“Phewitt!”

  A group of Cleaners, all dressed in dark green jumpsuits, huddled together. In the middle was a spread of a chequered blanket, and on it was a plethora of food and drinks.

  “This is another fine lunch we’re ‘avin’, boys,” said the older man of the group. “Thanks, sweetie. Ya’ve been a godsend.”

  The girl nodded with an infectious smile.

  Another man came with a small shiny rock in his hand. A crystal. “This is for you,” he said. “It’s nothing much, but we boys got to say our thanks somehow. Ain’t I right, laddies?”

  “Yeah,” came the answer. Half-heartedly for most of them had munched on their food.

  “Can’t hear ya damn bastard! Speak louder, arsewipes!” the older man said.

  “Thank you, Miss Elise!” Everyone answered in unison, spewing whatever was inside their mouths.

  She waved them away, shyly. But her gaze stopped at a corner. Despite the others having their break, he never stopped. The ‘ting, ting, ting’ sound echoed within the crystal mine like a metronome.

  “Where did you find that crazy bastard?” A woman, dressed in the same uniform, slung her arm across Elise’s shoulder. “He’s doing what? Five crates to all of us one?”

  “Six. And counting. Not even half a day!” the other Cleaner added. “That guy is a bloody workhorse, aight.”

  “Workhorse? Ya guys blind or what?” A woman Cleaner had her arms wrapped around Elise said as she licked her lips. “He’s a proper thoroughbred. Just look at bod. And mane. Ya mind if I call it dibs after ya done with him?”

  Elise’s cheeks went red like a boiled prawn. “N-No. W-We’re not like that. Yet…”

  “Yet, ya say?” She shoved Elise forward. “So? Wha’cha waiting for? He’s right there. Go and say hello.”

  “B-But I-“

  “Oi, Frankie dear! Elise’s here!”

  The metronomic echo stopped.

  Jin turned around, his magnificent four-strand braided beard grazing against his bare chest glistening with sweat, his jumpsuit hanging by the waist. A tired frown was replaced by a knowing smile.

  “Hey, Elise. Surprise to see you here again.” Jin said as he placed the pickaxe on his shoulder and walked toward the girl. “Been what? Whole week now?”

  “Eight lunches, Frankie dear!” the woman Cleaner shouted from a distance. She had since rejoined her group. “She’s been with us that long, ya damn stud!”

  “’Ere, ‘ere. He ain’t seeing any babes till he gets what? Ten crates? That’s dedication, if I’ve ever seen one.”

  “Dedication? I smell somethin’ else.”

  The group huddled for a whisper, and laughter echoed inside the mine.

  Jin looked at them with a small smile, shook his head before turning to Elise. “Sorry. These guys can be a little crazy. Hope you don’t mind.”

  “I-I don’t mind-“

  Elise’s words were cut off by a chorus of jeers directed at Jin.

  “If we’re crazy, then what does that make you? Freak? Monster?”

  “Yeah, man! Stops gawking at us. If you don’t mind, we’re eating here.”

  “Get out and fuck her or something. We got lots of bushes outside.”

  Another chorus of laughter echoed inside the cave, loose dirt crumbling down. But that didn’t stop them one bit. Not wanting Elise to feel any more awkward by those foul-mouthed Cleaner’s playful jibes – nearly all Cleaners were – Jin invited her to talk outside.

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  Beyond the mine’s entrance was a forest. The two found themselves near a creek. Elise sat on a felled tree trunk while Jin stood, leaning against a large boulder.

  “How is it? Your RIFT’s life?” Jin broke the ice.

  “Alright, I think?” Elise shot a smile. “But still not used to the time here.”

  Jin laughed. “To be expected. Even veteran Players get confused.” His jovial mood then turned serious. “So, what’s wrong, Elise?”

  “Wrong? T-There’s nothing wrong.”

  “You sure? I know that look anywhere. Come on. We’re friends, right? So, tell me what’s on your mind.”

  Elise was cornered. Surprised.

  Sure, she carried something in her thoughts, but almost all had never seen through her. Except for the man in front of her now. Biting her lip, she said in a soft, whispering-like voice. “W-What would you do if someone like you b-but you don’t like them back in the same way?”

  Jin pursed his lips, thinking of an answer. From the way she looked at him with hopeful eyes, that one particular question must have been eating her from the inside.

  “I’m not a master of relationships, but…”

  “But?” Elise leaned forward.

  “It depends.”

  “Depends?”

  Jin nodded. “If the fellow is reasonable, I’ll tell her off.”

  “And if he’s not?”

  Jin lifted his pickaxe. “Then we’ll test which is harder. His skull or my pickaxe.”

  Elise raised her eyebrows but soon burst out laughing. “Frank, you brute. It’s not that serious.”

  Jin chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe not, maybe yes. We’ll never-“

  A guttural, clicking shriek tore through the air.

  From the tree line nearby, a swarm of Dotted Sporeling emerged – their mottled caps bouncing with sickly jig as their spindly limbs skittered through the branches and bushes. They moved like a broken horde, panicked and erratic, as if something worse was chasing them.

  Then the Players burst into view.

  Three of them sprinted after the creatures. The lead Player swung a sabre, cleaving the nearest Dotted Sporeling in half – only for its body to burst upon contact, releasing a cloud of shimmering spores. The sabre-wielding Player coughed, stumbled and fell to his knees, clutching at his throat. But his companions didn’t stop.

  “Get the damn things!” another wheezed.

  Of the six Dotted Sporelings, three continued on their path through the treelines. The other three, however, changed their directions.

  “Elise!”

  Jin didn’t wait. Instead, equipped with his pickaxe, he dashed and pierced the Dotted Sporeling in its midriff before it could reach his companion. A sharp twist followed, and the creature went limp, releasing a cloud of toxic spores.

  Yet, the spores dissipated harmlessly against his skin, leaving no mark. Only the faint, sweet stench of rot, his breathing unaffected.

  The Players chasing the creatures skidded to a halt.

  “W-What just happened?”

  Jin didn’t look at them. He dropped the creature’s lifeless body and stepped forward, blocking Elise as two more of the damned creatures approached. Flanked, the Dotted Sporeling had no choice but to fight its way out, and the easiest path seemed to be Jin’s.

  “Frank…” Elise, hands on her bosom, looked on with a worried face.

  Jin grinned, but his eyes were locked on the creatures ahead. “I got you, girl.”

  The next Dotted Sporeling leapt.

  Jin hefted the pickaxe – the current weapon of choice – his muscles barely straining. The first time he tried picking up one after he returned to Earth, Jin was surprised at how light it was. Unnoticeable, like lifting a chopstick.

  And like a chopstick, Jin drilled the pickaxe’s tip into the inedible mushroom monster through its mottled cap and slammed it to the ground. The impact sent up dirt and dust. The other Players gaped.

  “What the hell-?!” one stammered out a response.

  Yet again, Jin ignored them. The last of the three Dotted Sporelings tried to spray spores at his face.

  The man didn’t flinch. Dusting the spores away from his eyes and mouth, he planted his boot onto the creature’s cap, sending it through to the chasing Players.

  “You guys can handle that one, right?” Jin said.

  The other Players didn’t need any more invitation, making quick work of their enemy. Yet before Jin could catch his breath, shouts from the mine startled him and the others.

  Jin’s expression darkened.

  “Oh no!” Elise’s tears lined her eyes. “The guys!”

  “Stay here!” Jin said, before dashing toward his colleagues.

  “Oh? Ok…”

  But Jin knew better than to trust her word. He didn't need to glance over his shoulder to sense the change in her movement; the raw determination that replaced her tears moved her forward. She might be meek, but she was no coward.

  Elise was on his heels. He heard the light, frantic padding of her steps, followed quickly by the heavier footfalls of the other Players.

  Jin had an inkling that these Players weren't rushing to help the Cleaners, but to see the spectacle. To see him in action. He often felt that same familiar, sharp irritation at anyone who offered no help but was persistent with their vulture-like curiosity.

  Curious about the eventual fight. About the man they chased, more than the outcome. But he was no circus performer.

  Only one reason drove him.

  His fear for his colleagues. His fear for Elise. And he realised the sooner he dealt with the problem, the better.

  Pushing his thought aside, he sped up. The tunnel was narrow, and the earlier shouts had turned into muffled curses and silent prayers. Despite the ambush, as three Dotted Sporelings edged closer, these Cleaners weren’t going down without a fight. With or without power of their own.

  Jin’s pickaxe glinted under the crystal lantern’s light. “Oi, guys. Miss me?”

  But by the time Elise and the other arrived, it was already over. One Dotted Sporeling was hanging by the ceiling, a pickaxe pinning its corpse. The other lay buried under Jin’s boot, squashed into a pulp. And the last one struggled under his tightening grip before it, too, fell lifeless.