Chapter 25: Not Even A Thank You

Thomas drove home so exhausted that he felt numb. Looking back, he was probably a hazard on the road.

Zach was no better, nodding off almost as soon as they hit the main winding road back up the mountain to Tahoe. He only woke up once they were in the city again, saying, “You missed my stop.”

He had just driven right past the park.

“Sorry.” Thomas hit the turn signal and immediately pulled over. That would normally have been a risky move, but after the System Announcement, road traffic was light.

“No worries.” Zach stretched, reached for the door, then paused. “Hey, I was thinking about heading up to the mountains for a few days. I gotta find some peace and quiet to rebalance my mana. I need peace and nature, you know?”

It made sense that Zach’s Gift with mana came with more maintenance than most people’s. “Well, you better not start a wildfire.”

He grinned easily. “If I do, I’ll be sure to put it out again.”

“My apartment’s actually up the hill a little, by Ski Run,” Thomas said, meaning the area of town and not an actual ski run since he was not a literal millionaire who could afford a condo in a world-famous ski town. “Want me to give you a ride? It’ll save you a couple miles.”

He nodded. “If you don’t mind waiting a couple minutes. It won’t take long for me to pack my stuff.”

Thomas agreed, and Zach got out of the car to jog to wherever his tent was. He didn’t mind the wait as he had something to do.

Thomas reached into the back and fished out the box with the skill shard. Opening the lid, he stared inside for a moment. He only had one more skill slot left until he reached the next level, and if there was a way to swap out skill shards, he wasn’t aware of it. Though… he’d already made his decision. No point in waffling. Picking up the shard, he focused on it. It liquefied in his hand, sinking into his skin.

Focusing inward, he felt the energy of the shard dart straight towards his core, where it seemed to bind with both the healing energy and the thin shell of Wellspring mana that had managed to attach there. His stomach felt warm for a second, almost uncomfortably so. Then it settled down, and it was done.

He checked his status screen.

He’d done it. But just in case, he also dug out a B-grade healing crystal and absorbed it, as well as another Adaptive mana. There was still a lot of Wellspring mana flowing in his veins, so he got the uncomfortable feeling that he’d eaten too much.

Well, he’d be spending it all again soon.

****

Zach returned a couple of minutes later with two tight packs. He tossed them in the back of the car, and away they went.

As soon as Thomas pulled up to the apartment, he knew there was trouble. His nephews—Ashton, Kingston, and Braxton—were outside on a school day. They were taking turns jumping their bikes off a ramp made of plywood leaned against a log they’d put out in the middle of somebody’s parking spot.

Before he blew his top, Thomas did a quick inward check. Was it Tuesday? Wednesday? He couldn’t remember, but they should be in class.

“Damn it.”

“Something wrong?”

“Those kids are my nephews, which means my brother didn’t get up to take them to school again.” He sighed. “And they’re going to be all up in my business while I’m trying to regrow their father’s hand.”

“Leave it to me,” Zach said.

The nephews recognized the car and stopped their bikes to stare as Thomas pulled up. With a cheeky grin, Zach grabbed the sword.

Cutting off my nephew’s limbs will not solve this,Thomas thought, but he didn’t say anything. He trusted the guy not to be a psycho. It came with the territory of running through two high-stakes dungeons together.

Sure enough, Zach got out of the car and immediately proceeded to balance the extremely long sword on one finger, saying casually, “Are you Thomas’s nephews? The ones he said wanted sword lessons?”

“Yeah!” all three yelled.

Thomas, deciding that the coast was clear, slipped upstairs to the apartment.

****

He found it a complete mess, with a load of dirty dishes in the sink. The door to the bedroom, formerly Thomas’s bedroom, was locked.

Thomas shook the knob impatiently, called Derek’s name, but received no reply. So Thomas reached to the top of the doorjamb and grabbed the bedroom key, then he unlocked it and let himself in.

Derek was a lump on the bed, and seeing his brother there, he shifted and pulled the covers up.

The last of Thomas’s patience snapped.

“Are you kidding me right now? Get up.” He smacked him on the shoulder. “You didn’t take your boys to school today. What the hell, Derek?”

“Leave me alone,” Derek said, sounding like a child, even though he was older than Thomas.

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He had never seen his brother like this. Not even when Tiffany, his wife, ditched him and the boys to live with the boyfriend she’d made while in rehab. Then again, Derek liked to give the impression that he knew everything and was in charge of it all.

“Up.” Thomas pulled back the cover. “You lost your damn hand, Derek, not your legs.”

Derek tried to pull the cover back up. “I’m sleeping.”

“You’ve been sleeping for days.” This time, Thomas ripped the top cover away completely.

Derek squinted at him. “What do you want?”

“Sit up,” Thomas said. Derek scowled but complied.

“I can’t do anything right-handed, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I can’t even make coffee for myself. I kept reaching with the stump.” He waved his arm in front of Thomas. “You think it’s safe to drive like this? One-handed?”

People do it all the time, Thomas almost snarked back. “So what’s the answer? You’re just going to give up? No, never mind,” Thomas said before Derek could answer. He didn’t know if his brother needed a hug or a kick in the ass, or what. But Thomas was not his therapist, and frankly, he was exhausted. “Give me your arm. I think I have a solution.”

Derek stared at him like he was insane, which was mildly insulting because he had literally lost his hand in a magical dungeon. But slowly, he extended his arm.