Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 64

Jack strode across the uneven ground to one of the rock walls that hemmed them in. There, he reached up, got a handhold and began to haul himself upward. Despite the weight of his armor, he had no trouble scaling the wall as if he were an experienced rock climber.

Once he reached the top, he pulled out a coil of rope from his Inventory. One end he tied around himself, and the other he dropped over the edge.

A DPS stepped up and grabbed the rope without comment, as if she'd done this a hundred times before. While Jack Coyote braced himself to support her weight, she quickly climbed up, propelling herself with whatever footholds she could find.

Severance watched the process somewhat dubiously. He'd never climbed anything in his life. Yet both Jack and the other player had made it look easy enough.

When she was at the top, Severance stepped up and grabbed the rope with both hands. He was painfully aware of all the eyes upon him. It brought back the old familiar anxiety—what if he fell? What if he couldn't climb?— but he shoved it back down.

If they could do it, so could he.

He needn't have worried. His high Agility made it feel like the easiest task in the world. It was a surreal feeling. Before he knew it, a gloved hand was before his face.

He reached out, grateful for the assistance. The hand closed around his and Jack Coyote hauled him up onto the rock without a single hint of difficulty.

"Thanks," Severance said, though he expected and got no reply. He moved out of the way as the rest of the players came up. Some took advantage of Jack's assistance, while others found their own way up.

While waiting, Severance scanned the area. They stood on a plateau that extended for almost as far as the eye could see. In a few areas, the rock broke away into narrow canyons, which held more winding trails.

He lifted an arm to shade his eyes. The sun felt a hundred degrees hotter up here. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck.

Chatter came from Awesome Dude's team, though they had the presence of mind to keep it down to low whispers. Jack Coyote shot them a sharp look and they shut up.

"Tch," a DPS near Severance spat on the ground. "Who made him boss?"

"Shut up," another DPS hissed. Though Severance didn't miss how she gave the back of Jack's head a dark look.

He frowned, not really understanding their problem. Sure, the tank was kind of bossy, but he wasn't cruel or condescending about it. He was here to do a job, and that was that. Severance couldn't find fault with that.

Once everyone was on the plateau, Jack Coyote rolled up the rope and stowed it in his Inventory. He gave them a once over, disapproval flashing in his eyes.

"Stay with your teams," he growled. "Form up! Team 1 with me. Team 2, then the dungeon teams, with team 3 at the rear. All of you, keep it down, or they'll hear us coming. Now move out!"

Without waiting to see if his orders were being followed, he turned sharply on a heel and led the way. His posture was rigid, military-like, yet he didn't so much march as he did prowl, with the blue silk-like material swaying about his calves.

Disgruntled mutters came from behind him, but Jack didn't seem to care. It was like water rolling off a duck's back. Severance was a little envious. If only he could be as impervious.

He settled in behind Jack Coyote's shoulder, earning a wordless glance from the tank. Severance didn't say anything and neither did Jack. The rest of their team followed several paces back, as if they didn't want to get too close.