Page 23 of Love in Development

A request to chat appeared from IvoryKnight.

He wasn’t going to give up easily, and he could see I was online.I opened it, my chest a little tight.

IvoryKnight: You’re fast.We could use another fighter to complete theShadows of Forgotten Lordsquest.Wanna help?

My fingers hovered over the keyboard.I wasn’t sure I was ready to join another group.Not after what had happened before...

IvoryKnight: The quest is to defeat each of the hidden bosses.You can have your choice of loot.

I did a quick search about the quest.It was a top-tier quest, meaning very rare bosses, which meant very rare and therefore expensive loot.Was he trying to bribe me?

ScarlettSaber: No.That’s not fair.

IvoryKnight: Then join our chat to ask the others.

I wavered.Even temporarily joining a group gave me palpitations after my previous experience.But many quests were too big, even for me.I scrolled through the discussion info aboutShadows of Forgotten Lords.This particular quest seemed to be impossible without a group.Even though I’d just disparaged them in my mind, things were going pretty well with Lin and Charisse.Maybe I could take a chance.After all, I’d opened up with IvoryKnight already...

My finger hovered over the mouse.

I clicked “join.”At least IvoryKnight wasn’t forcing me into voice chat.It seemed he had been getting his friends up to speed while I’d decided.

ShadowImp: What about a party rotation?What if we each get first dibs on loot at one of the fights?

I wanted to be fair, but would it give them the opportunity to exclude me if I shared my suggestion?

ScarlettSaber: The person voted MVP by the group gets first dibs.

VerdantArcher: But the person voted can’t be the same one voted the previous time.That way IK doesn’t get it every time.

IK must be IvoryKnight.I wouldn’t want to type it out every time either.That seemed reasonable.Of course, they would want their share of the loot too, so maybe they were just thinking of themselves.IK also seemed to be letting them make up their own minds, keeping quiet.Or he was just AFK—away from keys—in the bathroom or getting a quick snack.

ShadowImp: Then we’d just end up rotating it through the party.

I thought about that as I took another sip.

ScarlettSaber: What if the second time anyone could be chosen that wasn’t chosen the previous time?

IvoryKnight: Clever.So, will you join?

That was the second time he had complimented me.I had felt like the rest of my old group had only tolerated me because RogueStriker wanted me on his team.Would this be the same situation?I couldn’t do that again.

ScarlettSaber: That depends on what ShadowImp and VerdantArcher want.

ShadowImp: We already discussed this after the tourney, and the decision was unanimous.Youwrektthose early fights.

VerdantArcher: Yeah.Anyone who can make IK sweat is someone I want on my team.

Was he really that good?He had beaten me in the tourney.Living up to their expectations suddenly felt like an additional weight around my shoulders.

THE PROS AND CONS OFjoining their group flitted through my head, banging around like a giant moth caught inside my headphones.

There was always the chance things could blow up, like with my previous group.

But if Lin and Charisse never spoke to me again for running off after the play, I guess I’d need something to fill the void.Especially with winter break now officially started and no homework to demand my time.Especially since most of the college deadlines were coming up by Christmas.I’d already submitted to SCAD, but since that was a long shot, I needed to focus on closer and cheaper options.And though I’d also been filling out scholarships as fast as I could find them, there was always a need for more.Buzz had already scheduled me every day, but I still got off before dark—though the sun was setting earlier and earlier—and I now had a perfectly functioning laptop.And with these higher-level quests, that meant higher-quality loot, which would pad my almost nonexistent college fund.So...

I pressed the button to join and accepted the quest.

IvoryKnight: Sending you the poem.The SOFL quest is to find and kill the hidden bosses, one at a time.Clues to their locations are concealed in each couplet.