Cole hoped that Frank would get a mobile notification and log in to help. The status didn’t change to accepted, but Cole received a message from Frank. It asked where Cole was and he sent Frank his location. After five minutes Cole received two paragraphs; one with a list of items and the other with instructions. The items seemed mundane but very specific to Cole’s surroundings. Daniel queried Cole’s intentions when he saw Cole darting around.

Cole sent him a copy of the list, and Daniel popped out a few of the remaining items. Even Marlok was on the list. Daniel bound the character with his Holy Shackles. There were ingestions, anointments, and chants. Marlok’s body shook vigorously. His limbs swole, his head bulged, and his skin fell away like autumn leaves. Soon, Marlok was no more. A black humanoid shell sat in his place. The shell slowly cracked, and Frank stepped out.

“How did you do that?” Daniel asked.

Frank went towards Cole. “It’s a glitch. Will probably be fixed by next month, but it only works wherever this is.” He stooped and scooped some slime into a container. “Now about this holy gem?”

“It’s inside the temple, but we can’t get near it. The building is very unstable and seems to react to our presence. Whenever we get close, it starts falling apart.”

“Double.”

“Double?” Cole asked.

“Double the fee, and I’ll get that gem for you.”

“And what if I say no? You wouldn’t come all this way for nothing.”

“No, not nothing. I’ll just leave with the gem,” he said. “The original cost is for getting the gem, the extra is for handing it over to you.”

“Told you, you can’t trust bandits,” Daniel said.

Frank scrunched up his nose. “I’m no bandit. Don’t make that mistake again. Either you agree to the terms or not. Whichever you choose, I’m still going in there for that gem. Whether it remains in my hands is up to you.”

Cole thought about it for quite some time. He could pull extra coins from his village’s earnings but knew it would possibly cause them to go bankrupt.

“How much is it?” Daniel asked.

“Twenty thousand,” Frank said.

“I’ll copay. Update the offer.”

Frank didn’t need to be told twice. An offer quickly popped up in Cole’s notifications. He agreed to the offer and deposited his half of the payment. Once Daniel submitted his half, Frank rifled through his control panel. Cole expected the boy’s face to light up with pleasure, but his expression was grave, worried even. Frank closed the control panel, stood at the entrance, and then disappeared a moment later.

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“He didn’t log out right?” Cole looked at Daniel.

Daniel was immersed in his control panel, “No, he didn’t. Why didn’t you tell me you knew Saint Loki.”

“Frank? We both know him.”

“That’s Frank?”

“Is it a big deal or something?”

“He’s one of the highest-rated thieves in the game. He would’ve been more popular if he played well with others. But a thief is a thief, I guess.”

“You’re saying you don’t trust him.”

“I trust him to get the job done.”

“He will.” Cole threw his ax from hand to hand as he looked around him.

There wasn’t much around. The darkness hid most of the surroundings, and the moon was barely present to offer any sort of guidance. As they walked, the ground clung to his feet, as if trying to trap him in one spot. Cole believed that it was the same substance they came in contact with earlier. A slime that seemed odd and twisted. Borne from magic of the same nature. A magic that Marlok was sure would consume and destroy Sonner. But even if he was right, even if the story did play out in such a fashion, the man would never find out. Sad. Is it weird to feel pity for someone who never really existed?

Cole’s mind strayed from the thought when he heard movement on his right. As Daniel had taught him, he grew still and lowered his center of gravity. With his feet spread slightly apart he dug into the earth, however slippery and soft it was. Once Cole saw the monster, he sprung forward. The speed with which he moved paled in comparison to real life. In one lunge, he had cleared fifteen meters and primed his Ax for a swift blow, hoping to take the monster out in a single strike. That approach failed.

Instead of carving a chasm in the monster's side, the ax sunk into the beast’s body as if Cole had struck playdough. Still in mid-air, Cole tugged at the ax to break free, but the monster's flesh held it tight.

“Whirlwind.”

The skill caused the monster’s body to warp and twist as the ax rotated out of its grasp. Nonetheless, the monster succumbed to the blow and melted to black goo. No experience points. No stat boost. Come to think of it, there wasn’t even a health gauge. Cole looked at it awkwardly, wondering if this was caused by some lag. He decided he would double down on the upcoming points by taking out another monster. Whatever reward he won must manifest by then. He turned to search the darkness for more monsters when Daniel appeared beside him.

“Don’t move.” The words came as a whisper. Daniel’s eyes glowed green as they slowly moved from left to right. Cole tried to see what he was searching for. Daniel tended to attack the bigger monsters he thought Cole couldn’t handle. How big could this one be?

“What is it?”.

“Someone else is here.” His head still swiveled slowly. He then blinked and the bright green faded to a baby blue. “How did you escape?”

He spoke to thin air, and the thin air spoke back. It oozed from the darkness.

“I’d love to boast about it, but I’m not the one you sensed.” The girl's form shifted like a transparent, glossy bubble. “Something is watching us.”

“There’s no us. You can tell me all about it when you get back to the city.” Daniel then whispered something under his breath, and golden chains sprung up from the earth. They were about to cling to Syrian but stopped and melted mid-way.

“You feel it?” Syrian asked. “They just moved.”

Another hushed invocation from Daniel. Cole watched Syrian study Daniel. The boy’s face tensed and he drew for both sword and shield. Something snapped up from the earth. Syrian kicked Cole aside. There was a clang as a long tentacle smacked Daniel’s shield. During the recoil, Daniel sliced into the tentacle and the chopped-off bit melted to black goo. Another tentacle sprung from the body of the first which caught Daniel off guard. Cole lunged to attack it, but his foot never left the ground.

Something wrapped his ankle and was making its way up to his knee.

“Whirlwind.” Cole intended to use the skill to break free, but instead, he heard a snap and a crack. His leg was broken, and the skill broke the moment he yelled in pain.