Chapter 11: Party Leader I

Leo shoved back a merchant, ignoring the man’s indignant “Hey!”

More and more slum residents joined the growing mass, drawn to the sound of the explosion. The [Thief] pushed past as quickly as he could. He couldn’t hear any guards following them yet—they were likely still dealing with the second explosion and the rioting prisoners—but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t appear soon.

“This way!” he called over to Allan, who nodded and ran closer. Spade was following a little ways behind, and he eyed the [Executioner] warily. Later, he told himself. Once they got out of Sindrey, they’d sort things out.

Swerving to the left, Leo’s feet pounded down a narrow, winding alley. It looked like a dead end from afar, but up close, the building’s wall was uneven and curved inwards, creating a small gap just wide enough for someone to squeeze through.

Leo slowed his pace slightly as he waited for the taller two to make it through. Now that the initial adrenaline from the fights was beginning to wear off, he was realizing just how exhausted he was.

[Stamina: 11%]

The [Thief] winced. It would be fine, he told himself. Once they got past here, they only had one more road to cross before they were out of Sindrey.

The second all three of them were through, Leo turned and hurried away, bolting down the street and weaving under hanging roofs and between squat buildings. More than a few faces turned their direction, but the slum residents knew better than to get involved with other people’s messes. It probably didn’t help that all three had blood on them.

Beneath them, the dusty road began to give way to stray grasses as the buildings became less and less densely packed. Up ahead, Leo could see a few trees bordering one side of the road while grassy plains surrounded the other. He didn’t hesitate to run straight into the forest, and branches snapped as they pushed through the trees.

The forest looked a little different from the last time he’d been here, the canopy having grown denser over the past five years, but the important landmarks were the same. A large flat stone beside a sprawling bush. A fallen tree forming an arch against a neighboring one.

Leo turned left. There.

A little ways away, nestled behind a drooping tree’s thick leaves, was a cluster of boulders. One particularly large slab stood slanted against a neighboring stone, forming a small shelter in the center like a crude rock tent. The grasses around it were taller now, but it otherwise looked exactly the same as he remembered.

Leo ducked under the stone, moving further into the makeshift shelter until he was out of sight. Finally, he slumped against one of the boulders, chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Okay,” he wheezed. “This should—this should be far enough.”

The [Thief] slid to the ground. His mana was still recovering from all the [Sprint] uses, but in a couple of minutes, he should have enough for [Renewal].

He heard a rustle and looked up to see Allan sitting down across from him. Spade, meanwhile, remained a little further away, lingering closer to the exit.

For several moments no one spoke, all of them too busy trying to catch their breaths. Now that they’d finally stopped running, Leo could feel just how bad his hand injury was. He’d smashed it more than once during the escape, and most of the splints had come loose. The fingers were swollen again, and some were visibly crooked. He cringed and removed the rest of the ruined bandages. They weren’t doing anything anyway.

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Allan was the first to speak. He’d set his axe down on the grass beside him, its worn blade bloody and stained. It looked like an axe used for chopping wood; he must’ve picked it up somewhere before breaking into the prison.

“Who’re you?”

Despite his visible exhaustion, Allan’s dark eyes were hard as he stared at Spade. Between the three of them, she looked the least tired. High constitution, Leo guessed.

“She’s the executioner,” he explained

“I know. But why is she here?”

“I let him out of his cell.” Spade responded before Leo could, and Allan frowned. The wariness still hadn’t completely dissipated, but he looked a fraction less tense as he shifted his gaze over to the [Thief].

“Is that true?”

Leo nodded, albeit begrudgingly.

“Yeah, she did.” He scowled at the woman. “Disappeared right after that, though.”

Spade raised an eyebrow. “I ran into the warden while you were in his office. I left to avoid drawing suspicion.”

That did make sense, as much as Leo didn’t want to admit it, and it was true that the [Executioner] had saved him during the fight as well.

On the ground next to her, drying blood still coated the edge of her sword. Leo remembered how easily, how precisely, she’d sliced the man’s eyes with a single fluid motion. A professional indeed.

Allan looked more confused than anything. “But why would you help us?”

Spade turned to Leo at that, nodding at the bag still tied to his belt. The [Thief] gripped it on instinct, and Allan’s eyes shifted over to him curiously.

After a sideways glance at Spade, Leo responded.

“I…my skill lets me see people with fragments.” His fingers tightened around the pouch. “The warden had one. It said it was a minor fragment.” He had no idea what that meant for the fragment’s abilities, other than the fact that major fragments probably also existed. “I think it made his personal stronger.”

Allan’s eyes widened. “Fragment… you mean from that system notification? It’s real?”

Leo nodded seriously. “I saw a letter in the warden’s office. It’s definitely real, and it sounds like the Council’s gonna start confiscating them soon.”

“So you want to use Leo’s skill to find fragments?” Allan’s attention was back on the [Executioner], who snorted.

“I’m not interested in the fragments. It’s rather simple. I’m looking for someone, and I think it’s likely I’ll find them if I stick around you two.”

The [Rickshaw Puller] frowned. “But…” His voice trailed, and Leo understood the hesitation, the unspoken question. Where were they going after this?

“Hey, Allan, can we talk for a sec?” He shot a pointed look at the [Executioner], who just shrugged and shifted further away, utterly unconcerned.

Leo and Allan moved deeper into the cluster of boulders, close enough to still see Spade, but far away enough to not be heard so easily.

Leo released a long breath. From here, he could see the sunlight filtering through the forest canopy and hitting the grass in a speckled pattern. The faint breeze felt good on his skin, crisp and fresh without the rotten stench of the slums to contaminate it.

“Was that all true?” Allan blurted out. “You stole the warden’s fragment?”

Leo nodded.

“Could I see it?”

The [Thief] hesitated. In truth, he was itching to get a look at it too. Despite the notification, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he could see and feel it in his hands and confirm for himself that it was real.

Hazel eyes drifted over to Spade, who appeared to be studying the surrounding forest. She wasn’t even looking in their direction.

After a little more hesitation, Leo untied the warden’s pouch and carefully pulled out a small, translucent shard.

In the light, it looked like a piece of broken glass, its edges jagged but not quite sharp enough to cut. It easily fit in Leo’s palm, cold to the touch and so weightless that he wouldn’t notice it if he wasn’t staring directly at it. Small and insignificant, too much so for the power it supposedly held.

Allan frowned down at the fragment. “It doesn’t look very special,” he commented, and Leo snorted.

“Well, you’re not wrong.” He furrowed his brow. The piece looked mundane, and he couldn’t figure out how exactly it was supposed to be used. Was simply having it on him enough?