Chapter 9: Out of the cave.

  Adam’s POV

  “Gentlemen! As you can see from the absolute chaos happening here… could I maybe borrow one of your weapons? … Please? …As in right now?”

  The six people in front of me stared, completely baffled. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them—my entrance had been a bit over the top. Debris had shot out when our skeletal horse friend tried to squeeze through an opening not meant for her, sending rocks flying and knocking one poor guy flat on his back.

  The rest of the group consisted of an eclectic cast: two identical twins who looked like they shared a brain cell, a dude with a black cape that hid his figure by the fire who was eating food like nothing in the world could disturb him, and two who actually reacted.

  The first was a mage-like woman with a massive witch hat, who casually conjured a glowing staff like it was always there. The second was a brick wall of a man, tanned and muscles stacked like he was auditioning for a barbarian calendar. He immediately screamed, “PROTECT THE CHILD!”

  “I ain’t no child!” I yelled back.

  But before I could argue further, the skeletal horse started struggling again, breaking free of its earlier restraints. My Petrifying Strike was still on cooldown, so I resorted to flinging Sticky Webs at it to slow it down. The webs helped a bit, but with my Stone Shield duration expired, I had no defense left.

  Suddenly, vines shot out of nowhere, wrapping around the bone horse and yanking it back to the ground.

  Then Mr. Macho Man pulled a massive hammer out of… somewhere honestly, I didn’t want to know but hopefully his inventory, let out a primal yell, and launched himself sky-high.

  He came crashing down like a meteor on a mission. The ground cratered beneath the impact, and lightning crackled across the hammer, illuminating the entire scene.

  Whoa.

  Just when I thought the show was over, he raised the hammer again, sparks flying like fireworks, and brought it down with another deafening BOOM! Half the bony horse exploded into bone dust, while the creepy tentacle bits got squished like they owed him money.

  As the dust settled, the mage-lady dashed over to me, her staff disappearing into thin air as she knelt down. “Child! Are you alright?” she asked, genuine concern in her voice.

  I couldn’t help but notice how tall she was. She had that soft, motherly vibe, which was both comforting and awkward.

  I wasn’t used to being at such a height disadvantage. I used to be a solid six feet tall, but now? I was barely scraping five feet.

  This must be what chihuahuas feel like all the time, I thought, looking up at our towering mage lady.

  That said… I couldn’t complain about the view. Let’s just say she had some notable assets and leave it at that.

  Her worry made sense, though. I was covered head to toe in dirt, blood, and wearing what could only be described as the “hobo chic” collection: dirt shoes with a sprinkle of stone.

  “I’m not a kid,” I started, puffing up my chest. “I’m thirt—” I caught myself mid-sentence, remembering that this body wasn’t exactly mine. “I mean, I’m 14 years old!”

  The mage lady wasted no time, brushing me off like a worried mom checking for scratches on a toddler who’d just faceplanted into the dirt. Once she was satisfied that I wasn’t falling apart, her expression shifted from concern to full-on anger.

  Meanwhile, Mr. Hammer had gone over to play nurse for his unconscious buddy, and the twins were gleefully looting the skeletal horse like it was Christmas morning.

  And me? I was getting an earful.

  “What in the world possessed you to dive into the Mountain Traverse Cave?” she scolded, her voice sharp enough to pierce through my lingering adrenaline. “Do you even grasp how dangerous it is for us Nomads out here, let alone that cave!?”

  First real conversation with another human in what felt like days, and here I was, getting chewed out by a woman with some huge honk a badonkers.

  Guess some things in life never change.

  Also… what the hell is a Nomad?

  As if reading my mind, Nove chimed in with her usual monotone, “Nomads are an organization of people unaffiliated with any clans. They take on a variety of odd jobs, often acting as mercenaries.”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Ah. So basically, they’re mercenaries with no strings attached.

  “Got it,” I mumbled, mostly to myself, as I tried to focus on the mage lady’s words instead of her assets.

  “Dona,” the hammer-wielding juggernaut called out, his booming voice echoing across the mountain ledge. His massive hammer vanished into thin air—probably tucked back into his inventory.

  The guy looked like a human tank, with muscles that seemed to defy logic, tan skin, a neatly trimmed black beard, and short-cropped hair. He had that undeniable leader vibe, standing over six feet tall and exuding authority. Meanwhile, there was me, barely scraping five feet, looking like I gremlin ready to hunt for some mice.

  Dona, the wizard lady, turned toward him with an exasperated huff. She had that motherly aura, like the kind of person who’d bake cookies and scold you for not wearing a jacket at the same time. Her pale white skin along with her black tight dress caught the sunlight, making her look almost ethereal. And, of course, she was a good deal taller than me, like most people in this world apparently.

  While Dona went to chat with Mr. Tank and check on their knocked-out buddy, I saw my chance. Sneaking over to the twins, who were carefully inspecting every bone fragment like they were experienced archeologists, regardless, I decided to make my move.

  “Hey, do you mind if I grab some of these bones?” I asked, breaking the silence.

  They both yelped in surprise, nearly jumping out of their skins. Their reactions were so dramatic that they caught the attention of everyone—except the guy with the cape, who continued to ignore us, calmly munching on what looked like roasted meat.

  “Uh… sorry for startling you?” I offered, trying not to laugh at how synchronized their reaction was.

  “N-No, it’s fine!” the guy stammered.

  “Just don’t sneak up on us like that again, okay?” the girl added, still catching her breath.

  “Duly noted,” I replied with a grin. “So anyway, would you mind if I snagged a few bones and maybe some blood? You know, if it’s not too much trouble?”

  The twins exchanged a glance, their expressions growing more serious. I could practically hear the mental coin toss happening between them.

  Then, as if on cue, their gazes shifted to the guy with the cape, his attire reminded me of necromancers from games, For the first time, he stopped his casual chewing, looked me up and down with an amused smirk, let out a soft chuckle, and went right back to his food like nothing had happened. I was finally able to glance the face behind the cape, he had a thin body and a sharp, cruel-looking face.

  The twins turned back to me, the guy speaking first, “Since our leader killed it—”

  “—you have to ask him,” the girl finished seamlessly.

  I couldn’t help but admire how the twins finished each other’s sentences. It had to be deliberate, right? Nobody does that naturally. Creepy or cool, it wasn’t my problem, so I shrugged it off and made my way toward the leader.

  Still, my attention kept flicking to the guy near the fire—the one who seemed utterly unfazed by everything, like he was just waiting for his next meal. Something about his demeanor gave me the kind of bad vibes that made your neck hairs stand on end.

  Turning my focus back to the hammer-wielding juggernaut and Dona, I caught snippets of their conversation as I approached.

  “But he’s just a child,” Dona was saying, her concern almost palpable.

  “He petrified a Shademare,” the leader replied in a clipped tone. “Sure, it’s a lesser subspecies of the Dreadmare, but they all have high petrification resistance. And somehow, this kid managed to not only petrify it but also slow it down with webs and conjure a disappearing stone shield. That combination of abilities means he’s using multiple core nodes. We need to proceed with caution.”

  “But he’s just a child,” Dona repeated, her maternal instincts kicking in.

  “A child we can’t underestimate,” the leader replied firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument.

  Wait, why are they so interested in my core nodes?

  Panic started creeping in. Are they planning to steal them? I mean, I didn’t know exactly how core nodes could be stolen—they’re kind of attached to my nexus core, aren’t they? But the idea wasn’t comforting. Besides, it’s not like I had priceless artifacts lodged in my chest. My nodes were literally crafted from dirt and stone. If they really wanted them, I could hand over a DIY guide.

  Deciding to redirect the conversation, I pointed to the unconscious guy on the ground. “Uh, is that guy okay?”

  The leader glanced at him briefly. “He’ll be fine. Just needs a moment.”

  Dona, however, turned her sharp gaze on me. Her expression shifted to something far more serious as she crossed her arms, her assets swinging and her black dress emphasizing her presence. “But back to the matter at hand—what were you doing in that cave?”

  I hesitated for a second, but then just decided to tell the truth, “Uh… would you believe me if I said I fell into a hole and got lost?”

  The two of them exchanged a glance, their expressions oddly thoughtful, before nodding in unison.

  “That actually makes sense,” they both said.

  I blinked. Wait. That worked? Seriously?

  Apparently, getting lost in a deadly cave system wasn’t even worth raising an eyebrow. For them, it was just another day at the park.

  “How long were you stuck in there?” Dona asked, her voice laced with curiosity and concern.

  I opened my mouth, ready to say “half a day,” when Nove decided to drop a bombshell in my head.

  “You’ve been trapped in that cave for approximately four days.”

  FOUR DAYS?! My mind reeled. There’s no way it’s been that long! …Oh, wait. The memory hit me like a truck—right after that golden light healed me, I’d gone into a deep sleep. Guess I’d snoozed longer than I thought.

  “Uh… I guess for a couple of days,” I mumbled, scratching the back of my head.

  The two of them exchanged glances, their expressions unreadable.

  “…How did you manage with food and water?” the leader finally asked, his tone cautious.

  “Well,” I began, shrugging, “water was easy. The cave had plenty. As for food… uh, I had to make do with worms and bats.”

  “You…” The Captain’s face contorted like he couldn’t decide whether to be impressed or disgusted, but before he could respond, Dona swept me into a tight hug.

  Suddenly, I was enveloped in warmth—and a whole lot of squishiness. It felt like I’d fallen into a very different kind of cave, one that was soft, spongy, and, dare I say it, comforting.

  “Oh, you poor child,” she cooed, stroking my dirt-streaked hair like I was a kitten. “You’ve been through so much. Rest now, and let us take care of you.”

  It was a completely alien experience for me. In my thirty years of existence, nobody had ever spoken to me like this. The kindness and softness were new… and not entirely unwelcome.

  I could get used to this. Gimme more.

  But, of course, Nove had to ruin the moment.

  “Reminding the host that your fiancée will not appreciate any physical touch with other women.”

  Shut up, Nove. Let me have this.