Oh, That’s Who They Are
You have gained 1 strength.
Current strength: 34
You have gained 1 durability.
Current durability: 26
Sweet.
What wasn’t sweet was the condition of my clothes. I grumbled knowing that most of my first day’s pay would be spent buying an entirely new outfit. I was covered in troll blood and who knows what else.
“Is he dead?” asked Rel.
I glanced over at Kaelis, who still lay unconscious. He had huge dents in his armour and was covered in blood, much of it his own.
“Shit,” I said. “I knew I’d forgotten something.”
I rushed over and knelt beside him, leaning over so that my ear was hovering over his mouth. I could feel and hear his breath, but it was weak and shallow.
“Just about,” I said, turning to face Rel. “Grab one of those healing potions from the inventory.”
Rel darted back to our hiding spot where we’d left the pouch.
I looked down at Kaelis’s armour. It might have saved his life, but the way it bent inwards had broken bones, and there was no way he’d be able to heal properly while wearing it.
I reached down to untie the straps that held it in place.
“Why do they have to make these things so fucking complicated?” I growled, trying to loosen the fiddly, blood-soaked fastenings.
Eventually, because I was concerned for his health – and definitely not because I lost my temper – I tore them off.
I recoiled a little at the sight of his body, feeling bile rising in my throat.
He was a mess.
His ribcage had been caved in, and broken bones jutted out in various places. I was thoroughly impressed that he was still alive.
“Rel, you might want to hurry up with that healing potion!” I shouted over my shoulder.
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A moment later, he skidded to a stop beside me. I opened the inventory and withdrew the potion, a vial of a glowing red liquid appearing in my hand. I removed the stopper and reached down to gently lift Kaelis’s head, pouring the potion into his mouth. Thankfully, his subconscious mind seemed to know what to do, and he swallowed.
It was some potent shit.
Rel and I sat and watched in morbid fascination as the Trialist’s body began to put itself back together before our very eyes. It couldn’t have taken more than thirty seconds before all his bones had returned to their proper places and knitted themselves back together.
“We need to get ourselves some of those,” said Rel, his eyes wide.
“That we do, buddy,” I replied, equally impressed. “That we do...”
As we sat there waiting for Kaelis to regain consciousness, I brought up something that had very recently occurred to me.
“Rel,” I said. “I think I’ve realised something.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Well,” I said, lowering my voice conspiratorially. “I think we might be strong.”
He turned to look at me, his expression stunned.
“You think… we might be strong?” he replied.
I nodded.
“You think we might be strong?” he repeated, voice thick with exasperation. “Of course we’re fucking strong – we’re second and fifth on the Leaderboard for stats across all trialists!”
I felt my face growing red.
“I know that!” I said defensively. “But I didn’t realise just how far ahead of the average Trialist we were.”
I nodded at Kaelis’s unconscious form.
“Take this guy for example,” I continued. “He might be a skilled fighter and not lacking in courage, but honestly, he’s soft as shit.”
The conversation was cut short when Kaelis let out a pathetic moan. His eyelids flickered open, and confusion crossed his features. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and then his eyes widened as he took in the scene of devastation around him, the memories flooding back.
“I don’t understand,” he rasped, turning to look at me and Rel. “There were scores of them. I was about to die. How did you…?”
His words trailed off as he gestured to the burned and mangled remains of the trolls.
I shrugged.
“We didn’t think you deserved to go down like that, so we stepped in,” I replied.
“You… stepped in?” he asked, looking slightly dazed as his eyes once again roamed over the ‘battlefield’. “Who are you!?”
“Are you suffering from a concussion?” asked Rel. “I’m Rel. He’s Pete.”
Rel and Pete…
Rel and Pete!
Kaelis flashed up his Leaderboard, cycling through the different categories.
His jaw dropped.
Total Stat Gains:
- Lokta’Inif
- Peter Brookes
- Squire Rel
- Tolar Wise Claw
- Tog Tog
Squire Rel… Peter Brookes…
He slowly looked up and met their eyes.
“Second and third in the stats rankings…” he whispered.
“Second and third?” asked Rel, his voice suddenly bubbling with excitement. He went silent for a moment, checking the Leaderboard for himself.
A few seconds later, he let out a huge squeak of triumph and turned to look at Pete, smug satisfaction burning in his eyes.
“Well, well, well…,” he said, sidling closer to Pete, who now had his face buried in his hands and was muttering what sounded like ‘for fuck’s sake’ under his breath. “Would you look at this? The great Squire Rel has moved up two places, while poor old Peter Brookes’ ranking has remained the same. It’s only a matter of time before I overtake you, Petey boy, and prove once and for all that I’m the superior being!”
Kaelis was lost for words. He just stared at the pair, dumbstruck. Two of the most powerful Trialists, and they had been working as his attendants!? Panic gripped his heart as he realised what would happen if they decided to take offence at the situation. They could end his life in a moment, and he would not be able to do a single thing to stop them.
“So,” said Pete, interrupting Kaelis’s thoughts. “Boss, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re all a bit of a mess. Perhaps it’s best we leave the Tower for now and get cleaned up. Also, I think we might need to talk bonus pay, what with us helping you out with the troll problem, and all.”
Kaelis swallowed.
“Yes,” he said quickly. “Bonus pay sounds very reasonable.”