Chapter 10
Tyson
Rohan waits outside while I tell the innkeeper we might be staying a few extra nights, unfortunately. She nods and takes the gold before I head out to join him. The wooden door creaks on its hinges as I step into the morning sun.
I scan the street looking for my little headache.
He couldn’t have gotten far, seeing as our HP bar is doing fine.
I walk closer into the bustling square and see him handing something to a kid, his mother nearby.
He nods and smiles warmly at them. A smile I’ve never seen before. It looks nice on him.
Rohan finally sets off, turning around. When our eyes meet, he scowls a bit. Back to his usual self, I suppose.
Hopefully, we can get along well enough to get out of here.
“You ready?” I ask as he approaches me.
“I guess.” He mutters, walking ahead of me.
We both should be able to see exactly where the NPC is via our map.
It says he’s not far. We walk in silence through the stone-lined streets.
Rohan’s brows shoot up here and there. I notice how his eyes light up when he sees something interesting to him.
I wish we had time to stop so he could look, but the sooner we find out what’s going on, the better.
Rohan and I turn a corner into a small courtyard, lined with trees.
Birds are chirping as they fly above our heads.
And crouched down is the NPC we’re looking for, he’s planting some kind of shrub into the ground next to one of the trees.
He stands to his full height when we get a little closer.
Close enough to see his name, Leon. He’s fairly tall.
I try to get a look at his face, but it’s covered by a hooded cloak.
He seems a little older than us from what I can tell, early 30s maybe.
Something about his stature feels familiar, though.
But I can’t place it.
“Hey there! Need something?” he asks, tilting his head to the side.
“We’re here to accept a quest?” Rohan says, shifting on his feet.
“Ah! Well, aren’t you boys brave? I’m looking for this rare plant seed. They’re dropped by the bees down in the blossom fields. If you boys wouldn’t mind going out there and retrieving them for me, that would be great.”
“Seeds?” I say, squinting my eyes.
“Yup.”
“That’s all?” Rohan asks. I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing I am. How the fuck are seeds going to help us get out of here?
“I mean, for now.” Leon chuckles.
“Alright then, we’ll go get them for you,” I say.
“Great! Thank you, boys! I’ll be waiting right here when you get back!” He laughs.
I look at Rohan, his brows are furrowed, and I can already see the irritation spreading across the rest of his face. God, please help me.
* * *
After accepting the quest, we head off in the direction the game is telling us to go. It’s a field I’ve taken him to before to level up, so this shouldn’t be too long.
We run into a few monsters along the way during our travel to the fields.
Rohan takes some down, jabbing at them with his lance before they can get any closer.
These monsters are lower than his level, so should be fine.
We’re both still quiet, thankfully, when we arrive at the map.
The bees are huge, and the sound of their buzzing all at once is head-ringing.
I summon my blade and slash into the first three.
If I kill as many as I can at a time, that’ll make sure we find the seeds fast. Which shouldn’t be a problem since they’re way below my level.
I scan the field for Rohan, and he’s struggling with one of the monsters, their stinger clashing with his lance as he tries to fight it off.
I forgot his level isn’t high enough yet to not struggle taking them on. My sword rips through the back of the bee, its body dispersing into thin air. When it’s fully gone, I can see Rohan’s face, and he’s not happy.
“Why’d you do that!” he snaps at me.
Here we go.
“Rohan, just let me take them so we can get through this quicker,” I sigh.
“No way. I’m not sitting around while you complete the quest,” he says, stomping toward the next monster.
“You did it before.”
“Can you stop bringing that up! It was obviously before I knew who I was talking to.”
“Why does it matter!?” I push back.
“I don’t need your help.”
“Rohan…” I let out a heavy sigh, “You know what? Forget it.”
I can’t do this with him right now, so I use a higher-level attack that takes up most of my MP, and I clear the entire map.
My bar is left nearly empty after it’s down, and my body feels like it’s being crushed slightly under gravity’s weight, but I’d rather this than fucking argue and chase Rohan around to make sure he’s okay.
He scoffs at me. “Really, Tyson?”
“Yes, really. I don’t have time for this. Look for the fucking seeds so we can leave.” I huff out. He bites his lip and begrudgingly buffs me, my body instantly feeling a little lighter.
“Thanks,” I mumble.
“Whatever, if you die, I might die. I don’t know what’s going on.” He rolls his eyes before starting to look through the grass for the seeds the monsters should’ve dropped. He lets out a little gasp when he finds it.
“I got it!” Rohan smiles widely.
Ah, there it is.
That’s the smile.
My breath catches; I watch as the wind plays in his light-colored hair. I always wondered if it was natural or if he dyed it that way. The golden hour sun hits his brown skin perfectly. If only he could stay exactly like this, I chuckle. He puts the seeds in his pouch and prances over to me.
“Alright, let’s go back,” he says before heading to the left side of the field.
“Wait, where are you going?”
“Back to town,” Rohan says, without even looking at me.
“That’s not the way.”
I would know.
“Yes, it is. There’s not one way. I learned that playing by myself,” he huffs, crossing his arms. “This way is better.”
“No, we’re going the direction we came.”
“So go by yourself then.”
“Oh, trust me, I would definitely leave your ass here if I could.”
“Okay, so?” He shrugs.
“What do you mean, okay, so? Rohan, we’re going the same way we came, and that’s it,” I say, my voice firm.
“I’m not going. Why do we always have to do everything your way?”
“And why do you always have to be such a fucking brat?”
“I’m not. You’re just a controlling asshole.”
“Rohan, get over yourself,” I say, staring down at him.
“You think you can just push me around?”
“I don’t think that at all. I just want to get back to town as soon as possible. It’s getting dark.”
“Okay, so let’s just go my way,” he asserts.
I sigh, yes, he’s right. There isn’t one way back, but my way is definitely the quickest. Rohan stands, glaring at me, waiting for me to give in, and I’m just so fucking tired of his whining that I nod, gesturing towards the direction he insists we go in.
The evil little shit grins at me. “Wonderful, you’re finally being a good boy and listening to me.”
I dip low, my mouth a touch away from his ear. “That’s my line.”
The same ears are turning pink when he shoves me away and stalks off.