1

As Zack watched the other eight members hike down the slope, Brett turned on him. “Dude. What the fuck?”

Zack held up a finger. “Shhh. Shhh. Shhh. Let’s go for a walk. Trust me, you won’t want them to hear us.”

“Out there?” Brett whispered, pointing at the shadowy forest. “Are you fucking crazy?”

Zack planted his right arm around Brett’s shoulder like they were buddies, but his gesture was not friendly. The big orc pushed him toward the woods. He told Brett to cast Firefly, and the nurse did so begrudgingly. Zack was the smallest orc at level 1, whereas Damon was at level 3 and Ethan was a mountain at level 8. But he still towered over Brett by at least two feet. He turned to Brett, his brawny arm still draped around the human. “Don’t worry, nurse. I’ll protect you,” he mocked.

Brett ducked out from under his arm and stopped to face the warrior. “It’s pitch black out there even with this stupid light,” he said, gesturing to the firefly which flew ahead of him.

The orc raised his arms. “Come on, Brett,” he teased, “the stars are out tonight and it’s a wonderful night for a stroll.”

Brett planted his feet and wouldn’t move.

Zack glared at him, dead serious. “Start walking, healer,” he said in a low voice. Brett equipped his trilance struss and pointed it at the orc. Zack laughed at the weapon. It was an over-balanced wooden shaft with two blades at the tip. “Put that away,” he chided as if he was speaking to a child.

Brett considered the situation. He figured the lance was too big to handle in a close-combat situation. And the push daggers weren’t lethal enough. They were more of a death-by-a-thousand-cuts sort of weapon. He placed the lance back into his inventory.

Zack smiled. “Much better. Just a little further.” They started walking again. To provoke him, Brett called the Firefly spell back, leaving them in the darkness of the forest. Zack didn’t acknowledge the spiteful action. They arrived at the section where Damon’s group had been attacked. “I think we’re far enough now.”

Brett stopped and turned on him. “Okay, Zack, let’s hear it.”

Zack stood in the darkness, illuminated only by the starlight. He regarded Brett gravely. “I don’t think you’re fitting in with the team.”

“Oh, yeah?” Brett scoffed. “Is that what you think? What a big surprise. And why is that?”

Zack's silhouette was barely visible against the trees. “You’re a problem, Brett. No one feels safe around you. You hide behind that rock while the rest of the team is fighting for their lives. And I haven’t forgotten about your little trick, peeking at the girls back at the transfer room, either.”

Brett grinned indulgently. “Yeah. That was sweet. I haven’t forgotten it either.” Brett could see Zack’s body shudder with rage. “Listen, you little asshole—”

“No, you listen to me!” Brett shouted. “I won’t get pushed around by you! You’re just a fucking grunt. You hear me? That’ll be the day I take orders from someone like you, a fucking jarhead. I have more brains in my nuts than you have in your hea—”

Zack lunged for him in the darkness. Brett raised his arms to cushion the attack, but when Zack’s four hundred pounds collided with him, his arms bounced weakly off the orc’s body. Zack struck him dead center with such force that the air blew out of his lungs. They hit the ground hard and Brett felt his right forearm break. He cried out in agony, but the orc showed no mercy, spinning his body until he was facedown. Dirt flew up into Brett’s mouth as he gasped for air. He coughed, disgusted with the taste. Zack’s body settled on his broken arm.

Intense pain shot up the nurse’s shoulder. “Fuck you! You fucking moth—” he roared and swallowed another mouthful of dirt. Zack pushed his face into the ground. Brett coughed hoarsely, feeling dirt and grit worm down his throat. Zack’s mangled left arm sailed past Brett’s face and connected with his windpipe. The orc’s other hand pressed against the back of his head, cutting off his air supply.

“You listen to me, Brett,” Zack snarled. “I could pop your neck like a tick! Maybe I should! I’ll tell the group that one of the big, bad monsters got you and dragged you away. Good riddance to the perv nurse. What do you say, Brett? Do you think that’ll work? Do you think they’ll miss you? I don’t fucking think so!”

Brett waved his left arm weakly, trying to reach his attacker’s hand.

As Zack pinned the nurse to the ground, he tried to decide whether to finish the job. He could do exactly what he had said. Tell the team that the goblins got him and carried him off. Some would express concern, but he knew there wouldn’t be many questions. Brett would not be missed. Zack would offer to haul ass back to the portal to get one of the back-up nurses.

With Brett’s life in the balance, Zack deliberated, knowing his decision would impact the team one way or another.

2

As they carefully made their way down the cavern, the eight members naturally split into small groups. Damon and Ethan were at the front carrying the redwood branches. Jordan and Emma formed the middle group and Harper, Miguel, Angie, and Janna brought up the rear.

“I think something might be going on with them,” Janna whispered, nodding toward the two Grimalkin members of the team.

“Hmm, whatever do you mean, young nurse?” Angie teased. They watched as Jordan and Emma walked ahead of them. The pair were talking softly to each other. They could have been discussing spells, strategies, whatever, but to the four members behind them, it seemed like more than that.

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Miguel said. He was feeling better now and wasn’t stooped over.

They observed them quietly for a while as they progressed down the slope. “So, what was that back there between Zack and Brett?” Harper asked.

“You know what it was,” Angie said firmly.

Harper stopped. Her small group stopped with her.

“I think Zack is trying to get him sorted out,” Miguel said. “At this point, I don’t think anyone trusts him.” The other girls nodded.

Harper scoffed. “So, he’s taking him out to the woodshed?”

“If need be, yes,” Angie replied. Harper looked at them incredulously.

“Look, I know Brett,” Janna interjected. “We worked the same shifts at New York General. He’s an excellent nurse, has a pristine record, and I guess that’s why the company chose him, but he’s also a jerk. I wouldn’t have picked him. He has a reputation at the hospital. And as far as I can see, Brett’s got the same vibe going on here, so I hope Zack talks some sense into him.”

Harper was stunned.

“You don’t have to defend him, Harper,” Angie soothed. “We need to depend on him, and right now, we can’t even feel safe around him. Zack will straighten him out.”

They started walking again. The other two groups were far ahead now, almost at the base of the pool. As they walked, Miguel broke the silence, sounding distant and philosophical. “You know, we could end up in a situation where the healers have to determine who lives and who dies.” He glanced at the three women. “I don’t want to leave that decision in Brett’s hands.”

3

Ultimately, it was Zack’s benevolent side that decided Brett’s fate. He felt he had made his point. Killing him now would just complicate matters. He knew Damon wouldn’t let him travel back to the portal alone. It would break up the team needlessly and impede their progress. Hoping he was making the right decision, he released his hold on Brett’s neck.

The nurse curled into a fetal position and started coughing violently.

Zack stepped away, back into the murky shadows of the trees, and waited for him. It took several minutes for Brett to stop coughing. He lay there, gripping his right arm and sobbing into the dirt. After several more minutes, he looked at Zack, who was sitting on a fallen tree trunk ten feet away. “Wha… what do you want?” the nurse asked and started coughing again.

“I want you to be a team member,” the orc said, “and not a liability.” He paused. “This will be difficult for you, but you have to consider someone other than yourself for a change. You’re one of our healers. That’s an important role. We need to know we can trust you. Can we trust you, Brett?”

The nurse clutched at himself and coughed into the dirt.

“Can we trust you?” Zack repeated.

More coughing.

In the darkness, Zack became restless, wondering whether he should finish him. He waited. “Can we trust you?” the orc said one final time.

Brett coughed. “Yes… yes… you can trust me… you can trust me,” he whined. He started crying.

Zack shook his head, disgusted with him. “Okay, Brett. I’ll make a deal with you. You can call me a jarhead, call me dumb, stupid, whatever you want…” The Marine laughed in the gloom. “But isn’t it funny, Brett? I figured you out quickly enough, didn’t I?”

Brett was silent.

Zack went on. “You can hate me all you want from this day forward, but I want you to win back the team’s trust. Do you think you can manage that?”

Brett moaned.

“I’ll be watching you, Brett.”

The nurse didn’t respond. More time passed and then Zack stood up. “Heal yourself,” he ordered.

“What?”

“You’re a healer, Brett,” the orc said impatiently. “Heal yourself.” The nurse cast Basic Heal onto himself. His relief was instant. “See, Brett, you know how to take care of yourself. Now, I wanna see if you can take care of others.”

As the nurse planted his left hand to sit up, he felt something sharp on the ground. “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point,” he coughed. Brett peeked at what was under his palm. A hatchet made of bone lay in a patch of dirt, barely visible in the starlight. It looked prehistoric, with a short wooden handle, a bone blade, and primitive twine holding it together. His fingers touched the edge. It was razor-sharp.

“Now stand up,” Zack ordered. “The team will be waiting for us. You can heal yourself on the way down.” He approached Brett and extended his hand to help him back up.

The healer waved him off. “I… I want to get up on my own.” As he stood up, Brett grabbed the hatchet. He hid the weapon under a flap at the back of his leather armor, hooking it onto a fastening belt. He checked his mana points. They had regenerated enough to cast another spell. He healed himself and felt stronger, but the arm was still throbbing.

Zack turned to him as they trudged through the forest. “You could show some goodwill by taking the watch tonight.”

Brett groaned but nodded his head. “Okay, okay, I will.”

They walked quietly toward the cave. Brett finally stopped coughing—the healing spells helped with that. When they drew closer to the opening, Brett slowed his pace slightly, slipping behind the orc. As they started down the cavern, Zack was in the lead. Brett watched as the orc’s height advantage leveled out due to the incline. He stared at Zack’s bald head bobbing in front of him. He couldn’t believe the orc had allowed him to fall behind. See, Zack? You are just a dumb grunt after all, he thought. He pulled the hatchet from the back of his armor and glared at the brown skin atop the orc’s head. Zack could’ve been attacked by something in the woods too, Brett thought. His left hand tightened around the hatchet’s wooden shaft. The lance and the dagger wouldn’t have worked, but the hatchet, oh yes, the hatchet would do just fine.