“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the bald man said as Barrett and Maku grabbed their weapons.

  Barrett’s eyes narrowed. He recognized the man instantly. It was the same bastard who had stabbed Arthur on Rei’s command.

  “You,” Barrett growled. “You’re the piece of trash who stabbed a kid.”

  “And you’re the idiot who doesn’t know when to die,” the man shot back with a sneer.

  Maku leaned in. “Heads up. I just inspected them. All three are level fifteen.”

  Barrett’s eyes widened.

  “So, you learned the truth,” the bald man said, savoring it.

  “How the hell did you guys level so fast?” Maku demanded. “We’ve been grinding nonstop and we’re not even close.”

  The man jerked his chin toward Barrett. “Why don’t you ask your friend? The prepper.”

  Barrett’s teeth clenched. “My book…”

  “Your Calvin and Hobbes Essentials?” Maku blinked.

  “The gems, Maku! Weren’t you listening?!”

  “Ohhhh,” Maku nodded. “Right.”

  The thinner henchman laughed. “Imagine our surprise when we found out it was basically a treasure map. Multiple treasure maps.”

  “So you’ve been hunting gems this whole time,” Barrett muttered, shaking his head.

  “You’ll be happy to know we found most of the ones you marked,” the bald man said smugly. “Very handy. Now. Put the weapons down and step out here so we can thank you properly.”

  Barrett ignored the command. “What’s your name?”

  “Jason,” the man said sharply. “Now quit stalling.”

  Barrett stepped toward the river’s edge.

  The shorter henchman spoke for the first time. “Should we take them to Rei?”

  Jason snorted. “And give her all the XP? Not a chance.”

  Barrett raised a hand. “At least let me put my clothes back on.”

  “Why? So you can die with dignity?”

  Barrett laughed. “No. So you can.”

  Their faces twisted in confusion.

  “After all,” Barrett said, stepping toward the log where his gear sat, “it’d be pretty embarrassing to die to a guy in his underwear.”

  Jason’s grip tightened on his axe. The others tensed.

  Barrett turned his back on them, utterly unconcerned. He pulled on his camo pants, then his beater, laced his boots. The three men watched, uncertain whether to attack or wait.

  Maku crept out of the river, taking the chance to get dressed too.

  Barrett strapped on his dog tags next, murmuring a quiet prayer to his grandfather.

  “Tell me somethin’,” Barrett said while tying his boots. “Is Rei still available?”

  Jason gritted his teeth. “You really don’t get it, dumbass.” His axe began to glow faintly, eyes flaring. “This isn’t a fantasy story. You’ve got minutes left to live. Try to cherish them.”

  Barrett rose and rolled his shoulders. “I’ll save the life-cherishing thing for when I get my cigars back from Fred.”

  Maku blinked at him. “Wait—you’d take Rei back after all that?”

  Barrett shrugged. “A beautiful woman always gets a second chance.”

  Jason actually growled.

  “Pretty sure this would be her third,” Maku added helpfully.

  Barrett paused, thinking. “Damn. Okay, she gets a third chance.”

  “You’re desperate, man,” Maku muttered.

  Barrett grinned. “Beggars can’t be choosers.”

  “Enough!” Jason roared, the last thread of his patience snapping.

  Barrett slowly slid on his shades. “You look eager. Like you’ve got somethin’ to show me. Well?”

  The two henchmen exchanged nervous glances.

  Maku whispered, “Barrett…massive level difference here. Maybe we retreat and grind more?”

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Barrett didn’t respond. His gaze stayed locked on Jason.

  “You’re a big, strong man,” Barrett said slowly. “After all, I saw you stab a kid.”

  Jason sneered. “For that comment? I’ll make sure that useless brat tanks the next goblin ambush.”

  Barrett lifted his machete, spinning it once. “Last time I saw you, I made you a promise, you remember?”

  Jason didn’t reply.

  Barrett’s grin turned predatory.

  “I’m sending you on a one-way ticket to hell.”

  “Moron!” Jason roared. He charged, eyes blazing, vines erupting from the ground on either side of Barrett.

  Barrett dropped his stance and exhaled. “Cute trick.”

  He leapt back, narrowly avoiding the vines.

  Maku stepped forward with his spear, but Barrett held out a hand. “This one’s personal. You can mop up the side pieces.”

  Jason roared again, and four vines burst from the ground, whipping toward Barrett.

  Barrett dashed forward and activated [Blood Rush] at the last possible instant, slicing clean through all four vines.

  “That it?” Barrett chuckled.

  Suddenly—WHAM!

  A fifth vine whipped from behind and yanked his leg out from under him. Barrett’s back slammed into a tree, knocking the wind out of him.

  Maku ran forward instinctively.

  Barrett, dazed, still managed to rasp, “Stay…back.”

  Jason approached, grinning. “You idiot.”

  He kicked Barrett in the stomach. Hard.

  Barrett grunted.

  “You think this is a game?!” Jason kicked again. And again. Vicious low kicks that lifted Barrett off the ground. The final kick sent him careening across the clearing.

  “Barrett!” Maku shouted.

  A low chuckle came from the dirt.

  Jason stalked over and stomped on Barrett’s head. “Stay down.”

  Barrett felt him raising the axe.

  “This is the end of your idiotic story.”

  The axe came down like lightning.

  But the blade hit dirt.

  Barrett had rolled aside at the last heartbeat.

  Jason looked up. Barrett was kneeling, breathing ragged, hair hiding his eyes.

  “I’ve…” Barrett panted, “…spent too long in the darkness…to fear it.”

  Jason blinked. “What?”

  Maku groaned. “He’s doing the line again.”

  Barrett stood.

  “This…is my time.”

  Jason didn’t waste a breath. He charged.

  Barrett dropped under the axe swing, triggered [Blood Rush] at the perfect millisecond, and slammed his fist into Jason’s gut.

  The impact blasted Jason backward like a cannon shot. He crashed into a tree with a sickening crack.

  The henchmen froze, eyes wide. Even Maku stood stunned.

  Barrett walked forward slowly, wiping blood from his mouth.

  “So weak,” he said with a dark chuckle. “If this were my gym, we’d call you mister ‘fluff and pump’ routine.”

  He approached Jason, who staggered to his feet, dazed.

  “I don’t remember giving you permission to rise.”

  Barrett activated [Blood Rush] again and launched a brutal side kick.

  Jason hit the same tree so hard it shook leaves loose.

  The rest of the clearing fell silent.

  No one moved.

  Everyone watched.

  —

  Barrett stayed low on the balls of his feet, breath steadying, eyes locked on Jason like a predator weighing the last twitch of prey.

  “Your strength is fake,” Barrett said quietly. “The gems pumped your numbers, sure, but that’s empty calories. Junk food. Compared to real levels? You’re hollow.”

  Jason’s eyes wavered. A thin crack of fear split his expression. “W-wait, but we unlocked new abilities.”

  Barrett laughed. A harsh, booming sound that echoed through the clearing.

  “Yeah, you learned some party tricks. But you don’t have the sauce to make ’em hurt.”

  One of the henchmen shouted from behind Jason, voice breaking, “Rei and us, we destroyed you before!”

  Barrett swung his gaze over, incredulous.

  “You mean when I’d just finished fighting a bear, and your whole pack jumped me while I could barely stand? Wow. Big men. Real impressive.”

  Jason swallowed hard as he saw his fearful face in the reflection of Barrett’s shades. “What…what are you going to do to me?”

  Barrett didn’t answer.

  Instead, he reached down to the small goblin knife tied to his camo pants.

  He drove it into Jason’s thigh.

  Jason’s scream tore through the clearing.

  Barrett drew another knife and stabbed the other leg.

  The man shrieked again. It sounded high, ugly, and panicked.

  Pathetic.

  “That’s for Arthur,” Barrett said, voice low, trembling with conviction.

  “Team Donovan pays back all debts—with interest.”

  Jason’s breaths turned wet and frantic. “Y-You got your payback! Let us go. We—we’ll go back and get Rei to release your team. I swear it!”

  Barrett’s chuckle was dark and humorous.

  “I think I’ll go deliver that message personally.”

  He raised his machete. The blade whispered through the air as he angled it.

  Intent unmistakable.

  Cold realization hit the remaining two henchmen. One lifted his hands, pleading.

  “Come on, man…this isn’t you. You don’t have to do this.”

  Barrett paused.

  “You think you know me?”

  There was no response.

  He swallowed.

  Thinking about it wouldn’t help. It never did. The more he thought, the weaker he’d get.

  So he forced himself to look at Maku.

  The look he saw was familiar.

  Barrett had seen that same gaze once before…

  —20 Years Ago—

  A ten-year-old boy stood panting on his front lawn. Scraped and bruised.

  Not as badly as the four boys groaning in front of him.

  He wished he could say it was skill, but it wasn’t. It was raw, unfiltered brutality. A place few ever touch. In that moment, he stepped outside his own humanity, slipping deeper into the isolation that had already been swallowing him.

  The proof was all over him, with blood packed beneath his fingernails, and the metallic tang of iron on his teeth.

  He’d surrendered his fear, crossed a line most people never even approach.

  One of the boys lifted his head, trembling on all fours, staring up at him with a twisted mix of fear and disgust.

  Barrett hated that look.

  After all, he hadn’t started this fight.

  His mother stood behind the window, watching him through the glass. Unmoving. Expression unreadable.

  She nodded once. Then turned away before he could see the revulsion there.

  That small motion hollowed him out more than any punch ever could.

  Alone again.

  Barrett turned back toward the boy on the ground.

  —

  Jason’s eyes went wide the moment he saw Barrett’s expression.

  The same one that the boy in the memory had seen.

  “W–wait…wait!” Jason stammered, scrambling backward.

  Barrett didn’t answer.

  His hand tightened around the machete’s grip.

  [Blood Rush] ignited, and golden power flooded his veins; muscles tightened like coiled steel.

  Then Barrett stepped forward and swung with everything he had.