It wasn’t easy for me to say no. Fighter status came with a lot of cushy benefits. I was tempted to agree, but I had to think of my party. I was confident in my own abilities, but Yorka and Bask needed to be baptized in blood at least one more time. I had to see how they behaved in battle, then look at their faces, look into their eyes, and come to a decision.
“Well, goblins and zombies?” I said cheerfully, rubbing my belly. “Ready to head back to the cluster? A food cube and a little water to help us sleep, and then up and ready to go at five in the morning.”
“Five in the morning?” Yorka looked shocked. “We’re not even gonna get back to the cluster before midnight, Elb! Plus we still have to eat, shower... That leaves us like no time to sleep!”
“Five in the morning,” I said again, firmly. “We’ll get our jobs done early, then get a few hours of sleep after breakfast. Bask, your injuries are bad, worse than any of ours. You can — ”
“No!” Bask cut me off. “I’ll be up at five along with you.”
“Understood, fighter.” I was satisfied with his response. “Let’s go.”
“I have a suggestion!” Yorka jumped in.
“Let’s hear it.”
“There’s a residential area with spines right next to the Jolly Plux. We might find three empty capsules there. We’d pass right by there anyway.”
“And we can enjoy the scent of grilled meat on the way,” I chuckled. “It’s worth a shot. Let’s do it. Bask, lead the way.”
“Sure. Just to check — we’re in section 40 of main hallway 29? Five steps from the turn onto path 40 along the left wall?”
“That’s right,” I replied, not trying to hide the notes of respect in my voice.
Bask’s head really did work like a computer, always ticking and clicking. Even while he talked or argued, even with his glue-drenched stomach wound, or his long, funny story about the end of the world, he was always counting his steps, always keeping track of where he was in this maze of hallways.
“That way,” he waved a hand, “then we turn onto path 33. If we make it in the next ten minutes, we’ll run into a dome and won’t have to go dark.”
“Let’s pick up the pace, then,” I said, moving faster.
My overworked legs groaned in protest. Not my knees this time — my feet. My sneakers with their thin rubber soles and the equally thin socks underneath were not the best choice for long, frequent marches. But it didn’t matter. The long day was almost over, and I was about to have a quick bite to eat, then relax and pass out in a capsule for a full five hours. We were about five yards from the turn when I stopped, rooted in place, reading the alarmingly bright lines that had lit up like a warning in front of my eyes:
Job: Combat.
Description: Eliminate three gray plunar xarls.
Job Location: Main hallway 30!
Deadline: ASAP.
Compensation: 30 sol.
Accept job
Yes / No.
“Damn!” I said, flicking my eyes a little lower.
Job: Defense.
Description: Rescue 457 or his body from four gray plunar xarls.
Job Location: Main hallway 30!
Deadline: ASAP.
Compensation: 30 sol.
Accept job
Yes / No.
“What is it, Elb? The system? What’s it say?”
“Tell me how you’re feeling, team.” I barked. “Quickly! Do you have enough strength in you for a fight? Three gray pluxes, maybe four. I’m pretty sure some of them are wounded. Bask?”
“I’m ready!” He brandished his awl.
“Yorka?”
“Damn...”
“Come on! I need an answer!”
“Let’s go!”
“Follow me!” I turned around and started running, putting merciless strain on my tired, injured legs.
Without turning back, I threw my explanations and instructions over my shoulder, accepting the jobs as I ran.
“Don’t worry, soldiers. We can do this. Yorka, you have the club. Do you remember how to use it?”
“Yeah. But there are three pluxes! Or four! Do we just have the one club?”
“We might have more,” I said. “We’ll find out soon. The pluxes are coming from the Cursed Bridge. A group of five orcs was headed there two hours back. Bask!”
“Yes?”
Even though he was blind, he didn’t lag even a step behind, easily keeping pace with us. I turned around briefly, glancing at his tense, concentrated expression half-hidden by the baseball cap.
“You take care of 457. The system said there were three pluxes, then the second job mentioned 457 and another plux. Okay?”
“The plux is on him. Got it.”
“I’m leaving that blood-sucking bastard to you. I’ll tell you exactly where it latched onto 457. Can you take it out?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s go!” I exhaled, and turned sharply into main hallway 30.
The wind hit my face and chest, and a long, frightened shriek tore across my ears. Sixty yards ahead, a bloody orc was barreling towards us. I recognized him from the group of tough guys. He was coming at us at full speed, carrying a nasty gray ‘gift’ for us attached to his leg.
