Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Stop, Drop, and Roll

“<<Party Flare>>!”

Perhaps launching such a potentially dangerous skill at somebody right next to me in such a tightly enclosed space was not the brightest decision. In my defense, though, this crazy person had tried to stab me. That was what I stuck with as I rolled on the cool ground, ignoring the subdued jabs from the jagged rock beneath me. I had blinded myself, but I was fairly certain the searing heat I was feeling wasn’t normal.

No, I was certain my clothes were on fire.

While I continued to stop, drop, and roll like I had been taught in school, I heard the loud curses of the person next to me. Her voice was light, giving me the impression that she was young, yet the way she spewed curses like a drunken sailor had me second-guessing. Eventually, the heat abated, and I rose to my feet, blinking away the whiteness sweeping around the corners of my eyes. Thanks to the flare being lit off around no cover, remnants of it remained, allowing some light to seep into the cave. It also allowed me to make out my surroundings.

The girl across from me mirrored my actions from earlier, and I suddenly felt like all that cursing was justified, even though she had to be like twelve at the oldest. While the sleeves of her shirt had been burnt to nothing, the rest of her clothes fared alright, if not charred and blackened. Her gaze met my own and her small face was twisted into a scowl.

“What kind of adventurer are you? You set me on fire!” she shouted, crimson eyes narrowed.

“What kind of NPC are you? You tried to stab me!” I countered.

“And I would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for your meddling explosions!” 

Well, shit. She had me there, solving the mystery so easy. Not.

“Whatever, I can’t waste any more time with you. We need to get you back to town, so I can get the reward.”

“No way!”

Did artificial intelligence get some kind of upgrade or something? I had no idea that NPCs could argue with players unless it was part of a quest line. Oh, wait. Didn’t that mean this was simply part of the quest line? While I had never completed this particular one before, I had a vague idea of how the dialogue should go.

“Why not?” I sighed, hoping to draw more answers out of her.

“Because you can’t make me! I hate the orphanage, and I won’t go back.” Her irises flitted from side to side, almost like she was a caged beast. “I’ll kill you if I have to, you know!”

“I’m well aware,” I said, dully. “Look, why don’t we make a deal? If you come back with me to town and show the caretakers at the orphanage that you’re ok, I’ll let you join my party.”

“Why the hell would I want that?”

“You’re right. How silly of me. This cave would be a much better alternative than traveling with me. I mean look at all this stuff. You have a nice cave house, with some nice cave water, and some cave rocks to eat when you get hungry. Not to mention–”

“Alright, I get it.” Her cheeks set in a cute pout, framed by her braided white hair. “At least the cave doesn’t launch spells at me, though…”

I internally cheered at her acceptance, proud of myself for managing to convince her. Sometimes I forgot how great my social skills were despite hardly ever practicing them. But I had easily tricked a kid into doing what I asked without any intention of following through on my side of the deal. 

My parents would be so proud of me.

It wasn’t as though I was completely lying. I would have let her join my party since I wasn’t one to go back on my word. I just knew there was no way an NPC could join my party anyway. So, I was simply conning the system.

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Oblivious to my musings, the girl stayed rooted to her spot. Wondering if she was waiting for me to guide her back, I took a step forward. She copied me and then moved no further. We continued this strange dance as we exited the cave. It repeated again through the forest until we emerged through the clearing. The warm rays of the sun splayed down on me while the long grass tickled at my skin. A relaxing sensation, and the girl seemed to agree, a small smile grazing her lips for the first time.

“Seriously, how long did you plan on hiding in that cave?” I asked, noticing the red outline had finally faded.

“As long as it took.”

Well, if that wasn’t an ominous statement. The girl was obviously weary of me, not that I could blame her. Yet, I was still a little frightened of her too. What was to stop her from lodging that knife into my back the moment I let my guard down. Regardless of how much the devs had turned down the pain we felt in the game, I still had no desire to test that by getting stabbed. 

Lyfeti was awaiting my return, kicking the toe of his shoe against the dusty road leading into town. He stopped once he saw the two of us. “I see you were successful. Though, it took you a little longer than I thought it would.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “Should’ve gone in a little better prepared.”

“Well, you pulled it off either way. Just learn from this and move on.”

God, he sounded just like my primary school teachers. And look how that turned out for me, a few more failed classes away from flunking out of my final year of school. Although, I guess that said more about me than it did about them and Lyfeti. My crippling addiction to Skill Shards Online was a big part of the problem too, but speaking of that, I had stuff to do.

“Anyway, I got to get here to the orphanage and claim the reward.”

“No! You promised you’d let me join your party.”

Her cheeks were puffed out again, and she stomped her little foot on the road, kicking up dust. It would have been adorable had I not known she hid a blade somewhere on her person. Lyfeti didn’t realize, however, so he moved closer to her. “What’d you say?” 

The little wannabe backstabber shifted away from him, pressing herself against my back and obviously shaking. Her hands gripped onto the back of my shirt, bunching up the fabric. Interesting how you’re all timid and innocent around everyone else. Wish some of that would’ve applied to me.

Clearly feeling bad, Lyfeti backed up to where he originally stood. He offered a sheepish apology in her direction. “Right, didn’t mean to frighten you. I’ve just never heard an NPC talk about joining a player’s party before. Forgive me?”

She peeked around me, staring at him intently, then finally nodding. Nodding back, he waved at her and she did so too. Truly adorable, but all this bonding wasn’t going to pay my bills. Or get me better equipment.

“And I told you I’d let you once we got the reward, so let’s get moving,” I announced for both their sakes. 

“Do you mind if I come with you?”

I shrugged my shoulders, not caring either way. I was more curious about what had made him so intrigued about this annoying NPC. Flipping around to get her opinion on it, I asked, “What do you think?”

She seemed to consider that a moment before answering. “Will he set me on fire too?”

There was little I could do except wither under the disgusted look Lyfeti gave me. 

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