Confession of a Darkness-Fearing Assassin
I Accidentally Became the Guild's Therapist
Chapter 6: Confessions of a Darkness-Fearing Assassin
Livia Marcelline Quinn, Mental Supporter Lv. 2 and reluctant internet celebrity, was starting to accept that her life as Emotional Buffer 2.0 was a cosmic joke. Her Therapist's Log was a battlefield of scribbles: Bron: Plushie mania. Phina: Slime love. Alaric: Betting everything. Nyx: TBD—probably weird. The Bloodbath & Beyond guild's base camp buzzed around her, a chaotic stew of glowing runes, enchanted swords, and a slime that was now attempting backflips. Livia perched on her crate, her slightly-less-itchy robe a small mercy, muttering, "If I get one more subreddit notification, I'm yeeting this notepad into a dungeon."
The camp was its usual circus—players raged about "nerfed skill trees," NPCs droned glitchy lines like "Error: Courage Module Offline," and a mage's stray fireball set a banner ablaze, prompting a chorus of curses. Livia's introverted soul screamed for a respawn point with Wi-Fi and silence, but her HUD flickered with notifications, and the guild's lunatics kept her tethered. I'm their mascot now, she thought, her dry humor kicking in. Flunked psych, memed across worlds, and stuck babysitting a guild of walking disasters.
A notification pinged: [Achievement Unlocked: Resigned Celebrity. +10 Coping Points (Barely Functional)] "Gee, thanks, system," Livia muttered, swatting the air. Her progress bar read Mental Supporter Lv. 2: 200/2000 EXP. She'd racked up EXP soothing Bron's existential dread, Phina's slime crush, Alaric's gambling, and her own viral fame, which had spawned a subreddit, ASMR videos, and a cursed Livia plushie. Her new Charisma +1 made her words slightly more persuasive, but it didn't help her cope with being the server's "NPC Queen."
Her brooding was cut short by a faint glow bobbing toward her. Nyx Shadowmint, the Ghost Rogue, slunk out of the shadows, clutching his Hello Kitty flashlight like a lifeline. His hood hid most of his face, but his trembling hands betrayed him. "Uh… Livia?" he mumbled, voice barely audible. "Can we… talk? Somewhere quiet?" Livia's stomach twisted. Nyx was the least chaotic of the guild, but his phobia of the dark—and his shy, awkward demeanor—made her nervous. He's probably going to confess something weird, like a fear of slimes. She forced a neutral smile, her psych training kicking in. "Sure, Nyx. Let's find a spot." She glanced at the camp's chaos—Bron arm-wrestling a crate, Phina reciting poetry to her slime, Alaric betting his gauntlets on a "sure-thing" goblin race—and added, "Quieter than this, anyway."
A notification flashed: [Achievement Unlocked: Brave the Awkward. +5 Social Points (Questionable)] They found a secluded corner near the guild's storage tents, where the glow of runes was dimmer, and the only sound was a distant slime's jiggle. Nyx clutched his flashlight tighter, its pink glow illuminating his pale, freckled face as he lowered his hood. Livia's HUD pinged: Warning: Low-Light Environment. Patient Stress Level: Elevated. She scribbled: Patient: Nyx. Issue: Dark phobia. Approach: Don't make it worse.
"So," Livia started, channeling her best therapist voice, "you mentioned the dark. Want to tell me more?" Her introversion screamed at the one-on-one intensity, but Nyx's nervous fidgeting tugged at her empathy.
He shifted, eyes darting. "It's… stupid. I'm a rogue. Ghost Rogue, even. Supposed to be all stealth and shadows. But the dark…" He swallowed, his voice cracking. "It's like it's alive. Watching me. I can't breathe in it." His flashlight flickered, and he flinched, gripping it like a talisman.
Livia nodded, her mind flipping through half-remembered phobia techniques. "That sounds rough. Does the flashlight help?" She gestured to the Hello Kitty monstrosity, its cartoon eyes staring into her soul.
Nyx blushed, his freckles standing out. "Yeah. It's… dumb, but it keeps the dark away. Got it from a loot crate. Limited edition." He paused, then mumbled, "You, uh, don't think it's weird, do you?" Livia's sarcasm nearly slipped out—It's a pink nightmare, Nyx—but she caught herself. "Not weird. It's practical. Let's work with it." She tried a visualization technique. "Picture the dark as… a quiet friend, not an enemy. The flashlight's your backup, like a teammate." She cringed internally. Great metaphor, Livia. You sound like a motivational poster.
Nyx nodded, his grip loosening slightly. "A friend… yeah, okay." He took a shaky breath, eyes flicking to her. "You're… good at this. Listening, I mean. Nobody else really… does." His blush deepened, and Livia's panic spiked. Is he… flirting? Before she could deflect, the camp erupted. Bron's arm-wrestling crate exploded into splinters, Phina's slime rolled into a tent, and Alaric's betting argument turned into a fistfight. Miles Vexley appeared, his smirk cutting through the chaos. "Yo, Buffer! You hiding with Nyx now? Got a therapy queue forming!" Livia shot him a glare. "I'm working, not hiding. And stop calling me Buffer!" Nyx shrank back, his flashlight flickering, and she sighed, refocusing. "Nyx, let's try something else. Exposure therapy, but gentle. Hold the flashlight, but turn it off for a second. I'm right here."
Nyx's eyes widened, but he nodded, trust flickering in his gaze. He flicked off the flashlight, plunging them into dimness. His breathing hitched, but Livia kept her voice steady. "You're okay. The dark's just a quiet friend, remember? Count with me—one, two, three." After ten seconds, he flicked the flashlight back on, exhaling shakily.
"I… did it," he whispered, a small smile breaking through. "Thanks, Livia." His eyes lingered, soft and grateful, and Livia's face heated. Oh no. He's definitely crushing.
A notification pinged: [You helped a shadow killer face the dark. +1200 EXP. Skill Unlocked: Phobia Breaker Lv. 1] Her progress bar surged: Mental Supporter Lv. 2: 1400/2000 EXP. Her HUD chimed: Phobia Breaker Lv. 1: Reduces patient fear response by 10% during sessions.
Livia scribbled: Nyx: Dark phobia, possible crush. Approach: Helped with flashlight trick. Avoid romance. She glanced at Nyx, who was still smiling, and muttered, "I'm not equipped for this."
Miles clapped, his smirk infuriating. "Nice work, rookie. You got Nyx out of his crate and his comfort zone. Keep this up, and we might not implode." He leaned closer, voice low. "Careful, though. Kid's got it bad for you."
Livia's face burned. "Not my problem," she snapped, her sarcasm a shield. "I fix phobias, not feelings." But Nyx's shy glance lingered, and her introversion screamed for escape. The guild's chaos didn't help—Bron was now wrestling a slime, Phina was composing an ode to darkness, and Alaric was betting on Nyx's next therapy session.
A final notification flashed: [You navigated awkward romance with professional grace. Achievement Unlocked: Heartbreak Dodger]
Livia closed her notepad, muttering, "I'm a therapist, not a rom-com protagonist." But as Nyx clutched his flashlight, his smile brighter than its glow, and Miles watched her with that unreadable smirk, Livia knew her quiet NPC life was slipping further away. This guild needed her—phobias, crushes, and all—and that was scarier than any shadow.