Chapter 40

Leon woke with a start. A stone rolled down the roof and tumbled off the edge. He looked at the group of guards below; maybe sixteen of them, jogging in pairs past the building and down the Slums. Most wore simple woolen tunics and pants, and the shirts held the guard’s crest of two crossed pikes on their backs.

“Hey! You won’t make a habit of doing this, will you?” a deep voice shouted.

Leon crawled to the edge of the roof and looked down at the armored guard. “Gerald? Nice to see you.”

The guard put his hands on his hips. “Gonna come down from there?”

Leon crawled to the edge, jumped down on the railing, and onto the porch. Thankfully, he didn’t land with his face first this time. He brushed his hands off and approached the man.

“Can’t believe you forgot what happens in the Slums at night. Thought you’d learned your lesson last time.”

Leon nodded. “This is for a quest. Sorry, but you’ll probably see me sleeping up here more times.”

Gerald scoffed. “A quest to get yourself harmed or killed? What kind of lunatic are you?”

“I do what I have to.”

They started walking back up the street together. Scabs approached them like they had received nothing yet. Well, most hadn’t. Leon had run out of coins after half an hour up on the roof and slept there. Had he been smarter, he’d left his bag in the room before he tried his idea. That way, he’d only risk losing his clothes to those greedy hands if he decided to make a run for the inn. He’d keep that in mind for next time.

“You’re not training with them?” Leon asked, nodding toward the group disappearing in the distance.

“Nah, someone’s gotta be on duty.” The guard shook his head. “Besides, why would I need it? I won’t climb. But to be fair—that goes for most of us.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Leon said. “You weren’t needed back home, or what was it?”

“Mhm. So, will you climb? Or are you going to join us as a guard?”

Leon chuckled. “Climb. As fast as I can.” He raised his arm and continued toward the crafting fountain. “Thanks for waking me up.”

Gerald looked like he wanted to say something more, but didn’t.

*******

Leon walked to the Laughing Bard, went up to his room to get Trouble, and returned downstairs for breakfast. Even though he hadn’t received a message about Trouble needing food, two of the eight carrots had disappeared the moment she entered the inventory.

Leon pulled the bowl of porridge closer to him and dipped the bread in it, wondering what today would bring. Hopefully, Finn would both show up on time, and take more care, so Hert took less damage. They had to think about what to do with the loot, too, so the same unfair division didn’t happen again.

He looked up as the door opened. Red stumbled in, huffing and leaning on her lute. Her hair was bushy, and a couple of leaves sat lodged in the mess. At least she looked unharmed, even if she was exhausted.

“Morning,” Leon called, raising his spoon toward her.

She gave him a quick nod and approached the bar, where Crag climbed up on his ladder and handed her a bowl of porridge, too.

He smiled and clasped his hand around hers as she took it. “You work too hard.”

Red shook her head. “So do you.”

She tried to pull her hand back, but Crag took a firmer grip and pulled her closer. He whispered something in her ear and pointed toward Leon.

Leon looked into his bowl, his ears flaming up. Eavesdropping was likely bad manners according to the old one.

Soft footsteps approached on the stone floor.

“I’ll sit here.” Red pulled out the chair opposite Leon and threw herself down on it, porridge swishing slightly in the bowl.

“Okay? Sure.” Leon took a spoonful of food.

“You’re going on the quest today.” It wasn’t as much of a question as it was a statement. “I’ll go with you.”

Leon chewed with a frown. “Quest?”

Red glared over her shoulder, but the innkeeper seemed not to notice. He kept whistling while cleaning his tankards.

“Rats.”

“Oh, the one in the cellar?” Leon tapped the spoon on his lip, thinking. “Planned on farming the forest for coins after my party finished grinding today, but… you said that there’s only fifty or so that spawn each time, right?”

“Thirty to fifty. But forget it, then.” She took her breakfast and rose, and a leaf sailed onto the table.

“Sure, I think that’s doable. Shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes once we get down there.”

Red sat back down, her jaw tight. “Do you like looking down on others for their shortcomings?”

Leon looked at her and frowned. “No. Why?”

“Oh, I just thought you needed some help,” she said with a mock impression. “Shouldn’t take more than a minute. I’ll blow on the monsters and they’ll fall over. Then you’ll know the difference between me and you.”

Leon raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t mean to be condescending. Just to help when I can.”

Color rose to her cheeks. “Yeah, well, I’m doing what I can, and I don’t need someone to berate me for it.”

Leon studied her for a moment, but didn’t say anything. No matter what he said now, it would probably go wrong.

The sharp color of her face slowly faded, and she kneaded her eyebrows. “Sorry. It’s been a rough morning.”

“That’s fine.”

Leon wondered if it would be wise to ask a question, considering her state of mind. But as she just stared into her meal, sinking deeper into her thoughts, he decided to risk it. “What are you fighting for?”

Red’s head snapped up. “What?”

“You seem to take on monsters by yourself whenever you can, come back beaten and bloody, and then play on your lute, which seems more battered each time I see it. There has to be a reason why you put yourself in danger, and I wonder what it is.”

“None of your—” She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a few seconds. She took a deep breath. “My sister. I’m doing it for my sister. I need to reach the top of the tower.”

Oh, they had the same goal? “Is she sick?”

“She’s—”

“Hey, man! Now you’re gonna be the disrespectful one!” Finn tromped up to the table and nodded to the Cleric. “Red, nice seein’ ya. Thought you’d be a goner by now, but you keep showing back up. Like a dandelion.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “You’re still waiting for me, aren’t you? I can still raise you to another level.”

Red pressed forward a smile, rose, and walked past Finn, leaving her breakfast untouched. “See you, Leon.”

“Yeah.”

Finn looked from him to Red’s back. “So that’s your type, huh? Marked and shit. Can’t even heal it away.”

“And yet you hit on her,” Leon said. He took both the empty and the full bowl and set them on the bar. “Careful, Ava might get jealous.”

“Pfft. As if I’d want someone like Red.” Finn sneered. “Ugly, prideful bitch.”

Leon sucked in a breath and clenched his fist. Then, breathing out, he turned toward the door, not uttering a word. Finn was, and always would be, Finn. Soon enough, he’d get what was coming to him. But right now, his group needed him.

Don’t act, Leon repeated to himself, all the way to the meeting spot, all while Finn talked about changes he wanted in the group.

As they walked past the crafting fountain, Ava jogged to them and grabbed Leon’s arm, beaming up at him. “Today’s going to be fun, isn’t it? I’m sure you’ll help a lot.”

Finn huffed. “No, he’ll stay back as normal. I’ll take care of it.”

Ava leaned her head to the side. “Of course you will! You’re great! But Leon is also doing his best to contribute.” She squeezed Leon’s arm harder, and he fought the urge to step away.

“Yes, yes. Sure.” Finn grabbed Ava’s arm, and they ended up standing in a chain. Leon pried Ava’s fingers loose from his arm and walked toward Hert, who stood watching from outside his shop.

“Ready to go?” Leon asked the bald man. Then a force pulled him back. Ava clung to his arm again.

Hert scratched at his beard and looked at Ava. “Did Finn do something to you, or why have you suddenly gone back to craving Leon’s attention?”

Ava’s face reddened. “Leon also deserves to know that he’s doing a good job.”

“Then why aren’t you clinging to my arm? If you want to be fair?” Hert raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, you’d want that, wouldn’t you?” Finn stepped forward and took Ava’s arm again.

“No, definitely not.” Hert shook his head. “Just making a point.”

Leon took advantage of Ava’s lacking concentration and pulled his arm from hers, then stepped toward Hert. “Let’s get going.”

He glanced over his shoulder, where Finn held Ava in the crook of his arm. She blushed and looked at the ground, wearing an odd expression. Leon quickened his steps and Hert followed suit.

“So what prompted her to renew her obsession with you?” Hert asked as they walked down the street.

Leon grimaced. “I helped another player. Another female Cleric.”

Hert whistled a low tune. “Yeah, that would do it. Is it someone I know?”

They passed the guards. “I don’t think so. She lives at the Laughing Bard and doesn’t really pass through this side of the town.”

“Is she better than Ava?”

Leon chuckled. “At fighting? Yeah.”

Hert snorted. “I meant mentally. You’re too nice for your own good, and I don’t want to get bogged down with someone even more useless. You’re the kind of guy who’d adopt abandoned kittens, even if you were allergic to them.”

Leon frowned. He’d never really seen it like that, and wondered if the statement held a grain of truth. “Well, Red’s got the will to fight for what she wants without anyone’s interference, from what I can tell. Don’t worry. She won’t join our party.”

“Too bad. It would be nice with a party member who could carry their own weight.”

Leon patted Hert’s shoulder and dismissed the boxes asking for coins. “I’ve already promised Ava that I’d climb with her. Adding another member to the party would only take more experience than it would give, so it wouldn’t be wise on our part, even if Red actually wanted to join. That, and Ava would probably get more insecure.”

“Was worth a try,” Hert mumbled.

They exited the Slums and strolled over to the wheat field. Leon peeked over his shoulder, where Finn said something to Ava. She laughed and returned her gaze to Leon. When she met his eyes, hers darted to the field.

Leon and Hert entered the portal first, and Leon thought about the fights to come. As before, he’d be ready to step in when he needed, but what could he do about the loot and how they would divide it? Dive for the pile?

“Alright, Leon,” Finn said as he entered the semi-dungeon. “Step back and let me handle this.”

“Sure.”

A good way to get to the loot would be to insist to participate in the fighting, but that would include risking his life without necessarily needing to. Leon rubbed his head and sighed. He’d gotten his “insight” skill because of his ability to make compromises and think up solutions, but maybe the system had handed it to him too soon.

They entered the same corridor as they’d done the previous days, but Leon kept closer to Hert as they walked through the wheat walls, with Finn following from behind.

Ava jogged up to Leon and pulled on his arm. “Are you going to show off your skills, too? Since you’re walking up here instead of with me?”

Leon shook his head. “Maybe. Depends on the situation. Hopefully, I can prevent Hert from getting injured if I stay close by.”

Ava nodded, bit her lip, and peered over her shoulder. Leon followed her move. Finn’s face had grown a shade darker, but his lips sat clenched in a smile. Ava snapped her head back to the path and hugged Leon closer.

“I hear buzzing.” Hert pointed the shield toward the next corridor.

Finn pushed Leon’s shoulder to get in front and readied his weapon. When he rounded the corner, he stopped short and took a step back.

“What?” Ava said, looking from Leon to Finn. “What’s wrong?”

“Season shift,” Finn muttered. “Early.”

Hert stepped forward and backed away. “There are like… ten of them in there. From level seven to level twelve.”

“Should we head back?” Leon asked. “I don’t think—”

“Fuck no,” Finn said, sneering. “Do you know how much money those will bring?” He drew out his bow. “Just kite. They can’t all fit in the corridor.”

“Kite?” Ava asked.

“You can kite if you want, Finn, but we’re melee,” Leon said. “It’s too dangerous. Let’s just come back tomorrow.”

“Ah, come on! Do you see them gathered like that? That only happens at the end of the season. We have Hert to tank, anyway. Let’s go.” Finn readied an arrow, and Leon sprinted forward, pushing the ranger’s elbow down. The arrow clattered onto the ground, and Finn turned toward Leon. “You just cost me fatigue!”

“You almost cost us our lives.”

Finn clenched his jaw and looked from Leon to Hert and at last, Ava. Then he shrugged. “Fine, whatever.”

Leon started back down the corridor, but froze at a sudden movement. He swung his hand and caught Finn’s arm. The arrow flew into the wall, where it tumbled harmless onto the floor. Finn jerked his arm out of Leon’s grip and elbowed him under the chin. Leon fell to the ground with a grunt.

“Fuck’s sake, man! I’m telling you we’ve got this!” Finn said, spreading his arms wide.

Leon took Hert’s outstretched hand and got up on his feet. “Then you go ahead. Alone.” Leon nodded toward the entrance. “I won’t risk dying because you want to show off. I don’t think Hert and Ava would like to take all of them on either.”

“No way,” Hert said. “We met several same-leveled creatures in a group before, and we barely made it out.”

“Without me in the group, sure,” Finn said. “And—”

“And we only made it through with teamwork,” Leon added. “Something we don’t have right now.”

“You’re all just a bunch of pussies. Figures,” Finn spat. “And here I thought your team would actually do something.”

“You’re free to leave whenever you want to.” Hert crossed his arms.

Ava sprinted forward and held her arms out. “Please, don’t fight! We’ve been doing so well! Finn, you’re simply amazing, but how can we reach your standard? You have so much more experience, and you’ve shown your skill again and again. I trust you, but I don’t know what we can do to help. We’re just too weak.”

Finn puffed out his chest and blew a strand of dark hair from his face. “Yeah, that’s obvious.” He gave a theatrical sigh and put a hand over his brow, shaking his head. “I sometimes forget you’re low level players. Of course you would get scared when facing something like this. Something that would actually require some work.”

“You’re free to take them on yourself,” Hert muttered. “I’m not stopping you. Let’s see how well you do without my protection, since I’m apparently not doing much.”

Finn looked at him with pursed lips. “You’re still upset with your share of the loot?”

Hert shrugged. “Well, it told me how much you value my work, and by those standards, it’s not much.”

Leon nodded toward the entrance. “Let’s go, then.”

Finn turned his head toward the corner and tapped his fingers on the bow. He grimaced. “Sure.”

They turned and walked together toward the end of the semi-dungeon, with Finn trailing behind them. Something punched into Leon’s back, and he stumbled forward, rubbing his shoulder.

“Sorry, sorry,” Finn said. “I put away the bow, and an arrow just shot out. Weird. That hasn’t happened before.”

Leon clenched his jaw. At least the arrows didn’t pierce the backpack. He was gladder than ever that Trouble hadn’t come out. “You—”

“You did it on purpose.” Hert turned around and walked toward the ranger. He pushed a finger into Finn’s chest, pushing him back. “You petty bastard.”

Finn chuckled, holding his hands out to the sides. “It was an accident. Promise.” He shrugged. “Won’t happen again.”

“Leave him be,” Ava said. She pushed Hert away and hugged Finn’s arm.

“Oh, yeah? Leave him be?” Hert scoffed. “You think you’re going to be safe with this maniac? Just wait until he leaves you to save his own hide!”

“He’s not like that!”

“Shh!” Leon said.

“Oh, yeah?” Hert said. “He’s petty as all hell and won’t act unless he thinks he, alone, is safe! He—”

“Quiet!” Leon drew out his sword and dagger.

The buzzing grew stronger, and now the others seemed to notice it, too.

Finn readied his bow. “Well, looks like we’re gonna get some coin! Can’t exit if there’s a fight going on.”

“You’re lying,” Hert said. He sprinted the short distance they had left to the portal and tried to ram through it. A hexagonal pattern shone up and bounced him back. “What is this shit?”

Leon took a stance and held out his weapons. “Ava and Finn, get back. Attack from a distance. Hert and I will try to get their attention away from you guys. Maybe it will turn out fine.” Leon nodded to Hert. “You okay with that?”

Hert grumbled, but then gave a curt nod.

“Hey, I’m the lead—” Finn’s voice cut off as Ava put a hand over his mouth.

The buzzing grew louder, and Leon tensed his muscles. “Hert. Let’s focus one at a time, if possible. Try to cripple them, so Finn can take them out with his bow. If we need to split up, try to stay with Ava and Finn. They’ll need it the most.”

“Hey, I can—” Finn said, and Leon glared back at him. Finn’s face burned red, but he sucked in the rest of the sentence, grimaced, and readied an arrow.

The buzzing grew louder, and Leon’s heart beat so hard the sound overtook any other sound.

The shadows of the enormous insects played on the wheat wall as they came closer, their wings flapping and legs hanging beneath their bodies. Seconds later, the first scythe-like legs came into view. Like Finn said, all grasshoppers didn’t fit through the corridor, but approached the room in pairs. The first two were level eight.

Leon took a deep breath and sprinted toward the opening. If they could make use of the bottleneck situation, they might have a go at this.

He ducked forward, under one creature’s leg, and forced his sword and dagger through the hard outer shell and into its abdomen. A second too late, he realized his mistake.

The force of the creatures behind the first ones pushed them relentlessly forward, even as the one he’d stabbed screeched in pain and flung its body back and forth. The second insect sunk onto the ground, flinging its barbed legs under the other, and Leon jumped. The leg swooped a hair’s breadth under him, and he fell onto the ground, his sword and dagger clattering onto the floor. The barbed front leg cut into the wounded monster, and an arrow pierced through its throat.

Leon scrambled up on his feet, snatched his sword and dagger, and darted out to the open surface again. The creature he’d attacked fell, and two more creatures, one level nine and one level eleven, were about to pass the corpse.

Leon sucked in a breath and readied himself for another sprint. If they could kill the grasshoppers in front, they could block off the corridor for the rest and pick them off one by one.

“Hert, come!” Leon sprinted toward the two green grasshoppers that had almost made it past the fallen one. They bumped into the second creature on the floor, and the buzzing grew louder as that one tried to rise, tangling all three.

Leon jumped forward, slashing at the flying creatures’ legs. “Block the scythes!” Leon turned his head. “Shoot for the wings!”

Leon’s weapons clanged as they clashed with a hardened leg, creating a small crack in the hardened shell. The creature roared, and Leon fell back. He landed on his feet and sprung forward again as an arrow whooshed over his head, piercing the wing to the creature’s side. Leon changed his trajectory to the side, attacking the other flying grasshopper’s leg as a clang sounded from his side.

“Activate Block! Activate Curl Up!” Hert crouched and lifted the shield in front of him as two barbed legs slammed into it.

Leon’s weapons sliced into the flying monster’s leg, then he jumped back. The force behind the creature’s legs pushed Hert back, but he held his ground.

Leon scanned the corridor in front of them. Two dead creatures on the floor, and two alive on top, wounded, but still moving. The force from the grasshoppers behind them tried pressing them forward. If the corpses didn’t stop the rest, he hoped they would slow them.

“Power Shot!” Finn shouted behind them, and the creature pressing down on Hert’s shield collapsed. Hert jumped aside and went into a crouch again as Leon ran, sword and dagger ready.

He sprinted up the carcasses on the floor and struck his weapons forward. They cracked the hard shell in the monster’s chest.

“Pew!”

Leon ducked, and an arrow swooshed over his head, into the new opening. A second later, another arrow joined the first. Leon slammed his dagger into the open wound, and the insect fell. He jumped back and looked up. A third of the space stood open, but to climb it, the monsters needed their wings. If they got up that far, they would make easy shots for the Ranger, if the wings didn’t beat into the ceiling first.

Hert backed and looked up as well. “Nice. Four out of ten.”

“There!” Leon pointed his sword at the grasshopper trying to climb the bodies of its fallen comrades. It fell back down. “It worked!”

A rattle and a loud buzzing sounded through the area, and the two dead insects on top tumbled onto the floor. Two more grasshoppers, both level twelve, pushed forward.

“Again!” Leon sprinted forward. He jumped toward one creature, swinging his blades. “Cross strike!”

The edges cracked the shell in the beast’s chest, and Hert grunted as the second one’s scythes banged into his shield. The tips bit into his shoulders and he screamed as blood started trickling down.

“Pow!” Finn shouted, and an arrow flew past Hert’s ear and into the creature, making it stagger.

Leon’s monster raised itself up on its hind legs, screeching. Leon took the chance to land another blow and ducked between the fallen monsters as the insect slammed down its body on top of them. He stuck out once more, and then again.

“Agh!” Hert shouted, and a clang of metal sounded from the side.

Leon pierced the body over him again as it moved to the side, and with a shouted attack from Finn, it shuddered and started falling. Leon pressed his stomach as close to the ground as he could as the heavy body landed on the rest, caging him in. He gasped as the hard shell pressed down on him, and he pushed up his body and kicked with his feet to get out from under the carcass. Only a faint light shone a distance away.

“Hert! You okay?” Leon shouted as he wiggled between the fallen bodies. Hert didn’t answer. Leon struggled to get loose, and his shirt snagged on one of the barbed legs. Hopefully, Finn kept shooting, and Ava helped Hert. But what if they didn’t? A misfired blow from Finn could end the Tank’s life if the circumstances allowed for it.

Leon kicked at the body under him and wiggled his shoulders.

A dull “thuck” sounded in front of him.

“Finn! You fucking—ah!” Hert shouted.

Leon’s ears rang. The Ranger. This couldn’t continue. He needed to get out there, kill the monsters, and they would all exit, alive. He’d promised he’d be ready to jump in if things got too far. But here he was, stuck.

Rage burned through his body. Leon pushed his weapons into the inventory and slammed his fists into the dead insect on top of him. It shifted to the side, and he scooted himself forward, ripping the stuck piece of shirt. Once more, and he finally got out. He crawled on top of the insect, and saw Hert stumble backwards and fall, his shield left under the level twelve and one level eleven grasshopper. The wounds on his shoulders oozed red, and the grasshoppers launched toward him.

Leon sprang up on his feet, roared, and sprinted toward the closest one. He jumped, grabbed the level twelve’s antennae and hung from them as the creature reared its head and screeched into Leon’s face. He kicked out with both feet, hitting the beast’s chest, and a crack sounded under the stomp. Leon released one hand and punched into the open jaw. He gave two quick jabs to the soft innards as something flew by under his arm, and the creature fell.

Leon hit the floor and rolled up on his feet. As his soles touched even ground, he sprinted toward the next monster, ran up a fallen one, ducked under an approaching scythe, and jumped toward the monster.

It dodged to the side. His fingers clasped the wing, and he clenched his fist around the membrane, forcing the insect to land. An arrow pierced its throat, and Leon punched the creature’s jaw.

It shook its body back and forth, and Leon’s hand slipped from the silky wing. He fell, and his back landed on one of the fallen ones. He rolled off it onto the floor, pressed his knuckles to the ground, and gained his footing again.

Berserk has activated. Berserk has ended.

Leon huffed as he closed the boxes and looked in front of him. With another arrow, seven of the ten creatures had gone down. He looked to the side, where Hert had crawled up on his knees, and approached the shield. He’d stopped bleeding.

“Look out!” Leon dashed forward, jumped in front of Hert, and raised his arms. The bracers took the blow from the level nine scythes and flung him into the tank, and they both sprawled onto the floor.

Leon rolled aside, up on his feet, and pulled out his weapons. He stepped forward and swung. As his blades sunk into the creature’s chest, an arrow finished it off, and Leon sprinted toward the beasts, bent down, took the shield, and threw it toward Hert.

Leon looked up as a barbed leg came swinging down. The spear-like end pierced his shoulder and pinned him to the ground. The wound seared with heat. Leon screamed and drew back his free arm, hitting at the scythe. It cracked, but didn’t give way. Pulsating pain radiated from the wound. The level twelve grasshopper lowered its head and opened the jaw wide, spreading an odor of rotting leaves. It came down.

“No, you don’t!” Hert shouted. He jumped over Leon, and slammed his shield into the creature’s jaw, then followed it up with a blow of his hammer.

An arrow, then another, and a third, lodged in the meaty inside. The legs gave way, ripping through Leon’s shoulder muscles.

Hert pushed his shield under the barbed leg, and it came free from Leon’s body.

“Heal!” Ava said, and Leon’s shoulder slowly sew itself shut.

Two arrows flew over them, and the last screeching creature fell.

Leon took Hert’s hand and got up on his feet as the insects shattered around them, building a massive pile in the corridor.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Finn said, approaching.

Leon put his weapons away and walked to the pile, where he picked up all of it.

You have gained the following items:

312 coins

1 Grasshopper Wing

Rank: E

Crafting material. Stacks up to 9 times.

2 Scythes

Rank: E

Crafting material. Stacks up to 9 times.

5 coarse bread

Rank: F

Consumable. Made from ground grasshoppers and contains a lot of protein. Increases recovery rate of fatigue by 1%. Stacks up to 9 times.

6 antennae

Rank: F

Crafting material. Stacks up to 99 times.

8 green goo

Class: Junk

Stacks up to 99 times.

“Hey, man, what do you think you’re doing?” Finn came toward him at a jog.

Leon raised his eyebrows. “Looting?”

“Do you know how much damage I dealt? It’s mine.”

Leon chuckled. “Really? Hert and I did nothing, then?”

“I also did my best!” Ava trotted up to them.

“Without me, you suckers wouldn’t have beaten even one!”

Something bubbled up in Leon’s throat, and he threw his head back and laughed. It got cut short by Finn’s fist connecting with his jaw. Leon stumbled back, but couldn’t keep from grinning.

Hert snorted. “Oh, are you unhappy with your part of the loot?”

Finn’s face reddened, but before he could launch another punch, Ava clung to his arm. “Finn, Leon has always been fair when dividing loot. I know you did a lot, and you deserve a lot.”

Finn looked from Ava to Leon, one arm still raised. “Damn right I do. So hand it over.”

“Not so fast.” Leon crossed his arms. “Since you took all the loot yesterday, one could say you’ve already gotten your part. Maybe Hert should get your share?”

“What?” Ava looked from Leon to Finn, whose face kept getting redder. “But—”

“It’s only fair, isn’t it?” Leon stopped smiling and stepped closer to Finn. “Effort reaps benefits, sure. But if that effort goes unrewarded, it won’t hold long term.”

“Yeah, but—”

Leon pushed a hand onto Finn’s shoulder, forcing him into the wall of the corridor. “I’ve had it up to here with your behavior. There’s only so much you can do without something snapping.” He pushed harder and looked into Finn’s face. “Yeah, you keep shooting me with the bow. You like to vent your frustration in some way. I don’t take damage from it, even if the push can put me in a dangerous position when fighting.”

Leon drew out his short sword and pointed it at Finn’s chest. “But you’re not the same as us. You, as you’ve said, can get hurt by other players.” Leon thumbed the edge and watched Finn swallow hard. “It would be such a tragedy if I slipped, wouldn’t it? Just an accident, of course. It probably wouldn’t kill you, but I bet it would hurt.”

Finn didn’t answer. His eyes shifted between Leon’s blade and face.

“You don’t fight alone, because you can’t. You’d get mauled.” Leon pushed the edge of the sword closer to Finn’s throat. “So, you search for a team, so you’re safe. You seek benefit, but have no thoughts about what happens to your party because of your actions. Or try to find out how to work in a team. You betray their trust, in one way or another. You know that can work the other way around, too, right?”

Finn swallowed again and nodded.

“Good. I think I’ve gotten my point across.” Leon pulled back the weapon and put it in his inventory. “You play with us from now on, or you leave. Those are your options.”

Leon turned toward Ava and Hert. Ava bit her lip and kneaded her fingers into her hair, looking at the ground. Hert nodded.

“So, time to divide the loot.”