The Last Experience Point

Oh, no, not again!

Kalana held out her hand, though she stayed a safe distance away. She hung back near the entrance to the park, which had once been beautiful and contained numerous fields and playgrounds but now was a charred, destroyed mess of rubble and ruin as a result of airstrikes it sustained during the brief, but very bloody war.

Even if I run full speed, I dunno if I can stop her.

Carefully, but more importantly, calmly, Kalana spoke to the woman. She made sure her voice lacked any aggression and was only loud enough so that she could be heard from the 100 feet or so of distance between them.

"You don't really wanna do this, ma'am. So please don't. I'm here to help you."

"Don't tell me what I want, you fucking Elf!" the woman shrieked, tears in her eyes. She looked like she was in her late twenties or earlier thirties. She was pressing a little boy to her chest with one hand, and she held a handgun to his head with the other. "I have to do this!"

"Nah-uh. You don't. I know you don't. That's your son, right? You don't wanna hurt him."

"You people made me! You stole our homes. You bombed us. You killed our families! Fuck you all! I won't let you turn my son against humanity."

Kalana thought carefully about how to respond. And as she did, a human in a camo-colored uniform spoke to her. "Princess Kalana," the human whispered to her. "My snipers have a clear shot at the target. We can take the woman out and save the child."

"Don't you dare," she said back to him. "Nobody is shooting any more bullets."

"But…but this woman has gone mad."

"So that means she has to be executed?"

"Well, no, but…"

Kalana studied the woman's finger on the trigger. If it moved so much as an inch, she'd take the risky approach and charge forward. Moving at full speed, she thought she stood a decent chance of crossing the distance before she could fire the weapon. On the other hand, she might be a split second too late. It would be better to try talking first.

"Get them back!" she cried, pain and despair in her words. Her eyes were darting around at the soldiers. "Get them baaaaaack!"

Kalana, keeping her own eyes pointed at the clearly distressed woman, whispered, "Umm, sergeant-person, can you please go away. You and all the other humans are making things, like, way worse."

"I'm afraid I cannot, Princess Kalana," said the blond-haired military man. "I serve the Lords of Justice, and I have been ordered to assist."

"Yah, but you're scaring her and making her more upset."

"I am truly sorry, but I cannot withdraw."

Begrudgingly, Kalana had to admit it was still better to have these humans than the ones from the Royal Roses. They were even crazier in some cases than the people from Shadowfall Coast. They were out for blood, and everybody knew it. They kept finding excuses and, in some cases, outright lies to shoot people. Kalana had beaten up a few of them already, and they deserved it!

Keeping all her attention on the woman, who stood directly in the middle of the park between two flowering pots and a destroyed statue, Kalana called out to her. "Please don't hurt the little boy. I know you don't wanna. Please don't. He didn't do anything wrong. And umm, I promise I wouldn't let anybody hurt him. Please don't shoot him."

The woman began to cry harder and harder. "My husband, my eldest son, all gone. Fuck you! Fuck everybody!"

"Ma'am, please. You both can still have a really good future. All you have to do is put down the—"

There was motion. Kalana saw it. Her finger was moving. Act. Now!

Kalana held her breath as she launched herself forward, moving so fast that she ripped holes in the ground as she stomped her feet down. She needed to be faster. Faster! She raced ahead, crossing a distance that spanned half the length of the park in less than a quarter of a second. Then she dove to the woman's side while reaching out, and she grabbed the weapon just as it went off. A loud pop followed, the sound of a gunshot filling the air. Urgently, Kalana, having skidded to a halt behind the woman, dropped the weapon, and then the woman screamed as she carefully grabbed the boy out of the woman's arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she dropped into a seated position while holding him. She gently grabbed his head with both hands and began to turn it around to make sure there were no bullet holes or wounds. Thank the Gods. The bullet had missed.

The mother lunged for her child. "Give him back!" she screamed.

Kalana stood back up and carried him away. She didn't want to do that but she had to do it. As the woman pursued, she was tackled by troops from the Lords of Justice, put on her belly, and then her hands were placed behind her back and she was arrested. "Please don't hurt her," Kalana said, still holding the wailing boy. "Be gentle."

"We will do our best, Princess Kalana."

If nothing else, the men and women of the Lords of Justice could at least be trusted not to use excessive force if they didn't absolutely have to. Yes, they were getting into firefights and killing way more people than needed to die, but nobody could argue that they weren't acting in self-defense. The Royal Roses, on the other hand, were purposefully provoking and taunting people into shooting at them so they could justify shooting back. And sometimes they didn't even seek that much justification.

"Momma! Momma! Momma!" the boy yelled as he squirmed in Kalana's arms. She doubted he even understood what almost happened to him. He was too young to truly make any sense of it, and that was probably a good thing.

Kalana held firm while the boy struggled. He must have been only three or four years old. Kalana truly didn't want to separate him from his mother, but right now, she couldn't trust that the mother wasn't going to try something like that again, and she herself wasn't qualified to make that kind of determination, either. There were experts and stuff who could do that, but not her. Jascaila had told her at the start to remember that there were things she was qualified to do, and things she should leave up to people who were licensed and educated in how to make the really hard choices.

"It's gonna be okay," she told him. "Are you hungry? Or hurt?"

He didn't reply. He simply cried and called for his mother while a level-1 soldier from the Lords of Justice used a glove to pick up the dropped pistol and place it into an evidence bag. "As soon as we've cleared the situation," the blond-haired sergeant said to her, "we'll be happy to hand this situation over to the professionals you brought in."

Kalana nodded and thanked the man. He was only a few years older than she was, and she could tell he genuinely wanted to do the right thing. The experience working with the Lords of Justice was a lot better than it had been during her first two days here when she'd been patrolling the other end of the city with the Royal Roses. She'd have to work with them today, though, because her meeting with the guerilla leader was going to take place in a building they currently had under siege, and that wasn't for another two hours, so she was getting as much done as she could before then.

"Princess Kalana!" a woman's voice called to her, drawing her attention. "Please, can we enter the park?"

Kalana looked over her shoulder and behind herself to where a very concerned-looking woman holding a manilla folder stood next to a registered nurse. They were both from Whispery Woods, and the woman holding the folder was from CSS: Child Safety Services, an agency that used to exist before Kalana was born but had been recently resurrected by her mother. Though the woman looked to be in her sixties, there was an eagerness to her that Kalana really appreciated.

"For the sake of the Gods," she said, "the last thing that child needs right now is to be around more guns."

"I know, but umm…" Kalana looked at the sergeant. "Can they come in?"

"Not yet. But what you can do is take the child to her."

"Oh, that should work."

Kalana carried the boy over to the woman, who handed him to the nurse. "Shh, it's okay, sweetie," the nurse said. "I'm just going to look at you really quickly."

As the nurse checked the boy, Kalana took the CSS worker to the side and spoke to her. "What's gonna happen to him?" she asked.

"Well, now that we've got funding again, we're going to take him back to Whispery Woods and immediately place him in a safe, war-free environment. He'll be given schooling and care. Just like the old days."

"What about his mom?"

"She'll be given a court date. The court will determine what, if any requirements, she must fulfill before she's allowed visitation rights. Custody will be determined by the judge."

Kalana exhaled sadly. "You mean she might never get her son back?"

The woman placed her hand on Kalana's. "That's possible. It's not my right to say. But remember, Princess Kalana. She intended to shoot him in the head. These decisions are incredibly difficult, and nobody wants to separate a child from his mother, but I must document everything I saw honestly."

Kalana nodded. "I understand. It's just…it's so weird and hard to understand."

"Hm? What is?"

Kalana pointed at the woman, who was still pinned down on her belly and in handcuffs as the troops cleared the area. "Why's she screaming so loudly for him. If she loves him, why did she wanna kill him?"

The CSS worker closed her eyes and shook her head. "It's…it's unimaginable to me. I don't know what could be going through her mind. But just know you did a great thing. We'll handle it from here. I have a peacekeeper escort waiting across the street to take the boy to Whispery Woods."

Unlike the troops, the peacekeeping force brought in from the newly Elvish controlled region of Whispery Woods were not armed with rifles, but rather they were equipped with concealed, holstered handguns to be deployed only in the event they came under direct fire. They also did not participate in any suppression activities. Their only job was to guard the social workers, doctors, and other civilian personnel.

Actually, speaking of weapons, the Elves were no longer carrying them either. With the sole exception of a south-west perimeter guard that stood by in the extremely rare event forces from Tomb of Fire decided to attack, the Elves were now forbidden from brandishing or carrying any swords, maces, staves, bows, etc. All weapons were ordered to be placed in storage, as there was nothing that any level-1 in this city could still do to them that couldn't be handled with their hands alone.

"Are you holding up okay?" the woman asked her unexpectedly. "You're only seventeen. This is a lot for a girl your age."

"I'm…I'm okay," Kalana said. "But yeah, it is a lot. I'm trying to just do what I gotta do and not think about it too much." She felt herself weakening, but only for a moment. "Okay, it looks like you've got everything under control," Kalana said. "I'm gonna go back there and—"

She abruptly stopped speaking. In the process of turning herself around, a sight caught her eyes: no, two sights. She needed to move again. She needed to move fast. Without another word to the CSS worker, she bolted back into the park using as much speed as she could without endangering anyone, and then she slammed both of her feet into the grassy field, bringing herself to a stop such that she was positioned directly between the sergeant and one of his men.

Raising her arms and extending them, she slammed down the barrels of their guns just as they fired at the third story window of an apartment building across the park. Then she reached out with both hands and plucked two incoming bullets out of the air an instant before the troops were struck.

"W-what?" the sergeant cried.

"Stay right there," Kalana said. "Don't shoot or I'll be really mad."

Kalana again exploded forward, crossing the park in a fraction of a second and then rushing across the street until she was nearly upon the front entrance to the apartment building. Once there, she squatted down, leapt directly upwards, and felt the rush of air challenging her ascent as she easily cleared the first, then second story windows. Upon reaching the third, she rolled forward and inside the apartment where the shots were fired, landing upright on both feet.

"G-gah!" cried two startled, shocked voices.

Both came from boys her and Zach's age with shaggy blond-colored hair wearing torn scraps for clothing. They lurched backwards and fell down. Each were wielding what looked like military-grade, HC-58 semiautomatic assault rifles. Their eyes wide with fear, one of them shouted, "Protect mom!" and opened fire on Kalana, who sighed and rolled her eyes at the two boys, who she assumed to be brothers. Now, both were firing at her.

"Okay, boys, give me the guns," she said dryly. "You're not gonna be able to hurt me with bullets."

She waited for them to empty their entire clips. But then she frowned at them as they started to reload. "Guys, come on," she said, extending her hand and shaking it. "Gimme the guns. This is dumb."

"J-j-j-j-just do wh-what she says!" a terrified older woman shrieked. She jumped forward and wrapped her arms around the boys, holding one with each. "Please don't hurt them. Please!"

"Oh, of course not," Kalana said with a smile. "I just wanna take those away."

The boys looked at one another fearfully. "If we give you the guns, will you leave us alone?"

Kalana shook her head. "Nope, no way."

"Why?" they each demanded.

"Umm, I dunno, maybe 'cause you're shooting bullets out of windows. You can't do that, you dork."

The mother was trembling. "What are you gonna do to them?"

"Oh um, you guys will probably be detained and taken to Whispery Woods. Don't worry. You're not gonna go anywhere near the Royal Roses. You're probably just gonna be relocated. But you guys can't stay here." She looked around. "There's no power in this apartment, is there? And how are all of you eating?"

"We're not," the mother said. "We've been holed up here since the bombings last week. I told my boys the war is over and not to shoot, but they didn't listen. Please forgive us. You are Princess Kalana, right?"

"Yup."

The boys again looked at each other, and this time, it was in amazement. "Holy shit," one of them whispered. "That's…?" He pointed to her.

She crouched down. "Guys, come on. Give me the guns."

"Please. Listen to her," the mother begged.

Very reluctantly, the two boys handed her their guns. She promptly snapped them in half and let the pieces fall. "Do you have any other weapons in your apartment, ma'am?" she asked the mother, sensing that she was more likely to cooperate than her children.

"Yes," she replied.

Kalana gave her a warm smile even as her boys glared at her. "Thank you for being honest. I really appreciate it. Can you tell me where they are? This is gonna help you guys out a lot, trust me. Having them can get you shot by mistake. People are all really nervous right now."

The mother nodded. "There are two handguns under the kitchen sink."

Kalana walked over the chipped, damaged flooring and into the unlit kitchen. She dropped down, opened the cabinet, and found the guns. She destroyed them and then returned to what she now believed had been the living room. The building had taken a hit but had not crumpled, yet the damage was visible everywhere. It definitely wasn't safe for anybody to be living here.

"Any more guns?"

"I don't believe so."

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kalana gave her a thumbs up. "Um, this is Kalana," she said into her Comm. "I have a family of three on…what room is this?"

"34."

"I'm in room 34. The apartment with the missing roof on the south end of the street. I have a family of three. They're unarmed. Please be gentle."

"Understood," Alex said. "I'll have a team drop by in under five. Is the building clear?"

"Is the building clear?" she asked them.

"We don't know," the mother replied. "I…I think there might be a family below us."

"Are they hostile?"

She said nothing and looked away. Kalana lowered her voice. "It's okay. I won't let anybody die. Are they hostile?"

"Y-yes," she whispered.

"Where are they?"

"Right below us."

Kalana nodded. "Can you guys just move back a bit."

"Uh…sure."

She waited for the mother and her two sons to scooch backwards. Then Kalana lifted her foot and slammed it down, crashing it through the flooring and creating a wide breach, which she leapt down into. Immediately, a mother, a father, and three teenage daughters jumped up from where they were lying on the filthy floor and turned their guns on her. All were trembling.

She smiled at them and held out her hands. "Gimme," she said. "Gimme the guns."

The man, clearly by accident, pulled the trigger, almost as though it had been a nervous reaction. The bullet bounced off her chin. "Oh no," he moaned. "Oh no, oh no. Please! Don't take it out on them!"

"It's okay. I'm not mad. Just give me the gun."

He complied. Good. "I think it's clear now," she said over the Comm. "Family of five in 22."

"Copy."

The two boys and their mother above looked down into the hole from the floor above. Kalana gave them another thumbs up. She made sure she kept her smile on her face to promote calm. She didn't want to spread terror to anyone. But on the inside, she was hurting. She missed Zach. She was tired of seeing all this suffering. Maybe he was right. Maybe she had no business being here. She was tired of seeing all the pain and the fear. Things might be going well for her right now, but eventually, at some point today—and likely multiple—she wasn't going to be able to save someone. She'd see another person die. She couldn't always win. She couldn't always succeed.

It was a lot. She kinda just wanted to go home.

"Are…you okay?" the man asked her as she started to sniffle. He seemed taken aback, confused.

"Mhm. I'm just so…so sorry."

"You are?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry all this stuff happened. To everyone."

*****

Zach jumped in just before a wooden sword slammed over the head of a seven-year-old Elvish boy. "Elas, what did I tell you? You never lower your guard. Especially when your opponent's sword is raised and he's in front of you."

Rather than accept his criticism and learn from it, the boy cried. And then his opponent cried, too. Why were they both crying? Zach rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Come on, you two. Stop crying. Literally nothing happened."

"Wahhhhhhhh!"

A chuckle from behind him drew his attention, and he smiled at the sight of Lienne and Rian, who had finally arrived. Right now, he was on a gentle slope in the mob-free zone. The grass was now dry following one of the island's short, but intense storms, and for this reason, Zach hadn't heard them coming.

"Having fun, Zach?" Rian asked him.

Zach approached Rian, bumped fists, and then briefly embraced Lienne. "Yeah, a bit. Just teaching these kids how to fight. I don't know why they're crying, though."

"They're so cute," Lienne said.

There were fifteen students in total, and all of them were probably too young to be fighting with a sword, but Fylwen had insisted Zach teach them. They were able to learn some of the basics, but honestly? They needed to be a bit older before they really started making progress.

"Okay, you guys are done for the day," Zach said to them. "Go back to your parents." As they scampered off, he turned to Rian and Lienne. "Guys, do you mind coming with me to Dragon Squire?"

Rian made an O-shape with his mouth. "You're finally ready?"

"Yep."

He nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, hell yeah! So this is it. We're finally gonna start working on getting to Albion-4!"

Rian and Lienne didn't yet know about the World Eater. Only very few people knew—well, other than the Elves. What they did know, however, was that there was a clue in Dragon Squire that would show them how to reach a Tier-2 planet. Zach wasn't sure what explanation Zephyr had come up with for how he'd learned this information; he only knew that Zephyr had been in charge of directing his guild to search, and that he'd explained to them what they were searching for.

"So, where's Jimmy?" Zach asked, looking around and not seeing him anywhere.

"No idea. I didn't see him on the way over here."

"I thought you guys were going to meet up and come together?"

"We were," Lienne said, "but then he just didn't show."

"Huh?"

********

Jimmy looked over his left shoulder. And then over his right. "Are you sure we're good?" he asked his new best friend.

Tyson Revel, the second-in-command of the People of Virtue, nodded to him. The two were in a damp, shady alleyway in the seediest part of the market in Shores of Wrath. Jimmy had run into him by chance yesterday. He had been looking to buy a fancy wristwatch when he saw some clueless guild dude stumbling around asking how to get to Elendroth. Curious, Jimmy and him struck up a conversation, and he'd told Jimmy all about his asshole uncle and his banishment from Varda's Lair. He turned out to be a real cool dude. Tyson even bought him beer and they chilled for a bit and talked a lot about life. Jimmy finally admitted to him that he was a guest on Elendroth and could bring the guy over. But first, he wanted to get fucked up. And Tyson, incredibly, seemed to be the first person he'd me on Galterra who spoke his language.

"Trust me, Jim-Jim," he said, a smirk on his face. "My guy here has the best shit. Still Rage, Jumpers, he's got it all. Okay, here he comes. Be cool. Be cool."

Jimmy snorted. "Man, you be cool. You're the one acting all wild."

"Haha, that's just my natural state."

Tyson was about ten years older than Jimmy, but they were almost like kindred spirits. He was also a party-loving drunk who liked to take the fun kind of stuff. Apparently, he was supposed to "serve" Zach or something. Jimmy felt bad for him. The fact he'd run into the guy at all was nothing short of an amazing coincidence.

Might as well have a bit of fun before I head over there.

Jimmy kept a loose, calm posture as a figure emerged in the alleyway—and then his posture tightened right up, and he clenched his entire body as he noticed the pointy ears and the white cloak.

"Y-your contact is an Elf?" Jimmy asked with a gasp.

"No," Tyson said, backing away until he hit a wall. "Oh, shit!"

The Elf was massive, perhaps the biggest Jimmy had ever seen. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd seen this dude before. He recognized him, actually. It was Trelvor's pops: Londril. The fuck was he doing out here?

"How's it going?" Jimmy asked him.

"Hail, James Green," he said. "Hail, Tyson Revel. Is't true that such young and virulent blooded men liketh thee boys art here to buy'eth something foul? And to bringeth such foulness to mine home in Elendroth?"

Oh, shit. We're busted.

Jimmy shot Tyson a look of warning as he appeared to be about to say something. "Shh!" Jimmy hissed at him. "Let me handle this." To the Elf, he said, "I plead my fifth amendment rights, and I ain't saying shit until I speak to a lawyer."

The man laughed at him. Then Jimmy, along with Tyson, tried to flee as he dashed forward and scooped up the both of them under one arm each. As he was carried out of the alleyway, he spotted an unconscious human being arrested by peacekeepers. "Don't tell Zach or Tena on me!"

*****

"Are you fucking kidding me, Jimmy?" Zach shouted. "You got busted buying drugs?"

Rian was on his back—literally on his back as he laughed so hard that he started gasping for air. "J-Jimmy got arrested by Londril! Ahhhh-hahahahahaha! This is the best day of my life. It can't get better than this. It can't." He was rocking back and forth on the grass, clutching his sides as he burst out laughing. "Gonna piss my pants. Can't control it."

"Rian, stop," Lienne grumbled. "It's not funny."

"I agree," Trelvor added. "Addiction is not that to which we laugh, but to which we show compassion."

"That's why I love you," Lienne whispered into his ear. Zach was near enough to hear her. Then, to her brother, she said, "There's nothing funny about this."

"YES THERE IS!" he cackled, still lying on his back on the grass. They were in front of a small, recently built shack that served as the closest thing to a "sheriff's hut" the island had. Londril was in charge of the island's security, and he seemed to be taking his job seriously. He made a frown at Rian as Rian seemed unable to stop himself. "Jimmy got caught in an Elvish drug-smuggling bust. Ahahahahahaha! Oh, fuck! My life is complete."

Jimmy scowled at Rian, who sat up and looked at him. Zach watched the way his eyes fell over the level-40 restraints binding his hands and feet as he was forced into a kneeling position on the grass next to a man who Zach believed may well have been Tyson Revel. He was similarly bound. Rian erupted with even more laughter.

Fylwen, who stood next to Eilea, asked, "This is the boy you were telling me about?"

"He is indeed," Eilea said. "He is a great man. But…he has his vices."

Not long after Rian and Lienne had arrived, Zach had taken them back to Kalana's place to find Eilea, Fylwen, Trelvor, Jascaila, and Seiley standing outside the home as though waiting for him. Upon arrival, it had been Fylwen who informed him that they received intelligence from the People of Virtue that a young man matching Jimmy's description was attempting to purchase extremely hard drugs in Shores of Wrath with the intent of smuggling them onto Elendroth. And Zach, for his part, refused to believe it.

Now, he groaned. This was such a pain in the ass. "Fylwen, please," he said. "Just let Jimmy go. He's not from here. He didn't know any better."

"I believe he did," Fylwen replied. "Otherwise, why would he have met in such a shady location? Hidden away like a rat? No, the boy knew exactly what he was doing. He was going to purchase illicit substances and then bring them here to Elendroth."

"Allegedly," Jimmy added. "I confess to nothing. I want a lawyer. I know my rights."

"What rights?" the guy sitting next to him asked. All of a sudden, his eyes widened with surprise and maybe even a touch of delight. "Wait, we have rights? I didn't know that."

"No, no you don't," Zach said. "Neither of you have any rights here. I don't know what Jimmy is talking about. He's getting confused again."

Now, Jimmy narrowed his eyes angrily. "The hell you mean I don't have rights? The fuck is this shit, North Korea?"

"I have no idea what that is," Zach said. "But you guys have no rights. So please stop aggravating the queen. Sheesh."

Panic erupting onto his face, the guy who looked like Tyson Revel said, "You cannot let these Elves harm me, Sir Calador!" The man had bright red curly hair along with a face full of freckles, and he was thin as a twig despite being close to six feet tall. He looked exactly like the twenty-nine-year-old "problem child" the media was always going on about.

"Huh? Why not?" Zach asked him.

"Because I am Tyson Revel, second-in-command of the People of Virtue, and I have been sent here against my will to serve you."

"You what?" Zach exclaimed.

"It has already been cleared with Vim. I was sent here to learn from you. Not by choice, I assure you. I'm basically a slave."

For some reason, his words made Jimmy squirm. "Man, don't be saying that shit."

"What shit?"

"You're not a slave. Let's not get dramatic. Don't be calling yourself that. You don't even know what you're saying."

"But it's true!" he insisted. "I'm forced to be here."

Zach snorted. "Well, good news. I don't want you. You're free. Hurray."

"It's not that simple," he replied. "I have no choice. If you send me back, I'll be killed."

"It is actually that simple," Zach said. "Because I don't even care. Fylwen, please let this guy go."

"Very well," she said. "He's a disgusting disgrace to his family. Everyone knows this. He's a perverted degenerate who is a stain on his father's legacy. I'd sooner not dirty my hands trying to help such a worthless, wretched piece of filth. Jimmy, however, is a different story. I believe the Great Goddess. She claims there is much to redeem in him."

Sheesh, Zach thought. Tell us how you really feel.

Something shocked Zach, though. Something that caused him to hesitate. It was the fact that there was absolutely no trace of pain whatsoever in the man's eyes as Fylwen berated him. It was almost as though he already accepted it as truth. And that, Zach found very, very interesting. So much so he couldn't stop himself from asking about it.

"You don't seem upset about what she just said," Zach told him. "Aren't you going to defend yourself?"

"Why would I?" Tyson asked. "Everything she said is true. Sir Calador, you, right now, are looking into the face of the world's biggest loser. It's a badge I wear with honor. I'm a fuckup among fuckups. If you killed me right now, not a single person in this world would care. Not even my own mother. Still, I'm not above begging. So I beg that you at least pretend I served you so that my uncle won't kill and castrate me."

Zach was floored. Was this guy for real? "So wait," Zach said, "you really think that low of yourself?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked. "It's true."

"No it's not," Jimmy interjected. "You're just dumb." To Zach, he said, "This dude showed me his abilities. He might be one of the strongest mother fuckers you ever met. Zach, you gotta take him in. You don't even know. I almost shit myself when I saw what he can do."

Now, Zach was even more intrigued. "Wait, what?" He eyed the scrawny, red-haired, freckly-faced, self-declared degenerate. "This guy?"

Jimmy laughed. "I couldn't believe it either. This dude's level 35 and has the worst stats and abilities I've ever seen."

Zach tilted his head sideways. "But you just said…"

"Except for one," Jimmy continued. "Tell him about your passive."

Tyson made an "ugh" sound. "Are we really on that again? I was drunk when I met you. It was foolish of me to show you that. I am actually quite feeble, Sir Calador. My stats are very, very low, and I will be of no use to you. I am quite rich, however, and I would pay you handsomely to lie and say I did what I was sent here to do."

Zach nodded. "Okay, we'll discuss my possible bribe later. But for now, Jimmy has me curious. Show me your stats."

Tyson laughed. "I'd rather show you my tiny dick. This is really humiliating."

With that, he brought forth his stats, and Zach actually cringed, backed up a step, and said, "Yeesh."

"Oh, Gods," Rian said, stopping his laughing immediately, his voice filled with pity. "And you're level 35?"

"Yep," Tyson said. "Like I told you. World's biggest loser."

Zach actually felt bad for him. "Yeah, that's…I'm not going to lie to you, Tyson—is it okay if I call you that?"

"Yeah, I don't need any honorifics."

"Okay, well, I'm not going to lie to you, Tyson. These stats are terrible. They're like what mine would've been if I didn't hit that 'growth spurt' so-to-speak. I didn't even know it was possible to have stats this bad by your level."

Jimmy, with his arms still bound behind his back, actually laughed. "That's what I thought at first too. Yo, Tyson, show him your first few abilities." To Zach, he said, "It actually gets worse."

Tyson also laughed. "Can't you guys give me a break?"

"Show us!" Fylwen snapped. Zach had somehow actually forgotten she was there at all. "Curse me for getting invested in this spectacle, especially when I'm late enough to Shadowfall Coast as is, but…Gods, this degenerate buffoon has me curious."

"It doesn't get any better no matter what Jimmy tells you," Tyson said. "And I only have five abilities. This is the first."

"Okay, that's…I mean it's not the worst," Zach said, to which Rian nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess for some enemies it might be a way to do a quick bit of extra damage. But the exertion cost and the cooldown make that one of the less popular abilities. Actually, I know a lot of people who have Cross Slash I and I almost never see it used."

Tyson made a "peh" sound as he blew out a breath of air. "I told you guys."

"Keep going," Zach said. "Next ability."

"All right…a basic strength buff. Next?"

Zach looked at Rian, who looked at Lienne. Then all three looked at each other. Zach could tell they were thinking the same thing that he was: maybe this guy really was the biggest loser in the world. "Uh, next?" Zach asked, almost not wanting to see it. Jimmy's grin only widened.

Jimmy began nodding his head. "And now, Tyson, show these people your last ability. Go ahead. Whip that thing out."

For the first time, Tyson showed a real degree of hesitance and reluctance. "I don't know what you see in this ability, but it won't change anything. You're mistaken."

"Let them judge that for themselves."

"You're going to all be disappointed. That's all I can do is disappoint. There is no point in—"

"Let us see it," Zach interrupted. "Go on. Or I'll send you right back to your uncle."

Tyson sighed. "Very well."

Tyson closed his eyes a moment before reopening them. And then, he brought out his final ability. And when he did, even Fylwen gasped.

Zach inhaled. He'd forgotten to breathe. Then, his mouth opened widely, and he said, "What in the F—"

"—uck?" Rian finished for him, rubbing his eyes as though that would change the sights entering into them.

Beside him, Fylwen looked as though someone had siphoned the blood out of her face. She was as stunned as everyone else. Trelvor, Seiley, and Lienne were even rereading it several times as though they did not believe what they had seen. Even Jascaila clearly couldn't believe what she was reading, because the woman was slowly shaking her head.

"Yeah, I know," Tyson grumbled. "Everybody go ahead and laugh it up. Just let me go, all right? You've had your fun."

Zach felt like he needed a bottle of water. This guy was in total denial over his own potential.

Holy shit. Just like I was.