George POV

  George sat next to a small campfire in the clearing, watching the flames slowly take on a life of their own. Aditi kept feeding it dried foliage, ensuring it burned hot enough to catch onto the thicker, less dry pieces of wood stacked nearby.

  Two members of their group stood watch at the edge of the clearing, weapons in hand. Ostensibly, they were scanning the darkness for monster threats. Actually, his former associate was observing the camp itself, paying attention to the movement of people rather than monsters. Tony’s uncle was keeping an eye out for monster threats and had the visual skills necessary for the job, courtesy of a skill crystal inherited from his dead son. Keen Eyes.

  The camp leader agreed to merge camps, provided George’s home proved satisfactory and his people welcoming. The pastor would join the return trip to judge the conditions himself. George’s team would sleep under unfamiliar trees for the night, ready to march at first light.

  The fire roared to life, followed by the sharp cracking sound of wood giving way. It was a losing battle, no doubt. Fire always won in the end. Aditi sat down beside the flames, choosing a flat stone seat next to Tony. With their skill Enhanced Strength, neither Tony nor George had any trouble moving the larger rocks into place. Three stones with relatively flat surfaces had found their way under them.

  “Should we check out the other camp?” Tony asked, his gaze lingering on Aditi longer than necessary. When he glanced at George, it was brief, more a courtesy than a request to take part.

  George said nothing. The casual dismissal stung. It irked George how little respect these people afforded him. He forced himself to stay quiet, storing the slight away. There would be time to settle accounts later, if circumstances allowed.

  “No. If we took that route, the river would block us from getting home.” Aditi spoke fast, words spilling out before she could second-guess them.

  George thought of the other camp, the one near the waterfall. The quartermaster had described it in blunt terms. Gangsters ran it, and most of its residents shared similar dispositions. Their deal was simple. The gangsters cleared the nearby area of monsters. In return, this camp provided edible mushrooms.

  There was no way to verify the quality of work being done or if it was being done at all. It was a protection fee in all but name, paid regularly to avoid trouble. No wonder they were eager to leave.

  Still, judging by the low number of skilled individuals present and none of them not knowing dead people dropped skill crystals, the gangsters were doing their job well enough.

  “We could probably find a shallow crossing,” Tony said. “I doubt the river is that wide. It’s probably just a fast stream. They might be exaggerating.”

  “And then what? Walk into a camp full of thugs?” The distaste in Aditi’s voice was unmistakable. She looked down as she spoke, her tone carrying a hint of disdain.

  George felt irritation rise. Something in her tone bothered him more than the suggestion itself.

  Under normal circumstances, he would have pushed to investigate it. His past had trained him for those environments. He knew how men like that thought, how favors were traded, how violence and loyalty intertwined. Profit thrived in places others avoided.

  However, the man running that camp gave him pause. Bala. Or Bala Annan, as everyone called him, including George’s former superior officers, was not your typical gangster. He was an eccentric individual with a penchant for violence, even against friends. Worse, his gang adored him. They worshipped the ground he walked. They were less underlings and more devoted followers, treating his every word as gospel.

  Interacting with that group meant submitting yourself to Bala’s moods and impulses. It also meant answering for any perceived slight, whether intended or imagined. George would rather avoid that entirely. He already had his hands full with Sid. He didn’t have the time or energy to deal with Bala.

  “I’ll work with anyone if it helps me get revenge.” Tony glanced sideways at George, then turned his attention back to Aditi.

  The campfire illuminated Tony’s face just enough for George to catch the expression. Earnest. Righteous. George felt irritation flare. Tony and Aditi carried themselves as if they stood on firmer moral ground. As if their intent made their actions cleaner. George had lived with that hypocrisy his entire life. People judged him while benefiting from the same outcomes.

  “Don’t take that tone with me, after you’ve messed up.” George pointed behind him with his thumb, toward the camp. “Those people are joining us. What happens when they realize you lied about the skill crystals? It’ll be like what happened with Naga.”

  “What do you think happened to Naga?” Tony shot back. “He’s still leading the camp. His friends are walking free after the murder.” He scoffed. “That’s after lying about something anyone could verify.”

  That snake-faced bitch. George pictured Naga, cursing his name. He had Naga’s second-in-command in his pocket, ready to take over, but Sid threw a wrench in his plans. Now Naga kept Bunty at arm’s length. Sidelined, powerless, and unable to speak the language, Bunty was effectively neutralized.

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  Still, George did not consider it a defeat. The winner was the last man standing, and he intended to survive.

  “I’m still one of the leaders.” George tried to sound confident, but the effort showed.

  “Yeah, sure.” Tony’s sarcasm was unmistakable. “That’s why you’re out here with us instead of back at camp. Believe me, you need us just as much as we need you.”

  George gritted his teeth. That was the last straw. The firelight blurred, red bleeding into the edges of his vision, reminding him of the day the inspector had chastised him in front of the team. The humiliation had burned then, just as it burned now. Before George could stop himself, he reached back toward the gun tucked into his waistband, pressed against his lower back. Big-Tooth was going to pay.

  Aditi moved first.

  She stepped in front of her boyfriend, placing herself between George and Tony without hesitation. For a moment, George thought she was simply faster. The realization came slowly, like syrup dripping through his thoughts. His movements were sluggish. His limbs felt heavy, unresponsive. Weakness spread through him, the kind that came with a fever, the kind that made you want to sit down and sleep.

  His thoughts followed the same pattern. Slow. Fragmented.

  As his vision swam, understanding crept in. She wanted to use Mana Shield to block his bullets, just like Sid had done with Pallavi. She could fire Mana Web from behind her shield. It wouldn’t stop him for long, but it didn’t need to. She needed only to delay him long enough.

  Long enough for Tony to put him down.

  George’s eyes drifted to the edges of his vision. His colleague nearby was suffering the same affliction, swaying slowly as Tony’s uncle approached him unimpeded. George swallowed. There was no scenario where this ended well for him.

  Backing down was the only option.

  “I’m sorry.” George’s words came out slowly, his voice cracking under the weight of it. “I got carried away.”

  “There better not be a next time,” Tony said. His tone was sharp, edged with something colder beneath it. “Otherwise, you’ll donate one of your precious skills to me.”

  George lowered his head. Humiliation burned deeper than the weakness in his limbs. One way or another, he promised himself, he would claim a trait. Tony’s days were numbered.

  His eyes shifted to Aditi, who now sat between him and Tony, her posture almost protective. He felt a spike of resentment. He wanted to make her suffer, but she had too many uncommon skills. Until he learned how to disable someone’s skills, it was better to make his enemies dead and repurpose their skill crystals.

  Tony had been generous with his girlfriend, letting her choose her skills freely. And she had chosen well. Since leaving camp, they had fought three major battles, not counting the scattered monster encounters.

  The first two were the easiest battles George had been part of since he came to this place. Tony would flex his trait, freezing every Tier 0 goblin in range. Tier 1s alone couldn’t resist their combined assault. It was a silent execution.

  In their last fight, they faced a group of twelve goblins. That one was loud unlike the others, with a lot of cackling noises. The Tier 1s put up a fight, even rousing some Tier 0s into action. By that time, their entire team was stacked with uncommon skills, so they made quick work of the goblins. With Aditi present, injuries were inconveniences, nothing more.

  That fight exposed Tony’s limit—that numbers could overwhelm his trait. And when George finally turned on him, he would make sure to breach those limits.

  Aditi stared at George for a full minute, long enough to make him uncomfortable, before turning to Tony. “Do we need to kidnap Sid’s teammates? Can’t we just take them head-on?”

  “We don’t even know half their skills, and they might’ve already gotten more.” Tony let out a tired sigh. “You wanted to save Rohan, right? Then it’s better if we take him hostage.”

  George stifled a scoff. She didn’t blink at murder, yet balked at kidnapping. The hypocrisy nearly made him laugh.

  Anything to make you do something you hate, George thought, smiling faintly. “That girl, Pallavi, also needs to be handled.”

  Aditi turned to him with a condescending smile. “From what I’ve heard, she’s an opportunist. If we give her a way out, she might not fight at all.”

  “That doesn’t reduce their numbers.” George leaned to the side to get a better view of Tony. “Rohan might be the weakest one on their team.” He shifted his gaze back to Aditi. “Can’t you isolate Varun or Pallavi?”

  Pallavi’s hateful glare burned in his mind. He knew instantly she wouldn’t let it go. He’d learned the danger of a woman scorned the hard way, when a single lie to his mistress cost him his family.

  “It’d be even better if we had Varun too,” Tony said. “Sid threatened you because of him. I have a feeling he won’t come just for Rohan. He might bail.”

  “Varun hates my guts,” Aditi said, exhaling hard. “I can’t get him alone. Not unless you have a brilliant plan.”

  She waited, glancing between George and Tony, even flicking her eyes toward the two guards standing watch.

  “Sid and Varun were friends in college,” Aditi paused for effect. “But Sid idolizes Rohan. He’ll come.” Her eyes grew distant for a moment before hardening. “Varun is all talk. He wasn’t effective in any fight I’ve seen. He even got injured at the gate. We can take them on, even if Sid comes with Pallavi and Varun.”

  “I’d rather not risk it,” Tony said. He looked directly at George. “You have someone inside Naga’s camp. Can they isolate Pallavi?”

  “How did you…?” George’s eyes widened before he caught himself. “Never mind. That won’t work. She knows about that contact.” He paused. “But I agree she’s dangerous. Have someone from your family keep watch. If there’s an opening, trap her with Mana Web. Avoid close combat.”

  Tony glanced at his uncle and received a confirming nod.

  “I’ll get Sid’s skill, right?” George asked. The earlier display had shifted the power dynamic, and he needed confirmation.

  Irritation crept into Tony’s voice. “Yes. I don’t care about his skills. You can have it.”

  George didn’t buy it. Either Tony was leaving his fifth slot empty, or he was lying, passing off a hidden skill as a trait.

  It didn’t matter. George would find out when Tony died.

  He planned ahead, already calculating the numbers. He needed more of his own people at the exchange. Control the skill drop, and then turn on Tony immediately.

  The moment of victory was when people were at their weakest.

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