At first, he’d been worried that she suffered a wound in the dungeon that she hadn’t told him about. He’d ordered a stop and had set about checking her out. After a brief exam, he discovered her temperature had spiked again.
Subsequently, he’d slowed their pace significantly. But even that hadn’t been enough, and for the last few miles, he’d had to help Valentina through particularly difficult terrain. Not that she’d been happy about it.
“I don’t need your help, doc,” Valentina said, her voice thin and reedy. “What kind of soldier can’t handle a leisurely stroll through the woods?”
“The kind that got stabbed by an alien and then contracted an infection,” he replied. “And this is some of the toughest hiking terrain in the state.” As he spoke, a terrible thought occurred to him. Had she been infected with some kind of alien bacteria? Was that why the infection had returned so forcefully?
What if antibiotics won’t work on her?
While it was a concern, his only option was to continue treatment. Either the antibiotics would work, or they wouldn’t. And if they didn’t, then it was up to Valentina to fight off the infection. But she was young and strong, so he was hopeful about her prognosis.
While he appreciated Valentina’s help in the dungeon, he was going to insist she rest tomorrow. She was too important to risk her health for something this minor. If they were going to retake the town, he would need her combat expertise.
“Fucking stupid hills,” Valentina grumbled. “What idiot thought it was a good idea to settle here?”
“The area was settled by lumber companies,” he said absently. “Once they ran out of trees, they turned to subsistence farming and mining. Later on, these hills were filled with bootleggers. In fact, my great, great uncle was apparently a moonshiner.”
“Thanks for the history lesson,” she muttered. Clearly, she hadn’t expected an actual reply and was just venting.
The green beret fell silent again as they struggled up a steep slope. Each step sent a cascade of dirt and pebbles bouncing down behind her. When she reached the top, she pushed him away and leaned forward, pressing a hand against the small of her back.
Warren walked over to the side of the trail and sank down on a log. He was exhausted himself, and he wasn’t fighting an illness like Valentina. She had to be one of the toughest women he’d ever met.
A second later, Kassandra joined them, looking annoyingly fresh. Not a single hair was out of place, and she didn’t even seem winded after the steep climb. She truly was becoming superhuman.
Kassandra walked up to the green beret and held out her hand. “Why don’t I carry your stuff?”
“I’m not giving up my rifle,” Valentina said firmly.
“What about your backpack?”
Without a word, Valentina dropped her sack into Kassandra’s hand. She then straightened up with a pained expression on her face. “Don’t ever tell anyone I did that. Got it?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Kassandra gave her a smile. “Anyway, I think I owe you for saving Warren back there.”
“I didn’t save him. I just gave him the chance to chop that fucker in half.”
“Regardless, I’m grateful.”
Warren grabbed a cola from his bag and then pulled the tab. “Why don’t we stop here and take a fifteen-minute break?”
“Fine by me.” Valentina sank down before flopping onto her side. She lifted a hand to massage her temple as she gazed up into the clear blue sky.
Warren wanted to lie down as well, but something had caught his attention on the side of the trail. He glanced over at Kassandra and waited until she wasn’t looking in his direction before quickly reaching down to gather up a handful of wildflowers. Once he had enough, he gently placed them in his bag.
During each stop on the way back to the cabin, he’d slipped away to pick some flowers. He still felt bad about not cooking Kassandra breakfast this morning, and he hoped giving her a bouquet would make up for it.
If there was one thing he knew from his limited experience with dating, it was that flowers always made a woman happy. Hopefully, they would still work on a woman who had been turned into a superhuman during the apocalypse.
At the thought of his combat deck, he brought up his character sheet. He’d planned on choosing his rewards earlier, but most of his time had been spent helping Valentina navigate the rough terrain. He still needed to allocate his points.
At least after his last few encounters, it was easy to decide where to place his stat point. With the amount of ranged fire he’d been taking—both from aliens and dungeon creatures—he needed a stronger shield.
Next time he leveled up, he’d likely increase his Melee Attack attribute further. But for now, he wanted a shield to protect himself, and hopefully, his comrades. Could he hide Valentina inside of his shield during an attack?
He’d have to test that during his next battle. But he didn’t see any reason why the shield wouldn’t protect others around him. It was a solid wall of energy—nothing should be able to pass through it.
Warren added the stat point to Shield and then pulled up the next portion of leveling up.
Combat Deck Improvements
- Energy
- Cards
- Duration
- Summons
- Bodyguard
After his last few battles, it was clear he needed more energy. The Ring of Vlasiiang wasn’t cutting it lately. He needed to play his cards faster in response to being attacked. And after his fight with Sobek, he realized his deck was becoming outclassed. The ability to cast Lab Accident would be the key to beating the next dungeon boss.
He selected the menu option ‘Energy’, which would raise his maximum Energy to 2 during a fight. This improvement would allow him to cast Duskwalker, and the Lab Accident card after using his artifact ring. Overall, he thought it was the best choice.
Finally, he pulled up his rewards from the dungeon.
Please choose from one of the following:
- One (1) Poor Quality Artifact
- One (1) Uncommon Quality Card
The rewards were slightly different from last time, offering him a poor quality artifact or an uncommon quality card. While he liked the idea of getting an artifact, he had no clue what he would receive. Right now, with his extremely limited deck, he couldn’t take a gamble on the unknown.
For now, he needed to focus on building his deck. He needed another card.
After a moment’s hesitation, he chose Uncommon Quality Card’. Immediately, his wristband activated, which meant he’d drawn another minion.
Harvesting souls commencing
A storm of light shot out from his wristband and disappeared into the trees. Both of the women jumped to their feet, with Valentina struggling to lift her rifle.
“I’m just leveling up,” he called out. Next time, he should probably warn them.
As the women sank back down, the light returned, and a card formed in his vision. The edges of the card were a verdant green, and in the picture was a woman wearing a skintight, tiger print outfit showing off her petite body.
His newest minion had her red hair fashioned into a stylish bob, and cat-like ears emerged from her straight locks. Her eyes were yellow hourglasses, and her fingers ended in wicked claws. On the card, she was perched on top of a bolder, her gaze fixated on something just out of sight.
The card read:
Warren let out a soft whistle upon reading the abilities. This was an amazing card. If he could figure out a way to use her with Duskwalker and Nocturne out, she could probably solo anything he’d faced so far.
But once again, the main bottleneck was energy. Still, if could summon Kassandra first, and then follow her up with Saberlyn, he could easily farm some world challenge monsters.
Kassandra approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Another card?”
He nodded. “This one is pretty impressive. I think she’ll make a big difference in the dungeon.”
“What’s her name?”
“I don’t know her real name,” Warren replied. “But she’s called Saberlyn on the card and it looks like she’s part tiger.”
Kassandra chewed on her lower lip. “The cards can change what we are?”
“I don’t think so.” But as he spoke, his thoughts returned to what had happened with Boone at the Seymour Mountain Resort. When he’d ordered the gunslinger to attack, the man had done so without hesitation. All while wearing a strangely lifeless expression on his face.
Being a card forced his minions to obey his orders. What else had it changed about them?
Would I have the same power over Kassandra? he wondered to himself.
The thought was disquieting, to say the least, and he worried about the implications of having total power over Kassandra. Especially with how his feelings were developing. With each passing day, he felt his attraction growing toward his old friend.
“We should get moving,” he said, not wanting to dwell on the implications. What sort of relationship could you have with someone when you could override their free will?
Kassandra flinched slightly at his words before nodding. “I’ll help Valentina get back on her feet.”
He waited for the others on the trail, and once the green beret reached his side, he offered her his hand again. She accepted it without comment, and they limped down the trail together.
By the time they reached the door to his dad’s workshop, the shadows had grown long. Night would soon descend across mountains, plunging the dense forests into complete darkness. Already, the crickets had begun their symphony, while a distant owl’s hoot sounded among the trees.
Warren helped Valentina inside and gently lowered her onto the cot. He then rolled her over to check on her wound. Once he had peeled off the gauze, he let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, she hadn’t popped any of her stitches. And the infection had receded slightly. Most likely, her weakness was just the result of pushing herself too hard.
Standing up, he walked over to the cabinet to retrieve the first aid kid. He then returned to Valentina and offered her an antibiotic pill. He watched as she popped it into her mouth before washing it down with some water.
“Thanks, doc,” she said weakly. “You know, you’re a really good guy. I wish I had someone like you in my unit.”
“I’m in your unit now,” he said with a smile.
“I like that.” She grinned as she flopped down on her side. “Just don’t make me call you sir.”
“I’d never dream of it.”
He pulled up the blankets over Valentina and then walked outside. A few yards away, Kassandra was sitting on a stump, gazing up at the twilight sky.
Walking over to her, he stood by her side. After a second, she wiggled over, making room for him.
“What’s eating you?” she asked. “I know something is wrong.”
“It’s nothing,” he replied.
She elbowed him lightly as he sank down beside her. “I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s bothering you. You’ve changed since you’ve been gone, but not that much.”
He watched the sky for a minute before responding. The edges of the clouds burned with a crimson fire from the setting sun, and a bird call in the distance added to the tranquility. For the first time since he’d left, he understood why his dad had loved it here so much.
“Well?” she said, patting his knee.
“Back at the resort,” he said, slowly. “I learned I have the ability to order my minions. When Boone didn’t want to fight, I forced him to shoot the orcs. The second I did, his face changed, and he acted like a robot.”
“Oh,” she said, folding her hands in her lap.
“Yeah.”
She brightened after a second, turning her jade green eyes toward him. “Maybe it doesn’t work on bodyguards? Why don’t you try to order me to do something crazy? Like… kissing you.”
“I can’t do that,” he protested. “It wouldn’t be right.”
“Come on,” she said, leaning closer and pressing her lithe body against him. “We have to know….”
“Fine,” he said, his heart skipping a beat. “I… order you to kiss me.”
Without hesitation, Kassandra leaned in, pressing her soft lips against his mouth. She angled her head slightly, letting her tongue dip inside. As she did, the wonderful scent of vanilla swirled around her.
Surrendering to his desires, he slipped his hand around to cup the back of her head. He pulled her in tighter, his own tongue darting into her mouth, and making her gasp in pleasure. They hungrily devoured each other before he finally pulled back slightly.
“We can’t do this…”
Her big eyes watched him intently. “But it didn’t work.”
“I thought—”
“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that,” she interrupted him, her face beaming. “I-I’ve had feelings for you for a long time.”
“You have?” he said, shocked at her admission. He thought she’d only started to feel this way when he returned home. Had she been attracted to him back in high school?
“I have,” she said in a breathy voice, pressing her body against him.
As he opened his mouth to respond, the door behind them banged open. From inside the workshop, Valentina strode out, carrying a plate in each hand.
Kassandra immediately pulled away, sitting ramrod straight.
“I hope I’m not interrupting something,” Valentina said, giggling. “Who am I kidding? What are you going to do, make out with a card?”
His friend’s cheeks turned pink, and she leapt to her feet. “I should go keep watch.”
Warren half rose to his feet. “I’ll come with you…”
He trailed off as she hurried away, watching as she disappeared into the dense underbrush surrounding the property.
Valentina cocked her head to the side. “Don’t tell me she’s still sensitive about being turned into a card.”
“Wouldn’t you be?” Warren shot back, annoyed at the green beret’s words. “I don’t like you upsetting her.”
“Calm down, doc,” she said, handing him the plate. On its surface were slices of cheese, crackers, and what looked like pieces of canned fruit. “I thought I’d grab you some food to thank you. It’s the least I could do after you carried my ass up the mountain.”
Valentina settled down next to him, pressing her athletic body against his side. She slipped her arm around his waist. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m feeling a bit lightheaded after that walk. Do you mind if I lean against you? Anyway, it’s boring as fuck being in there alone.”
When he didn’t reply, she pressed her head against his shoulder. “You know, it really is beautiful here, isn’t it? I’d love to settle down with someone in a place like this someday. Now I just need to find a good man..."
Warren didn’t know how to respond to that, so he simply sat in silence watching the sunset with Valentina at his side.
After a moment, his thoughts turned toward the bouquet of flowers he’d planned to give to Kassandra. Then his mind returned to the passionate kiss they’d shared. As he did, he felt Valentina snuggle in closer to him. While he liked the green beret, she truly had the worst timing in the world.