Seeing Pike collapse right next to him, Drake’s anger disappeared, quickly giving way to rising dread and worry. He dropped to his knees, glancing at the foreman’s rapidly decaying health bar. He then took one of the lesser health potions from his belt, uncorking the vial and tipping some of the crimson concoction into Pike’s mouth. “Come on,” he muttered, angling the foreman’s head so that he could swallow.

But Pike’s health refused to budge past a tenth of its total, far less than the potion should have healed him. “Shit…” Drake grumbled, looking at the axe still embedded into the foreman’s back and then again to his stuttering health bar. The moment he touched the handle, he felt Pike tremble. ‘I fucking hope this works…'

He grabbed the axe’s hilt again, ignoring the foreman’s whimper as his eyes then focused on the HUD in the corner of his vision. He exhaled softly as he then squinted, the axe disappeared out of his hand and out of Pike’s back, straight into his inventory.

“Well, I’ll be damned!” Correy chuckled. “How the hell did you think that one up, spellsword?”

Drake, however, didn’t pay the scarred man any heed and instead looked up to the other prisoner and the dwarf that the captain had called Edan. “Take him back to the cantina inside the compound,” he said, pouring the rest of the potion down Pike’s throat. “There should be a blonde healer there taking care of the wounded.”

“Do as he says,” Khaddar ordered, his dry, stern voice jolting the guard out of his confusion and into action.

“Understood, rhet Khaddar!” he answered as he knelt next to Drake. The dwarf then hoisted Pike up, gingerly and almost effortlessly.

Correy chuckled, causing the guard to freeze. “I’m afraid I can’t really allow that,” he said, another axe appearing inside his hand as the lanky man next to him pulled out a great sword taller than either of the three dwarfs. “Isn’t that right, Patterson?”

A brief grunt left Patterson’s lips, his fingers snaking around the sword’s long handle. At the same time, his gaze never once strayed away from the one holding Pike.

A loud, tired sigh broke the stillness that had settled over the clearing as Drake rose to his feet in front of the guard and the dwarf. He briefly scanned a section of the forest where he could see two small arrows before setting his sights on the scarred, level 9 player in front of him. ‘Zeph? I…' he started, but feeling the animosity emanating from his spirit, he simply smiled.

“Say no more, boss,” replied Zeph as a subtle, invigorating breeze surrounded Drake. “There’s no need to hold back against this guy.”

“Oh, a smile!” Correy grinned. “Glad someone’s finally having fun! Mind letting me in on the joke?”

“It’s you,” Drake mocked, drawing his sword and feigning impatience as he then began to tap his foot loudly. “Do you actually think that you’re in a position to actually allow anything?”

“Hah, I really do!” the scarred man bellowed as two other players emerged from the woods on either side of him: a spearman and the rogue that had helped Correy with the ambush on the caravan merely a few days ago. “You see, come sunrise, the foreman over there isn’t supposed to still be breathing. Otherwise, me and the boys could have spared ourselves one mind-numbingly boring trip!”

Next to Drake, Bane groaned, his ears drooping at the sight of their four foes. “Crap, if we have to fight while also protecting Pike…”

A toothy smile spread across Correy’s head as he raised his axes. “See?! Even wolf-boy gets it! You can’t really call this a four vs. four if you’re stuck carrying dead weight!”

Glancing over to the spearman, Drake smirked. He finally stopped tapping his foot, however, the sound of footsteps didn’t cease. “Who said anything about it being four vs. four?”

Before anyone could grasp the meaning of his words, a loud bash reverberated throughout the clearing as Vala appeared and rammed shield-first into the spearman, bowling him to the ground. Behind her stood Lilly, hanging onto a nearby tree with both hands as her ragged throat gasped for air, beads of sweat dripping down her face.

“Go!” Drake yelled at Dhek and the dwarf carrying Pike. He then turned and kicked off towards Correy right as Bane dashed in the rogue’s direction. With Khaddar by his side, Drake instantly closed the gap between him and Corry, leaving Patterson to the captain.

Under Zeph’s control, the light breeze around Drake picked up, turning into a full-blown gale as he slashed at Correy’s legs. His blade zipped past its target, driving the scarred man back. But Drake refused to relent. He cut his swing short, the tip of his sword shining in the evening starlight as it carved a sideways V into the air.

“Fuck!” Correy grinned, circling with his back into the clearing while trying to avoid the strikes aimed at his limbs. “You’ve gotten a LOT faster! Any chance we could… take a minute and talk things over?”

Drake didn’t so much as bat an eye at the scarred man’s words. Mid swing, his left had let go of the sword’s hilt, lingering in the air as he pointed it straight at Correy. The Manabolt in his palm swirled and flashed, blasting off and hitting its target right in the stomach. The man flinched, taking a couple of staggered steps back as he brought his axes up and crossed them in front of his chest.

“Oh, come on,” Correy sneered, “don’t be like that! Hell, I’ll even tell you whatever it is you want to know!” Sensing a pause in Drake’s attacks, he slowly raised his hands to the side, mimicking a sigh of relief. But the moment he bared his chest, two more Manabolts crashed into his chest, knocking some of the air out of his lungs and sending him into a fit of coughs. “I-I’m serious…” he spat. “It’s not like that rotten, old bastard paid us to keep our mouths shut. He probably thinks that no one would even believe a bunch of thugs like us.”

“Why should I even trust you?” Drake asked drily.

“Bec—” he started before being forced to dodge as Drake stepped forward, thrusting his sword at Correy’s left shoulder and then firing off a small Spellpiercer into his side just after he missed.

The scarred man flashed Drake a pained grin as the top of his singed shoulder bled out the usual bright-red light. “Shit, at least let a guy finish! I mean, just between you and me, you should already know that I’m not a fan of the fucks flaunting their position over others. Neither in real life, nor here. So, if you and your robed buddies make it worth my while, I’ll even help you take out Morris,” he whispered, faking concern and looking over Drake’s shoulder. “And no offense to Patterson over there, but he isn’t the best conversation partner out there, if you know what I mean.”

“Boss, I really don’t like this asshole.”

Hearing Zeph’s words, Drake couldn’t help but chuckle. “That’s rich coming from a guy like you,” he smiled, which then drew a puzzled look out of Correy.

“Oh? how so?”

“Because you’re a hypocrite doing the exact same thing to those that you consider beneath you,” he grinned. “You don’t give a crap about anything, as long as you get to have your fun.” Upon hearing his words, the scarred man’s smile faded for the first time.

“Easy with the accusations there,” said Correy, any hint of sarcasm or mischievousness now gone from his voice. “If you think me taking out my frustration on a bunch of ones and zeros makes me just as bad as those monsters, then you’re off your fucking meds. Whatever, that should be enough stalling.”

Raising his axes, Correy rushed him. The wind around Drake picked up as he retreated several steps. But, unlike before, the scarred man kept pace, sticking close and throwing wide and wild slashes at him. Drake kept dodging, ducking in and out of Correy’s range while he tried to find an opening.

However, one never came and instead, the scarred man’s frenzied assault continued to sap away at Drake’s stamina while his mana had already dipped below a fifth of his total. And as he sidestepped an upward strike aimed at his sword hand, he then saw Correy taking aim at his head. Lifting his arm, the rune etched into Drake’s bracer came to life, bathing the brass plating in blue light.

You have been hit! -74HP.

Drake groaned, finally able to take a swing at Correy and force him back as he brought his left hand close to his chest, the gash near his elbow pulsing with a sickly, crimson glow.

“Seriously?” Zeph whined. “He changed the direction of his attack mid-swing like he was waiting for you to defend like that! And is it me, or has he somehow gotten faster…?”

“Sorry,” Correy smirked, “but I already saw that little trick you pulled before with the captain.”

“Heh, I see you were skulking around,” said Drake, rotating his left wrist a bit before taking his stance. With his sword’s tip pointed at the scarred man, he held his left arm up alongside his body, ready to fire a Manabolt at a moment’s notice. “Guess we can add voyeurism to your growing list of accomplishments.”

“Can you blame a guy for hoping that his enemies would just take each other out?”

“No,” Drake answered. “But I can blame him for not even trying to look at things from a different perspective. There’s… more to these NPCs than you might think.”

“Oh, come ON!” Correy groaned, shaking his head in exasperation. “Spare me the fucking moral lecture! If you want to play the hero then be my guest, but just get on with it already!”

Strangely enough, despite his tone, Correy simply waited for him to make a move.

“I’m not playing at anything!” Drake snapped as he slightly lowered the tip of his sword. “I’m just doing what I feel like doing, the same way you are.”

Hearing this, Correy’s brow shot up. “And what do you feel like doing?”

A slight frown settled on Drake’s face as he stared the scarred man in front of him dead on, the frustrations of a lifetime boiling over within him. “For one, I know that I’m sick of having no control over anything… ‘Given your history, aptitudes, and personality, the Ministry has seen fit to place you in Social Bracket II…’” Drake mocked, vividly recalling the automated message he had received from the Ministry of Education and Social Placement almost twelve years ago. “I’m sick of having other people, people I’ve never even met decide my lot in life. And I’m so fucking sick of seeing empty streets wherever I go!”

Correy’s shoulders drooped, relaxing his stance as he spoke. “VR sickness?”

You have activated Xelian Trance.

Drake nodded, his eyes glowing a brilliant blue as his mana pool started to rapidly replenish itself. Seeing this, the scarred man flinched as the sound of clashing steel ripped throughout the clearing. “Took a while, but it finally feels like I’ve found a place I can belong to… And that also goes for the NPCs in here. Real or not, I couldn’t give less of a shit,” he said, gripping his sword tightly enough to turn his knuckles white. “Call me whatever you like, but I’m still gonna do my best to protect this place.”

“Heh,” Correy smiled, lowering one of his axes as he leaned back, a bead of sweat rolling down from his temple. “You might be onto something there, spellsword.”

“Drake.”

Underneath the pale light, the edges of Correy’s axes glimmered menacingly. “Still… with a speech like that, you’re really putting me on the spot here, Drake. So, let me respond to you in kind!”

Immediately, Correy swayed and lobbed his lowered weapon. Despite seeing the axe spinning right at him, Drake had little time to react. He ducked and leaned to the side, his heart racing as he felt the mana gathered inside of him beginning to rage and ripple.

You have been hit! -51HP.

A loud thud resounded from behind as the axe lodged itself into a nearby tree, having left a deep, shimmering gash across Drake’s cheek. The blue light in his eyes flared and vanished as he yelled, his spell’s backlash shredding through his body like a thousand needles. But then a gentle warmth began to radiate from the pendant resting on his chest, quelling the rising pain within him.

Atonement of the Errant Knight has activated. Xelian Trance Backlash damage negated. (-137HP)

Endurance & Vitality increased by 20% for 10 seconds.

“I… I thought we were g-goners,” Zeph mumbled as he reeled from the strain of their mental link.

But Drake couldn’t even think of a reply as Correy charged him. Still off balance and left with less than a third of his health, Drake dropped to the ground as the scarred man’s weapons whistled through the air above him. He then slammed his palm into the ground, rolling out of the way as he fired off a Wind Strike to propel himself further.

Drake got up to his feet, pulling his sword close to his chest as he then thrust forward, halting Correy’s attack as he jumped to the side. However, feet still firmly planted, he grabbed the handle with both hands and spun his blade into alignment. He then stepped forward, following through with a horizontal slash, scoring a mark into the other’s leather armor.

And as his sword came to a halt, Correy hooked it with his axes. But before the scarred man could wrench it out of his hands, Drake sent his blade into his inventory, freeing up his hand as he fired three Manabolts. Two collided with the flat of Correy’s weapons, dissipating on impact, while the third one struck him right in the stomach.

Not just unphased but grinning wildly, Correy threw one of his axes sideways at Drake’s head, missing him by a hair’s breadth as he felt the air brush past his neck. “Shit, you’re right, Zeph. He’s somehow getting faster. We have to end this now!”

The wind around Drake picked up again as he then heard his spirit. “Leave it to me, boss! We’ll just have to be even faster!”

Zephyr has activated Mana Manipulation. Tempest bonus Movement and Attack Speed has increased to 30%.

The speed at which Zeph was draining his mana had almost doubled, so Drake didn’t waste any time as he stormed Correy. But as the scarred man angled his axe to catch his sword, Drake howled!

You have activated Spellblade.

Blue flames erupted from the base of his blade’s spine, racing up to envelop the edges. The phantom glow of his swing lingered for a moment as the enchanted blade collided with the top of Correy’s axe, nudging it down and digging into the scarred man’s shoulder.

But as the health bar above his head marched slowly towards its end, Correy’s gaze shifted to the side, his eyes widening as he wrestled Drake’s sword to the side.

You have been hit! –39HP.

Drake winced, feeling something rush past him as he then noticed the neon-red wound on his arm. Glancing back, he saw Lilly clutching her Stone Bolter, a panicked look strewn across her face as the glow of her gun’s crystal cartridge began to fade.

“Shit, sorry!” she yelled, lowering the Bolter’s barrel.

Dumbstruck, he gawked at the brown-haired woman for a second before shifting his focus back to his opponent. But where he would have expected to just see Correy grinning as usual, he instead saw Vala slamming the scarred man’s axe to the side as her mace smashed into his collarbone.

Correy coughed as he staggered back, cradling his battered body. “G-guess that’s all for tonight, folks,” he stammered, a weak smile still plastered on his lips. He then took out two small vials, quickly downing the red and amber liquids as his health and stamina shot back to more than half their total. “You win this one, spellsword!”

As he watched Correy retreat, Drake was left speechless. However, the same couldn’t be said for his spirit who in the meantime had manifested his wisp form. “Well, I didn’t expect that,” he said while circling his master’s head.

“What?” Vala asked, staring at Drake as she strapped her mace to her belt. “Did you expect for us to just wait for the dramatic conclusion to your spat?”

“I… don’t know…” he said, whirling around to scan the clearing. Next to the tree line, he saw Bane standing next to a bloodied Khaddar who had just finished fastening the two pairs of cuffs to Patterson’s hands and feet, the same cuffs that had previously held Pike and Dhek.

Coming up besides the captain, Drake took out the second to last Lesser Health Potion from his belt and offered it to the dwarf. Khaddar eyed the small flask in Drake’s palm before shaking his head and slowly pushing it away. “Keep it,” he replied, not bothering to make eye contact as he passed his palm over the two Mana Crystals embedded into the control rods.

“Might as well get back,” said Bane, to which the captain merely glanced at him without so much as a word.

Accompanied only by Patterson’s guttural grunts and the sounds of crunching leaves, they all made their way back in silence, leaving behind the moonlit clearing.

****

“Miss! Over here!”

Guided by Oren, the young guard, Mia rushed through the tables turned into makeshift campaign beds to the side of a dwarf clutching his arm, blood dripping through his fingers as he struggled to apply pressure to his wound. Taking in a deep breath, she grabbed the tome fastened to her robe and cracked it open to the section that she had come to know by heart. She then gently placed her right palm over the dwarf’s hand as she wordlessly recited the spell’s incantation.

A soothing, golden aura enveloped Mia’s hand before it spread across to the dwarf’s arm, staunching the flow of blood and closing up the wound. Relief washed over the dwarf’s face as he slowly removed his hand from his arm, revealing a clean scar underneath.

“Thank you…” the dwarf managed, bowing his head to Mia.

“You’re welcome,” Mia smiled, returning the bow as another wave of lightheadedness struck her.

The rate at which she continued to deplete her mana had left Mia mentally exhausted. But given the dozens of wounded people, she was stuck having to wait for her mana to replenish itself in between spells, as each one then brought her back to nearly zero mana.

“Where’s the healer?” thundered a deep, feminine voice behind Mia.

Turning around, she saw Vala entering the windowless mess hall, towering half a head above the tallest human miner. Next to her Bane, Drake, and Lilly looked around in silence as another dwarf entered the hall, dragging a tall and lanky man behind him.

“Over here!” she yelled, prompting the people around to immediately make way for Vala and the rest.

“Where’s Pike?” Drake asked, his eyes still scanning through the faces in the crowd.

“The foreman? He’s sleeping right now,” said Mia as she turned to point towards a table on the far side of the hall.

A heavy sigh left Drake as he then turned to face the dwarf next to the cuffed man. “Alright, captain. I think it’s finally time for us to sit down and talk for a bit… Is there any place that’s a bit more quiet than this?”