Page 24 of Our Final Game

“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?”