CHAPTER 141

Tom’s attempt at being quiet when talking via the Everlyn’s party communication was completely unsuccessful. Below him, almost twenty balls leapt up toward him, and there were extra squeaks. All of them fell well short and were not at risk. “They have sensitive hearing.”

“You’re whispering too loud. Try subvocalising more. It also doesn’t help that you don’t have a sound cancelling skill.”

“I know. Just complaining because the balls heard me. Evie, there are a lot more flowers than you said.”

There were more chirps from the balls below them. Tom wasn’t worried. Their precautions were adequate, and they couldn’t touch him at this height.

“Collect what you can. Don’t take risks.”

“Certainly.” Tom laughed as more balls flew. They crashed into each other, but none got close to the point they could threaten him.

“Are you teasing the roll balls?” Everlyn asked incredulously.

“They’re funny.”

More leapt and more chirped.

“It’s dangerous. We have a near silent link. Use it. Stop talking normally.”

“They don’t cooperate with other species, and we know their physical restrictions.” Tom subvocalized using the almost silent connection. This time not one ball reacted, but he was not sure if it was because they didn’t hear him or had learnt they couldn’t reach him.

“I know the identification put a limit on their attack range, but there is no point taking unnecessary risks.”

“Really, you’re lecturing me about that. Remind me who’s the daredevil in this relationship.”

“I am,” Everlyn said immediately. “But only when it’s sensible.”

Tom chuckled at the hypocrisy, and he could imagine Everlyn reddening back on the step. Below him, a single ball jumped up to get him and failed dismally.

“Do what I say not what I do.” She stuttered. “Collect the flowers silently and return as soon as possible. There is no point tempting fate.”

“Yes, Madam.”

“And don’t be an arse to your girlfriend.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Mechanically, Tom did as instructed. Carefully, he positioned himself and then rearranged his connections to the rope system he had installed on the cave roof. After that to harvest the flowers, he twisted down rather than lowering his mass further. That meant only his hands dropped to the level where one of the balls could conceivably reach them. He watched the monsters like a hawk as he worked ready to yank his arms back if one looked like jumping further than normal.

“Is it just the one room?”

“I don’t know.” Everlyn sounded stressed. “I only got as far as the cave you’re in.”

“Are you okay?”

“It’s no fucking fun sitting here while you’re risking your life.”

“Point.” Tom said soberly. “I’ve finished this room, and I didn’t see anything when I peeked down the off shoot tunnels. While I could explore them, they’re tighter than I’m comfortable exploring. I’ll be worried about the bloody balls rolling up the sides and then jumping high enough to get me.”

“They shouldn’t be able to do that.”

“I know the lore.” Tom interrupted. “But I don’t like blindly trusting it.”

She laughed. “Did you just say that because of my comment earlier?”

“Maybe.”

“Well, you already know the answer. Don’t take the risk.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. I won’t leave a force as dangerous as a hundred rank fourteen monsters behind me.”

“That many?”

“Yep.”

“Damn, there’s a full underground entrance or something valuable down there.”

“Do you want to fight them?”

“Nope. My earlier reason still holds. I’m not a slave to loot lust.”

Tom retraced the steps, removing the pitons behind himself as he did so.

His power dislodged a piton, and he immediately started drawing it back even as it swung down.

A ball jumped. There was a slight flare of light and the piton was shot up at Tom at pace. The now glowing metal of the piton slammed into his arm to the sound of sizzling flesh. Then the metal fell down, and he caught it with his other hand before another ball could use it as a projectile.

He winced.

“Fuck.”

“What?” Everlyn said in alarm.

Healing Tranquillity activated, and he assessed the damage. There was an abrasion and third-degree burns on his arm. All it had taken was a few moments.

“I’m okay. A piton dropped too low when I was collecting them and they managed to shoot it at me like a bullet. I didn’t know they could do that.”

There was a pause. “From the information I can see it was a probably a fluke. But factor it as a tool they can actively use.”

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“Of course.” Tom assured her. “Not my first time doing this.”

“No, it’s not.”

He healed the wound easily and looked suspiciously down at the binding balls. Was that random luck that had let it exploit his mistake or something more intentional? Tom searched for any change in behaviour but couldn’t see any.

They kept spinning underneath and then jumping ineffectively to where he hung onto the roof. The faster he got away from them the better, so he proceeded onwards cautiously. He relied on Earth Manipulation and moved in smaller increments. When he reached the lip of stone. The three-quarter metre high natural wall that restricted their access to the rest of the tunnels they became more energetic.

Tom paused for a moment. This was the most dangerous part of the tunnel. The top of that wall was the closest the ground got to the ceiling. He would need to be more careful. He did not rely exclusively on the ropes but pushed his hands and feet into the roof, creating the depressions in the rock he required almost subconsciously. That would ensure they didn’t accidentally dangle down and get caught by one of the enemy blasts of the monsters bouncing below him. He inched himself forward, completing a complex shuffle so that he was like a skunk stuck to the wall.

His arms ached despite Touch Heal continually fixing them and granting him endurance beyond what his low rank in vitality should have allowed.

The desperate balls kept trying to reach him and their effort propelled seven of them over the lip. The rest were left behind.

Tom sighed in relief. Without their excessive numbers of earlier, the risk of them launching off each other and getting higher than usual vanished, and Tom relaxed slightly, which let him move faster.

As he approached, the giant steps, the height of the ceiling increased, which allowed him to increase his pace yet again. Finally, with aching arms he dropped from the roof onto the first step where Everlyn was waiting for him. She grabbed him and hugged him fiercely.

“What?” Tom asked.

She answered by kissing him passionately.

“What?”

She looked at him, annoyed. “I’m happy you survived and was showing you.”

“I wasn’t at any risk.”

“You got hurt.”

“One knocked a dangling piton into me. It was only secondary damage.”

“You weren’t supposed to get hurt.”

Tom nodded. “I was careful.”

“Were you?”

He chuckled. “Yes, I was.”

“It’s not funny.”

He laughed harder. “I was safe. I was never in any danger.”

The way she stuck to his side told him she didn’t really believe him. She boosted him up each step and then Tom reciprocated by pulling her up.

“These steps are damn annoying.” Everlyn complained.

“Too small to require proper climbing gear and too large to be trivial.”

“My description was far more accurate.” She playfully hip shoulder him.

There were two more steps to go. She still looked fragile.

“Evie.” He turned to face her, searching for words. “You know why we’re here.”

“Of course, I do.”

“If there’s an advantage, I’ll put myself at risk to get it.”

“I know.”

“That will mean danger. You can’t protect me from it.”

She kicked the dirt. “It’s all fine theoretically, and I’d roast your balls if you tried to stop me from doing my duty, so I know I need to reciprocate the freedom. That’s all fine and all, but it’s different when you actually get hurt.”

“I went into a temporary trial on day three.”

Everlyn met his eyes. “Yeah, Michael told me. He didn’t know what you got, but I saw the ring. Not that I can identify it.”

Subconsciously, he hid the hand, and Everlyn smiled at that reaction.

“Michael saw?”

“Suspected. You were gone for twenty minutes and then I noticed your jewellery and I was pretty sure it was new…” she shrugged. “I decided not to pry.”

“I almost died there, and if it was offered, I’ll do it again.” Tom said deliberately bluntly. “There are no such things as too risky. Only a calculation is the reward worth the danger. I’m going to take every profitable gamble available.”

“I know, and I’d do the same.” She told him, meeting his eyes.

“I’m not sure you understand how ridiculous those fights were. But I’d risk it all again.”

“So,” she shrugged. “I get it and I’m not asking you, not to be you. But when you’re in danger, when you’re getting hurt, I’m not going to like it.”

Tom nodded.

“And,” she said hurriedly. “I’ll do the same.” She smiled. “And you’ll understand the first time those choices backfire on me. Now are you going to tell me what the ring is.”

“I will, but not here.”

With a laugh, she linked her fingers, and he put his foot on it and got boosted up the step.

They emerged from the crevice with no monsters waiting to kill them. “He’s still here.” Everlyn said after a moment.

“How do you know?”

“The griffin is still patrolling.”

“That’s a pity.”

Everlyn burst out laughing at his tone. “It won’t be that bad.”

“It’ll be drama and I was hoping to avoid it.” Tom admitted. “Get home, distribute our scavenging to the alchemists, negotiate our share of the potions to be created and prepare for the fight tomorrow.

“You’re incapable of the simple life. You can pine for it, but you’ll need to lose your habit of running headfirst into every political fray that forms.”

“Run into?”

“What, you’ve been front and centre in every big dust up and decision the group’s made. Sven’s blasphemy, the first trial, the auction portal, splitting the camp up and now Mus. You forced yourself into every one of them.”

“It’s not my fault.”

“Sure, it wasn’t.”

Tom mock pouted. “And what do you mean that I’m incapable of living the simple life? I’ll have you know I’m highly qualified for that role. After all, I did it for forty years.”

She chuckled again. “It doesn’t count when you’re literally the only person in the reality shard. You can’t be the centre of drama where there is no possibility for drama.”

“I miss it.” He kicked the ground. A small amount of earth manipulation caused a rock to go skidding away. “I liked today. I wish there was more of it.”

Everlyn tsked and raised an eyebrow at the unnecessary noise.

“We’re probably in the range of birdbrain. I’m sure he will save us if we get in trouble.”

“You really want to go back to the tutorial?”

Tom glanced at her. He could see her vulnerability and how emotional she had got when he was in danger, and she could do nothing. “Of course not. But I’m sick of Joline.”

“We’ll kick her out. Or more likely slink away with our tail between our legs.”

“She was just an example of the cancer. I’m tired of it all. The politics, worrying about what people will think.”

“You don’t worry about what anyone thinks.”

“You know what I mean. Our plan has to be to fight off the third wave get the experience and rewards and then we gather a small team and explore.”

“Who?” she asked as she led him over the boring landscape toward their destination.

“Me, you.”

“Obviously.”

“Michael, Harry, Sven, Thor. That will create a strong team of six. Probably Toni as well.”

“Only fighters.”

Tom nodded.

“Keikain?”

“I would have said no before the challenge trial, but now I don’t know. Maybe.”

“He’s capable.”

Tom shrugged. “I wouldn’t veto him, but nor would I accept him openly.”

“Jingyi?”

Tom whistled at that suggestion. “A scout and trial locator. I wouldn’t say no. Are you going to sweet talk him?”

Everlyn nodded at that. “Clare.”

“Nope. We already have two healers. The major group needs her more.”

“She’s sort of part of the group. Close to Sven.”

Tom sighed. “Stupid politics.”

Everlyn turned sharply at that. “That’s not politics. It’s just being human.”

“Same difference.”

She shook her head and kept walking. “Looking at the core group we are overrepresented with healers and melee damage wielders, no tanks and perhaps one too few scouts.”

“Get Jingyi.”

“I’ll try, but he probably won’t be interested. We’ve been spotted by the way.”

Tom looked at the wall. There were multiple people perched on top, watching them. “Hopefully they’ll ignore us.”

“Not going to happen. Joline is already on the way.” She nodded to the corner of fortifications where Joline, Michael and two others were coming toward them. They must have been spotted a few minutes earlier, which had given the group the opportunity to go through the official entrance. All the walls had been reconstructed by now.

“Is it too late to sneak away and find another cave to explore?”

“Yes.” Everlyn answered simply. “She looks angry. I might let you go first.”

“Traitor.” He said good-naturedly as she moved to walk by his side.

“Joline,” Everlyn said neutrally when they got close enough to communicate without shouting.

“We had a crisis? Why did you disappear?”

“Joline, it’s great to see you.”

“Shut up.” Joline said, giving her a withering stare. “This is important. Why weren’t you there?”

Tom sighed, struggling to find the words.

“We were exploring a cave system.” Everlyn said quietly. “We were trying to find stuff that is useful to the competition. What did you do?”

Joline shot her an annoyed look. “I was trying to resolve the mess that the bloody otter caused.”

“And how did that go?” Tom asked her quietly.

She glowered at him.