75. Reversal (Patreon)

Jude rushed over, Lancelot at his side. Rowan followed on their heels, too concerned to sit back, and Ikara chased him over.

Tipping her head this way and that, Jude leaned in, appraising her state. Nodding to himself, he started picking through his pack of vials.

“What happened?” Rowan asked.

The other girl—Jenny? No, Jenna—stared up at him, eyes wide. “They—they caught us again. He did. The Trapper. Said we didn’t make enough points. I didn’t—we couldn’t! It’s just the two of us. Our party members…” She fell silent for a moment, then shook her head. Big, watery eyes blinked up at them, her brows trembling, on the verge of tears. “Help her, you have to help her!”

Jude tipped a vial over Katy. He passed a second to Jenna. “Drink this.”

Trembling hands almost spilled the vial, but Jenna managed to confer most of the pinkish liquid down her throat. She blinked, surprised, then staggered. “Wh…what…”

“A sedative. You need rest.”

Jenna blinked again, eyelids heavy. She shook her head. “This… we can’t keep doing this! We’ll, we’ll never…”

Her words slurred into each other. Rowan caught Katy as she slid off Jenna’s shoulder, and Lancelot caught Jenna.

“Dang, and you say you aren’t a proper combat class?” Rowan teased.

Jude shot him a look. “Yes, because my opponents regularly drink strange potions in the middle of combat.”

“You can’t splash it on people?”

“I can. It doesn’t do anything.”

Rowan raised his eyebrows. Huh.

Lancelot sighed. “Alright, alright, enough with the dick-measuring. You know, people usually argue they have the larger one, not the smaller, you two. Ugh, how’d I end up in the middle of this sausage party?”

“I know, right?” Ikara agreed.

“Right?” Lancelot bumped Ikara’s fist. “C’mon, let’s get these two back into the Safe Haven. Thank goodness we held it open.”

Kaidu watched as they ferried the two girls inside, aloof as ever. A flicker of disdain crossed his face at the sight of them, but directed at what, Rowan couldn’t tell.

Inside, the rain fell away. With the others’ help, Rowan and Lancelot got the girls into a pair of beds. Rain-wetted blood ran into the sheets. In her sleep, Jenna’s brows twitched, and she reached for something, lips moving. In contrast, Katy laid still as death, pale under her tan, only blood providing color to her body.

“We can’t do this,” Rowan said abruptly.

“Uh, I’m not going to throw them back out on the streets,” Lancelot said.

“No, I mean, work for Jeff. I refuse. I won’t. I’d rather die.”

“Finally, someone says it! Even if it’s Rowan,” Terry agreed, plopping down on another of the beds.

Lancelot sighed and sat down as well, mattress creaking under the weight of her and her armor. She crossed her arms and looked at them. “That’s nice and all, but we can’t beat him. If we could, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“We can’t beat him alone. But if we all work together…”

Jude barked out a laugh. “You didn’t even trust me enough to drink one of my potions. How are we supposed to work together?”

Rowan turned to him, eyes narrowed. “I’d say no one would be stupid enough to attack their teammates mid-battle, but I remember the last boss battle. Still, this is different. I don’t think you want to be Jeff’s underling, do you?”

“I’m already everyone else’s butt monkey, what the hell is one more guy,” Jude muttered to himself, smiling façade slipping away for a moment. A second later, it was back. “No, you’re right. I don’t want to die because of some warlord with a big ego from the GSEZ, of all places. I’d be the office joke for ages. Spare me.”

Lurking in the corner, Kaidu flipped a razor around moodily. At Rowan’s glance, he clicked his tongue and looked away. “I want a rematch.”

“This is great and all, but do we trust each other enough for this? I captured Ikara for him. And we all could turn against each other mid-battle for our points,” Lancelot pointed out.

“We have no points,” Rowan pointed out.

“All the more reason for you to go after our thirty,” Lancelot replied.

Rowan sighed. “I’ll give you our word. Truce, at least until we beat Jeff. What are you worried about, anyways? We’re all support classes. You could beat us blindfolded.”

“You, maybe. That guy gives me the creeps.” Lancelot nodded toward Kaidu.

“Argh, dammit, I forgot, that’s right. You’re support classes. You’re, like, nothing. We were already beaten alone, and adding you is worthless. There’s no way this is going to work,” Terry groaned.

“What about Katy, then?” Rowan grinned.

“She got beat, too. How good can she be?” Terry asked.

Rowan nodded at her. “She’s a Dragoon. A jump-based spear class.”

Lancelot sucked in a breath. “Damn, lucky dog.”

“Huh?” Terry asked.

Rowan shook his head. As expected, he’s helpless. “If you ever paid attention in history, you’d know that two Hero-Kings ago, the one who ascended wasn’t a Hero but a Dragoon. It’s an incredibly powerful class.”

“No kidding,” Lancelot agreed.

Terry frowned, trying not to look impressed. “Well… if you say so.”

Rowan gestured everyone close. “We can do this. Listen, I have a plan…”