We Can Be Heroes ...?

16

As though there weren't a dozen skeletons only feet away, ready to attack and eviscerate them if they strayed too close, the adventurers were all giddily consulting their magical parchments. Shion couldn't see any of them, of course, because she wasn't in contact with any of them, but she recognised the glazed, but tightly focussed looks. She hoped she didn't look that empty when she looked at her own parchment.

Which she did now. The smaller parchment appeared over the top of her usual one, with the words 'Level 3' at the top. Again it urged her to spend 'points' and she copied what Jova had done before, accepting the 'reward' of twenty-five strong health potions. As soon as she did that, however, that smaller parchment became replaced by another, stating 'Level 4'. Again, she copied what Jova had done, but really wished the twin could supervise her. She wasn't certain she had done it all correctly.

The 'reward' for this level was a choice of pets, apparently, and without really thinking much about it, she chose the collie, the very detailed picture showing its lovely black and white colouring. She expected the smaller parchment to disappear. Instead, a tinkling sound announced that she had a new ability, 'Life drain'. She didn't like the sound of that. At all.

"Ah, swee'!" Dismissing his parchment, Dave gave a triumphant thrust of his crotch, that wasn't nearly as lewd as Shion would have imagined, and curled his hand into a fist beside his waist. "I go' my spin atta' back. Nice!"

"And I have pile-driver back!" Jova bounced on her feet, clapping her hands. "I love that one! Especially if it kills them and they go splat! Not that I'm bloodthirsty, or anything. Mila?"

"You know what I got. Multiple fucking Bobs." Mila appeared the only one disappointed, kicking out at a loose stone by her foot. "Only a second one, for now, but the more I use it in combat, the more Bobs I can summon at one time. Fucking useless. I want my wolf pack back!"

She shouted that last sentence to the skies, or, rather, the cavern roof high above. She probably invoked the gods, requesting a boon, but Mila hadn't shown any signs of being devout up to now and the gods rarely gave boons to anyone but their followers. Or perhaps she was just shouting. To be fair, Mila shouted a lot, mixing in her colourful, strange curses. Telling the difference between a normal shout and one requesting a boon would not be easy.

They all talked as though they had had these abilities before and Shion wondered just how many 'levels' they had lost before she had met them. She still wasn't entirely certain she believed them when they said they had died a lot. If she were honest, she wasn't certain she believed much of anything they said. Not that they were horrible people, as such, but they were definitely not what Dave had intimated they were.

"What about you, Shion?" Jova leaned over, trying to catch Shion's eyes. "Anything fun?"

"I don't know. Something called 'Life drain'. That, frankly, sounds awful." She tried to think whether the name of the ability was a metaphor, or something, but that sounded even worse. What could it possibly be a metaphor for? "Oh, and a pet, apparently. I don't know when, or where, I can pick it up, but ..."

"Shhh! Don't mention pets!" Jova almost dived across to Shion, looking over her shoulder toward Mila. "My sister despises them. Furry distractions she calls them, though they aren't all furry. I have a silver Lounge Lizard. Ooh, but you already have it, though, you just need to go into your collectibles tab and ..."

Jova snapped her mouth closed as Mila joined them. She lifted her nose, as though she could sense the conspiratorial way Jova had spoken to Shion, and narrowed her eyes at her sister. Jova's face became the picture of innocence as she sidled away, mouthing 'I'll tell you later' as she moved away. Mila turned her head, eyes still tight and distrusting of her sister.