Before Kaiden could savor that first bite, Boork was already upon him, the dagger in his hand outstretched, aimed to sever Kaiden’s hand before the lobster tail could reach his mouth. The mercenary was so much faster than Kaiden that he barely had time to process what was happening.

But Boork wasn’t the fastest one there.

Before Kaiden could react, Boork’s hand was severed cleanly at the wrist, the dagger slipping from his grasp and sinking into the soft, muddy ground with a dull thud as the dismembered limb fell beside it. A reaper materialized to the mercenary’s right, its scythe dripping with blood.

For the first time, it had made itself visible to all and Kaiden deactivated his ability.

Boork collapsed to the ground, clutching his bloody stump, screaming in pain. Kaiden’s jaw hung open in shock, his grip tightening on the lobster tail as he stared at the horrifying scene in front of him. The reapers had intervened at the last possible moment, saving him from the attack.

“I wasn’t going to kill him!” Boork bellowed between gritted teeth, his voice thick with pain and desperation. “I was only going to knock the lobster away!”

Kaiden narrowed his eyes, not believing a word of it. “Liar! Then why’d you charge me with your dagger out?” he demanded. Normally, Kaiden wouldn’t callously rebuke someone so much stronger than him, but with the reaper looming at his side, he felt emboldened—or perhaps reckless. Could they even talk?

The hooded figure turned its head toward Kaiden, the void where its face should be making him feel like he’d said something unnecessary. Kaiden gulped and immediately focused on the lobster tail in his hand.

Eat it now and be done with it, he thought, shoving it into his mouth. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve taken the time to savor such a dish, but there was no room for indulgence now. He devoured it in one bite, the taste barely registering as he chewed and swallowed.

A notification blinked into his vision, confirming the stat boost, but Kaiden hardly noticed. His eyes were on Boork, who had summoned a potion and crushed it over his bleeding stump.

To Kaiden’s surprise—or perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise—the potion didn’t restore the severed hand. Instead, the bleeding stopped, and the wound closed cleanly, leaving behind a scarred stump.

The mercenary recovered his bearings, his breathing ragged as he reached down to retrieve his severed hand. It vanished instantly, likely into his inventory or storage device.

“You’re a dead man, Private Kaiden,” Boork growled, his voice dripping with venom, his eyes blazing with hatred.

The reaper raised its scythe, turning its hooded face toward Boork, who froze for a moment, simmering with fury. He quickly reined in his rage, reiterating his stance to ensure the reaper wouldn’t strike him down.

“But not in here,” Boork spat. “No, I won’t go after you here or even in the dungeon. No, I’ll wait. And when I see the General, he’ll gladly hand you over to me. Then you’re gonna wish you’d given me that lobster tail. No, you’re gonna wish you’d died in here instead of making it out.”

He took a step closer, invading Kaiden’s personal space until their faces were mere inches apart. “I’m gonna take my time with you, piece by piece.” He waved the stump of his arm in Kaiden’s face to emphasize exactly what he meant, his grin turning crueler. “And you’re gonna beg me to stop. But I won’t.”

Kaiden’s heart dropped at the man’s threats, the words sending chills down his spine. Could he actually do that? Would General Thorne really give me up?

The possibility seemed highly likely. He was a lowly private, after all, disposable in the grand scheme of things. Thorne didn’t care about his troops, Kaiden knew that much. But would Zinnia help him? Or Ashkar? And if they didn’t, what then? Was his only choice to run away, abandon the military entirely?

These thoughts threatened to spiral him into despair, but Kaiden clenched his fists, trying to maintain a strong front. It didn’t seem to be working. Boork’s twisted grin widened as he sensed Kaiden’s fear.

“Good,” Boork said, his voice low and taunting. “Looks like it’s starting to sink in.” He chuckled mirthlessly. “I thought it was odd you were taking so long to get back inside. After I finished cooking and eating, I figured I’d track you down—out of curiosity, of course.”

Kaiden’s mind raced. That’s how he found me? He cursed internally. He didn’t have the skills or awareness to realize he was being followed. Worse, his yelling and cursing at the lobster probably hadn’t helped either.

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“And wouldn’t you know it,” Boork continued, his grin fading into a sneer, “I find you out here, sneaking around, trying to claim a treasure for yourself without telling anyone. Greedy, aren’t you?”

“Greedy?” Kaiden repeated, his voice rising with anger as the frustration of his time in the dungeon—almost dying again and again, getting beaten to hell while everyone else claimed all the loot—finally boiled over. “You’re the greedy one, you stupid asshole!”

Boork’s eyebrows shot up in shock, but Kaiden didn’t stop. The words tumbled out, a release for everything he’d been holding back.

“You targeted the weakest member of the group to take the only reward I’ve gotten, and now you’re crying because you ended up with nothing in hand—oops, I mean, without a hand!”

KaKaiden couldn’t believe the words had actually left his mouth. Did I really just say that? But, god, it felt so damn good to let it out.

Boork’s face turned beet red, his jaw tightening as his fury reached a boiling point. He looked ready to pop a blood vessel.

“You little piece of shit,” Boork snarled, raising his remaining hand as if to choke Kaiden on the spot.

The mercenary had been furious before, but now he was utterly unhinged, his face contorted with rage so intense it seemed he might explode on the spot.

“What’s going on here?” a commanding voice demanded from behind Boork. Neither Kaiden nor the mercenary needed to turn around to know that Ashkar was approaching. Sure enough, their absence hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Get yourself into trouble there, Kaiden?” Zinnia asked, appearing suddenly at Kaiden’s side. She rested an elbow on his shoulder, as casually as if she were leaning against a wall.

Kaiden blinked, momentarily taken aback. “I—I…” he began, but the words caught in his throat. There was no explaining his way out of this; Boork was going to twist the story however he wanted anyway. Kaiden snapped his mouth shut, waiting for the inevitable explosion.

“This little shit’s been holding out on us!” Boork roared, pointing an accusing finger at Kaiden. “He tried to steal a treasure for himself, and I caught him red-handed!”

Kaiden glared at the mercenary. Of course, that’s how he was going to play it and twist the story.

“Oh, you naughty boy,” Zinnia said, her tone dripping with amusement. She grinned as if she were thoroughly enjoying the drama.

“What do you mean?” Ashkar asked, now standing on the opposite side of the reaper, which still hovered ominously nearby.

Two can play at that game and Kaiden decided to spin his own tale. Hopefully they didn’t have any truth-telling devices. He took a deep breath, keeping his tone measured. “I merely found some food and decided to eat it. He tried to take it from me. It’s as simple as that.”

“Liar!” Boork spat, his face turning redder with rage. He looked ready to explode but wasn’t foolish enough to lash out again—not with Ashkar, Zinnia, and the reaper all present.

“Explain,” Ashkar demanded, his voice low and dangerous.

Boork snarled, “I followed him because he was taking so long and wanted to see what he was up to. I found him about to eat a treasure—from a chest!”

Kaiden scoffed. “It was a lobster tail. Everyone knows food comes in chests here. That’s nothing new. And I got soaked when the chest sank to the bottom.”

“This one was different!” Boork snapped. “It was already cooked! Clearly special! Ingredients are raw, but treasures come ready to eat.”

Kaiden knew he couldn’t prove it wasn’t treasure, but he also knew Boork couldn’t prove it was. Thinking quickly, he added, “I ate it raw. It just looked cooked.” Please let sushi be a thing here or raw food eating, Kaiden thought, hoping his bluff would hold.

Ashkar and Zinnia exchanged glances as Kaiden and Boork continued their verbal sparring.

“Don’t be a moron, Boork,” Zinnia finally said, waving a dismissive hand. “Treasure and loot on a recess floor? Come on.”

Ashkar grunted in agreement. “You’re pushing your luck, Merc. Even if it was loot, it belongs to whoever found it.”

Kaiden released a huge sigh of relief. Whether they believed him, didn’t care enough to press the matter, or simply disliked Boork, he wasn’t sure. It was probably a little of all three.

Even so, the mercenary’s murderous glare reminded him that this wasn’t over. Whatever safety the dungeon provided, Kaiden knew things would be different once they got back outside. He almost chuckled at the thought of being safe in this dungeon.

Anyhow, he decided to push the issue a bit further, knowing his life might very well depend on it. “He threatened to kill me once we get outside,” Kaiden said, his voice steadier than he felt.

Boork’s growl was low and menacing. “You little shit. They won’t protect you. Unless you plan on going against General Thorne.”

The threat hung heavy in the air as Boork eyed Ashkar and Zinnia up and down.

Ashkar’s expression didn’t change. “What happens outside is of no concern to me. Be prepared to leave in a few hours. I’m not extending the deadline.” With that, he turned on his heel and walked off, his indifference a knife twisting in Kaiden’s gut.

Kaiden clenched his fists, barely keeping himself together. The blatant abandonment stung, and for a moment, despair threatened to take hold again.

“Too bad for the General, but Kaiden is mine,” Zinnia said, her voice low and carrying an unsettling weight.

Her demeanor shifted into something Kaiden hadn’t seen before—unsettling and deadly serious. Her fierce gaze radiated an authority that left Kaiden blinking in disbelief.

And just as suddenly as it had appeared, Zinnia’s stern expression vanished, replaced with her signature cheery grin. “Let’s go, Kaiden,” she said lightly as if none of it had happened.

Kaiden followed her, leaving a simmering Boork behind to stew in his anger. The reaper vanished along with the tension in the air.

Once they were out of earshot, Zinnia leaned in close, her grin widening with a glint of mischief in her hazel eyes. “So, what’d you get?” she whispered, her voice low and teasing.

Kaiden’s eyebrows shot up, his steps faltering as he turned to her. “W-what?” he stammered, trying to gauge her expression.

But Zinnia’s wide grin didn’t waver, her eyes sparkling with delight as if they’d just shared some grand conspiracy. “The lobster tail. C’mon, what was it?”