Thirstfall - Memory of a Returnee-Chapter 33: Click Twice for Yes

Click... Click-click.

The sound of the Reef Stalker echoes in my earpiece, a chilling reminder of the timer ticking down on Rhayne’s life.

I stare at the biometric display on my HUD.

Going after her right now, just the two of us, would be collective suicide.

I am a Rank-F rogue held together by a children’s band-aid and spite. Lola is a siege weapon with zero defensive capabilities. If we stumble into a Reef Stalker’s aggro range without a high-grade Tank to hold the frontline, we’re both dead.

I look over at Lola. She’s currently trying to balance a rock on the tip of her finger, completely unbothered by the carnage surrounding us.

"Hey, Lola," I call out softly.

The rock falls. She looks at me, blinking her large, apathetic eyes.

"What do you think about finding Pot first?" I ask, keeping my voice gentle. "We need his tough shell before we go rescue the noisy one."

She ponders this for a second, tapping her chin, before giving a firm nod. "Pot is sturdy. He makes a good shield. I approve."

I smile, a genuine, exhausted smile. Without thinking, I reach out and pat her head, ruffling her hair just above the bear ears.

She freezes, looking up at my hand with mild confusion, but she doesn’t pull away.

Instantly, my stomach drops. I pull my hand back, burying it in my pocket.

What the hell are you doing, Dryden? I mentally berate myself.

Thirstfall is not a place for affection. It’s not a place for playing house. I paid in blood for trusting people in my past life, for opening up and treating my party like family. I can’t afford to get soft. Not with a timer on my soul.

I clear my throat, forcing my tone back to a professional baseline.

"Right. Check your OXI, Lola. Refill it. We don’t know what’s waiting for us."

She hums in agreement and starts munching on her share of the looted Scales.

I pull a heavy handful of the glowing blue crystals from my own inventory. Thirty-four Scales. I chew them down as fast as I can, swallowing the chalky, metallic grit. The rush of pure energy hits my bloodstream, knitting the micro-tears in my muscles and clearing the brain fog.

[Scales: 237 -> 203]

[OXI: 348 -> 1198 / 1200]

Much better.

I push myself off the stone floor. My ribs ache with a dull, throbbing protest, and my shoulder feels tight beneath the ridiculous teddy-bear bandage, but I can fight.

I limp over to the three corpses. I quickly extract the raw Echo fragments from the sniper and the bulky swordsman—useless for memories now, but good for future investment.

Then, I kneel beside the leader. The motherfucker who almost crushed my spine.

I place my hand over his Echo. I don’t need his combat skills. I need his intel.

"Rescue."

[Rescue Skill Activated]

The world dissolves into a violent rush of colors and sounds, tearing backward through time.

First, the agonizing present: The sudden, shocking impact of cold steel tearing through his back, shattering his spine. A final, terrified thought screaming in his mind before the dark: ’Why did you shoot me?’ and then the crushing desperation of my bear hug.

The timeline violently yanks backward. The choking, chaotic smoke. The deafening explosion that set the canopy on fire. The sight of a little girl with a massive weapon and a ragged Rank-F rat stepping into the ruins.

We were easy targets.

Further back. A sterile, brightly lit briefing room, a pre-academy noble school. A large blue crest on the wall depicts the Brines family taking lessons to ease their entry into the academy.

A holographic map spinning on a mahogany table. An instructor pointing at the topography with a laser pointer.

"The Ancient Ruins of the Leviathan," the instructor drones.

"A localized good assault zone. Take note of the weeping waterfall to the north, and the central plaza marked by the giant, troll-like statue with gills. The forest of the academy will be your PVP playground."

The memory shifts one more time, blurring deep into his origins. A massive, luxurious estate. Velvet curtains. A nagging, elegantly dressed mother complaining about the servants. A profound, arrogant sense of entitlement masking a pathetic, deep-seated homesickness.

Then, all his memories pass through my eyes in a second.

I snap my eyes open, gasping for air as I pull my hand away from the corpse.

I stay crouched, closing my eyes and focusing inward. I meticulously sift through the emotional residue, filtering out what is mine and what belongs to the dead cadet.

"At least you were just a spoiled rich brat," I whisper to the corpse. The lingering feelings aren’t as agonizingly bittersweet as a father missing his family, but the phantom ache of a luxurious home that isn’t mine still stubbornly clings to the back of my mind.

A notification chimes.

[Reward: +4% to Rank Advancement (Memory Assimilation)] [Current Rank Status: 22%]

"Damn it," I mutter, swiping the prompt away. It’s moving too fast. Something is weird; the system doesn’t work for free. Something seems wrong.

Another Click-Click coming from Rhayne’s comms snaps my attention.

Okay, focus. I have a map of the ruins in my head now. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

I tap my comms rune. "Veric, are you close?"

Static buzzes before his deep voice replies. "I’m at the edge of the ruins. The smoke guided me. I’m looking at a massive stone head... looks like a giant troll, but it has gills carved into its neck."

The Leviathan plaza. "I know the place," I reply. "Hold your position. We are moving to you."

"Copy."

I gesture for Lola, and we begin moving swiftly through the ancient colossal trees and crumbling stone paths.

While we walk, I switch the comms channel.

"Rhayne," I say, keeping my voice low and steady. "Listen to me carefully. Do not speak. If you make a sound, it will find you."

Through the earpiece, I can hear her rapid, terrified breathing, and the distant click-click of the Stalker.

"I need to pinpoint your location," I continue, drawing on the leader’s assimilated memories. "I’m going to ask you questions. Click your teeth together to answer. It will imitate the stalker sound. Two clicks for yes. Three clicks for no. Do you understand?"

Click-click.

"Good girl. Are you near the collapsed amphitheater?"

Click-click-click.

"The shattered bridge?"

Click-click-click.

I pause, straining my ears. Beneath the sound of her ragged breathing and the monster’s clicking, there is a low, constant hum. A rhythmic rushing sound. Water.

"Are you near the weeping waterfall?" I ask.

Click-click.

"Bingo," I whisper, a predatory smile touching my lips. "Stay perfectly still, Rhayne. Do not move a muscle. We are coming."

I cut the channel. We navigate the last stretch of the jungle path, pushing through a thick wall of hanging vines that open up into the central plaza.

I lift my head to scan the area for Veric.

Suddenly, a blinding beam of sunlight hits me directly in the eyes. It’s like a laser beam reflecting off a perfect mirror. I wince, throwing my hand up to shield my face.

More enemies?

I squint through the glare.

Standing beneath the giant Leviathan statue is Veric. His polished, pristine heavy armor is catching the midday sun, turning him into a massive, glaring beacon of light in the middle of a dark jungle.

I stop in my tracks, letting out a heavy, exasperated sigh.

How the hell are we supposed to sneak up on a Reef Stalker with a walking lighthouse traveling with us?