Chapter 16

Leon rounded another corner, and he could see the south gate. It wasn’t that far to the arch that would lead him to safety. The crowd behind him was slower, but that helped little since the Scabs in front also started grouping and coming toward him. Whatever they were hungry for, it wasn’t something he wanted to give.

He ran into the square with the general assortment store when a group of twenty or so banded together in front of him, arms outstretched, and his heart lurched. He didn’t want to hit them, but he might need to. They all ambled toward him, and he risked a glance back.

The gathering people stumbled over each other to get closer and milled like ants through the road he’d just left. Leon spun his head around in search of an exit, or anywhere where he could get through. Nothing. The few empty spaces between the two groups of Scabs quickly filled up. Soon, they would be upon him.

Leon sprang up the broken wooden porch of the store, looking for an opening, or a thinning in the group, like the one he’d seen when he’d started the Beggar’s Curse on his first day. There wasn’t one. He took a quick look around the stone building and sprinted to his left. While trying to keep his hold on his weapons, he grabbed the railing and took hold of a protruding stone near the roof. The railing moved and creaked beneath him, but he heaved himself up, only to hit his head on the ledge. He fell onto his back on the porch, gasping for air.

A few Scabs climbed the steps to the store, and Leon scrambled to his feet. He climbed the railing again and held onto the stone. Leon threw the weapons onto the roof of the porch, hoping they’d be there if he could get up.

He bent his knees and jumped as far up as he could, grabbing onto the wooden ledge. His fingers slid as his legs swung under him and a hand grabbed at his leg. Leon kicked out, and as he kicked a chest, a gasp escaped his assailant, and he used the leverage to lay his stomach on the roof. He swung up one leg, rolled onto the roof, and lay panting on his back. Then he stretched out his hand. The weapons were still there. He grasped them close to his chest and moved so he could sit with his back to the building.

Leon breathed in deeply to slow his heart and swallowed to wet his throat. As long as he kept close to the edge and the holding pillars, he should be fine. He didn’t dare to move, in case the roof would cave under him. A few of his pursuers tried to repeat his stunt, but after a few falls and grunts, they stopped. They didn’t move from their spots, though, so there was no way for him to get back to safety. Leon didn’t want to think about what would have happened if he’d tried running. He blew out air through pursed lips. Don’t go into the Slums after dark. Got it.

He breathed in deeply and looked from the crowd and over the city. Even though his perch wasn’t far up, he could see the whole square, and a bit beyond it, where a few streets continued with the same ramshackle buildings in wood and stone. There was no moon out, so when the late evening turned into night, the only things he could see were the few lantern-lit areas. The crowd beneath him murmured, but instead of moving off, they sat down. It felt like having an audience, of sorts, waiting for him to come out on stage.

Leon leaned the hilts of his weapons against his stomach and let the tips rest on an uneven board, making sure they wouldn’t fall. Then he closed his eyes. He likely wouldn’t be able to leave until morning, so he might as well catch some sleep.

*****

“Uff!” Leon started to awareness with a sharp pain in his shoulder. The ache quickly subsided, and a stone rolled down the semi-dark roof. He grabbed his weapons and crawled to the edge, squinting at the half-visible blue-clad man down there.

“Knew it was someone who’d caused trouble. Good to see you’re alright,” the guard said. “Good job getting up there. I believe that’s a first.”

Leon frowned and looked around the empty plaza below. “Thanks. Where did the Scabs go?”

“It’s early morning, so they basically reset.” The guard shrugged. “Not exactly sure how it works, but when the day dawns, you’re safe in the Slums again. You gonna come down?”

“Uh... yeah.” Leon crawled to the edge, laid flat on his stomach, and hoped to land somewhat gracefully. His swords hit the railing on the way down and his feet slid on the wood, making him tumble headfirst onto the porch.

When he looked up, he saw an outstretched, armored hand. “Here, let me help you.”

Leon took it. “I know your voice from somewhere. Are you the guard who chased me?”

The guard chuckled. “No, but I heard about that. That’s how I figured out you’d either make it through the arch before nightfall or find a place to hide around here.” He pointed with a thumb over his shoulder. “Let’s get you back to the inn. Unless you want to start your training straight away?”

“Wait. Weren’t you the one who told me about the inn when I first got here?” Leon said as he joined the guard on the street. “Gerald, was it?”

The guard scoffed. “I’m surprised you remember.”

“I haven’t met many people since I came here, so there aren’t too many names I could forget.”

“Yeah...” Gerald pushed back the front of the helmet to scratch at his brown beard. “Sometimes a lot of new players come here, sometimes there’s a low, like now. I think the system keeps track and place people in different cities depending on the current population.”

“So there are more cities?” Leon asked as they headed toward the arch. He caught the sight of a few Scabs lazily walking down a nearby street.

“Yeah, of course. It would be weird if it was only this one. Though, I’ve never heard of anyone coming from one, or anyone leaving to check them out.”

“Why not?”

The guard shrugged. “Who knows? Monsters must be part of the reason, but it’s also very far between the cities. Like, state scale. That’s a lot of road to cover.”

Leon nodded. “So you’re a player too? I suspected as much. But why did you decide to stay here, in the lower parts?”

“No one needed me elsewhere,” he said. Then he raised his hand to greet the other guard. “Found him!”

“What do you mean?”

The guard gave him a smile and patted him on the back. “You’ll see when you clear the first floor. It’s a good thing that you try to raise your skills in another way than through killing monsters, no matter how many people laugh at you. Let me know how it works out for you.”

“Alright,” Leon said as he passed the stone arch and Gerald took his place at the empty side.

Leon peered over his shoulder at the man. He must be in his later thirties, meaning he’d probably be kicked out soon-ish. He wondered what class he was but quickly discarded the thought. From what the man had said, it sounded like he’d already cleared the first floor and had no intention to continue to climb the tower. But if he had little time left, it could be possible that he’d want to try, given the opportunity. Leon stored the thought for the future. First, they had to get through the first floor, then they’d see where they ended up.

A quick look at the time told him it was a little after five in the morning. He could get a bit of sleep before he’d meet up with Ava.

*****

A quarter past eight, Leon ventured downstairs after having emptied his backpack of everything except his weapons. Ava stood leaning against the wall, weighing on her heels and looking into nothingness. She startled as Leon spoke.

“Morning. Sorry I’m late.”

“No worries.” She pushed on the wall with her hands to stand on her feet. “Wanna go?”

“Sure. But first, let me eat, and tell me something. I’ve been wondering about it since a couple of hours ago.”

Ava stopped with a hand on the doorpost. “Yes?”

“What did you mean when you said that Scabs don’t get hungry like we do?”

She paled. “You got caught in the Slums during the night?” Leon nodded, and she shut her eyelids for a few seconds before she looked at him again. “They probably won’t kill you, but it’s pretty nasty, and you don’t want to get caught up in it. Luckily, players with the Scab title aren’t affected, but I used to hide during the night, anyway.”

“That’s not much of an answer.”

“That’s all you’re gonna get.” She shrugged. “Just don’t get stuck in there again.”

Leon frowned. “But—”

“See you outside when you’ve eaten!” Ava chirped and disappeared through the door.

Okay, better avoid that subject.

He exchanged a few words with Margaret while he gulped down the porridge and boiled egg, and then he hurried outside. Ava stood leaning against the building, like last time, and without a word, she joined him and they walked down the street.

“So, what do you want to do today?” Leon said. “Start with some exercises, or start with hunting?” He waved at the guards as they passed them, and then he looked at every group of Scabs that they passed. Try as he might, he couldn’t recognize their faces from the previous evening.

“I don’t know.” Ava pursed her lips as they walked toward the south exit. She’d been quiet for some time. “I mean, I want to unlock more skills. Or train up the one I got yesterday. But the thing is, the skill came from something random rather than a specific action, right?”

Leon nodded, and they walked through the arch toward the area where they’d hunted the wolves yesterday. It was a sunny day, and they seemed to be the only ones on the road, as always. The trees he’d cut down yesterday hadn’t regenerated, so if they would train first, they’d have to venture further into the woods.

Leon stopped as he looked up at the tree Ava had sat in yesterday. “Actually, I wondered about something. When we were in the giant tree, you said you didn’t like heights, but you climbed this tree like it was nothing, even after you fell.”

Ava smiled. “It’s kind of different, isn’t it? I mean, the branch in the other tree had such an ominous feeling and gave me the feeling of standing on an unstable rooftop rather than being in a tree.”

Leon shrugged. “Alright. Whatever works for you, I suppose. Let’s just train for now, and maybe kill some wolves later.”

Ava looked up at the lime-green tree. “What am I supposed to train while you wear yourself out?”

“Climbing.” Leon chuckled when Ava gave him a sour look. “If you can think of something else, be my guest. But if we’re going to work together, it might not be a bad thing if you get more skilled in getting away, or at least out of harm’s way.”

Ava mumbled something, rubbed her hands together, and walked on stilted legs toward the tree.

“I’m going to follow the path for a bit, to find more of those trees.”

It was midafternoon when Leon, with Ava’s boost, was almost done with the fifth tree for the day. He was beat and his arms felt filled with lead, but he continued on. The leaf crown rustled as he hit the trunk with the short sword and dagger, and he tried to let his mind wander from how his body ached. It couldn’t be much more now.

Thuck, thuck. Thuck, thuck.

“Just a few hits more,” Ava said. “I’m sorry my MP isn’t enough for another boost.”

“Don’t,” Leon huffed, “worry.”

Thuck, thuck.

The tree finally creaked, split in half, and fell onto the moss beneath, shattering into pixels. Ava looked up from where she sat, playing with the kindling, leaves, and sap. She was building something that looked like the beginning of a wooden figure. A voodoo doll of twigs, of sorts, but bigger.

“Good job. You—” she stopped.

A box popped up.

‘Skill Unlock: Lumberjack 1 (Rank F, Woodsman Skill Tree)

You like to chop down trees.

Effect: You chop down trees for 10% less energy

Special: Passive’

Leon huffed and read the text over again. “Seriously?” He spun around to face Ava. “Stop laughing.”

She clenched a fist over her mouth, tears shining in her eyes. “Congratulations.”

Leon sighed.

“At least it’s passive,” she said, still not able to keep the amusement from her voice. “And it’s a skill. It might not be what you aimed for, but hey—it’s something.”

“Let’s head back. You okay with that? Then we can come back to slay some wolves if you want to.”

She shook her head. “Nah, let this be it for today.” Ava stretched out. “Margaret increased my work chores a little, so I want to head back earlier. Let’s return, and then we meet up again tomorrow.”