaggerated laughter. "Are you crazy? Did a Blade Beast kick you in the head?"

Carin didn't repeat herself. She stood there, her body trembling slightly. Part of it was an act she had perfected, but part of it was genuine physical exhaustion. However, as she looked at the bite marks on her only source of sustenance, a cold, calculated anger completely overpowered her fear. In this brutal world, stepping back meant death. She couldn't retreat anymore. She took a deliberate step forward, her hand shooting out to grab a rusty boning knife from the nearby cutting board—the sudden movement sent a white-hot spike of pain through her fractured ribs, but she didn't let her grip waver.

The air in the washing area went dead. The watching females sucked in a breath. No one had expected the coward to pick up a weapon.

Sadie took a step back, the apple nearly slipping from her fingers. "Y-You wouldn't dare," she stammered.

"Clan law," Carin said, her voice steady and cold. "Theft of a laborer's rations is punishable by ten days in the mine pits."

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the other females. "If I report this to the patrol, what do you think? Will you still make it to the mating ceremony the day after tomorrow?"

Sadie's face drained of color. The mating ceremony was her only chance to climb out of the laborer class. If she was sent to the mines, she would miss it. She would be assigned to a rogue.

"That's... that's not a ration," Sadie tried to argue, her voice shaking. "It's just a wild fruit nobody wanted."

Carin moved her wrist. The boning knife scraped against the rough stone trough, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. It cut Sadie's words off instantly.

"I want equivalent compensation," Carin said, holding out her empty left hand, palm up. "Now."

Sadie's jaw clenched. She knew she was beaten. With a look of pure hatred, she reached into the leather pouch at her waist. She pulled out a small leaf-wrapped packet and slammed it into Carin's palm.

"Take it, you crazy bitch," Sadie snarled.

Carin opened the leaf with one hand. Inside was a lump of coarse, grayish-white crystal. Salt. Unrefined, but still a precious commodity in this world.

She closed her fingers over the packet and slipped it into her pocket. With her other hand, she tossed the boning knife back onto the cutting board. It landed with a sharp clatter.

Carin stepped aside, clearing the exit. Sadie didn't need to be told twice. She threw the half-eaten apple into the mud and fled, the other females quickly following her out.

Carin walked back to the trough. She splashed cold water on her face, washing away the fierce, dangerous look she had worn. She touched the salt packet in her pocket. It would help her electrolytes and serve as trade goods later.

A deep, resonant horn blast echoed across the settlement. It was the warning signal: the autumn mating ceremony would begin in two days.

Carin looked up toward the sound, her eyes dark and focused. Her real battle was about to begin.

Three days later, the atmosphere in the dormitory was suffocating. The air was thick with the smell of cheap perfumes and nervous sweat. It was the afternoon of the mating ceremony.

Carin was hidden in the deepest shadows of her corner. In her hands, she was carefully folding a piece of black fabric. It was a modern lace bra, the only piece of her old life she had managed to save from the crash. She had washed it and kept it hidden under the straw.

Suddenly, a head popped over the partition. It was Sadie. Her eyes were glued to the black lace in Carin's hands.

"What is that?" Sadie breathed, her voice full of longing. "Some kind of magical chest-pelt?"

Carin immediately covered the bra with a piece of animal hide, her eyes wary. She didn't answer.

Sadie swallowed hard, her usual arrogance gone. "Lend it to me," she pleaded. "Just for tonight. I want to catch the eye of a strong tiger warrior, but he thinks I'm too flat. I need... help."

Carin's mind raced. She hadn't planned to wear the bra herself. It would draw too much attention, the wrong kind of attention. She needed to be invisible tonight.

"I'll lend it to you," Carin said, her voice cold. "But you owe me. Tonight, you keep the heat off me. You block anyone who tries to look my way."

"Deal!" Sadie nodded eagerly. She snatched the bra and ran to a corner to put it on.

A few minutes later, Sadie emerged, her face flushed. The push-up effect of the modern underwire was dramatic, giving her a figure that defied nature. The other females in the dormitory gasped and whispered in jealousy. Sadie puffed out her chest, looking smug.

Once Sadie was distracted showing off, Carin finally had a moment to herself. She picked up a basin of water and a rough cloth. She scrubbed her face and neck, wiping away the layers of mud and grime.

The water reflected a face that didn't belong in this world. Deep-set eyes, a delicate nose, and skin so pale it seemed to glow. It was a face that would start a war in this clan of beasts.

Carin stared at her reflection for a single second. Then, she picked up a pot of dark green plant dye she had prepared. With a steady hand, she painted ugly, mottled patches across her cheekbones and forehead. She rubbed gray dust into her neck and arms until her skin was rough and dirty once more.

She pulled out a large, frayed gray hooded cloak. It was several sizes too big, swallowing her slender frame and hiding her curves. She pulled the hood deep over her head, casting her face in shadow.

Outside, the guards shouted, ordering all single females to the ceremony square.

Sadie came running over, grabbing Carin's arm. "Come on! Don't miss the best warriors!"

Carin quietly pulled her arm free. As she did, she slipped a sharpened bone dagger into her sleeve, the handle snug against her wrist.

She followed Sadie out into the cold, dry autumn wind. The path to the square was crowded with females in their best clothes, the air thick with the pungent smell of aphrodisiac herbs.

Carin walked at the very edge of the crowd, a ghost in a gray cloak. Her eyes looked past the noise and the lights, focusing on the central platform in the distance.

Her heart began to pound. This wasn't a party. This was a gamble, and her life was the stake.

She gripped the dagger in her sleeve, silently repeating Brannon's name. Then, she stepped into the fire-lit square.