I made it back, having run most of the way. I lay in the grass panting as I was the first to return. My mind was running a million miles a minute as I struggled to figure it out. We didn’t have an axe to remove the vines and they were water logged so we couldn’t set them on fire. Wind magic probably wouldn’t do much but maybe about the same as a sword hacking?

“Ugh, why is this so complicated?” I shouted in frustration.

Clint burst through the forest, sword drawn and bull nostrils flaring. His eyes were wide as he scanned the area, inching closer to where I was laying down.

“Y’alright?” Clint asked, still searching for danger.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Sorry. I was just letting out steam.” I apologized. I didn’t think my shout would be cause for alarm. “I wasn’t thinking. I’m sorry.”

He relaxed, muscles visibly untensing. The minotaur sighed audibly and looked down at me. I was unable to tell if he was annoyed or relieved, possibly both.

“Darn near scared a ghost out of me. I thought you were under attack. I didn’t realize ‘til just then that havin’ you split off was just about the dumbest idea we have had.” He slumped to the ground next to me. “We coulda lost you.”

“I am pretty defenseless, but the water did the trick. It’s also what is the solution to part of our problem. I found the source of the curse.” I put my hands behind my head. “I was shouting about that exact thing. It’s a doozy.”

“I wish I could say I’m surprised.” Clint said in an exhausted breath. He lay one arm over his eyes.

I rolled over and placed my hand on his shoulder. He flinched and I pulled back. “Are you ok? Do you need healing?”

He chuckled hollowly and shook his head, not uncovering his eyes. “Nah, it’s just a lot right now.”

“I know. We could just stay here, right here in this safe area until the Nothing figures out there is a flaw with this beta test and fixes it. We have a comfortable camp, there is plenty of food. It’s not our job to fix any of this, it’s not our responsibility.” I said in what I hoped was a soothing tone, but I am sure it sounded pleading. It is what I wanted to do. I wanted to hide and stay safe. Something told me, though, it wouldn’t work and that safety was never an option.

“Did I get stuck with a bunch of losers? What kind of party would give up on a badass mission to save the whole damn town? Losers, that’s what kind of party. A party of stinky, pea brain losers.” Jun said as she flopped down beside me, causing me to jump. “Might not be our fault or responsibility, but we’re heroes in this game. It is our job to fight the monster and save the town. You clowns aren’t going to mess that up for me, are you?”

Clint laughed again, but sounded much more jovial. “Heavens no, Miss Jun. I can’t get in the way of yer greatness, the whirlwind that’s the mighty Jun!” He uncovered his eyes and smiled at the two of us. “Thanks for bein’ our courage.”

I didn’t feel more courageous, just more resigned to the rough task ahead of us. Along with not being a leader, I was very much not a hero. Heroes had all the qualities I felt I lacked: bravery, strength, charisma, conviction. None of that was me. I was just smart enough to keep my head above water and lucky enough I knew how to hold my breath when I couldn’t manage the former.

“So, what’s the dealio? Whatcha find?” Jun asked.

I took a moment to explain the trek I had and what I found at the end. Jun got more and more excited as I detailed out the vines, the hedge maze, and the way the black shadows transformed the trees. She went from laying down next to the two of us to kneeling to standing and pacing.

“This is awesome. So, like, we get to solve a puzzle and stop the bad thing. There has to be a prize at the center of the maze at the feet of the statue. So cool.” Jun clapped her hands and then stopped when she saw I wasn’t as enthused. “What?”

“It’s dangerous. I don’t know how we will unblock the vines and not get attacked by Blight. I don’t know if unblocking the stream will stop the Blight. It might stop the statue from making new Blight, but what about the ones around the tower? They are already made. I just don’t know.” I put to words the doubts that had been rattling in my brain and caused me to yell earlier.

“Duh, of course you don’t know. We can’t know until we try. That’s what makes it a game. If it was all easy and shit there wouldn’t be much for us to do. It has to be hard to be good and it isn’t impossible. Look at how much we’ve done so far? It seemed impossible when I started, but you figured it out. We figured out how to survive here. Now we can figure out this. Plus, you aren’t alone so you shouldn’t feel like you have to solve this. We have to solve this. And we will. We are a team, like you said yesterday. We do this together.” Jun looked down at us both with her hands on her hips.

Shit.

I am not sure when it happened, but it happened. I loved this kid. Nothing romantic, of course. Familial maybe? I wasn’t familiar enough with familial love, but this had to be it. Her words touched me deep and I wasn’t sure if I could say anything without bursting into tears. I hated crying, but I was deeply moved. I still didn’t feel like a hero, but I sure as hell couldn’t wallow in pity in the grass when someone so sweet was needing my help.

Clint beat me to scooping Jun into a hug. He pulled her tight and lifted her from the ground. She squeaked and wriggled to get out of it.

“You’ve done it now, Jun. You can’t get away from the rampage hug of the mighty minotaur.” I said with a laugh, using the distraction to wipe my eyes dry. “What would we do without you?”

“Probably starve.” She said as Clint let her back down. We laughed and Jun told us about her adventure. She had gone in the opposite direction as I did and came across only a few Blight. Unwisely, she attacked them but found that if she hit them from behind she could kill them in one spell almost every time. She ran across what looked like an old camp made from huge bones and hides with crude symbols painted in red on them. Inside one of the tents were bushels of food. She brought back potatoes, bread, and some jerky.

“Praise be to Jun the Mighty.” I said as I snatched the potatoes from her to wash in the fountain as Clint stoked the fire and separated some coals for them to go into.

Clint’s adventure was less exciting. He traveled our designated south. The Blight he ran into were steady in number. He had not come across anything exciting or new but picked some of the berries we had been eating and brought back some fish he found in a pond.

We ate like kings that night as we plotted the demise of the gnarled vines. Where Jun and I lacked, Clint had some great ideas about the vines. He thought that his sword would just make it through the vines. I explained that they were about as thick as my wrist and I was worried about the durability of his sword.

“It ain’t ideal to use a sword and it might dull it, but it ain’t gonna break from a few vines. If we had an ax it’d be done in no time. This’ll take time but it’ll get through.” Clint said confidently. “It’ll be like cuttin’ through the jungle on my way to meet Tarzan.”

“They had Tarzan back in your day?” Jun said in shock. “I thought he was only from Disney.”

“Most Disney movies are from existing stories. Tarzan has been around a long time.” I said as I opened my book to view my stats. Nothing had increased today, which was a shame but not surprising as all I did was walk. I thought at least explorer would jump up but not just yet.

“Was the first book my pa ever bought me. I read it so much the cover fell off.” He chuckled. “I wanted to be an explorer as a kid, but it seemed too much work as I grew up.”

“But you were alive when you had stuff to explore still! You were so lucky.” Jun complained.

“He probably would have died from malaria if he went out and explored.” I defended Clint. “Not a pretty way to go.”

“How did you die?” She asked.

“I don’t remember.” He said flatly, his tone attempting to end the conversation. He stood and added some wood to the fire.

“You have to remember, it was like only a few days ago in our minds.” She prodded. “I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

“Let’s just drop it, Jun. I don’t like thinking about it.” I said, hugging my arms tightly. I still remembered my death vividly. If I thought too hard, I could feel those painful thuds in my chest right before the end.

Jun looked between Clint and I, frowning. I knew this was not going to be a subject we were going to avoid. She was latching in.

“I got into some bad drugs and overdosed.” She said shrugging. “See, easy to say. I wasn’t a great person in life, I did some bad things. I was a drug addict.”

“So young, though.” I didn’t catch those words and they came out of my mouth.

Jun turned to me like a viper. “I’m too young to do anything. I was always too young to do everything I wanted. No one ever noticed, though. No one ever stopped me. I got whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I had no one to stop me because as long as I was quiet, they didn’t care. As long as I was not causing them problems, they didn’t care.”

Her fists were balled up and she was starting to cry. Clint started to say something but Jun held up her hand.

“I didn’t get sympathy then, I don’t need it now. I shared so it is your turn.” She demanded.

“That’s not how it works.” I tried to sound calm, but I was upset. I was upset for Jun and I was upset with how she was treating Clint. “Things aren’t just a trade off. You don’t get to decide what he consents to tell. Just because you give something doesn’t mean you can take something in return. You deserved better in life. You’ll get better with us, but it requires respect. We appreciate your boldness and how you can motivate us, but you’ve got to respect it when someone says no, Jun. Clint said no.”

Jun was breathing deeply now, her nostrils flaring as she looked around wildly. She looked as if she was going to bolt into the darkness. I quickly hopped up and took her hand. “It will come with time. You’re stronger than us, remember? Be patient with us losers.”

She jerked her hand from mine and stomped off to one of the lean-tos. “I’m going to bed.”