Chapter 12
Eight times, nine times, Rin was crushed under the ogre’s club. Just as the healing gave her strength to grip her daggers, she was crushed again. Her bones crunching then healing, crunching then healing, crunching then healing.
“One hundred thirty mana!” Alura called, her voice desperate. “I’ve only got five more heals!”
I cast pierce once again, stabbing my sword deep into the ogre’s side. Finally, the ogre turned, putting its attention on me. I kept swinging my sword, I didn’t even care about blocking. As long as it focused on me―as long as my allies did not die!
Of course, I soon paid for my aggressive tactic with a full-on shot from the club, throwing me into the wall.
Name: Tsarina
Red Knight - level 8
HP: 700/1155
MP: 120/200
Breathing heavily, I spoke to Alura. “U-use… focus!” I gasped between words. “Heal… after the next strike!” I got to my feet and charged, casting pierce as I ran. I dove into its stomach, stabbing my sword in deep, but I was knocked away once again.
Name: Tsarina
Red Knight - level 8
HP: 280/1155
MP: 110/200
At least I could take two direct shots, but a third would kill me. I took a defensive position, blocking the next swing of its club, but the power felt overwhelming as it reverberated through my shield like a shockwave and rang throughout my body.
Name: Tsarina
Red Knight - level 8
HP: 190/1155
MP: 110/200
I blocked another hit, and then another, my head feeling fuzzy. Aware of Chris continuing to attack with his spiked knuckles as quickly as he could, trying to melt away the last of the monster’s HP. I knew my own HP was low, but Alura was using focus for a charged heal that would fully restore me. I just had to hang on a little longer.
“He’s at 1000 HP!” Leon called. “You got it guys!”
My shield felt heavy as the ogre raised his club for another strike.
The pain then left my body as Alura’s focused heal finished. Instantly, I felt invigorated, lifting my shield, deflecting the attack, then charging in again. I slashed my sword across its chest, blocked another attack, used pierce to stab deep into its fat belly.
The ogre roared, raising its club high into the air, but I was done playing defensively. Time to end this. I had a full health bar, so now was the time to be aggressive!
I pulled back, ripping my sword out of its stomach then changing my grip, stabbing upwards under its rib cage. Just as I did so, a black shadow lept on top of it from behind.
Rin wrapped her slender legs over the behemoth’s shoulders, then stabbed both of her daggers down into the top of its head!
The ogre began to swing its club, stumbling backward, its swings slowing until its back arced and the weapon slipped from its grasp.
I yanked my sword out of its chest and rolled sideways to avoid it falling on me. The motion clunky in my heavy armor. Rin jumped off of it, backflipping through the air before gracefully landing beside Chris and bowing.
As its giant body thudded to the ground, I was retaking a battle position, hardly able to believe it was over. Then, a golden glow touched each of our bodies, signaling we have leveled up. Checking my stats, I saw we jumped 2 levels from that one fight, 3 since entering the cave. I sighed with relief and let my sword hang limp at my side as Alura healed all of us, cycling through the last of her MP.
Name: Tsarina
Red Knight - level 10
HP: 1590/1590
MP: 70/230
-Skills-
Pierce - 10 MP
Empower - 20 MP
Name: Alura
White Mage - level 10
HP: 1115/1115
MP: 05/650
-Skills-
Focus - 0 MP
Heal - 25 MP
Name: Chris
Monk - level 10
HP: 1380/1380
MP: 230/290
-skills-
Bleed - (passive)
Spirit Mend - 20 MP
Name: Rin
Black Assassin - level 10
HP: 970/970
MP: 190/240
-skills-
Stealth - 0 MP
Shadow Strike - 10 MP
“Haha! What did I tell you guys!” Leon said as he came over, draping an arm over Rin’s shoulder. “Got a little hairy there huh, Rin? Way to come back with the assassination at the end! That was a killer way to end it!”
Rin blushed, forcing a smile despite the shell-shocked look in her eyes. “Y-you think so?”
“Yeah! That was a pro move there, you totally-“ I stomped forward and grabbed him by the shoulder, pushing him away from Rin. “Hey, you alright there, Red?” I closed a steel, armored fist and punched him right in the mouth. “OOOUCH! HEY!” He yelled and pushed me off. “What’s your problem!?”
“You son of a bitch! I told you, I didn’t want to do this! Stop acting like you’re our party leader! That’s supposed to be me, not you! I told you back in Goliath, if I thought it was an unnecessary danger, I would pull us out, and what did you do? You sweet-talked us into a battle that we might not have won! Rin almost died because of you!”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Woah, slow down there, Red! I- GAAAH!” I punched him again. “Okay, hit me again and the gloves are coming off!” He yelled. I held my glare. I didn’t care how high his level was, it was illegal to kill another wielder, so he wouldn’t do anything crazy. He was also too concerned with his image to beat up on a newbie.
He stepped back, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. “This is your second day out here, and you’re already level 10. That’s thanks to me. AND the fact you completed this quest means you’re getting another nice payday on top of everything.”
“A lot of good that will do us if we are dead,” I shot back.
“Tsarina, it’s alright,” Rin said. “I knew the risks, and we were successful.”
“You almost died, Rin!” I yelled at her, furious she was trying to defend him after all of this. “He put our lives in danger just for entertainment!”
“No one stopped you from walking out of the cave,” Rin retorted. “You walked into it just like the rest of us. And hey, it worked out, so calm the hell down!”
Chris sighed, and Alura cleared her throat as she looked away nervously.
“This is the last time,” I said sternly. “Leon, I’m done with you, and if anyone else is too stupid not to jump off this wild ride he is taking you on, then don’t blame me!” I began walking away, moving past Leon without looking at him. My stomach churned with unease, my chest tight with anger.
Still, he had the audacity to speak again. Still with that amused, condescending voice. “Hey, don’t you want your treasure?” he asked, pointing to the back of the cave.
“Forget it!” I yelled over my shoulder, continuing to walk away. “You can have it!”
I stood outside of the cave, leaning against the entrance. The extra levels may have been nice, but I should have recognized this rollercoaster for what it was much sooner. Victoria had tried to warn me. Now it was definitely time to part ways. Anyone who disagreed and wanted to stick with Leon could if they wanted to. Though, I felt horrible to think that way. These were my comrades, and I needed to protect them. But, how could I protect someone who didn’t follow me? No, the only option here was to lead by example, and change course. I only prayed they would come to their senses. Especially Rin. Leon was like a wolf, and she was his sheep.
“Hey,” Alura said, drawing me out of my whirlwind of thoughts. I looked over my shoulder to see her exiting the cave. “Um… I’m sorry...”
“Why are you apologizing?” I asked. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I could have spoken up back there when you were trying to talk us out of facing the ogre...” her voice lowered. “That was really scary.” I looked over to see her hands were still shaking. “I thought you were all going to die. I-I really didn’t think I was going to be able to keep up… and...” She sniffed, hiding her face behind her hand as she started to cry.
“I know,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “But you saved all of us. You stayed collected under pressure, you didn’t panic, and you kept us alive.”
“I still should have spoken up.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m the one who should have been more firm. I am the party leader, and I didn’t act like it.”
“You didn’t know how hard it would be either,” Alura said. “Plus, Leon did pressure us and assure us it would be fine. He was convincing.”
“Well, we know better now, and at least we didn’t get hurt.”
Chris came out of the cave next, looking to the sky. “So, what’s the plan, boss?”
“Boss?” I asked.
He grinned. “Sure, you’re the party leader, right? Sorry I didn’t have your back. Guess we’ve been doing so good I was a bit excited. Didn’t think we could lose. But you were right, we never should have taken that fight.”
I looked at him, feeling some relief that the majority of my party now agreed. “Thank you, Chris. From now on I won’t let us take such risks. I think it is time we graduate from Leon’s insane training program.”
“Yeah, I’m with you there,” Chris yawned. “Got a nice boost these two days, but our lucks going to run dry eventually if we keep it up.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Alura looked to the sky and asked, “So, we better get to safety before night falls.”
I mentally drew a map of our options. “We can’t get back to Goliath by ourselves, so I was thinking we should head to GreenHaven.”
Chris pointed a thumb back at the cave entrance. “So what about Rin?”
“We’ll wait five minutes,” I said. “If she does not join us, then that means she has made her choice on where her loyalty lies.”
“So, we are not going to train with Leon anymore?” Alura asked.
“No,” I said, and I noticed how she exhaled in relief. “So Chris, are you sure you want to stick with us? Leveling is going to be slower from now on.”
“Wellp, Rin is definitely going with him, so here are my options,” Chris grinned slyly. “I can either spend the night hanging with the two of you, or I can play third-wheel to the prince of darkness and his new bride. It’s a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned.”
I had to laugh at that. “And after we get back to Goliath?”
He shrugged. “I got a perfectly good party here, so, I’ll stick with you guys.”
“Thank you,” I said.
We waited for ten minutes, and Rin still did not show up. We couldn’t wait any longer, so we began walking away from the cave, heading back to the trail which would lead us to the small village of GreenHaven. “So, think this town will have a bar?” Chris asked.
“Is that all you think about?” Alura asked him.
“Hey! Work hard party hard, I always say!”
I laughed again, feeling it was a shame we lost Rin, but who knows, maybe it would be for the better.
―
As it turned out, GreenHaven did have a bar connected to the inn, and after turning in the quest and each of us taking our per diem, our shared loot was back to seventy-five silver coins. After today’s experience, however, I was ready to call it an early night. Since Leon and Rin did not show up in town, they must have traveled back to Goliath after all. They got the treasure and we got the quest money and most of the loot, so it probably worked out to be fair. If not, I’m sure Rin will show up asking for her cut at some point.
I did feel bad leaving her with Leon, but she is her own person, so she had the right to make her own decisions. I just hoped he wouldn’t do anything shady now that he was alone with her.
I grabbed a drink from the bar and then retired to our room, sitting on the balcony as I sipped my drink, looking out over the quiet forest. This was a nice room, and the balcony had a beautiful view, especially with the sun coming down and shifting the atmosphere through different shades of orange and purple. As it got darker, blinking lights started to appear through the trees. They were not something familiar to me, yet at the same time, I somehow had a name for them. Fireflies.
“Tsarina?” I heard Alura call.
“I’m on the balcony,” I called back.
She came out, joining me with a drink in hand. “This is nice,” she said, looking out at the view.
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed, taking another sip.
We were quiet, just enjoying the peacefulness of the moment.
“Tsarina, can I ask you something?” Alura said, breaking the silence.
“Of course, what is it?”
“How do you feel about not having any memories of our past life?”
I thought about it for a moment. “Honestly, it doesn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. At first, all I wanted were answers, but now, I suppose it is inconsequential.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean… Back on the ship, when we first woke up… I was so scared,” Alura said. “I thought for sure my life was ending there, and the fact I didn’t have a past just terrified me. Then, well… I got to know you and everyone else, and I started to feel okay with everything.”
I was silent, holding my glass in my hand as I looked towards the stars. “I know what you mean, but I probably wasn’t as scared. I was more irritated that I didn’t know anything. The monsters were a bit of a shock, though.”
“You really weren’t scared?” Alura asked.
“I don’t think so. I think whatever my last life was, it involved battle. I don’t know how I know that, I’ve just got this feeling that combat isn’t new to me.”
“That would explain why you are able to stay so collected.”
“How about you? If you had to take a guess about your last life, what would it be?”
“Well, I guess I’m not good with people. I don’t have much courage to speak up, so I definitely wasn’t a teacher or something like that.”
“You as a public speaker would be a disaster.”
“HEY!”
I chuckled.
“Yeah, I really don’t know,” Alura said. “Whatever it was, I’m sure it was a normal peaceful life.”
“Do you want a peaceful life now?”
“Hmmm… I think...” Alura blushed, her hands coming together at her heart. The reaction made me turn my head. “I think… I’m okay with any kind of life right now, as long as I’m able to be with you.”
Those words shocked me. I certainly liked Alura as well, but I was at a loss for how to answer such a direct confession. I doubted I was good with romance in my past life either. “I feel the same,” I settled on.
Alura smiled at me then held out her hand. So much for being timid and meek. I took it and she pulled me up to my feet, moving closer to me. I put an arm over her shoulder where it rested comfortably.
“I think we are in a different world altogether,” Alura said. I couldn’t help but focus on her lips, so close to my own.
“Why’s that?”
“The stars… I think the stars are wrong.”
I couldn’t even pretend I understood, but then, she started listing off names. At first, it seemed meaningless, but then I realized I recognized them.
“Sagitarius, Orion, Aquarius, Aries, Gemini, Lyra, Leo, Pisces, the big and little dipper...”
Yes, I definitely knew those names.
“Those are constellations.”
“So you remember too!” Alura said. “I noticed it yesterday when I went for a walk before bed. I looked up, and remembered constellations, and I was so excited because I finally remembered something. But, when I tried to look for them, I realized it was all wrong. This isn’t the same sky I used to live underneath. I’m sure of it!”
As she explained all of that, I felt in my heart that she was right. I could almost picture some of those constellations, what they should look like, but as I scanned the sky, I had that same sense that the sky was wrong.
The revelation felt like it should have frightened me, but it didn’t, and as I felt Alura snuggle closer to me, resting her head on my shoulder, my concerns with the stars completely left my mind.
“For now, I’m just going to look at the positives,” Alura said. “We can’t change where we are or what’s happened to us, but we can control how we react to it. Right?”
I tightened my arms around her. “Yes… I agree.”