The hedge rows closed in around them. The roses bobbed on the wind, leaves rustling like dangerous whispers. Their pale glow left the fog half-opaque. Overhead, fog blocked out the sun, leaving a dead, flat light. Vivian sighed, a weight lifting off his shoulders. Feels like home.

Noah let out a shaky breath, looking around him. “This place is so spooky. I hate it.”

“It’s not all bad,” Vivian said, shrugging.

“That’s right, you’re a Gardener. Do you live here?” Noah asked, leaning back to look up at Vivian.

“I mostly die here, quite frankly,” Vivian said, remembering all the times he’d fallen in the rose bushes. He pinched his chin, looking around for the bodies he’d left behind. Are they all Composted by now?

Come to think of it... I'm an NPC. I should despawn fairly quickly. And yet...

“Die?” Noah asked, shocked, breaking his chain of thought.

Vivian shrugged. “You know. People kill NPCs all the time.”

“Not all the time,” Noah argued.

“Feels that way to me,” Vivian muttered back. A moment later, he snorted at himself. Not really. I’ve gotten away with things that would have gotten a Player killed. But at the same time, I was killed a bunch for being an NPC. I have the right to complain.

“You have some weird scripting for an NPC. Weirdly deep scripting,” Noah commented.

“I know, right? It’s wild,” Vivian said. He strode on, looking left and right.

“Over this way. To the right. I have to hunt ten of them first,” Noah said.

“We have to hunt? What are we hunting?” Vivian asked.

Noah tipped his head. “The Lost Ones.”

Vivian stopped dead. He whirled around on his heel. “Good luck, I’m out.”

“Wait, wait. You have to help me! I brought you clippers!” Noah argued. He latched onto Vivian’s arm and dug his heels in.

“Why are we hunting Lost Ones? I thought you needed a rose!”

“Because! The rose doesn’t spawn until you kill ten Lost Ones. It’s a special Event that only procs after enough Lost Ones are killed!” Noah replied.

Vivian stopped. He turned and looked at the kid. “Noah, do you know what happens when you kill Lost Ones?”

“Uh… the other ones attack you?” Noah guessed.

“The Lady of the Lost comes after you. She’s a level twenty-plus hidden boss. Do you know what the level cap is for floor one?” Vivian asked.

“T…twenty?” Noah said slowly.

“Yes, so what makes you think you can take on the Lady of the Lost?” Vivian asked. He gestured. “What level are you? You aren’t level eleven, so stop lying.”

“I’m—” Noah fell silent.

“Yes?” Vivian asked, cocking an eyebrow.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Three,” Noah admitted nervously.

“Three? You—” Vivian put his head in his hands. He took a deep breath.

“Are you okay?” Noah asked.

“Are you insane?” Vivian returned, looking up. Motherfucking level three? How the fuck— can I kill this kid? Can I? Someone’s gonna, and it might as well be me!

Noah scowled. “I need that rose!”

“I’ve heard of this quest. It’s a real shitty one. ‘If you chain-kill ten Lost Ones, an ultra-rare flower drops.’ Not too bad, but you have to kill them back-to-back without leaving the Garden.”

“I can—”

Ignoring Noah’s interjection, Vivian pressed on. “Once you kill one, the rest of the Lost Ones come after you. How well do you know the maze? Can you escape the Lost Ones within the confines of the maze, or, more likely, will you get mobbed immediately?

“You have to dodge the Lady of the Lost, too, because every time a Lost One sees you after you kill one of them, they call the Lady. If you get caught in a dead end with the Lady at your back, you’re dead. Is this rose really the only thing that can cure your mother?” Vivian asked, putting his hands on his hips. He might as well say he’s visiting a historic site and go to the Ruined Castle!

“It is! It’s…” Noah pursed his lips. His lower lip trembled.

“Oh, come on. Don’t cry,” Vivian sighed. Don’t get pissed because I told the truth about your abilities. I’m not going to let you kill yourself.

“Shut up! If you aren’t going to help, get out of the way!” Noah shoved Vivian back and charged into the maze.

Vivian watched him go, then sighed. I can’t just let him walk off. I’ll go grab him and throw him out of the Garden. It’s for his own good.

In a few loping steps, he caught up with Noah. The Player scowled. “Leave me alone! If you don’t want to help, go… go fuck yourself!”

“Good children don’t cuss,” Vivian admonished him.

“Shut up!”

Vivian shook his head. “Come on, kid. Don’t throw your life away. There’s better things to do with your life than—”

“Like what?” Noah asked. He whipped around, staring Vivian down despite his lesser height. “Like watching my mom die in the slums? Like getting pushed around by the Player gangs all day, every day, powerless to do anything about it? Like getting beat up and bullied because we’re too poor to move out of the Exclusion Zone?

“Why not? Why not stake my life? At least then I can—” His voice broke. He sniffled. Furiously, he rubbed his eyes.

Vivian opened his mouth, then shut it. He paused. Kid has a shit life. I still don’t get the Exclusion Zone bit, but I guess the Exclusion Zones could be out of control in some third world country I’m not that aware of. The Tower has a universal translator built in, so I wouldn’t even know if he wasn’t speaking the same language as I.

Do I really want to shit on this kid, the same as everyone else has? Shove him down again? I mean… that’s how serial killers happen. If someone doesn’t believe in him, he’s going to stop believing in the rest of the world.

Vivian took a deep breath. “Alright.”

“What?” Noah grumbled.

“Alright. I’ll help you. We’re going to get that flower and heal your mom,” Vivian declared, nodding.

“Really?” Noah asked, suspicious.

Vivian nodded. “But we’re going to do this right. You and I are going to go grind some levels first, and you’re going to practice with your magic until you’re sick of it.”

“And then…?”

“And then we’ll go take on that Garden,” Vivian said, nodding.

I need to train, one way or another. I’m still not used to using the gardening tools, and I’m a bit rusty besides… probably. I think. As far as I can remember, anyways. It’s no skin off my back to help some kid out as I train.

Besides… I train him up, he hits level ten, and suddenly I’ve got a Mage in my party. All of a sudden, taking on the Tower starts looking a little more possible. Who cares if he’s technically too young to be in the Tower? I don’t care, and the Tower clearly doesn’t care. He’s a Mage, too, so age is whatever. It’s not like his lack of muscle mass, height, or weight will seriously impede him.

Plus, it’ll show that Kyung guy. Oooh, my dad’s a Ranker… Seriously, who cares. Good luck catching a level ten Mage for your party!

“Why?” Noah asked, still suspicious.

“Why help you? Kid, I’m a Gardener. You’re a Mage. Do the math,” Vivian said, rolling his eyes. He patted Noah’s shoulder. “Come on. Follow me through the Garden. You’re going to need to know the Garden like the back of your hand if you want to do this quest.”

Noah nodded, slowly. He followed Vivian obediently, quietly taking in the Gardener as they walked. “Map… the Garden,” he whispered.

“Seriously, saying it doesn’t help you. All those idiots who shout skills when they use them…” Vivian muttered under his breath.

“I’m not using a Skill!” Noah said, blushing.

“Yeah, yeah. Well, you’re a Mage, so it doesn’t matter if you do or don’t shout,” Vivian said, shrugging. It’s not like he has to worry about wasting his stamina shouting or telegraphing his moves in combat. He’s a mage, so both of those are basically meaningless. Compared to a melee Player, anyways.