The glittering remnants of the fallen Grove Guardian dissolved into the air, leaving behind a heavy, haunting silence in the Corrupted Grove. David took a ragged breath, the ache in his ribs a dull throb now, but the satisfaction of the kill, and the massive 150 EP gain, was a potent painkiller.
"That… was intense," Hailey breathed, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her earlier worry for David now mixed with bubbling excitement. "You really nailed it at the end, David! Straight through the gizzard! Or, you know, whatever plant monsters have."
Katrina approached, her expression thoughtful as she looked from David to the spot where the mini-boss had fallen. "Your tunic absorbed a lot of that impact. And that final strike… You timed it perfectly." She offered a rare, genuine smile. "Impressive."
David felt a flush of pride at her words. "Thanks. Lucky shot, I guess." He winced as he straightened up. "And lucky tunic."
Isaac Thorne, however, was not sharing in the general goodwill. He strode forward, his axe still in hand, his face a mask of barely suppressed anger. "Lucky? You nearly got yourself killed, newcomer. Stumbling into its attack like that. If I hadn't been drawing its main aggro, you'd be a smear on the grass."
David's good mood soured. "Slippery footing, remember?" he retorted, his voice sharper than he intended. "Or maybe it was your 'accidental' shield bump that put me there?"
Isaac 's eyes narrowed. "Are you accusing me of something, whelp?"
"Just observing," David said, meeting his gaze. He wasn't going to be intimidated. Not after landing the kill shot.
"Enough, both of you," Katrina said firmly, stepping between them. Her calm demeanor had a surprising authority. "The Guardian is dead. We all contributed. Arguing about it is pointless." She looked at Isaac , her green eyes cool. "And Isaac , I saw what happened. It did look like an unfortunate collision." Her tone implied she knew it was more than that, but she was choosing diplomacy for now.
Isaac grunted, but he didn't press the issue, though his glare at David promised future trouble. He turned his attention to where the loot icon had appeared. "Well, let's see what the beast dropped. As the one who tanked most of its hits, I believe I have first claim on any defensive gear." He started towards the shimmering outline of the [Guardian's Bark Shield].
Hailey piped up, "Hey! David landed the killing blow! And you totally nudged him! That shield should be his, fair and square!" She crossed her arms, loyalty flashing in her bright blue eyes.
"Killing blow doesn't mean everything, little sis," Isaac sneered. "Damage contribution and tanking matter too. I softened it up for him."
"Do you even realize what happened to David because of you?" Hailey yelled, her eyes blazing.
David held up a hand. "It's fine, Hailey. Let him look." He was still nursing his ribs, and honestly, the thought of more conflict right now was exhausting. Besides, the system had already assigned the shield directly to him. He just hadn't announced it yet.
Isaac reached the loot spot and his hand passed right through the shimmering outline of the shield. He frowned, trying again. Nothing. His face tightened in confusion, then dawning anger as he saw the faint smirk on David's face.
"What trick is this?" Isaac demanded, whirling on David. "Did you do something?"
David shrugged, trying to look innocent. "System rules, I guess. Looks like it assigned loot directly." He tapped his own chest. "The [Guardian's Bark Shield] is already in my inventory."
He focused on the item in his system panel and willed it to equip. With a faint shimmer, a sturdy, dark wooden shield, intricately patterned like overlapping bark and surprisingly light, appeared on his left arm. It felt solid, reassuring.
[Guardian's Bark Shield (Uncommon)]
[Defense: +10]
[Durability: 75/75]
[Property: Minor Thorn Retribution - 10% chance to reflect 5 physical damage back to melee attackers.]
[A surprisingly resilient shield crafted from the essence of a Grove Guardian.]
Ten defense points! And thorn retribution! This was a serious upgrade from… well, from nothing.
Isaac stared at the shield on David's arm, his face turning a shade of purple that clashed rather spectacularly with his grey tunic. "You… How?"
"SSS-Rank system, remember?" David said, a little bit of smugness creeping in despite himself. "Maybe it has its perks." He wasn't entirely sure that was the reason, but it sounded good.
"This is an outrage!" Isaac sputtered. "I did most of the work!"
"You also did most of the sabotaging," Hailey muttered, not quite under her breath.
Katrina stepped forward again, her expression firm. "Isaac , the system has decided. There's no point arguing. David, congratulations on the shield. It's a good find." She then looked at the other loot icons. "[Heartwood Fragments] and a [Lesser Corruption Core]. Standard drops for this kind of creature. We can divide those equally."
Isaac looked like he was about to explode, but Katrina's steady gaze seemed to hold him in check. He muttered something under his breath, snatched his share of the fragments and the core when David distributed them via the party interface (a new system function David discovered existed when Katrina mentioned dividing loot), and then pointedly turned his back on David.
Hailey practically radiated excitement. "That shield looks so cool on you, David! See? I knew he was fast!" She leaned closer, eyes gleaming with mischief. "Don't mind Isaac. He gets grumpy when he's not the shiniest knight in the clearing."
"I noticed," David said, sharing a small smile with her. He felt a surprising warmth towards the impulsive younger sister. Her open support was a stark contrast to Isaac's hostility.
Katrina, ever practical, was already scanning their surroundings. "The Grove Guardian was likely the dominant creature in this immediate area. With it gone, this part of the grove should be safer for a while. But its death might attract other scavengers, or alert something bigger further in."
She then turned to David, her earlier wariness replaced by a clear measure of respect. "David, that was reckless, what you did after Isaac … 'collided' with you. But it was also brave, and undeniably effective." She paused. "My earlier offer still stands. Perhaps even more so now. We're heading deeper to see if we can find the old Briarwatch ruins. An extra pair of eyes and a surprisingly potent blade would be welcome. And honestly," she glanced at Isaac's stiff back, "a bit of a counterbalance might not go amiss."
Hailey bounced eagerly. "Yeah, come with us, David! It'll be fun! We can find more cool stuff, and I can teach you how not to get 'accidentally' bumped into monsters by grumpy axe-dudes!"
David looked at Katrina, then at Hailey 's enthusiastic face. Isaac was still radiating silent fury. The offer was tempting. He was still new, and despite his good fortune with the shield, he knew he was vulnerable. Katrina was skilled and level-headed. Hailey, despite her exuberance, clearly had sharp senses and was fiercely loyal. Having allies seemed like a very good idea, especially if those allies could teach him more about this world.
And, a small, vindictive part of him admitted, journeying with them would undoubtedly annoy Isaac. That was a bonus.
"Okay," David said, a genuine smile spreading across his face. "I accept. Lead the way. But," he added, patting his new shield, "if anyone 'accidentally' bumps me again, my shield might 'accidentally' retaliate."
Hailey giggled. Katrina's lips twitched upwards in a ghost of a smile. Isaac just scowled harder.
The uneasy alliance was formed.