56. Ambush (Patreon)

“I don’t have any points,” Rowan grit out.

Another chuckle. “I don’t care about points. Got anything from outside? Snacks? News?”

“O-outside?” Rowan stuttered.

“Outside the Tower. Don’t be a fool.”

“Er…” Rowan reached over his shoulder and scrambled around in his backpack. He offered up a bag of beef jerky. Dammit, my emergency food!

A slender hand in a formal white glove took it from him. “Thanks, friend. Don’t turn around for another count of ten, or I’ll toss the knife, got it?”

“Got it,” Rowan replied, nodding.

“You know, I think you and I can be friends. Call me sometime.” The hand reappeared, offering a card.

Rowan took it. The hand held on. “Oh, but don’t flip it until I’m gone, hmm?”

Again, Rowan nodded. He held it facedown, as the voice requested. Why leave me a card then? You could just go!

The cold, sharp sensation retreated from his back. He counted to five, then whirled around.

A square full of clones mindlessly bobbled around.

Rowan pursed his lips, then flipped the card.

One line of black text awaited him. I told you to count to ten.

Whoosh!

Instinctively, Rowan ducked. A knife hurtled over his head and bounced off the stone door behind him, clattering away into the shadows. He patted his head and looked around, heart racing. Fuck! What the hell?

Annoyed, he started to throw the card away, but caught it at the last second. Wait. Where’d the text go? He flipped it again.

Lou Key, Magician Extraordinaire.

Good dodge, friend.

Rowan squinted at the card, annoyed. What the hell was that? Shaking his head, he put the card in his back pocket and resumed his emotionless staring.

Dressed in ragged black, a man stomped through the square. The girl with the staff and the book from earlier jogged after him, annoyed. “Hey! Don’t ignore us. We’re a team, now. We should work together!”

The man shrugged her off. “I don’t play with… teams.”

“What the hell does that mean?” the girl huffed.

“Jenna, it’s okay,” a second girl said, chasing after her.

Rowan raised his eyebrows. Katy? Already on the second floor? Damn, combat classes really do live in a different world.

Jenna huffed. She rolled her eyes. “Guess we’re going to have to be a team of three.”

“Actually…” a third woman grimaced apologetically. “I’m going to go at it alone, okay? I’m a solo climber. I don’t do well with other people.”

“A team of two?” Jenna looked at Katy.

Katy shrugged. “I guess. Doesn’t hurt, right?”

“Katy!” Jenna hugged her tight.

Rowan grimaced slightly. It’s a team of solo climbers thrown together, but… I’d feel bad about getting Katy eliminated. Maybe we can target her teammates who ran off? It’d still hurt her team, but I’d feel less bad about targeting the ones who abandoned Katy…

He twisted his lips, uncertain. I’ll keep track of Katy’s team, but let’s leave them as a last resort. Only if we have no other option.

Across the square, Katy paused and squinted at one of the clones. After a second, Rowan blinked. Hey, that’s a clone of me!

“Katy?” Jenna called, turning back.

“Nothing, nothing. Just… thought I saw someone I recognized.” Katy scanned the square again. Her eyes paused on Rowan. They made eye contact. Katy stared at him, brows furrowed.

Don’t move. Don’t twitch. Eyes dead ahead, Rowan chanted silently. It’s probably okay if Katy knows, but that man in black, or even Jenna? I don’t know them. They might not be friendly.

“C’mon. We’ve got clones to find,” Jenna urged.

Katy wrenched her eyes away. She nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”

Rowan waited until they walked away, then stood up off the railing and strode across the square, casually following the other Rowan. Might as well grab my clone while I’ve got him in my sights. I need at least one point to make it through the night, after all.

Before he took more than two steps away from the door, a sword flew down from the heavens and shattered the lily fountain. Chunks of stone flew. Water sprayed wildly into the air. A second later, a shockwave blasted from the sword. It slammed into Rowan and lifted him off his feet. He smashed into the stone door and barely caught himself.

“Wow! That’s worth the mana, no question,” a familiar voice crowed.

Rowan tensed. No way.

“Return!” Terry jogged into the square, hand out. The sword lifted off the ruined fountain and spun into his hand. He caught the hilt and flourished it, a cheesy grin on his face. Slowly, he spun, reveling in the clones flattened all around him.

Showboat, Rowan thought, desperately trying not to roll his eyes.

His eyes landed on Rowan, and he frowned. Tapping the sword against his shoulder, he stalked over, a bitter expression on his face. “What are you doing here?”

Rowan stiffened. He glanced around from the corners of his eyes. Why’d he lock onto me, out of all the clones?

All the clones around him laid on the floor, downed by the shockwave. He stood alone, the only one who’d caught himself mid-fall.

Rowan pressed his lips together. Oh, damn it.