Leah’s movements were slow, uncoordinated, clumsy. She had caught up to us in a spectacular dash - I wondered if she had used some sort of magic to do it - but she’d had no time to rest, while we had. And it was two-to-one.

Not that Naomi was helping. I wanted to shout at her to do something, but stopped myself. Mom was still on the line.

“Seriously, I can’t talk now,” I said, while dodging a swipe that came within inches of my left arm.

“You just said you’re on bluetooth, Miles,” my mom responded. “Besides, this is important. I’ll make it quick.”

I doubt it, I thought. I blocked the dagger with my drows, hoping I could stumble upon the trick to breaking a blade again. I believed it had something to do with the angle I held it at.

Leah was a blind fury, but spoke through gritted teeth as she swung at me. “I’m not looking to talk,” she said, clearly responding to what I’d told my Mom. “I’m looking to kill you.”

“We don’t need to fight!” I yelled. “Let's just both go our separate ways!”

Leah didn’t answer, but Mom did. “What are you talking about, Miles? I’’m not trying to fight with you. If you really have to go just say so.”

I did say so! I thought. “Just go!” I yelled at both Leah and my Mom.

“You don’t need to be so rude,” Mom said.

Leah spoke at the same time, “Never.”

I blocked another slash, but, unexpectedly, Leah reached out with her empty hand. Before I knew what was happening, she had seized my left wrist, and a deathly cold spread out from her fingertips. It seeped into my skin, and I felt my nerves slowly leave me, my left hand growing numb. I cried out in surprise.

“Miles, are you alright?” Mom asked.

I stabbed at Leah, and she was forced to retreat, but the damage was done. My hand was completely numb, and I could hardly even flex my fingers. It felt like it was slowly thawing, but I’d have to go one-handed for awhile. It’s a good thing I had bought the drows and not just the big mace, way back in Dross.

“I’m fine, Mom,” I said, striking at Leah with my antisword, held firmly in my right hand. She blocked with her dagger, tried to grab at my warm wrist, but I hopped away. “Just stubbed my toe, is all.”

“Who are you calling Mom?” Leah asked. “What the hell are you talking about? Are you playing games with me, you piece of shit?” She launched into another attack.

“Are you with someone, Miles?” Mom asked, as I blocked again. I was just wondering the same thing. I glanced over to Naomi. She had her staff raised, tip glowing, but clearly she was hesitating. Maybe she was worried about missing, or about hitting me. Worthless.

“No, I’m-” I was interrupted by a kick from Leah, which landed on my shin. I swallowed a cry, and struck out at her as I stumbled. It worked to keep her off, but just barely.

I would have seen that kick coming if I wasn’t on the fucking phone.

“I heard someone, Miles,” Mom said. “Don’t lie to me. Who’s there?”

“Alright, yes, someone’s here, Mom,” I said. Leah’s face twisted up in confusion again as we traded attacks and blocks.

“Who?” Mom asked.

“You don’t know her,” I said. “A girl.”

“A girl?” Mom asked, and I knew immediately I had made a fatal mistake. “Are you dating someone? Is she cute? Is it serious? You’re wearing a condom when you have sex, right? Having kids is not as fun as it looks, Miles.”

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I felt vaguely insulted by the last comment, and embarrassed by the others. “She’s just…” What the hell am I supposed to say? No, wait, stay calm. What does she want to hear?

“Yeah, it’s a date, Mom. That’s why I need to get going. It’s a first date.”

“What the hell are you babbling about!” Leah yelled again. But her strikes were still wild and untrained. And that is saying a lot, coming from me. I’d only had about a month of vigorous training. This woman must have been something near an amateur.

“Oh!” my mom said in my head. “I just heard her again, I think! Exciting! Although I can’t tell what she said. Is she cute? Did you say she was cute? Do you think she would make cute babies? I take back what I said about condoms. I want grandkids.”

She was supposed to say “oh, you’re on a date? I’ll leave you alone then.” I cursed myself, silently. I’d played this like a fool.

I looked at Leah, despite the danger. I couldn’t help but see her naked again. I blushed.

“Yeah, Mom, she’s cute, sure.”

“Oh perfect! When’s the wedding?”

I blocked another strike, trying desperately to find the right angle, but still unable. If I live through this, I’m going to have Cadoc attack me with every rusty sword we find in this dungeon, until I master using this thing to break swords.

“Mom, is that all?”

“What?” she said. “Well, no. I’ll make it quick, I guess. I need a hundred thousand dollars.”

“What?” I said, dazed. Leah had overcome her confusion, and saw my moment of weakness. She put all her strength into the next swing, and I was caught off-guard. She had aimed for where I gripped the drows, drawing a thin red line across my fingers. I bit my tongue to stop from screaming, but my hand released my weapon, which clattered to the ground.

“I hate to ask,” Mom said, talking all during my demise. “But things have been tight here, and… well, they’re going to take the house. But it’s not a problem! You always said you’d buy me a house, and now that you’re rich, well, close enough! Just send $100,000 by the end of the month so they don’t kick me out.”

I was reeling, and unarmed. Leah tackled me, and I lost my footing - despite the fact that she wasn’t all that heavy or strong. She had the momentum of the fight on her side, and that was all that she needed. We tumbled to the ground, and her hand closed around my throat.

“Anyways,” my mom continued. “That was it. I’ll talk to you later, honey. Tell your date I said hi!” Then, finally, much too late, she hung up.

That might have been the last conversation I have with Mom.

I tried to turn to Naomi, to call out, but it was pointless. If she shot her spell now, I’d end up cut in half as well. But she was moving, silently, and I didn’t want to call attention to her. I understood her plan instantly.

“Any last words, pervert?” Leah said, cold fire in her eyes.

As the ice closed around my throat, I was finding it difficult to breathe.

But I still had one good hand.

“My mom says hi.”

I shoved a handful of nails into Leah’s face, igniting them. It burned my hands as well, but I had braced myself for the pain, and she hadn’t. As she recoiled, I rolled her off of me easily, her dagger clattering away as well. I was on top of her now, pinning her with my weight as she squirmed. Now we were both unarmed, though she could still freeze me in a moment, when she regained her composure. Both of my hands were near unusable now - the left was numb, and the right was burned enough to make holding a weapon tightly sting unbearably. But I didn’t need to.

“Now!” I shouted.

As I held Leah down - as best I could without using my hands - Naomi had already approached, slowly, cautiously, waiting for the right moment. A thin, delicate-looking sword was in her hands. Nolan’s sword.

She let out a savage scream as she plunged the sword into Leah’s side.

I rolled away, scrambling to my feet. Leah let out a banshee screech as the sword pierced her. I’d always heard that getting stabbed in the gut was one of the worst pains someone could experience - of course, I’d seen that in a video online or a movie or something. I’d never expected to see someone actually stabbed, right in front of me. Or to have been the one to cause it.

Naomi let go of the sword. She looked scared, nervous, shivering. “Let’s go!” I yelled. I heard footsteps echoing in the tunnel again. Nolan. Had to be.

I grabbed my antisword - wincing in pain - and quickly sheathed it, so I wouldn’t have to bear the stinging in my hands anymore. I hated to use our last health potion, but I considered drinking half. I knew the pain wouldn’t kill me - I’d burned myself a number of times, by that point - but when you have a solution right there in your pack, it’s hard not to use it. It’s like putting a pill bottle of fentanyl next to a man with a broken back and thinking he won’t be tempted to take one.

Naomi grabbed her staff from where she had lain it on the ground, and made after me, where I was standing already, near the way out. I looked back.

Leah was laying there, dying, groaning. Nolan’s sword stuck out of her at a strange angle, and she had her hands around the blade, as if trying to pry it out, but she was too weak.

“What are you waiting for?” Naomi said. “Like you said, let’s go!”

Nolan’s footsteps were echoing loudly all around us. He’ll have a health potion, right? She’ll be fine. Probably.

“Damnit,” I said to myself.

I ran back over to the collapsed Leah and knelt down beside her. I unshouldered my pack, fished around, and took out the last health potion. My hand felt like it was on fire again, as I held it.

I put the bottle up to her lips, but she closed her mouth, kept it shut. “It’s not poison, you idiot,” I said. “It’s a health potion.” But her mouth didn’t open.

I took a swig, then put it back up to her lips. “See? Not poison. Now fucking drink it before I change my mind.”

Suspicion was written on her face, but so was pain. Eventually, she opened her mouth, and let me pour the elixir down her throat.

That done, I set down the empty bottle, and placed a throbbing hand on Nolan’s sword.

“RENA,” I said. “Send this over. I want to sell it.”

“Affirmative,” her voice said in my head. “Sending it now, Miles.”

Leah’s eyes widened into shock again as the sword disappeared, but I didn’t have time for that. I was running again, back to where Naomi had been nervously waiting.

“Done playing hero?” she said. “Let’s get out of here!”

I took one last glance back. I hoped removing the sword wasn’t a mistake. Normally, I’d always heard that you were supposed to leave it in, and go to a hospital, because taking the weapon out would make the bleeding worse. But the health potion should, hopefully, knit her back together, and she’d be thankful not to have a sword permanently lodged in her belly.

Just before I turned to run, Nolan stumbled in. He stared at me, then to Leah, then to me. I could see he wanted to kill me, but he was unarmed, and his lover was injured. He went to her, and we ran.

Hopefully the injury would take long enough to heal that they wouldn’t come after us anytime soon. I didn’t want to see how things would go when they were prepared. And I really did have no reason to want to kill Leah.

But that wasn’t my main concern at that moment. I was thinking about how the hell I was going to keep my Mom from getting foreclosed on.