(TPOR) Chapter 84: Military Knife (Patreon)

“Next,” he whispered, and Takeshi followed.

“We’re really sorry.”

Zed turned to Anthony and gave the boy an assuring smile. “It’s cool.”

The boy nodded, then sniffled. “It’s just, Peter thought you’d feel bad if you found out they’d brought someone to take your bed. So… I gave him mine, instead.”

Zed cocked a brow and watched Takeshi fail his first climbing attempt from his periphery. If Takeshi was now sleeping on Anthony’s bed, that meant…

“You’re sleeping on my bed?” he asked, surprised. “But I thought you hate the top bed.”

“No, I’m sleeping in Peter’s bed.”

That didn’t make sense. Zed conveyed his thoughts on the subject with furrowed brows as Takeshi struggled to get to the top of the fence. “And Peter?”

“He’s sleeping in Nurifa’s bed.”

His brows furrowed and he hesitated to ask. “And Nurifa?”

“He’s sleeping in Peter’s bed.”

Zed slapped his forehead. Their room had two bunk beds making it four beds. He had joined the room last and was using the bed above Anthony. Nurifa slept above Peter who was the first in the room. If the switch had been done just to keep Anthony from sleeping on the top bed the rest was merely unnecessary chaos.

“Did Nurifa ask to change his bed?”

Anthony shook his head.

“Then why didn’t Peter just move to my bed and have Takeshi sleep in his?”

Takeshi was on top of the wall now, balanced beside Peter, and everyone was waiting for them.

Anthony opened his mouth to answer but Zed cut him off with a gentle gesture. “Never mind, just go. It’s your turn.”

Puzzling out the reason for the mess was pointless. There was a high chance it had been Peter’s idea. And if it was, there was a higher chance he’d done it for no more reason than the fun of it. Sometimes he was beginning to wonder if maybe the boy had been in the institute for too long, if maybe he was taking his entertainment wherever he could find them or, in this case, create them.

Anthony had taken two steps from him, slipping his cracked glasses in place when Zed remembered something and halted the boy with a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait. Is that why you guys didn’t want to meet at the room first? Because of Takeshi?”

Anthony nodded and he let him go.

Quest: [Suspicious Rendezvous]

Why can’t you meet your friends at your old room?

· Objective completed: Discover what your friends are hiding.

· You have received one Pocket memory (Small).

Zed snorted. “Go figure.”

“We’re really sorry about that.”

He waved Anthony away, nodding acceptance for an unneeded apology.

Anthony’s attempt at climbing was consistently poor and he had to try more than four times. As he did, Peter kept a look out for anyone with enough authority to stop them or a wide enough mouth to report them.

In the end, he and Takeshi had to work together to drag the boy up. Then Zed went next.

· Escaped friends 2/3.

His climb was successful after only one stumble. Nurifa followed after, pulled up by Takeshi and Peter. When all four of them were settled on the fence, Zed dropped to the other side and the rest followed while Anthony remained lying on the fence, balanced precariously and scared.

· Escaped friends 2/3.

This side of the institute was covered in grassland, what was left of what had once been a forest. The trees were high and the place was littered with shrubberies as high as his waist and clusters of ferns and bushes. It was also so dark he wondered how they were going to navigate it to civilization.

They spent another delay doing their best to convince Anthony to simply roll off the fence while he refused with shakes of his head and vehement disagreements. Their argument was that they were capable of catching him. Anthony’s argument was he couldn’t see anything in the dark and would hit the ground and splatter like a bag of tomatoes even though the drop wasn’t that far. Their hushed whispers were beginning to travel and Zed worried it was only a matter of time before one of the possible night patrols would hear them.

As for Takeshi, he simply stood beside them, mute.

Eventually, without any heads up, Anthony fell. He dropped into Nurifa’s arms, knocking the boy down with him.

· Escaped friends 3/3.

A sound pierced their relief at the boy’s safety and they froze. It came again and they heard it better. It was the sound of someone talking. Peter spotted a ray of flashlight and they scrambled behind one of the shrubberies.

“You sure it was this way?” someone was asking. His voice was soft, almost effeminate if it didn’t sound so cracked and sore.

“A hundred percent,” another answered, this one undoubtedly masculine. “Lost it during my afternoon patrol.”

“With Helen?” the effeminate voice asked, teasing.

“Oh, shut up, Brak. It wasn’t like that.”

“If it wasn’t, then how did you lose your utility belt that’s always strapped around your waist?”

“Go suck an eggplant, douche.”

Brak laughed heartily.

“Maybe its behind one of the bushes,” his colleague mused.

Zed felt his brothers hold their breaths, felt himself hold his too.

“Nope,” Brak refused. “No way am I following you that far out in this darkness. Besides, I have to get back. You can come out tomorrow and look for it. Better yet,” he chuckled, “report it at the armory, they’ll just give you a replacement. It’s not like it’s your gun.”

“Not possible. Davi will have my hide.”

“Good,” Brak said and his voice started moving away. “Maybe he can make a new belt for you with it.”

His companion said something about losing his mind but Zed couldn’t pick out the exact words since the voices were now retreating.

Zed remained behind the shrubbery with the others until they couldn’t hear them again and Peter was the first to jump out into the quiet open.

“That was close.”

If anything, he didn’t sound anywhere as terrified or bothered as the situation called for. Except for Takeshi, no one was surprised by his nonchalance. Three months with Peter was enough to know almost nothing bothered him.

Zed stepped out from behind the shrubbery after the boy and stepped on something. He looked down at what he’d stepped on and couldn’t make it out, so he squatted down and picked it up.

“Nice,” Takeshi commented, stepping up to him. “Must be what they were looking for.”

“Must be,” he answered absently.

He held in his hand a military utility belt. It had multiple pockets and had different things attached that he didn’t recognize. One thing he recognized was a walkie-talkie.

Item: [Military Walkie-Talkie] (common)

A simple communication device fueled by electricity (tool).

· Effect: Short distance communication.

· Current charge: 0.00%. Requires electric charge to use.

· Please charge.

Clearly, the battery was dead. He moved the belt and found another thing he recognized.

Item: [Military knife] (common)

A well-crafted implement, designed for cutting and piercing (weapon).

· Effect: Deal damage.

“I’d suggest we put that back where we found it,” Nurifa said. “Don’t want to get anyone in trouble.”

Zed agreed and was about to drop it when he changed his mind. He removed the military knife along with its sheath then dropped it.

· You have acquired [Military knife].

Peter gave him a quizzical look and he shrugged. “It’s a cool knife. Besides, you heard them, he can always get another one from the armory.”

Also, while he’d been hesitant, his quest had offered it up as a reward. Call it stupid or stealing, but it was an accusation he was willing to take. In the induced dreams, the quests had always led him on the right path and given him the tools he needed to accomplish his tasks. No point disobeying, for now.

He slipped the knife into the pocket of his jumpsuit. It was too large to fit and its handle poked out so he slid his hand in his pocket to hide it from sight. Peter shrugged. His nonchalance back into place, he turned towards a direction of the forest and started walking.

The rest of them followed without question.

Zed decided that tomorrow he would tell Doctor Shaquifa about the new update in his mental state. Until then, he was going to follow the notifications. It was just for one night. How bad could it be?

Quest: [A Dubious Escapade]

Your amazing friends have invited you to a less than reputable outing. Attend on your best behavior.

· Objective complete: Escape the Institute 1/1.

· You have received a Pocket memory (Large).

· Bonus Objective complete: Escape with your friends 3/3.

· You have received [Military knife].

· Quest passed.

Something weighed down on Zed’s head. Vertigo hit him a moment after and he staggered. Nurifa caught him.

“Are you good?”

“Yeah, fine.” Zed stood straight. “I think I kicked something.”

“Got to be careful around here,” Peter offered from his place ahead of them without looking back. “It’s all sticks and stones out here.”

“Yeah,” he muttered under his breath. That was strange.