Billy decided that they had rested for long enough. The sun was getting lower, and he calculated they had about two hours of good daylight left.
He roused the others and they navigated their way through the trees, back towards where the first battle had taken.
“It is too silent,” Yuki whispered.
Billy could only agree – but he did not say anything, preferring to concentrate on keeping watch.
They were no longer trying for stealth as the squirrels must know they were here and they were far better at hiding than his group were.
By the time they reached the clearing they still had not seen or heard any sign of the squirrels. The situation was setting Billy’s teeth on edge. He could feel that itch on the back of his neck. They were being watched.
“What now?” Trevor asked. He was fiddling with his mace.
“I’m not sure,” Billy replied. “Did anyone see the direction they left in?”
“That way?” Yuki said. She pointed with her staff.
“Then I guess we go that way,” Billy said. “Su Li and Yuki, we will go in single file. I will lead. Trevor, get your shield ready. I have a feeling that things won’t be quiet for long.”
He did not get past the first step when a woman emerged from the trees. It was like watching someone step out of the shadows.
“Lorna!” Trevor yelled.
“Afternoon!” she said with a big grin.
Before she could say a word more, Trevor had wrapped her up in his arms.
Billy felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. He had thought that leading this group was pressure enough, but not knowing what had happened to Lorna was even worse.
He studied her carefully. Her eyes were shadowed, and her grin looked forced. From the way she sank into Trevor’s arms, he could see that her time away had caused some emotional damage.
“What happened?” Su Li asked. “Why did you go?”
Billy knew that Lorna’s sudden departure had hurt the girls. Lorna had been their big sister. Such an emotional bond could run deep even if it had been forged so quickly.
“I just wanted to …”
Lorna pulled away from Trevor before continuing.
“I wanted to level up. I thought like in those stories I could solo level my way up faster by myself.”
“And how did that work out for you?” Billy demanded, more harshly than he intended.
He could feel the bitterness inside himself. He did not know if he could ever forgive her.
“Not good!” she replied. “I am only level 3, and I died twice. The second time, I was trying to retrieve my spear.”
Billy noticed for the first time that she was not armed. She was also wearing one of the induction centre robes and not her usual jeans and t-shirt.
“Where is your spear?” This time, his voice was more mellow. He knew the agony of dying, and dying twice had to give someone nightmares.
“The squirrels!”
“Oh!”
“So, you’re back because you need our help?” Yuki asked. “Now, we are useful again?”
“Yuki!” Trevor said.
Yuki pointed her staff at Lorna. “She left because she thought we would slow her down. The mighty goddess Lorna was too proud to grind it out with us insignificant mortals.”
“That’s not…” Trevor said before he was interrupted.
“No, she is right,” Lorna said. “I fucked up, alright? I thought I could be the hero of this story. As soon as I was strong enough, I was going to come back to help you.”
“So what has changed?” Billy asked. “Even if I am level three, the others are still lower levelled than you.”
“I died, Billy. I fucking died! And for once I realized just how huge a fuck up my life has been. I have always told myself I could do it if I wanted to. I could be a track star; I could be a doctor… If I wanted to. The truth came to me this morning as I respawned a second time. The first time I was angry with myself. The second time I saw the truth.”
“And what was that truth?”
“That I was lying to myself. Even if I had wanted to I would have failed. I cannot do anything alone. I push everyone away, including myself. Without Trevor’s stubborn friendship I don’t know where I would be. I just want to be one of the party again.”
Billy sighed. He would never have pushed her away. But she thought he would. Her self-esteem was low. He had seen it in young people before – all the talent but no true self-believe. Most of those who recovered were those who found their direction in life. A few friends helped too. It was true that Lorna was a hot mess – but she was their hot mess. And if she could find her path, then it would improve their odds of surviving immensely.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“It is not up to just me,” he said finally. “The others have to decide.”
“I vote yes,” Trevor said.
“No,” Yuki said.
Billy could see tears in her eyes.
“Su Li? You have the deciding vote.”
Su Li smiled. “This insignificant mortal says yes. Every group needs a goddess.”
“Looks like you’re in then,” Billy said.
He sent her a party invite, and just like that they were five again. He noticed from her stats that she had managed to use some of her unassigned stat points but still had six remaining to use.
“Ok that is done,” Billy said. “I think we need to change our plan somewhat. Lorna, I assume you know where the squirrels are?”
“Too damn well.”
“How many were there?” Yuki asked.
“I think about twenty, mostly small ones but a few larger and one enormous beast. The larger ones can all use the exploding acorn attack. They are also stronger and hit harder with their claws.”
“The enormous one must be a boss,” Trevor said.
“No Bossy McNutface is stronger that us,” Su Li said.
“McNutface… I like that. Ok then. I have a cunning plan. I think we shall call this plan ‘drunken bull spanks McNutface. ’”
At their bewildered expressions he grinned. “Let me explain, my mighty warriors.”
***
Lorna held up her hand causing the group to stop. They must be near the squirrels’ lair.
She turned to him and stepped close. “It is bad enough I am the drunken bull. You must not let me die!”
“I won’t. I pr…”
“Don’t promise, just do it. If I die again, I am not sure if I can come back. I am not sure I will want to.”
Billy gulped but nodded to her. He would not let her die. He signaled to the others, who readied their equipment.
It was a brilliant plan – brilliant in its simplicity. The only problem was it put Lorna in the squirrels’ crosshairs.
He nodded again to Lorna and gave her a small smile of encouragement. At least, that’s what he intended to do.
She took a deep breath. She then charged forward yelling at the top of her lungs.
Billy counted to five and then followed behind her with the others close behind.
As predicted, a horde of feral squirrels descended on Lorna as she sped towards her spear. Billy thought he saw a few small pools of blood and her discarded clothing near the spear but fortunately no body. He had never thought about what happened to the physical body.
With Lorna so close to their lair the squirrels could not use their exploding pinecones or whatever they were; that did not mean they were completely harmless.
Two squirrels went straight for Lorna’s head. They were within inches when two knives sank into their bodies. Su Li pulled hard on the chains and the squirrels went flying towards her – only to be smashed out the air by Billy’s hammer. Trevor and Yuki were now there, deflecting squirrels in midair and splitting up the attackers into smaller groups.
By the time Billy reached the fray Lorna had picked up her spear and was jamming it at a giant squirrel – the boss squirrel. McNutface looked to be have grown at least another twelve inches in height and must be higher than level 5 now. Its increased size, however, made it an easier target. It was struggling to avoid her thrusts and she had its full attention.
Billy was amazed that his plan was working so well. It had relied on Lorna drawing the squirrels’ attention and then the others picking off the smaller squirrels while Lorna tied up the boss squirrel. Su Li had been tasked with watching Lorna’s back and, if she had the chance, sneaking in an attack on the alpha.
Billy settled into his rhythm of flowing attacks. For a minute or two, it seemed to be an easy fight as he smashed squirrel after squirrel. But then something changed.
He could sense larger fluctuations in the air from a couple of different places and one massive fluctuation from the alpha squirrel. After experiencing their exploding nut attacks, he did not want to find out what they had planned.
“Su Li attack the alpha,” he shouted. “It is charging up an attack!”
He put the alpha out of his mind. He trusted that Lorna and Su Li would be enough to at least disrupt the creature’s attack. He needed to focus on the two other fluctuations. He assumed that these squirrels had reached level 5 – even if they were not at the boss squirrel’s power level.
He reached the first one. It was sitting at head height on a branch and shone with power. It let out a screech. The leaves around it started to swirl in the air – at first slowly but then gathering pace. Two of the leaves flashed towards Billy and blood gushed out of razor-sharp cuts on his face.
Billy jumped forwards and cracked it the squirrel in the face with the flat of his hammer. Immediately, the leaves fell to the ground. Billy finished off the stunned squirrel with a few sharp blows from the beak of his hammer.
He sensed around for the other one, but it looked like Yuki had beaten him to it. She had it pinned to the ground with her staff and was busy beating it to death – ignoring the blood that flowed freely from her arms and legs.
There were only a couple of normal squirrels left now, which Trevor was easily fending off.
It was time to finish off the boss squirrel, Billy thought to himself.
“Everyone down!” Lorna yelled.
Without thinking, Billy dropped to the ground. He raised his eyes to see hundreds of leaves flashing around the clearing – each one the size of his hand. The others were huddled on the ground with their arms over their heads. Trevor looked to be the worst hit, with a deep cut on his shoulder.
Billy looked towards the boss squirrel. It was shining so brightly. He could feel the waves of mana flooding its body. It reminded him of his own previous experience where he had overloaded on power. McNutface looked to be doing the same. This was not just an attack; it was suicide.
However, he sensed that trying to outlast the squirrel was too dangerous. It could easily kill them all with a little more control, and the leaves were getting closer and closer.
Billy knew that if charged it he would be cut to shreds. Lorna and Su Li were closer, but the attack looked heavier where they were. Even as he watched, Su Li was cut on her leg.
Billy took a deep breath. He rose to his feet. He ducked between two flashing leaves and then let out an enormous growl. The stun effect from [tiger growl] kicked in.
McNutface just stopped.
The leaves slowed down.
Billy threw his hammer with all of his strength.
McNutface only had a chance to blink as the stun effect wore off before the hammer struck it in its face. The squirrel dropped off its perch and hit the ground with a thud.
The leaves fell to the ground and for a microsecond there was silence.
Su Li was the quickest to react as she dove forward and rammed her knives into McNutface’s chest. But she was only slightly quicker than Lorna. Lorna’s spear impaled the creature through the neck, pinning it to the ground.
McNutface twitched. Its constitution must be quite high for it to still be alive. However, it did not have a chance to do more than that as Trevor’s mace crushed its skull.
“So ends the tale of McNutface,” Billy said.
“Good throw, Billy,” Su Li said. “You must have rattled its brains.”
Billy laughed. “The stupid creature rattled its own brains. That attack it used did as much damage to itself as we did.”
He looked down at his clothing. “Dammit!” he said upon seeing that his shirt had been cut in half and blood was flowing down his chest.
Then the pain kicked in.
Yuki sighed. “Don’t worry I have enough left to make a few more shirts. I think we all needs some replacements.”
Billy lay back as several notifications flooded through.
“Yay!” Billy mumbled.