《The Aureate Shards (LitRPG Portal Fantasy)》 Chapter 1 It happened on his way to get some night-time bacon. The only street light in the alley blinked for a second, then there was a pull in his gut, wrenching him up and off the ground, so quick and sudden he had barely registered it before the world itself shifted. His vision blurred from the sudden speed until all there was in the world were black and white spots swimming in his eyes. Bile ran free up and down his throat like caustic acid everytime he was thrown and twisted from one side to another, and all he could hear was the beating of his heart thundering against his ears. Then it all stopped as he crashed face first on the ground, and Alex could finally draw in a breath. It came as a disgusting mixture of grass and wet earth. Coughing and hacking, he rolled to his side and struggled to sit up, gulping clean air. Bright light blinded him from behind closed eyelids, and he covered his face with his arm. He didn¡¯t even want to open them. Nausea had him firmly in its grips. He just wanted to sit there for a moment¡ªwherever there was, and enjoy the feeling of not being inside a spinning rocket under fifty g of force, pressing and stretching him on all sides for what seemed like hours. His jumbled senses slowly started realigning with reality, and where before there was nothing but vertigo, he could suddenly hear leaves stirring gently in the wind. When he breathed in, the air carried the smell of damp wood after rainfall. Despite the serene picture it painted, dread bubbled up inside him as the possibilities raced through his mind. Kidnapped, Alex began counting, roofied and molested, or just plain old dead. His breathing started to get out of his control again and he tried to reel it in. Centered, he repeated like a mantra, working to settle his lungs and his swirling thoughts. I need to be centered. Always centered. The habit he¡¯d been taught as a kid served to calm him as always, and his rapid panting slowly faded to long in and out breaths. To Alex¡¯s feeble surprise, after a full minute of quiet sitting and rhythmic breathing, he wasn¡¯t magically transported back to where he was, nor did he wake up sweating from a bad dream. Deep inside he knew he had to do something¡ªanything, but keeping his eyes closed was his last hope of pretending it all wasn¡¯t real, like a kid choosing to leave the closet door shut at night instead of opening it to face the monster inside. He started to feel around where he¡¯d fallen, spreading both hands down to feel the lush grass brushing against his fingers, before he cursed and shook himself. Just do something already. So when the glaring light against his eyes became bearable, he allowed himself to look around. It was all greens and browns¡ªgreen grass and green leaves and brown trees and bushes. Somehow, he found himself on one end of a small clearing in a forest not unlike those near his home, boxed in on all sides by towering trees and thick shrubs. The normality of his surroundings would¡¯ve been welcomed had he not been in the middle of a city not a minute ago. Looking down at himself, he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw he still had the same clothes on as he did before he was¡­ transported: a pair sneakers, dark jeans, and a simple white shirt with a black jacket on top. Almost as an afterthought, he reached inside his shirt and touched the small silver locket that rested against his chest on a thin golden chain. His fingers traced the scratch lines on the locket¡¯s cold surface, and he didn¡¯t know whether to feel relief or frustration that it was still there That¡¯s when something on his periphery that most certainly didn¡¯t belong there caught his attention and he tucked the locket away. Turning, Alex had to swallow down his shock when he gazed upon it. Glowing purple print hovered a yard away from his face, as if it had been written on a floating pane of clear glass. He squinted, trying to make heads or tails of the words, but whatever was written there seemed to be complete nonsense, the letters all scrambled and twisted. Is it some kind of a hologram? He moved tentatively to touch the screen, but he quickly snapped his hand back to his chest when the print shuddered. Maybe I should¡¯ve guessed: given acid and experimented with, he wondered. Because there¡¯s no way this is real. The words blurred and rearranged themselves, moving as if in a fast-forwarded video, until Alex could finally read the writing. [Welcome, Alex Hart, to the Continental System. You have been selected to become the Second. The system has successfully merged with your soul. The world awaits your response.] As in a video game? He had to laugh. His voice, suddenly dry and raspy, echoed in the densely closed off clearing. And what does the ¡°Second¡± even mean? It had to be a joke. He had read these kinds of stories before, where the main character goes into a new world with a built-in system that transforms reality in an RPG game, but surely¡­ Alex turned about himself, trying to spot the cameras and the crew, or just the annoying ytubers with far too much money and time on their hands. He hoped they would just let him in on the stupid joke and take him home. He was startled off his search when there was a loud snort behind him. Leaves and twigs crunched underfoot, and before he could fully turn again, he was rammed on the side and sent tumbling in the air to the edge of the clearing. His back smashed against the hard trunk of a tree, lungs emptying, and he could suddenly taste blood on his tongue where it had caught on his teeth. Gasping for air like a dying man for a second time in the day, Alex forced his eyes open through the ache on his back. A similar screen to the first one hung above his face, only this one glowed blue. [Status] Name: Alex Hart Class: N/A Profession: N/A HP: 32.5/50 MP: 50/50 [Attributes] Strength¡ª He stopped himself from reading until the end. He knew enough about games to prioritize. With a quick calculation, he found that his HP, which he could only assume meant his health points, had taken a thirty five percent hit from that. Just that. He could decide if he was in a prank channel or truly in a video game later. Assume the worst, and go from there. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Alex was scrambling up when he heard the snort again, and he clawed at the tree to quickly pull himself to his feet. When he righted himself up and glanced across the clearing, he finally saw what had hit him. Fuck me. It was a giant of a pig, its broad shoulders standing at waist-height on him¡ªand Alex was a hairsbreadth short of six feet. No wonder this thing could throw me this far. Coarse black hair covered dense muscles along its shoulders and flanks, and tusks grew larger than a man¡¯s hands from its jaws. But most importantly, it had a bright blue tag hovering atop its fierce head. [Wild Boar lvl 1] Alex gaped. Yeah, it was acid they gave me alright. For a moment, he and the beast only looked at each other, him with black human eyes and the pig with beastly red ones. That threw him off, as Alex was sure pigs had no damn business having eyes the color of blood. The Wild Boar used the chance to charge him again, hooves pounding the earth. This time, Alex had enough of his wits about him to throw himself out of the way, rolling on the grass. The boar went bowling by, squealing up a storm. It crashed right through a low-hanging branch as thick as Alex¡¯s thigh like it was made of wet paper, and he came to the conclusion that he wanted none of this pig¡¯s smoke. He still had a screen in front of him, though it seemed to have become fainter and distant, like a close-by object when a camera focused on the distance. He knew he needed to read all of it to figure out what the hell was happening, or at the very least to find what type of video game he was unceremoniously dropped into¡ªhead first and unlubricated. Glancing one last time at the boar¡ªwhich was wheeling around in the underbrush for another go¡ªhe did what any sensible person would in his position. He stepped up to the closest tree, the one his back had already made close acquaintances with, and climbed up as if his life depended on it. Which, given his health dropped almost in half by a glancing blow, it just might. The oak tree was a gnarled old thing, and the great knots that jutted out of its trunk made for good footing that Alex used to propel himself up. The bark felt rough under his hands, digging and cutting at fingers in his rush, but that accursed squeal wailing from beneath him turned it into an easy trade off he was happy to abide by. He would take scraped fingers over gutting-via-boar any day. Grunting with the effort, Alex pulled himself up to the lowest branch large enough to support his weight but high enough the boar wouldn¡¯t bother him and sat down. The tree still rose a good way up, its great canopy interlacing with the others around it to form a great green blanket above the forest. Only the ring around the clearing gave out to the ocean-blue sky. Alex leaned back against the trunk, breathing through an open mouth. Barely having to think about it, the screen popped up to the forefront at his wish. He noticed that even in this manner, when he was giving it his full attention, it managed to be unobtrusive enough that he was still aware of his surroundings through the blue letters. He started reading again. [Status] Name: Alex Hart Level: 0 Class: N/A HP: 33/50 MP: 50/50 [Attributes] Strength: 5 Dexterity: 5 Vitality: 5 Power: 5 Soul Affinity: 5 Free Points: 5 If you saw a miracle happening right in front of your eyes, again and again and again, and no explanation presented itself, then at some point you just had to admit either you¡¯re going batshit crazy or the end is truly near and you better start praying. It seemed Alex had reached that point. He was not quite ready to die or join a psychiatric ward yet, so he had to give in and accept that his life had actually become an RPG. And if he had to guess, with the way the stories go, he wasn¡¯t anywhere near his home¡ªor earth, for that matter¡ªany longer. There was only one thing he could do before further investigation, then. He had to play. Skimming through the status and attributes page with a new found determination, he noticed a few things that hadn¡¯t caught his eye before. First, his health was sitting at thirty three instead of thirty two point five, as it had been a minute ago. Health regen, he figured. A percent per minute, unless I¡¯m mistaken. The second thing was that he had five free points, which he would probably have to allocate among his attributes: strength, dexterity, power etc. And the third¡ªthe one he was most excited about, was the Class marker, pulsing and shining brighter than any of the others. A hungry grin found its way onto Alex¡¯s face, and he had a mind to indulge it. He lifted a finger toward the screen, meaning to use it like a smartphone, and clicked on Class. A small list of options popped up on the screen. Classes: Warrior Mage Archer Healer Rogue Alex hummed. It didn¡¯t particularly hold the variety he was hoping for, but it wouldn¡¯t matter either way. He already knew what he was going to pick¡ªwhat he picked almost exclusively when playing games. Swords and sorcery were all well and good, but you could rarely run solo with either of them. They were often too slow and bulky or too fragile, and he¡¯d rather be able to rely on himself alone to see the game through. The boar squealed from the ground, sounding distinctively indignant. Alex let out a bark of laughter and looked down at the level one pig. ¡°Just wait a bit, Peppa,¡± he shouted between cupped hands. ¡°I¡¯ll be right down with you.¡± With a class to my name and a dagger in my hand, hopefully. Starting items were a thing in RPGs after all. Alex¡¯s blood pulsed with excitement. He glanced down again and sent Peppa the middle finger, just for good measure. The taunting seemed to outrage the boar, who started squealing and grunting manically. All that fuss wouldn¡¯t help it at all. Alex was determined to get his night-time bacon, oh yes, from the shop or straight from the source. As he went to focus on his status screen again, he stopped when other noises joined the pig¡¯s temper tantrum. Overhead, from what seemed like far above him, leaves crackled and wood scraped as something moved. Then, suddenly, before he could catch a glimpse of what it was, a horrible shrill screech rang in the air. Hot pain immediately flared inside his head. Alex yelped and covered his ears with both hands, surprised at how bad the noise affected him. On the screen, he saw that even his health was ticking down. Craning his head up, he spotted the source of the noise, hanging on one the highest branches in the tree. [Killer Sloth lvl 2] (Frenzied) Alex felt a bead of sweat run down the center of his back. The monster was nothing like any sloth he had ever seen. It was the size of a small man, with long brown fur on its body and a crown of stark-white hair on its head. Worst of all, it had claws as long as Alex¡¯s forearms that screamed of sharpness, and its beady black eyes were fixed on his own. The sloth didn¡¯t climb down. It jumped, each giant leap taking it a fifth of the way to him. ¡°Shit,¡± Alex cursed. ¡°Shit, shit, shit.¡± He jumped to his feet even as his finger flew on the screen, and the first click that came upon him were the attributes. Rushing, Alex distributed his free points as best as he could, focusing on his current predicament: one in strength, one in vitality, and three in dexterity. He had always been quick on his feet, and he would need every bit of that to escape this new monster alive. From a quick glance, he saw the Killer Sloth just a few branches up from him, its menacing claws tearing at the bark of the tree when it landed after each jump. He swallowed hard, and something that felt very much like fear twisted his stomach. Those things would slice him to ribbons, cut away his skin and muscles, dig into his bones... I¡¯m going to die. The desperate thought was unbidden and terrifyingly real, but he rejected it as soon as it came. He would never forgive himself for dying to a level two sloth of all things. His jaw set tight, he raced up to Classes, fingers searching. He scowled when he heard the Wild Boar¡¯s squeal again¡ªjust as his finger stopped right over the Rogue¡ªonly this time it was followed by a loud crack and the whole tree shaking under him. His finger slipped down with the impact, clicking despite himself, and the branch he was on suddenly swayed like a rocking ship. Then there was nothing beneath his feet and he fell into space, screaming his lungs out as the ground rushed to meet him. Ping! [Quest: Survive the Killer Sloth] A sleeping Killer Sloth was abruptly awakened. It blames you. Survive this encounter. Reward: Level up! Chapter 2 A wheeze was as good as Alex got when he tried to breathe from where he lay curled on the ground. Snapping two tree branches on his way down had hurt more than the landing that stole the breath from him, but he was glad for them all the same. They had slowed him down a bit, even as they felt like lashes taken to his back¡ªbut it was the tall yellow shrub he¡¯d flattened that had truly saved him. The screen was still there on the edge of his vision, blinking faintly with the new quest he¡¯d gotten, as if just a thought away from his reach. But he didn¡¯t even want to think about that. He just wanted to stay where he was, enjoying the simple pleasure of not being in free fall. It seemed to have become a rarity for him as of late. A heavy thump coming from above disabused him of that notion. The Killer Sloth had landed on a spot just above Alex¡¯s previous branch, and it seemed to hesitate for a moment when its prey wasn¡¯t where it was supposed to be. It stood still, sniffing at the air. Then it looked down, right at him, before it threw its head back and screeched again. The noise felt like thousands of needles poking at his brain. Alex winced at the pain, even if it was more manageable now than the time before. Ignoring his clothes tangling on the nettles and sprigs of the shrub, he rolled off as swiftly as he could and crawled on both his elbows until he felt the grass of the clearing beneath him again. To his side, by the foot of the tree he¡¯d climbed up, Peppa the level one boar was struggling to stand in place, wobbling on its four hooves like a drunkard. It was close enough that he could smell the monster, a vomit-inducing stench of piss and feces and mud, all mixed together as if it had spent the last day rolling around in it. Bits of chipped tree bark were stuck to the fur of its head. Black blood oozed out of a large gash above one of its eyes. The boar must have rammed headfirst into the tree, he figured, just to get to him. Alex didn¡¯t know whether to mock it or praise it for being a champ. As the boar was the least of his concerns for now, he didn¡¯t waste any time before bringing forth his status page again. It was hard focusing past the constant pain, but he needed to see the damage he¡¯d caused. He knew damn well he¡¯d clicked something just before he fell, and even now as he skimmed through the screen with only his mind, he cursed himself and all the smartphone companies in his world for conditioning him into using his fingers. And indeed, when he looked, instead of a N/A besides his class, the word Mage shone in its place. Damn it! A defeated groan escaped his mouth. Maybe a sloth killing me wouldn¡¯t be the worst thing in the world after all. It was all the more frustrating that he¡¯d just put his free points on strength, vitality, and dexterity. Were this an actual video game, he¡¯d simply delete the character and start over after fixing the mishap. It was one thing to make a mistake several hours into a game, but there was no way he¡¯d play the whole thing through with a broken build from the get go. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have such luxury as far as he was aware. Even if the option was there, he didn¡¯t know of it, nor did he have the time to sit down for some tea and study the system through and through. The sloth would soon close down on him from the trees like Tarzan. As fast as it moved above him, Alex doubted outrunning it was a possibility, not deep in an unknown forest as he was. He needed to kill the damned thing. As if to remind him, he noticed his HP slowly ticking away as the sloth¡¯s shriek still rang in the air. It would stop soon enough to come down and cut him up, he knew, but it wanted to butter him up before it killed him. Gritting his teeth, Alex mentally clicked on the Mage and looked through the skills. Surely, even a class he didn¡¯t want would have something to help him. [Skill Points]: 0 [¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª] [¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª] [¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª] ... The list went on and on, with dozens and dozens of grayed out placeholders to what could only be his skills. Or actually, his future skills, as the immediate problem was at the top. Zero skill points. Alex couldn¡¯t help the spike of irritation that swelled inside him. It made no sense. Why even allow him to choose a class if he couldn¡¯t put skills on it? Especially considering he¡¯d been dropped in this world with five points on all his attributes, and five more available as free points. Why differentiate the availability of attributes and skills at all? Letting out a hissing breath, Alex simply shook his head. In the end, it didn¡¯t matter why. There was no way to file a complaint and get the situation fixed for him; and like it or not, his status still read as level zero. He would have to fall back to working with what he had¡ªtwo functioning hands, a bit more courage than any health specialist would recommend, and his often-insufficient wits. It wasn¡¯t much, he knew, but it was familiar. He had learnt to rely on himself for every aspect of his life beside the basics ever since he was ten. He¡¯d just have to continue to do so for a while longer. He found a smile worming its way into his face at that, and for some reason he could think straight again without that annoying something gnawing at his brain. That¡¯s when he noticed it. His HP had stopped falling; the pain was gone. Already dreading what he would see, Alex chanced a look up. The Killer Sloth wasn¡¯t screeching anymore, which was good; what it was doing, however, was bounding down on him from a few branches up like a hawk diving for a rabbit. Thinking quickly, he did the first thing that came to mind. He dashed past Peppa, hefted up the branch the boar had bowled through a scant minute ago, and readied himself. One last glance up showed the Killer Sloth coming down on the last available perch above before it lunged at him through the air, with blood on its eyes and claws stretched out in front of it. Alex grinned. The branch on his hands was a solid piece of wood, taller than he was and thick and heavy even as it tapered out in the end. He planted that side on the ground and turned the other up in the air¡ªthe side that was jagged and spiky like a giant canine from where it was torn from its tree. It wasn¡¯t the starting item he was hoping for, but even he had to admit that bringing a spear to a claw fight was the optimal choice. The sloth noticed it too late, only a small widening of its bloodshot eyes before it crashed into the makeshift spear. It pierced right through its chest, blood and gore exploding out behind it in a black shower. Alex grunted as he felt the impact through his whole body, a vibrating force that threatened to dislocate his wrists and shoulders before he braced himself properly. The speed of its dive caused the sloth to sink halfway down the branch in one go before it snapped with the weight of the monster. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Alex would¡¯ve fallen back at the sudden jolt had he not planted his feet as well as he did. The sloth fell to the ground with a dull thud and stayed there. After a long moment of staring at the broken end of his spear, Alex finally looked down at the Killer Sloth, fascinated as much as he was horrified at what had just happened. The once scary monster looked almost pitiful now, curled on its side like an infant, blood matting the fur around the wood still lodged on its chest. To say nothing of the mess on its back. Yet even as it died there on the ground, even as it let out a blood curdling wail of pain and rage, its claws still reached out in front of it, trying to cut him with its last breath¡­ before its strength gave in and its arms fell to its sides. The clearing fell silent again, only a gentle breeze stirring the leaves and Alex¡¯s own adrenaline-fueled panting disturbing the tranquility of the forest. He felt¡­ numb. Like the whole experience had not been his own and he¡¯d watched it all through a screen, for surely it could not be real. Surely¡­ With his eyes still glued to the dead Killer Sloth, Alex swallowed down the lump that had formed in his throat. No. He shook himself forcefully. I did it. I killed it. As disturbing as it was to watch something die right in front of him, he had to keep in mind that he was dealing with true monsters here, with things that would give their lives for the slight chance to take his own. He couldn¡¯t falter from now on, couldn¡¯t pity them. Suddenly, and producing no sound at all, the sloth¡¯s corpse and all its blood turned glassy and broke down into a thousand pieces. This time Alex couldn¡¯t help stumbling in surprise and falling down on his backside, the broken branch dropping from his grasp. The pieces that were once the sloth looked like small panes of black glass when they rose gently into the air, and as they did so they kept breaking down again and again the higher they went, turning into some kind of dust that glittered against the light of the sun. Soon they became so fine and small that they vanished entirely. He was still staring into space when he got the notification. Ping! Level up! Level up! The bell-like sound almost brought a startled laugh out of him. I just leveled up in real life... after killing a man-sized sloth... made out of disappearing glass. Shaking his head at the lunacy of it all, Alex opened up his status. [Status] Name: Alex Hart Level: 2 Class: Mage HP: 60/60 MP: 50/50 [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 5 Soul Affinity: 5 Free Points: 10 Skimming through the page, he noted the biggest changes. He¡¯d gotten ten free points from two level ups, five for each, and the single point he¡¯d put on vitality had increased his max HP by ten from the previous fifty. A very simple health system, all in all, and might be the same for MP if his suspicions of Soul Affinity being the equivalent, which became all the more integral now that he¡¯d become a Mage. But most importantly, his HP was full, and he could no longer feel the throbbing bruises on his back from when Peppa had flung him against a tree. It could only mean that whenever he leveled up, both his health and mana points would be restored to maximum. Or at least he hoped so. That would surely be useful in the days to come. Noticing his own rising health brought something else to mind. He hadn¡¯t seen an HP bar on the sloth. It had died simply when it had died. The idea was obvious when he thought of it like that, but given this was supposed to mimic a game he had been expecting numbers and damage indicators based on his attributes pitted against the sloth¡¯s own status. It all seemed very¡­ lacking. No damage or attack indicators, no mini map, no stamina bar, no endurance and charisma and luck attributes. Now that he thought of it, there were a disturbing amount of systems missing from what you can usually find in a ¡®transported to a foreign world¡¯ story. Alex didn¡¯t know whether he liked that or not. On the one hand that ¡®lacking¡¯ meant familiar ground he would be glad to keep calling reality. On the other, it meant the swift death of his reliance on expected tropes and loopholes that would let him power up to godhood in one week, and of the fading hope that he would simply respawn or even be put back into his world if his health bar ever hit the dreaded zero. Putting that alarming thought to the back of his mind for a moment, Alex left his free points for later and quickly ventured into his skills. From the corner of his eyes, he spied Peppa slowly getting its bearings back only a few feet away, and he wanted to have something other than a wooden club to confront that one. [Skill Points]: 2 Fire Proficiency Water Proficiency Lightning Proficiency Air Proficiency Earth Proficiency Arcane Proficiency [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] ¡­ Proficiencies. Not skills, proficiencies. That¡­ wasn¡¯t what he expected. His eyes skimmed through the list again. No, it wasn¡¯t what he expected, but it did make things more flexible. A skill like fireball was useful enough when you wanted to launch literal balls of fire, but being proficient with an element meant so much more than that. Anything from lighting a campfire to creating barriers of fire, fire whips, cauterizing wounds, or even something as simple as creating light. And that was just one element. Alex¡¯s heart started pumping fast, excitement thrumming inside him. It might not have been what he wanted, but magic was still magic. All the available options had their advantages, but he had a pissed off boar turning his way, and you can never go wrong with good old fire. With an easy effort of will, he selected Fire Proficiency and put one point in it. The moment he did, heat surged from his chest, a sudden torrent of energy that spread out across his whole body, suffusing his limbs until it felt like he would burst in flames. Liquid light ran through his veins, the hairs on the back of his neck stood as if electrified. It felt like a long forgotten gate had been opened inside of him, and a wave of¡­ not power, but pure potential had spilled forth. The feeling was gone as soon as it came, a fleeting moment of pure ecstasy that left him with a giant grin on his face, and the belief that he could take on the whole world and somehow come out on top. Still smiling, Alex turned to face the boar. ¡°Come on then, piggy,¡± he taunted, rising to his feet. Peppa gave him a mutinous shake of its head, bloodied face screwed up into a snarl. Its front hoof pounded the earth beneath it, once, twice, three times, before the boar kicked off and rushed him. Anticipation had left Alex¡¯s skin prickly, but he was ready for it. Taking a deep breath, he focused inward, searching for the source of the heat, for that well of potential he knew was there. He didn¡¯t have to look for long. The first surge of energy had left its mark. As clear as day when he concentrated, Alex could feel thousands of pathways coiled around every inch of his body like tightly-bound wire¡ªno, a giant system of arteries, empty and waiting, all leading to the same source in his chest. And all he needed to do was pull on it. As if answering his call, warmth followed his will, from his chest then running along his arm before pooling at his right hand, all in the same moment. Then with a bellow to set an appropriate tone, he threw his arm out in front of him, palm facing forward, fingers splayed, and willed a storm of hellfire to burst forth against his level one enemy. The air near his hand crackled, followed by a flicker of light, then a small, pitiful tongue of fire, no larger than a thumb and no brighter than a candle, shot out from his open palm toward the tusked, waist-tall beast barreling toward him. Alex stared at his hand, unbelieving. ¡°No way¡ªugh!¡± Two things happened at that moment. First, the spittle of fire he¡¯d farted into the world somehow managed to strike Peppa right on the snout, spooking it just enough to turn its frontal charge into a glancing blow to his hip. Then, and most aggravating of all, said blow to the side, which bore a remarkable resemblance to the one he¡¯d taken just a few minutes earlier, sent him flying back-first into a tree. The same back and the same tree that had become close acquaintances previously, but that now had no choice other than to escalate their relationship to something indecently, intensely intimate. Chapter 3 ¡°What the hell was that!?¡± Alex groaned, the rough bark of that accursed tree digging painfully on his back. Blinking away dizziness, he looked at his hand as if it had personally offended him. Powerless street magicians with trick decks and hat-hidden rabbits would have done a better job than he did. Amidst some bushes to his left, Peppa was throwing its head about, trying to snuff out the last sparks of the magical fire that were still burning on its snout. The charcoal-like smell of burnt hair wafted from the monster, tickling bitterly at his nose. Alex needed to act quickly while it was distracted. His legs moved to stand, only for him to yelp¡ªmore in surprise than anything. Glancing down, he saw there was a small gash on the side of his jeans. Skin showed under it, with blood pooling in a thin line on his upper thigh. Peppa must¡¯ve got me with its tusk. It was barely a graze, but the red of it was vibrant and intensely real. A sobering sight after his short moment of arrogance. His focus shot to the health bar on the edge of his vision. Forty two out of sixty, it showed. The damage was about as bad as the first time Peppa had hit him, except he¡¯d gotten cut on top of thrown about. Did vitality give him more durability on top of health? It made sense, and also increased the importance of the attribute in his mind. Five points had also been shaved from his MP. A steep price for so little result, and he had to wonder if there were ways to be more efficient about it, less wasteful with his mana while producing something more powerful too. His single skill point in fire proficiency had proved near useless in combat, but he still had a few cards up his sleeve. Before the disastrous showing, he had thought about diversifying his magical arsenal with the point he had left. After all, for all he knew, he was alone in a world of endless monsters. He didn¡¯t truly think that would be the case, but he had to start considering more than just his immediate needs. Water magic would be essential for survival; earth bending powers would be great to create shelter, and Arcane Proficiency sounded just mysterious enough to peak his interest. But he would just have to make up for that by getting more and more skill points by killing monsters, and to do that he needed to be able to do more than the equivalent of aggressively lighting a cigarette. An angry snort from Peppa brought him back to the moment, and he realized it wasn¡¯t time to get lost in the logistics of it all. He had to deal with the Wild Boar once and for all. Resolved, he once again put a point in Fire Proficiency, then poured five of the ten free points he had on the Power attribute, shoring it up to ten. Hopefully it¡¯s enough. And if not, I¡¯ll just dump the rest too. Before he could think anything further, a wave of ecstasy swept through him. His whole body was pure heat for a couple of seconds, but even after it was gone he still felt the tingles on his limbs. Well then¡­ Rising to his feet with a new wind, Alex reached for the power inside him again. With a thought, flames sparkled to life in his right hand, a flash of bright golden-orange that sizzled and crackled the air above it, though the fire was heatless to his touch. Small as it was, it was still bigger than before. This time, instead of just throwing it first thing out the gate, he tried to hold it in the palm of his hand, to mold it into a tight ball ready to be launched. After all, clich¨¦ or not, a fireball was a fireball. Surprisingly, the fire fought back. Alex almost stumbled at that. Whenever he tried to condense it into a sphere, the fire leapt from his hand, forking into the air like a serpent¡¯s tongue. It felt¡­ alive, in a way. Alex could feel its hunger. It wanted to be released, to melt and scorch and reduce all to ashes. At once, he raised his free hand to grip at his right wrist, holding it tightly. It was in the nature of fire to be combative, to be eager to burn. But Alex was its master. Had to be its master. If he couldn¡¯t keep control of his own power, he might as well give up and let Peppa run him down. He squeezed down on it again, jaw clenched with the effort; the fire hissed and spat as if in response, but he kept at it, his will pressing against it on all sides. Sweat beaded his brow. It almost seemed like he wouldn¡¯t be able to wrestle control of it when the flames floating an inch above his hand began to shrink, suddenly twisting into themselves like a whirlpool, until finally they were compressed into a writhing mass of fire the size of a tennis ball. Alex let out a small laugh, that or he was just breathing too hard. It was an effort of pure will, but it had drained him body and mind. Now formed, however, the fireball sat passively above his hand, and he felt like he could just as easily summon it in this form again. It still wasn¡¯t anything impressive, but it would do for now. All this he did in the time it took for Peppa to finally snuff out the fire and focus on him again. The monster was angry, to be sure, but it was hurt too. Just as he was. The boar had drawn first blood, but the fire left a black scar running across its long snout. And it blamed him.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! As well it should, he thought to himself, face settling into a grimace. ¡®Cause I¡¯ll be doing worse to it now. His feet crunched a scattering of fallen leaves when he shifted to meet the boar on more time. The beast snorted opposite him, the only thing separating the two of them was a patch of grass and the knee-high roots of the tree next to him. They extended to either side of the trunk like a set of open wooden arms rising from the ground. The idea of facing the boar head on once again floated inside his head before he disregarded it completely. He would not indulge his ego at the expense of his life. Not again. And he didn¡¯t know how fast the fireball could go, or even how far. He couldn¡¯t have the monster dodging it. So before Peppa could charge him again, Alex jumped back over the roots and hid behind the tree, the ball of fire still riding on his hand. If the boar wished to run him down, it would have to either jump over the roots, or go wide and around them, giving him plenty of time to see it coming. It was a classic playground tag move proven to be efficient, if highly annoying to everyone else involved. He poked his head from behind the trunk and allowed himself a smile. Peppa proved to have a very one track mind, he noted quickly, as the level one boar did exactly what he expected. It took off at a run toward him, grass churning beneath its hooves, clearly intent on jumping over the roots to reach him the fastest way. It gave him a good idea of what to expect from monsters, at least the low leveled ones. In the pig¡¯s case, running up and ramming its target seemed to be all it knew what to do. ¡°Let¡¯s try this again,¡± he murmured, going to one knee. With a fiery palm extended forward, he braced himself against the tree and watched the boar approach. As soon as Peppa was off the ground, he hurled the flames into the air, aiming toward the highest point of the boar¡¯s arc. The fireball shot off with a whoosh of displaced air, faster than he¡¯d expected, but not fast enough to bypass the flying pig coming its way. The magical fire met the pig¡¯s head in midair, bursting against the monster with a small roar. There was a flash of yellow light over the roots¡ªand above the roar of the fire, Peppa¡¯s own howl of pain echoed in the clearing as the boar crashed against the ground. Alex¡¯s eyes instinctively blinked at the lightshow in front of him, and by the time he opened them it was all done. The boar had stopped wailing as soon as it started, and the roar of the fire was only a memory still echoing in his ears. He knelt there hesitantly for only a moment before he gathered himself and stood to check on the monster. No need to be squeamish at this point. Not after the blood and guts of the Killer Sloth. Peppa lay flat on the ground a foot away from the roots as he approached, defeated. The fur on the left side of its head down to its neck was still afire, only much less bright than it once looked flying out of his hand. Tendrils of gray smoke rose from the beast, and the smell of burnt meat was repulsively familiar to him. It wasn¡¯t exactly how he¡¯d expected it, but it seemed he¡¯d gotten his bacon after all. Before he could take another step forward, Peppa¡¯s body cracked into small pieces much like the sloth¡¯s, black glass and dust rising and vanishing into the air. The smoke that came from the body soon dissipated too, taking the appetizing smell with it. Alex was glad for that. He didn¡¯t need another reminder other than his grumbling stomach that he was famished. Then he was alone again, standing at the edge of the clearing, feeling almost lost. A breeze gusted past him, carrying away the smell of his fire and of the monster, and bringing back the damp, earthy scent of the woods. In the distance, he heard a pair of squirrels chattering like an old bickering couple. Aside from a few stomped out patches of grass and the broken branch he¡¯d used to kill the sloth, nothing seemed out of the ordinary from any other forest in his world. The big purple hologram was decidedly gone from the middle of the clearing, and were it not for his status page serving as a constant reminder at the edge of his vision, he¡¯d never be able to believe the last few minutes had truly happened. Deciding he needed to do something, Alex opened up his status page, only to freeze as he realized nothing had changed. Nothing had changed. He hadn¡¯t leveled up after killing Peppa. Indeed, he was still at level two. That had him worried, as the first levels of any game should be the easiest to bulldoze through. And as a consequence of that, his health and mana had not restored themselves. HP: 43.2/60 MP: 36/50 Alex hummed, considering. On point with his previous prediction of a percent per minute recovery rate, his HP regeneration would be point six every minute now, with his MP following the same ratio. Given that two minutes had passed, it meant the small fireball had cost him ten mana from beginning to end. Not an insurmountable figure, but the idea that he was five fireballs away from being defenseless did not paint a pretty picture in his mind. And that only when he was at maximum MP. Needing no more incentive other than the image of him being left gored and bleeding on the ground by a pair of Peppa clones, he invested three free points to Soul Affinity, bringing the attribute to a total of eight. His maximum MP instantly jumped to eighty, and his mana regeneration would get a sixty percent boost for that. He left the last two points as a reserve, in case he needed a quick boost to an attribute. All of them were useful to him, though strength trailed the others by far. He had no plans of being a glass mage that a stiff breeze would topple over, but points in dexterity or vitality would be the preferable alternatives to power or soul affinity. That done, all he could do was look around him, a mixture of wariness and a sick sort of homesickness weighing him down. Was it because it was his ¡®starting spot¡¯ that he didn¡¯t want to leave this place? Alex snorted. This clearing had treated him like crap, in reality. I need to go forward, he asserted. Always move forward. That bit of advice had served him well, even at the worst times. Turning on his heel, he took off deeper into the forest in search of¡­ anything, really. Civilization, in the best case scenario, and a water source at the bare minimum. He only stopped to bend over and pick up the arm-thick piece of wood he had used as a spear-grip from the ground. It was no more than a club now, broken as it was, but it was better to have it with him than trample around the forest barehanded. The weight of it on his hands was reassuring. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d get much use out of it, being a mage and all, but better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it, or something along those lines. Chapter 4 Alex hit the Peppa clone again, bringing the club over his head and dashing it against the creature¡¯s skull. Then again and again and again, until his shoulders ached with the weight of the broken branch. Splinters flew from the club¡¯s head each time wood met bone, and blood trailed the arc of the broken club as it rose and fell. It was a gory sight beneath him. And all around, too. The first two Wild Boars he¡¯d encountered after leaving the clearing had already dissipated in good order somewhere downhill. Those had been easy enough to deal with, as he¡¯d found them one at a time. It was just a matter of repeating the same strategy he¡¯d employed against Peppa, ducking around the trees and hitting them as they passed him by. But then the four other boars of their little sounder found him together at the same time, and he could ill afford to spam fireballs after the previous fights. Two of those lay dead at his feet now, their blood soaking the undergrowth, bits of torn fur splattered around. The biting tang of singed hair filled his nose. ¡°One more for good measure,¡± Alex grunted, hefting the club up and driving it down. Only to stumble as the monster and its remains broke into intangible pieces and his blow met only air. ¡°Shit!¡± He careened forward, heavy with momentum, feet skidding down the low hill before he stopped himself at the base of an elm. He¡¯d run up the hill after coming face to face with the four Wild Boars, as there was no way he¡¯d be able to play the ducking game against that many Peppas. Two had managed to follow him up as he weaved against trees and bushes, and died for their trouble. He was proud enough of that, even if he had to resort to less than civilized methods for an aspiring wizard like himself after he missed one of his fireballs. The fight had gotten physical when one of the boars head-butted him squarely in the stomach, dropping his HP to just above single digits. It was only luck the little bastard hadn¡¯t been able to get a good running start, and it had paid for the blow with interest. The two remaining boars were still out there, somewhere. He¡¯d lost sight of them during the mad scramble uphill, but he knew the monsters wouldn¡¯t be far behind. So even with the first two down Alex still looked around warily, eyes searching for any movement. The canopy was as thick here as it had been near the clearing, casting dappled shadows on the gentle slope of the hill. Last season¡¯s leaves covered the forest floor in a great bronze-red tapestry, crunching underfoot. He would hear the pigs coming before he saw them, even over his own heavy panting. Stealth wasn¡¯t one of the Wild Boars¡¯ greatest strengths. As Alex heard and saw no sign of the monsters, he gladly took the moment of reprieve to catch his breath, slumping down on one of the elm¡¯s protruding roots. Things had gotten out of control too abruptly for him to make sense of anything. He hadn¡¯t trekked through the forest for ten minutes before trouble found him again. Worst of all, he¡¯d found no trail or any other sign of human activity. Surely whoever took him from Earth wouldn¡¯t have dropped him in a world all by himself. What would be the point of that? He sighed. No use worrying over the inevitable and the unchangeable. More concerning, his health and mana were blinking red at his periphery. His current HP wouldn¡¯t get him through another hit, and the MP was only enough for one more fireball and some change. He couldn¡¯t miss another shot. And even if he did get it right, he had no assurances that he¡¯d level up with that kill¡ªthere was no experience bar enumerating his progress, another flaw to this shitty game¡ªand then he¡¯d be left manaless against the final boar. The sound of leaves crunching suddenly broke through his thoughts. He jumped to his feet, holding his makeshift club with both hands in front of him, only to grimace. It was more a stick than anything now after he broke it against the boars¡¯ skulls. It wouldn¡¯t do him much good in a fight. His head swung from side to side, watching for any approaching monsters. At a glance, the wood around him looked deserted, undisturbed. He closed his eyes next, straining to hear anything. But only silence answered him, silence and his own heart thumping against his ear. Then¡­ There! Over the hill to his right, something scuttled through the growth, crunching through dead leaves. No. Not one something. The boars had found him. Alex didn¡¯t even think. Cocking his hand back, he lobbed the stick that¡¯d served him so well up and over the summit of the hill. May it do me proud as a diversion. Wood clacked against wood in that direction, and he swore the shuffling he¡¯d heard paused for a moment. He didn¡¯t stay to make sure. He would be easy prey against the boars if they came barreling down the hill and he had his back against the (wall) tree. After a few moments of careful tip-toeing, just as he passed by a chest-high stand of thick leatherleaf, Alex discarded discretion and clambered down the slope in a rush. The boars depended too much on smell, he¡¯d noticed, as they always sniffed and snorted at the air when he would hide behind the trees. The stick would buy him a few seconds, but they¡¯d find him eventually even if he moved silent as a shade. Branches and vines nipped at his arms and legs as he ran. He slapped them away as best he could, all the while trying to keep his footing. His shoes had not been made for high speed frolicking in the woods, and they slipped and skidded on the wet earth, gliding on the slush and the moss-covered strips of ground. Most of the way down was a rare showing of controlled-falling more than anything. He finally slid to a stop at a small rocky outcrop that was on his way, chancing a look over his shoulder. Nothing. No two-hundred pound pig pursuing him just yet. His heart beat frantically in his chest after the sudden sprint, his breath grated in his throat, loud and... Wait. He could hear something else above his own breathlessness. No shuffling this time, but a tinkling, burbling sound. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Water. Running water. And not that far. A plan started forming in his head. The weakened, calcium-deficient skeleton of one, but it would give him options. Brushing off twigs that had tangled to his jacket, Alex pushed himself off the rocks and started toward the stream at an easier pace. Following the stream would not only be faster going than the ups and downs of the hilly forest, it might even lead him to people. Those would be the options, getting away or finding help. Except he wouldn¡¯t trust his future to chance. Much less to some unknown people. The solution would be of his own making. As he trotted, Alex rolled up his sleeves and brought up another fireball to his hand. The spell came easy to him now, the feel of his mana traveling across his body comforting. Except it also immediately cut into his remaining MP. It would be his last for at least several minutes until his mana replenished itself. But he still had a few points to work with. And he needed to make it work. Alex turned to the brilliant flames above his hand. He needed an edge with his magic, something different. He¡¯d been content on fireballing his way through the monsters, but that wasn¡¯t the only way to use it. Taming the flames had helped turn that lick of fire he¡¯d first been able to make into a stable, ready-to-use spell capable of taking a Wild Boar down if he aimed it just right. He just had to kick things up a notch one more time. The babbling of water grew close the further he trekked, the land gradually flattening, until he finally came upon the stream. The trees came right to the edge of the knee-deep water, sharing space with mossy ground and smooth river stones. It was narrow enough that Alex might be able to make it across in two long steps if he found a dependable enough foothold in the middle to make the final jump. It was a beautiful little spot, all in all, if you didn¡¯t count the two Wild Boars stalking the waterside a stone throw¡¯s away from him. Alex nearly gawked, his steps faltering. Had they double timed around the hill somehow, or had the shuffling he¡¯d heard been other monsters? The boars lifted their snouts from the ground and sniffed the air for a moment, before whipping around to face him. Their red eyes glinted from between coarse brown fur, hungry. There was no time for consideration. Nor for selecting a good midway stone. With the fireball still in his hand, he dashed toward the water¡¯s edge, planted a foot on the jutting root of a tree, and jumped. By his own calculations, Alex expected a nice, cold bath to welcome him upon descent. It would be better than the immediate fate of being run down by a pair of pigs, but the wetness afterward would make it just barely. Except he soared over the stream, jumping higher and farther than ever before, and managed to clear the water by a finger¡¯s width. He landed in a stumble that turned into an awkward roll through the slushy shore, holding one hand out above him to keep the fireball in place. Breathless, damp leaves clinging all over his jeans and jacket, Alex turned to look to the other side. Only to witness the first boar splash into the water, closely followed by the second. ¡°Shit,¡± he muttered. The jump had only bought him a few seconds, but here he would have the advantage of terrain too. The boars would be particularly vulnerable as they waded ashore. As much as he wanted to innovate in the magical department, he needed quick results, so he stuck to what he knew. The fireball writhed as he turned all his attention to it, pushing his will into shrinking it even further. Expectedly, it fought back, lashing out like a child throwing a fit. Alex could have kept the tug war going for as long as his mind held up, and might¡¯ve even won it eventually, but the boars proved to be good swimmers. He glanced up, and winced. They were nearly halfway across already. Instead of stubbornly keeping up with the pressure, he decided to add another layer to the struggle. He reached inward, pulling at the scraps of mana he still had available, and drained them out. Not into the fireball itself, but into the effort of compressing it. The effect was immediate. The fireball spun in place, faster and faster, sinking inside itself. It was a whirlpool of fire with no bottom, nowhere for all that blazing energy to escape. Alex felt his hold on it slipping. The thing couldn¡¯t be contained for long. Needle-thin tendrils of fire flashed from the marble-sized center like lightning, only to be sucked back in then spat back out again in the same moment. When Alex looked back up, the first boar had made landing, water running down its dark fur. The second was a step behind it, snuffling angrily. It didn¡¯t matter. Alex didn¡¯t wait for them to get a running start and charge. He lunged at the monsters, hand outstretched, and let the fire go. Unlike the normal fireball, this spell didn¡¯t fly. It couldn¡¯t hold itself together without its caster reining it in. Alex had hardly pulled his hand back to cover his face when the world ruptured. Light suddenly blinded him, and a thundering roar tore him from the ground, flung him into the forest, its breath so hot the skin of his exposed arms seared and peeled, so loud his eardrums shattered. The explosion carried him until he crashed through a low bough and fell, face smashing against the ground with a wet crack. In that moment all he knew was agony. He couldn¡¯t breathe. He was choking, drowning in pain and mud. It felt like all the nerves in his body had been set ablaze. Then it was all gone in the span of a heartbeat, all the pain and the burns, washed away in a wave of instant relief. Sound returned to him with a Ping! as if his ears had never burst. He could suddenly hear the burble of the stream nearby again, the trees still stirring with the backwind from his spell. Gingerly, Alex turned onto his back to draw in a breath, gagged, flopped back on his side and spat out a clump of mushy leaves. Then he could finally breathe sweet, sweet air. A dull numbness had spread across his limbs, so Alex just lay there for a moment, sprawled down on the forest floor, listening to the humming of insects trying to lull him. The Level up! note beckoned from his status page, but he ignored it. It had already done more than enough healing him up. He¡¯d rather watch the green leaves dance to the wind up on their branches, moving one way then back again. One way then back again. He let out a dry chuckle. ¡°What a day,¡± he said to himself. ¡°And what kind of day would that be, my friend?¡± Alex bolted upright, whipping around to meet the voice. There, close enough to shake his hands if he leaned forward, a tall man stood amongst the trees. Alex could have missed him had he not spoken. The man blended almost seamlessly with the surrounding forest, a dark cloak covering all but his booted feet. His face was shadowed by the cowl of his cloak, and a hunter¡¯s bow idly dangled from his hands. I didn¡¯t even hear him walking up, Alex thought. ¡°Well?¡± the man said. Staring at him suspiciously for a moment longer, Alex opened his mouth. ¡°Boars,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been chasing a few Wild Boars for a while now. Or being chased, I suppose. That and a Killer Sloth earlier.¡± Not the whole truth, but he wasn¡¯t about to speak of world hopping with the man. ¡°Chasing, huh?¡± There was an odd inflection to the word that Alex couldn¡¯t quite get. The man slowly reached up with one hand and pulled back the hood of his cloak. Only to reveal a young pale face riddled with acne-scars, a shock of fiery red hair, and a playful smile pulling at his lips. Alex¡¯s eyes widened. The boy couldn¡¯t be any older than eighteen. ¡°Sorry friend,¡± he said, the rough voice replaced by a jovial one. ¡°Always wanted to play the whole mysterious cloaked man to someone. Name¡¯s Daven, by the way. You are?¡± Chapter 5 Alex hesitated for only a second before saying it. ¡°Alex,¡± he said. ¡°My name is Alex.¡± Daven nodded, then lifted a hand up in the air and called out, ¡°All good here.¡± On his signal, others came from farther back, emerging from behind the trees. Alex took comfort that he could at least hear their footsteps crunching on the ground. There were three of them, two men and a woman, dressed much like Daven in muted colors and light leather armor, only without the cloak. The only one wearing something distinct was the biggest among them, as tall as the red-head but broad instead of lanky, dark where Daven was pale. He had a breastplate over the leathers, a cold gray thing with no adornments and clear signs of worn, and a large tower shield was strapped to his back. His black hair was cropped short, his face all hard lines and neatly shaven. His eyes, black as chips of coal, watched Alex with such a casual sense of awareness that it bordered on apathy. ¡°Was that all true, Daven?¡± the third fellow asked in a smooth voice. This one had a spear with him, or rather, a glaive, its long, single-edged bronze blade the same color as the curls atop his head, which languidly fell over his brow in ringlets. He was of height with Alex, though a bit older, somewhere in his early to mid-twenties, with olive skin and a hawkish nose that managed to be imperious instead of obtrusive. Daven nodded back at him, a crooked grin stamped on his face. ¡°Aye, the tracks check out. Those piggies gave him the run around for sure.¡± The spearman sighed. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll have to find something else to bring back, then.¡± He leaned on the haft of the spear despondently for a moment before he bounced back. ¡°Well, no use moping about it. Alex, was it?¡± He offered a hand that Alex cautiously took, an all-white smile that wouldn¡¯t be amiss on the cover of a teenage magazine plastered on his face. Alex didn¡¯t trust that smile on principle alone. ¡°I am Cedric of Versal,¡± he said it as if it was a big deal, ¡°professional chaser, occasional bounty hunter, and leader of this humble crew. These are Valerian and Diana, and you met Daven already.¡± Alex didn¡¯t know what half of that meant, so he forced a smile. ¡°Nice to meet all of you,¡± he said. He got nods from the two who¡¯d been silent so far, though nothing more. ¡°Seems we had the same idea going after the pigs, eh?¡± Daven walked up and slapped him across the shoulder as if they were old buddies. ¡°Had to run over when we heard the boom though. Big, that was.¡± Hiding a grimace at the closeness, Alex shrugged. ¡°Got into a bit of a tight spot there at the end and had to improvise,¡± he said. Let them figure out what that means. They seemed a friendly enough bunch, but he had no reason to spill out his guts to them. ¡°Tight spot?¡± Daven laughed. ¡°Sovereign¡¯s balls, man, don¡¯t let me catch you when you¡¯re truly desperate. We saw the light all the way over on the other side of the hill. Maybe you could teach the big bad mage there a few of your light tricks.¡± He hooked a thumb back at the woman¡ªDiana, who Alex now realized looked a lot like Daven, only half a foot shorter and without the facial scars. Siblings, maybe? Diana scoffed from where she stood but didn¡¯t rise to Daven¡¯s bait. She had campfire red hair the same color as his, kept in a thick braid that went all the way down to the small of her back. Their eyes were the same too, at a quick glance, a chilling blue that could pass for gray in the right lighting. ¡°Say Alex,¡± Cedric began from the side, sounding a little odd. Alex turned back to him. The spear that¡¯d been in his hands was now firmly strapped to his back. It was either a gesture of good faith or to show that he didn¡¯t consider Alex a threat. ¡°You mentioned earlier that the Wild Boars had been giving you a rough time. I mean no offense in commenting on this, of course, I simply didn¡¯t expect a fellow chaser to have problems with a few boars.¡± ¡°Oh that.¡± He grasped for a plausible answer. ¡°Well I¡¯m not a¡­ professional, as you said. Just doing the whole going off on my own sort of thing.¡± Cedric¡¯s face lit up. ¡°Ah, of course, of course. A hopeful like Diana and Daven here. Good on you.¡± His eyes darted into the distance, somewhere over the hill, then back at Alex. ¡°Say, you¡¯re not from Riverbend, are you? I don¡¯t remember seeing you there when I last came by.¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Alex answered. Saying otherwise sounded like a good way to be caught on a flat out lie. ¡°I¡¯m not from around the area.¡± ¡°Well in that case, why don¡¯t you come with us?¡± Cedric asked. ¡°We still have to bring back a few monsters for the Selection Festival in the village, and it certainly won¡¯t be the boars you finished off.¡± He doesn¡¯t even know me and already he invites me to join him? Why? Alex spared another glance at this crew. Daven was smiling earnestly to the side, while his sister just shrugged. Behind them, Valerian simply gave him a firm nod. ¡°Sure,¡± he said in the end. As much as didn¡¯t want to follow strangers around, he needed to get situated in this world, and he wouldn¡¯t be doing that bumbling around the forest by himself. ¡°Why not?¡± xxx After another round of handshakes, they made their way downstream from the site of the explosion for a few minutes and crossed over at a narrower point. Then they were back to the tree-dotted hills Alex had been slogging through before. Cedric told them you could follow the stream further until it met the river they called the Dunnser River, then follow that river for some five miles to reach the small and appropriately-named village of Riverbend, tucked against the western shore of the Dunnser right where it turned south. From the little he could glimpse from Cedric¡¯s words and Daven¡¯s incessant chatting, the village was more a hamlet than anything, a few dozen families that lived in the area and had come together to form their own little community for mutual support and safety in numbers. As mundane as it sounded, Alex was excited to see what kind of society a world with magic and monsters would spawn. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Did monsters attack human settlements or did they keep to the forests and open country? Were only a privileged few capable of magic or was it available to everyone? The questions flooded his mind, but he was wary of inquiring any further. He didn¡¯t want to stand out more than he would already just by being an outworlder. Grimacing at the reminder, Alex glanced down at himself. On one hand, he was glad his clothes had turned less noticeably foreign by being singed and blackened from the explosion, and absolutely filthy from all the rolling around on the ground. On the other, he didn¡¯t look forward to the itchy, roughspun fabrics he¡¯d no doubt have to wear in the future. ¡°Well?¡± The voice jerked Alex out of his thoughts, and he blinked at the young woman walking beside him. As they traveled, Alex had seen Diana shooting inquisitive glances his way when she thought he wasn¡¯t looking, but he had chosen to ignore them. For the most part, Valerian and Cedric had taken to walking ahead of the crew, as Cedric was the only one familiar with the area and Valerian seemed just as experienced as him, if not more so. Alex and the now-confirmed siblings had trudged further behind, with Daven talking enough for the three of them. But every once in a while Cedric would call him up to check on some animal tracks or anything else that caught his attention. Alex hadn¡¯t asked, but it was clear Daven had a good head for fieldcraft if the others depended on him for things like that. Adding that with the bow in his hands and the way he could blend in with the forest, it didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out those were the skills of an Archer. Now that Daven was off at the front again, it seemed Diana had finally decided to speak her mind. ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± he asked. ¡°The explosion,¡± Diana said. ¡°Was it some kind of fire trace folded with wind? Or even three conjoined elements? Adding lightning on top of those two might give that bright snap of light before it went off. Hmm. No, not that.¡± Her eyes had completely turned away from him at this point, and she spoke more to herself than anything. ¡°Maybe a charged relic could achieve that kind of power, or even a handcrush one for a one-time use. Could have been an amplifier too, but I didn¡¯t see any on you.¡± Alex only listened and tried to make sense of her words. He was certainly interested in whatever relics or amplifiers were if they could produce that sort of spell without the risks. He realized Diana had stopped talking and was actually waiting for his response now, and he coughed into a hand. ¡°Ah, no,¡± he said. ¡°Not quite. Well, it was a fire¡­ trace, but it was more a combination of luck and on the fly thinking than anything I planned to do.¡± She hummed, sounding almost disappointed. ¡°So you¡¯re not trained, then?¡± ¡°Like I told Cedric, I¡¯m really not a professional.¡± Diana looked at him weirdly. ¡°Those are two different things. I meant as a Mage, not as a chaser.¡± She shook her head and walked in silence for a while, brows drawn in thought. Until her eyes widened as if she¡¯d been hit by a sudden realization. ¡°You¡­ you crammed fire until it exploded, didn¡¯t you? Wasn¡¯t that what happened?¡± Alex almost faltered. Had she seen the confrontation with the boars or was she that sharp? Outwardly, he merely raised an eyebrow. ¡°What would make you think that?¡± he asked. ¡°Well, I¡¯m... not trained myself,¡± Diana said, frowning for a moment. ¡°But that¡¯s one of the first things any passing chaser will tell you about being a Mage. Never compress traces when you haven¡¯t been trained for it. Especially fire.¡± ¡°Worked out well enough for me,¡± he said. The frown returned full force and she clicked her tongue. ¡°You are lucky to be alive,¡± she said, ¡°that¡¯s all. You should take this more seriously.¡± Then she stalked ahead as if he¡¯d somehow offended her. Taken aback by the sudden hostility, Alex paused for a second before he forced himself to shrug it off. He didn¡¯t know what he¡¯d said to set her off, but it didn¡¯t matter if she didn¡¯t like him. He didn¡¯t need to make friends with any of them, just secure safe passage through the forest. All while milking them for whatever information he could without arousing undue suspicion. And if he could kill a few monsters and level up by piggybacking off of them, no one would be worse for wear. Alex picked up his pace, trotting after Diana and the others. They had zig-zagged past slow rolling hills for the past hour, and the sun had reached its zenith at the center of the sky. Even at midday, the temperature was pleasantly cool in the shadow of the forest. He nearly lost sight of the crew as they went past some thick shrubbery at the foot of a hill. When he made it there himself the others were nowhere in sight, until he spotted Diana beneath a grove of trees a bit further away. She turned around the moment he saw her and stomped away, almost like she felt bad for leaving him behind and wanted to make sure he knew where to go. Beyond the grove of oak trees was a small glade not unlike the clearing Alex had been dumped on. At the center of it, Valerian stood grooming a stocky pony harnessed to a caged wagon, though by how awkward it looked, Alex would bet that it had been hastily repurposed from a wooden grain cart. The pony¡¯s reins were tied to something staked on the ground in front of it, hidden behind a clump of tall grass. Cedric knelt beside it, and Diana strode up to him before doing the same. ¡°There he is,¡± Daven called, squinting at him from beneath hand-shaded eyes. He was laying down on top of his splayed out cloak on the grass without a care in the world as if he was sunbathing. A full quiver lay by his side, some thirty iron-tipped arrows poking out of one end. ¡°Thought you got lost there for a second, man.¡± ¡°No, no. Doing just fine.¡± Alex looked around the area as he walked up, eyes lingering on the caged wagon. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, uh, what are we doing here exactly? Cedric mentioned a festival¡­¡± ¡°Just a small time chaser job, from what he tells,¡± he said. ¡°The village is paying us to bring back a few monsters for the Selection Festival, all bound and easy. Two of them, I think. Or is it three?¡± Daven frowned, then looked to where Valerian was inspecting the pony. ¡°Hey Val,¡± he called, ¡°how many kids were there again?¡± The large man stopped what he was doing. ¡°Three,¡± he said without looking back. ¡°One of the families has a pair of twins of age.¡± ¡°Ah, well there you go. Three monsters it is, then, all ready for the kiddies to dispatch.¡± Alex felt his eyebrows rising at those words. Why in the world are they taking monsters for kids? Daven must have seen the odd look on his face. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they don¡¯t do that wherever you¡¯re from?¡± ¡°Something similar, yes,¡± Alex lied, schooling his face, ¡°but not quite like this.¡± ¡°Makes sense.¡± Daven nodded. ¡°I s''pose everywhere is different. Our own village did the same, but Cedric said it¡¯s not really the way things are done in the cities. Says there¡¯d be too many kids to make things work, but I reckon they¡¯re really just a bunch of wusses.¡± He chuckled at his own joke. Alex shrugged. ¡°Haven¡¯t been to a big city myself, so I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± With the others working, he decided to take a page out of Daven¡¯s book and sat down beside him. It felt good to relax for a while after all that had happened. After a few minutes of lazing about, he was curious enough to ask, ¡°So, are we going to chase some more Wild Boars or what¡¯s the idea?¡± ¡°Dungeon.¡± Alex¡¯s eyes shot up. ¡°What?¡± Valerian had moved closer to them, leading the pony by the bridle. ¡°We¡¯ll be going to the nearby dungeon now,¡± he said in that low voice of his. ¡°Best get ready if you wish to come.¡± Chapter 6 Alex didn¡¯t say anything, just nodded back to Valerian as the man moved to the edge of the clearing. Daven turned to him from the ground, then grinned when he saw his expression. ¡°First time is it?¡± Alex nodded again, numb, and the archer laughed. ¡°Awesome. Diana and I haven¡¯t been to many, but it¡¯s quite the experience. Don¡¯t worry about it, though. Cedric and Val will have our backs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re certain you¡¯re talking about a dungeon and not an orgy, right?¡± Alex said, pushing himself up. Daven cackled. ¡°Let your mind decide for itself, my friend.¡± He rose too, clapping him in the shoulder with even more familiarity than before. Apparently, he had decided they were friends. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the kid, Alex,¡± Cedric said when Daven moved off after the pony. He was coming up from the center of the clearing, a reassuring smile on his face. Diana followed behind him, except her attention was solely on the strange wooden token she held in her hands. It looked like a stake of some kind, or half of it at least, as it seemed to have been cut straight down the middle. That must be whatever they had been looking at, he thought curiously. Tearing his eyes away from the token, he asked, ¡°Is there a reason to go to a dungeon instead of chasing in the forest?¡± Alex wanted to go, yes, but he couldn¡¯t help being apprehensive. He was only level three after all. ¡°That was the plan all along, actually, until Daven spotted the Wild Boar tracks,¡± the leader of the crew said. ¡°As long as it¡¯s pruned some three times a year, a dungeon like this one shouldn¡¯t be spewing its monsters outside, and I was part of the group who last did it not three months ago. Imagine my surprise to see the boars roaming the forest.¡± Alex stopped to consider those words. ¡°Does that mean anything?¡± Cedric shrugged. ¡°Nothing in and of itself. Chasing is not an exact science after all. We can check the records later at the village to see if anything like this has happened before, but really it¡¯s no matter. If it¡¯s just the Wild Boars that are coming outside earlier than they should, then it¡¯s really not a big deal.¡± ¡°I killed a Killer Sloth early,¡± Alex offered, ¡°outside the dungeon.¡± The crew leader waved a hand airily. ¡°It¡¯s still a first stage monster, and this is a fairly tame dungeon all things considered. Killer Sloth, maybe a Bushtail or two, it''s the worst it can get.¡± Alex didn¡¯t say anything, but this sounded too much like trouble to ignore it. That¡¯s how the stories went, right? He was dropped into the world, then a problem that had been piling up under everyone¡¯s noses slaps him in the cheek, and it¡¯s his outside perspective that allows him to see the reality of the situation. And, of course, there¡¯s always some disbelieving local blinding himself and others to the truth until it blows up in all their faces. Should I? he asked himself. Even if Alex was hesitant to participate, he had to admit it was an opportunity. Both for personal growth, as there was certainly no better way to level up than to go dungeon diving, but also for knowledge¡ªknowledge of a world he barely understood. Starting things out at this tame dungeon was better than some other hellish place. As long as he could safely complete it, then he had no reason not to. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go then,¡± Cedric announced. ¡°It¡¯s an hour¡¯s walk to the dungeon border from this spot, if I¡¯m not mistaken. Let¡¯s get this over with and get back to Riverbend in time for supper.¡± The rest of the crew nodded, and Alex went along with it. He had forgotten all his last compunctions in going to a dungeon after he heard the word supper. xx Alex had breathed a sigh of relief when he first saw the road. It wasn¡¯t anything special, a dirt aisle cutting through the forest, only wide enough for one way wagon-traffic and some room to squeeze past. But it was something. A sign of civilization. For someone who¡¯d grown up in a modern city his whole life it was a sight for sore eyes. I better get used to it, though, he¡¯d thought. From what he¡¯d seen, he would be visiting the woods more often than not from now on. City parks and the occasional school trip summed up his previous field experience, but let it not be said he wasn¡¯t a fast learner. I killed a man-sized sloth with a fucking wooden stick, damn it! That had to count for something. The crew had first passed through dense forest much like Alex had become used to in this world, and sometimes Valerian or Cedric had to stop and lift the wagon whole out of a hollow or carry it over large roots that got in their way. He tried to help once, but discreetly begged off when he couldn¡¯t raise it an inch off the ground. That level of strength served to prove to him that these were far from ordinary people, especially when the siblings had taken it all in stride. Daven had caught sight of his attempt¡ªbecause of course he had¡ªand the next five minutes had been a lecture in ribbing that had Alex taking deep breaths to calm himself at times, and reluctantly holding in his laughter at others. The archer wasn¡¯t particularly eloquent¡ªat least in the formal way of things, which was strange since his sister certainly seemed to be from their conversation earlier¡ªbut he did have a clever way to make simple words seem overly offensive or absurdly hilarious. At some point after they hit the road, Diana had taken out the token again, scrutinizing it so thoroughly it was a surprise she managed to keep walking straight. Alex had given it only a passing glance just for the sake of curiosity, but when blue light started shining from between her hands he knew he had to check. Daven caught his look, muttered something along the lines of, ¡°Not another magic-head,¡± and went ahead to speak with Valerian and Cedric who walked by the pony. Shrugging, Alex slowly fell back from the wagon to get a better look, and soon enough he was walking by her side, peering at her work. Diana¡¯s thumb and index finger on her right hand glowed with a soft blue light at their tips, and she ran them over the face of the token with the care of an artisan. Her brows were furrowed with focus, and despite her blue eyes being fixed at the half-stake, she seemed to be looking at something deeper, something beyond it.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Alex squinted, and for the first time he spotted something different about the piece. Grooves ran all along the surface of the wood. No, not just grooves. They were markings, small and thin, clustered together, too regular to be anything other than a form of script. Is that what she is looking at? No, there¡¯s something else. ¡°Interested, are you?¡± Alex looked up. Diana was staring right back at him, an eyebrow raised. The blue light on her fingers dimmed until they were a healthy pink again. ¡°Should I not be?¡± Alex tried for nonchalance, as if he had not just been caught peeping. ¡°It¡¯s an interesting work of magic, whatever it is. Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve seen it before.¡± He thought maybe it was one of the relics she mentioned, but he didn¡¯t want to say it out loud just to be proved wrong. She watched him for a moment, as if trying to spot some nefarious intention beneath his words. ¡°It¡¯s a Siren,¡± she finally said, ¡°or that¡¯s what I call it.¡± Then she took out another, smaller piece of wood from a pocket. ¡°In reality it just sends a signal to this piece if something or someone were to remove the main token from its place. I made it myself. ¡± The last words were whispered, but he could hear the pride behind them, even if she tried to hide it. ¡°I thought you said you weren¡¯t trained?¡± he asked. ¡°I did,¡± she said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t train myself.¡± Alex nodded meaningfully. He had no basis on whether that was good or not in this world¡¯s context, but it certainly sounded impressive. A method of long-distance communication achieved through magic. In a primitive society, it would be the equivalent to a smartphone. Diana hadn¡¯t made a move to hide the pieces as she kept inspecting them, so Alex kept stealing glances at the tokens. ¡°Are those... runes or something?¡± he chanced. She shot him a sidelong glance. ¡°Or something.¡± She bit her lip for a moment, then continued, ¡°It¡¯s a form of poetry¡ªsong, really. Well, both. When written, they are poetry. But if I were to speak them, it would be in songform. That¡¯s how you activate them, actually.¡± Proffering the piece to him with one hand, she nodded reassuringly. ¡°You want to give it a try?¡± Alex¡¯s hand was half-raised before he caught the twitch of her lips and he snapped it back to his side. He glared at her. ¡°You¡¯re fucking with me.¡± ¡°We¡¯re walking, actually,¡± she said, a cheeky smile on her face. ¡°Well then.¡± Alex shook his head, then laughed despite himself. ¡°Now I know you weren¡¯t trained in comedy either.¡± Diana chuckled with him. Her eyes fell back to the token, but after a few moments of walking in silence, she looked at him again. ¡°You¡¯re actually interested?¡± Her voice sounded guarded somehow. ¡°I¡¯m sure I led the conversation with that.¡± ¡°Right, right. It¡¯s just¡­¡± she trailed off, then shook her head. ¡°Nevermind.¡± Alex frowned. There was a story there, but he had no intention of poking into it. It wasn¡¯t his problem. ¡°So¡­ are those things runes or not?¡± he tried again. ¡°Oh, right.¡± She flushed at her lapse for a second, before clearing her throat. ¡°Uhm yes, they are runes. You never heard of them?¡± He thought for a moment, and decided to just go for it. ¡°Not really,¡± he said. ¡°Should I have?¡± ¡°No, no. I mean, it makes sense, if you haven¡¯t been trained or spoken with someone who was. They¡¯re not that common. Few mages path that direction. As for what they are, well, think of them as a language of sorts, which you write or carve on an anchor.¡± She pointed at the finely-carved lines engraved in the wood. They were arrayed in small clusters, some jagged and harsh, others curved and elegant. ¡°They act as a guidebook¡ªvery specific instructions to what arcane power should do. Really, they can do anything.¡± Diana¡¯s cheeks reddened again as she spoke, but it was more excitement than any embarrassment. ¡°They need a stable power source to work, and the anchor needs to be stable and power-conductive. If you don¡¯t have those, at best the whole thing will simply not work, at worst you¡¯ll soon find yourself short of a hand.¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Was his dumb response. ¡°Arcane power, you said. I know what that is, I mean¡­¡± He trailed off before he could say anything more. Did he even know if these people had a system like he did, with status and skills and health points? Should he risk speaking about it? Alex licked his lips. ¡°I still haven¡¯t picked it yet, even if it sounds interesting,¡± he said, watching for her reaction. ¡°I just didn¡¯t know enough about it, and the other elements were pretty self-evident.¡± Diana nodded as if she expected the answer. ¡°It was my third choice too, and I only did it because a chaser Daven and I ran into a couple of years ago was kind enough to explain the possibilities of it to me. When I plateaued again, she even unsealed the Gate of Runes from my sight.¡± ¡°That was nice of her,¡± Alex said, though all he could do was think of the meaning behind her words. He understood the gist of it, of course, it lined up similarly enough with his system. Gates would be the proficiencies, plateauing meant to level up, sealed skills could be the locked ones for him, and sight might just be the system itself, or how the people of this world viewed it. Most likely, what he had was based on how magic worked here. But if it was so similar, why not just give him the same thing? Still, he would have to be careful with what he said until he caught up to everything. ¡°So runes is a skill that must be¡­ taught, somehow?¡± ¡°Yes and no.¡± She rolled a thumb along the many runes on the face of the siren. ¡°Every mage has to craft his own runes. You can¡¯t use those of your teacher, you won¡¯t even understand them. But someone who has the gate already unsealed can guide you in the process of doing it. A good enough grasp of arcane power is the only requirement.¡± ¡°Makes sense if you need one for the other,¡± he said, then added, ¡°How good of a grasp do you need it to have though? Two, three plateaus? Maybe five?¡± ¡°What?¡± Diana frowned. ¡°You mean how much I¡¯ve trained with it?¡± Alex shook his head. ¡°No, no. More like, how many times did you have to pick the Gate of Arcane after plateauing in order to be able to unseal the Gate of Runes?¡± He spoke cautiously, trying to measure every word that came out of his mouth. Diana glanced at him for a moment, as if to make certain he was serious, then snorted. ¡°You really are new at this, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that, Alex.¡± She sighed as if she was speaking to a child. ¡°You can¡¯t just pick a Gate again to get better at it. It takes years of practice to master a skill. Most people never do.¡± Alex came to a full stop in the middle of the road, his mind reeling. Diana took a few more steps before she noticed him and turned back. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Alex put two hands up, more to stop his own racing thoughts than anything. He needed to understand exactly what was going on. ¡°You¡¯re telling me you can¡¯t just pick a gate again and again after you plateau to get better at it?¡± His status screen was open in front of his eyes, and he was focused on one part only. [Skill Points]: 1 Fire Proficiency - 2/5 Water Proficiency Lightning Proficiency ... ¡°Yesss,¡± Diana said with a patronizing roll of the tongue. ¡°What part did you not understand?¡± Her tone was beyond aggravating, but Alex couldn¡¯t seem to care about it at all. He had to do everything he could not to break out into a grin. ¡°Oh no, I got it,¡± he said. ¡°I got that all right.¡± Chapter 7 The walk to the dungeon had not taken long after his conversation with Diana. Or perhaps it was that Alex had not been paying much attention to the passage of time after that. They had rejoined the group by the wagon after the Siren was put away and talks about their power had died out. Despite many attempts by Daven to engage him, Alex had been mostly silent. The archer had taken it as nerves for going into his first dungeon, no doubt, and had left Alex alone to his brooding. In truth, he was just doing his best to hide his excitement. After all, happiness attracted jealousy like vultures to carrion. He had learned that from a young age after his family was gone, while being around other kids in large, government-sponsored foster homes. Too many kids with too little laughter to go around. If you had a smile on your face they would seek out the reason for it and either take it for themselves or, if they couldn¡¯t have it, make sure no one else could. Alex had no doubt that his power would be coveted should others know about it. And if they couldn¡¯t have it¡­ well, he could think of no easier way to ensure the whole world couldn¡¯t have it than his death. He was still putting up a sullen fa?ade when Cedric pulled them off the beaten-earth road onto a smaller trail that led deeper into the woods. The trail was rarely used, even someone with as little experience in wilderness as Alex could attest to it. Thorny brambles edged onto the grass footpath to grasp at their legs, and the wagon snapped branches and vines alike as it passed through the narrow trail like a bull. ¡°This can¡¯t be the actual entrance,¡± Daven complained as they trudged further in. He was having a hard time getting his bow back from a tangled brier. ¡°There¡¯s a legitimate starting point further down the road.¡± Cedric hooked a thumb back the way they had come. ¡°But I doubt any of us want another half hour walk if it makes no difference.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we start at the start?¡± ¡°I have to agree with her,¡± Valerian put in as he pulled off some leaves that had gotten stuck to the pony¡¯s hair. ¡°If we are to do this, let us do it right.¡± Cedric gave them a dramatically sad smile. ¡°Your lack of faith in your leader is disheartening,¡± he said. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll see what I mean in just a moment.¡± And just as he promised, not a few minutes of walking later, they saw it. The border of the dungeon appeared as if out of nowhere in the middle of the small clearing they came to, cutting it neatly in half. One moment Alex had been looking at a vast expanse of forest beyond the clearing just like any other around them, then with the next step he took there was a wall of shimmering air a few feet in front of the crew. They all stopped to stare at it, eyes wide and slack-jawed. Even Valerian seemed surprised at the wall¡¯s sudden emergence, though he hid it better than them. ¡°Impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cedric asked, smiling back at them as he stood just a step away from the barrier. Alex was the first to snap out of it, and he slowly approached the shimmering wall. He squinted to try and see past it, but it was useless. It was like trying to look through a fogged window; he could see the rough shape of the trees and the brush beyond it but nothing more. Glancing up, he searched for the top of it only to start. It¡¯s not a wall. He looked back down and followed the blurred air as it cut through the forest, until it slowly curved inward in the distance. ¡°It¡¯s a dome,¡± Alex breathed. Valerian squinted dark eyes at the barrier. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of dungeons like this,¡± he said. ¡°But they are rare, from what I know.¡± ¡°Are they always this easy to just¡­ find and go in?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Sounds dangerous,¡± said Diana, striding up to inspect the barrier more closely. ¡°Anyone could just stumble into it if they weren¡¯t paying attention.¡± Cedric chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s why we don¡¯t need to go to the ¡®official¡¯ starting point. This dungeon doesn¡¯t have any specific entry or exit spots. You can just access it through anywhere along the dome. At the center of it there¡¯ll be another, smaller dome to access the next stage, and on and on until the fifth.¡± Now that Alex thought about it, the man had mentioned dungeon¡¯s having stages before. ¡°Will we have to go far?¡± he asked. ¡°For a few festival catches?¡± Cedric sniffed. ¡°No, the monsters on the first stage will be more than enough for that. The CCC rates this dungeon on the lower end all across the board. It¡¯s perfect for this, really.¡± The others nodded easily, and Alex was quick to swallow the questions that arose about this CCC. Some kind of government organization, if he were to guess, but if it was as widely known as he expected, he would be better off keeping his inquiries to himself. Ignorance was a vulnerability he was not keen to show to the people around him, especially after his earlier discovery. A discovery I need to confirm beyond all doubt, he thought, and opened up his status screen. [Status] Name: Alex Hart Level: 3 Class: Mage HP: 60/60 MP: 80/80 [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 10 Soul Affinity: 8 Free Points: 7 [Skill Points]: 1 Fire Proficiency - 2/5 Water Proficiency Lightning Proficiency Air Proficiency Earth Proficiency Arcane Proficiency [Locked] [Locked] You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. [Locked] ¡­ One skill point and seven free points available. Looking at it like this, Alex wanted nothing more than to start branching out into other skills. Lightning was the first one that came to mind in regards to combat, and after seeing the possibilities that Arcane Proficiency could bring, he was partial to that one as well. But he also needed to test out what he¡¯d learned from Diana. If it¡¯s true¡­. If he truly got better with each level he invested in a skill while others had to master it by training¡­. It was a game changer. And perhaps he could start putting some stock on the message saying he was chosen to become the Second. Even if he didn¡¯t yet know exactly what he had been chosen for. ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Cedric¡¯s voice cut through his thoughts. The crew leader had taken his spear in hand while Alex wasn¡¯t watching, though he still looked carefree in the face of entering the dungeon. ¡°Remember, dangerous or not, standard rules still apply. We¡¯re not here to prune it though; let¡¯s just go in, get our prizes, and get out.¡± ¡°Those rules being?¡± Alex asked. He felt like a child putting his hand up in class. ¡°Stay together. Keep your eyes open. Follow your leader¡¯s lead. And don¡¯t fuck up.¡± He nodded. ¡°Simple and to the point.¡± ¡°You have no idea how quickly the last one goes out the window sometimes.¡± Cedric barked a laugh, then he walked right through the barrier. Before Alex could blink, Diana stepped through after their leader, and Daven followed behind her, giving him a little wave of goodbye. He could see their shape emerging beyond the dome, shadowed and indistinct. Valerian brought up the rear, leading the pony by the reins, and Alex didn¡¯t feel like being left behind. With a confident breath, he took a step forward. Immediately, white light flashed his eyes. A film of cold pressed against him, like his whole body had been wrapped in icy saran wrap. But it took no longer than his foot touching down on the other side for that feeling to be gone, leaving only an echo of disorientation behind. He nearly stumbled with the next step, though he managed to keep to his feet by raising his arms out to the side for balance. Still dizzy, blinking out white spots from his vision, Alex was expecting many things when he opened his eyes, but a normal place had not been one of them. He looked around in bewilderment, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Except it was exactly what it looked like. They were in the other half of the clearing the trail ended on. Beyond it on three sides was¡­ forest: ankle-height grass, tall trees, thick bushes and dappled sunlight, same as before. The only difference was that the land was mostly flat, and Alex could see an ocean of oaks and ash and the occasional yew tree carrying out into the distance. ¡°Congrats man,¡± Daven said, grinning back at him. He stood near his sister and Cedric a bit to the side of the clearing, both watching him with amusement in their eyes. ¡°You just lost your dungeon virginity. How does it feel?¡± Alex rubbed at his eyes as he scanned the area. ¡°I pictured more doom and gloom, to be honest. Maybe some old bones thrown around for effect.¡± ¡°Enjoy it as is,¡± said Cedric. ¡°Because it gets grimmer out there.¡± Before Alex could answer, a sound like air being vacuumed out of the atmosphere came from his side. Valerian appeared from the barrier a moment later, ripples spreading along the shimmering wall of air like tiny waves rising from his body. The man himself seemed completely unaffected by the experience, square-jawed face set impassively; but the pony behind him came out agitated, whinnying and sniffing at the air. The poor thing¡¯s eyes looked terrified, and only Valerian¡¯s firm hold on its reins and the heavy wagon behind it didn¡¯t allow it to take off. ¡°Easy now girl,¡± Cedric said in a soothing voice. With an artful display of skill, he spun the spear in his hands and planted the blade into the ground before he walked up to the pony. The animal neighed and stomped the ground as he approached, throwing its head about in a frenzy. ¡°Easy, easy.¡± Passing the reins to the crew leader, Valerian reached inside one of the saddlebags on the pony¡¯s side and came out with an apple in hand. He tried to feed the animal, but the pony didn¡¯t make it easy for him, even rearing up on its hind legs before Cedric pulled it back down. Alex¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°Is it okay?¡± The pony had been nothing but calm during the trip and now suddenly it was completely freaking out. Surely the daze of passing through the barrier wasn¡¯t that bad on it. Horses were resilient creatures on their worst days. ¡°Animals don¡¯t tend to like crossing into a dungeon, nor being inside one,¡± Cedric said in between shushing the pony. Alex peered around them again. He even sniffed at the air, trying to find something beyond the smell of moist earth that hung in the forest, but it all seemed normal to him. ¡°Is there a reason for that?¡± he asked. Cedric shot a smile back, but it wasn¡¯t Alex he was looking at. ¡°Well go on,¡± he said to Daven, ¡°you need to know this one if you want to be a licensed chaser.¡± The archer winced. ¡°Uhh.¡± He scratched the back of his head. ¡°I was totally listening to you back then, but, uh¡­¡± Diana stared at her brother for a moment, then sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because they get eaten,¡± she said, punctuating her words by elbowing Daven in the ribs. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Cedric nodded. ¡°One of the reasons dungeons need to be pruned is the effect overflow has on the local animal life and hunting community. Monsters will attack animals if there¡¯s no humans to be had. Let a dungeon go untended for too long and you¡¯ll have a dead forest for dozens of miles around.¡± He ran his hand through the pony¡¯s mane. ¡°For Lady here, it feels like she just walked into a wolf¡¯s den. You need to remember this, Daven. This kind of stuff is just as important as how good you are with your bow. The CCC doesn¡¯t just hand certificates to anyone who¡¯s a good shot or can swing a sword.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Daven rubbed his side, scowling at Diana. ¡°My bad, I was just¡ª¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Valerian cut in. With his tone, everyone but the pony fell silent. He was looking around the area, scanning the foliage after something. ¡°Do you hear that?¡± Alex paused his own search and listened. And above the stomping of the pony and the sighing of the wind, he could hear it, a skittering sound somewhere in the forest, as if someone was rapping their nails against a wooden table. One hand still holding onto the pony, Cedric sighed. ¡°Ah, those critters,¡± he said with annoyance. Alex meant to ask who, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, the archer was the first to spot it. ¡°There,¡± Daven said, pointing off to their right. ¡°What in the First¡¯s name is that?¡± Alex turned. Some thirty yards from them, an old fallen tree lay decomposing on the ground outside the clearing. Moss beds covered most of the trunk, and a large crack on its side showed that the tree was hollowed out inside. He couldn¡¯t see what Daven meant at first, not until it jumped from the dark hollow inside the log onto the ground. It was a giant spider¡­ or rather, it looked like one. The eight legs were there as you would expect, only they were made out of segmented twigs covered with green lichen for hair. A mass of vines the size of a basketball sat where the thorax should be, its tendril-like shoots writhing and twisting atop each other. There was no head to the monster. No eyes for it to see. But Alex knew it was staring right at them. A bright blue tag hovered above it. [Vineling lvl 1] Creepy as it was standing there, the scary factor of the monster didn¡¯t hold much weight when he could see its low level. Wait. Alex glanced at the archer of the group. Why did he¡­ Could he not see the tag hovering above it? ¡°It¡¯s a vineling,¡± came Cedric¡¯s answer. As he said it, two others emerged from the fallen trunk, one leaping down to join its brethren, the other crawling along the side of the mossy log. Their twig legs made a staccato click-clack sound as they moved. ¡°They¡¯re quick little beasts, to be sure, but not much in the way of a threat. Just don¡¯t let them grab onto your head or they¡¯ll choke you to death with their vines. ¡± Diana¡¯s lips were curled with distaste. ¡°We¡¯re not taking some of them back with us, are we?¡± Cedric shook his head. ¡°The gaps on the wagon are too large for them,¡± he explained. ¡°But they¡¯re good target practice for you hopefuls, so they¡¯re all yours.¡± Alex found himself staring at the crew leader, wondering. Perhaps Cedric could see the tag identifying the vineling like he could, though he thought it more likely that he simply already knew the monster¡¯s name. He did tell them that he¡¯d pruned the dungeon a few months back. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll take the one in the back,¡± Daven announced. He reached a hand behind the small of his back, came back with three arrows on his fingers, and started off toward the tree line farther from the fallen log to get some distance. ¡°You two pipes can decide for yourselves.¡± Chapter 8 Alex blinked at Diana as her brother moved away. ¡°Pipes?¡± ¡°Lots of smoke, not enough fire,¡± she explained. ¡°My little brother has opinions on mages.¡± Shaking her head, she gave a long-suffering sigh. ¡°Look, you have Fire Proficiency right? I¡¯ll slow them down so you can hit them.¡± Alex was the last person to comment on sibling relationships, so he simply said, ¡°Alright.¡± Just then, Alex heard a thwang before the first of Daven¡¯s arrows flew over their heads. Cedric had not been lying when he told them the little monsters were fast. The vineling still on the trunk hopped aside quick as a fly, and the arrow struck the wood beside it with a thunk. Alex saw nothing special in the shot, no streak of light or elemental property to the arrow, and he wondered what kind of skills an archer had. Some form of privileged sight, perhaps, and light-footedness, too, as Daven had been especially silent earlier when they first met. That was usually within the rogue skill set, but there might be some overlap there. ¡°Bloody dust,¡± Daven grunted behind them. Cedric let out a low chuckle. ¡°Come on. Don¡¯t lose focus now,¡± he told them. Ignoring them, Alex turned to the front most vinelings. They weren¡¯t at all like the Wild Boars or the Killer Sloth. Instead of rushing them at once, the two vinelings skittered along the ground with no rhyme or reason. They bounced left and right as they edged closer, zig-zagging erratically among the trees, wooden legs clacking. They even skipped back a pace every once in a while. It was almost as if they expected to be targeted. Diana had her arms raised up beside him, but there weren¡¯t any visible signs of her using her powers, no light shining in her hands. The vinelings crossed the tree line into the clearing, and yet she made no move. Alex pursed his lips, saw two more arrows sail toward the rearmost creature, and turned to her again. He almost thought she had botched a spell when she spoke up. ¡°Get ready.¡± He nodded to her and brought a fireball to life. He had been thinking of testing his power, but that could wait a minute. The vinelings were halfway to their position already, skittering along the grass. The writhing vines of their thorax had begun to unfurl and lash about like whips as they approached, like they were excited. Then Diana called, ¡°Now!¡± And with her voice something else came. The earth rumbled beneath them. A soft thing, but Alex heard it all the same¡ªfelt it as something shifted on the forest floor. The next hop forward saw the foremost vineling¡¯s legs suddenly sink some three inches into the ground, and just a moment later its partner made the same mistake. Alex gaped as a long strip of grass had turned into mud in front of them, so as to trap the monsters even if they had tried going around it. They made no noise, no shriek or scream, but they trashed in place, legs shaking. He didn¡¯t wait for them to break out. Without hesitating, he threw a hand forward and let go. The fireball zipped across the clearing, a streak of yellow cutting the air, aiming straight at one of the vinelings. And Alex couldn¡¯t have asked for a better combination. The small fireball exploded as soon as it made contact with the forward twig legs, shattering them on the spot, before the flames¡¯ momentum carried it further to cover the whole of the vineling¡¯s plant-body. The monster burned like kindling. Even on fire the thing was quiet as a grave, though it twitched madly in its death throes. Alex watched dispassionately as it finally stopped moving, and what remained of the vineling was quick to break into black glass, leaving only the smell of bonfire behind. Then Diana¡¯s hands jerked on his periphery. When he turned, it was only to see a blade of air whooshing toward the remaining monster. It looked similar to the dungeon¡¯s barrier, as visible as solid air could be, and it cut a deep gash where it hit on the vineling¡¯s thorax. Green ichor oozed out of the wound, and the little critter was whipped into a frenzy trying to escape its fate. It trashed hard enough a few of its legs yanked out of the hardening mud. But the mage clearly wasn¡¯t done. Her hands moved again, slashing the air as if they were swords. Two more blades of shimmering air surged forth: one cleaving through half of the monster¡¯s legs, the other slicing at the main vine-body again. This time, the vineling slumped over, dead, before it broke apart like all other monsters. ¡°I thought you¡¯d only be slowing them down,¡± Alex pointed out. Diana gave him a little smirk. ¡°You took too long,¡± she said, loud enough her brother could hear, then threw a glance at the arrows clustered near the fallen trunk. Daven had only gotten his vineling on the fifth shot, and he came back nearer the group mumbling under his breath. Alex looked back at Diana for a second longer before shrugging. ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said. ¡°Were those your first two picks, then? Earth and Air before Arcane.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°Fire and Lightning were very attractive, but at the time I picked them Daven and I needed something more¡­ defensive, I guess.¡± He nodded. In a world of monsters and dungeons, that wasn¡¯t a surprise. ¡°Heads up!¡± Cedric called, causing the three of them to turn to him. He still had Lady by the reins, but the pony seemed less skittish now. Its head was bowed as Valerian scratched its long snout, the man watching over the clearing completely nonplussed. The crew leader pointed toward the forest, where in the distance something was coming in their direction. Something that stomped the thick underbrush as it passed through. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few Wild Boars approaching.¡± Hearing the stampede, Daven looked to the forest for a moment, licking his lips. ¡°Let us have these ones,¡± he said to their crew leader. ¡°I¡¯ll leave enough of them alive so we can transport them back.¡± ¡°Oh? Feeling confident, are you?¡± Cedric lifted an eyebrow. ¡°After that performance against the vineling, I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°That was just warm up,¡± the archer defended. Cedric¡¯s lips twitched into a near smile. He glimpsed over at Valerian, who shrugged and took over Lady¡¯s reins. ¡°Hmm. Alright then,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a few minutes of fun.¡± Stepping up to where his spear was stuck on the ground, he leaned against the shaft and nodded ahead. ¡°The boars should be easier for you to deal with, even if they hit harder. But I¡¯ll be watching, just in case.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t have to do a thing,¡± said Daven, a bold grin spreading over his face. Alex watched the byplay with indifference. Whatever their reasons were, killing more monsters would always be welcomed with him. ¡°What¡¯s the plan, then?¡± he asked. He had his own ideas on how to go about this, which mainly involved the two siblings holding the monsters down while he killed them. But they needed the boars alive for now, and he doubted they¡¯d just play support for him while he got all the experience. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. In reality, he didn¡¯t even know how that all worked here. Was the experience shared amongst the crew or just those who attacked a mob? How do you even define a crew when there was no party system? Alex thought in exasperation. It was just another thing to figure out later. Daven pulled more arrows from his quiver and flashed a challenging smile at his sister. ¡°Whoever takes a Wild Boar to the ground first gets to sleep on the room¡¯s bed tonight. It has to be alive too. No killing.¡± Diana rolled her eyes. ¡°Fine.¡± Alex opened his mouth to chime in, then paused. He hadn¡¯t even thought of where he would sleep tonight, or where he would go after all of this. He had no money, no identity. No direction. All he had was a power in its infancy and an empty claim to a title of Second-something he wasn¡¯t even sure he wanted. It¡¯ll have to be enough for now. Putting his mind to the task at hand, he drew on the power inside him one more time. Instead of forming the familiar fireball, Alex brought the fire out in its raw form. The air snapped around him, and flames big enough to engulf his whole hand came to life. They had to capture a few monsters alive, so he had just the idea on what to do. Focusing on the fire, he tried to condense it as he did before, but instead of a ball, he tried to elongate it, to turn it into a whip he could use as a lasso of sorts. At first, thin threads of fire surged up and funneled together, twisting and winding around each other, so that it looked like he had a small tornado emerging from a lake of fire in his hand. Except¡­ it would go no further. The threads of fire dispersed before they rose any higher than a foot up, and he couldn¡¯t keep feeding them fast enough with the blaze in his hands. It was too wild for it, and his control too feeble. So Alex redoubled his efforts, pressed down on the fire with all he had; but this time, almost instinctively, he knew this wasn¡¯t a fight he could win, not at the moment. The failure to handle his own power chafed at him, but it wasn¡¯t that unexpected. It only highlighted the importance of what he had to do. So with lips tight with annoyance, he opened up his status screen. [Status] Name: Alex Hart Level: 3 Class: Mage HP: 60/60 MP: 73/80 [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 10 Soul Affinity: 8 Free Points: 7 [Skill Points]: 1 Fire Proficiency - 2/5 Water Proficiency Lightning Proficiency Air Proficiency Earth Proficiency Arcane Proficiency [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] ¡­ It was high time to test how his powers worked. As it was still early in the game, he needed to know the mechanics of it all more than anything. Quickly glancing up¡ªthe status screen turning faint to his sight¡ªhe saw that the Wild Boar sounder was near enough now that he could already hear their snorts and their hooves thumping on the ground. The high bushes immediately surrounding the clearing still covered their visage, but a cloud of dust trailed behind them about half a football field¡¯s distance away. They were coming straight at them, as if from the opposite direction of the road their crew came from. ¡°How many of them are there?¡± Diana asked. She had positioned herself at the center of the clearing, slightly ahead of both Alex and Daven who flanked her. Cedric hummed behind them. ¡°Five or six would be my guess,¡± he said. ¡°They usually won''t group too densely in the first stage, but my advice would be to always prepare for the worst scenario. As amusing as it is to watch, don¡¯t hold back on account of this bet of yours if it comes down to it.¡± Daven clicked his tongue. ¡°You¡¯re no fun, Cedric.¡± He had two arrows nocked on his bow, though he hadn¡¯t drawn it just yet. Alex squinted when the sunlight glinted on a thin line between the arrows, and he realized that a long hanging cord tied just above the arrow feathers linked the two missiles. Shaking his head at the archer¡¯s craftiness, he brought the screen to focus again and gave himself no time to hesitate. [Skill Points]: 0 Fire Proficiency - 3/5 Water Proficiency Lightning Proficiency Air Proficiency Earth Proficiency Arcane Proficiency ... Instantly, the flames on his hand roared, more than doubling its size. Alex¡¯s eyes widened for a second before he clamped down on his surprise. ¡°What is that?¡± Diana gasped at the boom of the fire. Alex tried an easy smile. ¡°I can¡¯t have you guys doing all the work now, can I?¡± Diana frowned, blue eyes burning him with naked curiosity; but the incoming sounder of boars was a better distraction than any smile Alex could give. Just then, a gust of wind blew from the forest into the clearing, and the nauseating stench of the monsters served to hail their approach just as they finally broke through the tree line. Cedric had been right. There were six of them, the same waist-height size and dark coloring as the ones Alex had encountered before. One ran at the lead, red eyes glinting, while the other five were clumped behind him in a tight press of bodies. Coming all at once, their blaring snorts sounded more like coarse-voiced shouts than anything. Undaunted, Diana was the first one to act. She dropped to a knee and pushed both of her hands on the ground¡ªno, into the ground, until even her wrists were swallowed up. Across the clearing, the earth groaned and heaved in response, and a three-foot high wall of tightly packed dirt rose from the ground in front of the boars. The first one managed to leap cleanly over it, but the two directly behind him ran snout-first into the wall, while the other three were quick enough to turn away and scatter to both sides of their obstacle. They stumbled against each other, rolling on the ground, and Alex was then faced with two mildly disorientated Wild Boars blinking at him not fifteen yards away. Truly, he was in his element after the day he had. He pressed down on the fire again, shaping it like a whip. Only to reel back when instead of improving things he found he had even less command of his magic. The flames were rowdier than before, and the few threads of fire that rose up didn¡¯t even start funneling together. It just makes it more powerful¡­ Alex realized in dismay, and more power means less control. Beside the dirt wall, the Peppa clones that had stumbled to his side of the clearing had gotten back on their feet and wasted no time charging forward, their hooves churning the grass underneath. Alex froze on the spot. No. He couldn¡¯t move¡ªhis feet couldn¡¯t lift themselves off the ground. Glancing down, his stomach sank when he saw that the blades of grass around his feet had slithered over his shoes and seized him by the ankles, and they tightened the more he shifted. [Grasping Grass lvl 1] [Grasping Grass lvl 1] Shaken by this new strange monster, he only caught a glimpse of bared teeth and long sharp tusks jumping in front of him. Desperately, Alex threw his hand forward and flooded the fire with more mana. He didn¡¯t try to control it or shape it, just let it blast off. From his flung out hand, a wave of simmering heat exploded in a half-moon around him, the hot air washing over his skin as soon as he relinquished control of the flames. Snorting furiously, the boars reared in the face of the blast. They darted back, shying away from the fire as it licked at their exposed flank. Alex fell too, covering his face from the heat with both arms. But as powerful as the fire wave had been, it had also been unfocused and short-lived. The fire dispersed before it could do much. With only minor burns and scorch marks on their fur, the Wild Boars had only been distracted, not defeated. They managed to look even angrier as they shook away the effects of his attack, their red eyes glaring balefully at him. Then suddenly Cedric was rushing past him at the nearest boar to his left, his bronze-bladed spear glinting in front of him. The boar had barely any time to react before it was cut on the shoulder as the crew leader struck. It grunted in pain and jumped back; but Cedric was faster and his reach was longer. The glaive flashed again and again, each jab fast as a viper, though by Cedric¡¯s easy-going smile this was just another afternoon for him. Black blood leaked out of half a dozen small cuts all over the boar¡¯s front, but it was the final thrust that left a deep gash on the beast¡¯s shoulder all the way down to the center of its back. The boar wailed this time, nearly losing its footing. Cedric could have struck again at that moment, but he flipped the spear over and swung at it with the wooden end. He wasn¡¯t trying to kill the monster, only subdue it. Alex heard another snort and quickly turned away, pushing himself up despite still having his feet rooted in place. There was still another Peppa left, and he could worry about capturing it alive when his own life wasn''t on the line. Chapter 9 He had already formed a fireball by the time he turned to meet the other Wild Boar. Unlike with his attempt at a fire whip, the familiar spell came as easy as the snap of a finger despite the increase in power it received. The pig looked wary as the fire came to his hand, no doubt still feeling the effects of Alex¡¯s previous spell on its body. It hesitated for only a heartbeat before it grunted and charged again, but it was enough. Alex hurled the fireball like he¡¯d done a dozen times since he¡¯d awakened in this new world, the air around the spell spitting with sparks. And then he witnessed the reason why the fireball could not be the only spell in his arsenal anymore. The level one boar was swift enough to avoid being hit head on, easily sidestepping the spell. It was only luck that the flames burst as they touched the ground by its back hooves, flinging dirt and monster into the air. The boar howled like the devil as it tumbled head over heels, before another quick fireball to the head did the last of the pigs in. The boar broke into black glass as soon as its burnt out carcass fell sprawled on the clearing with a thud, wisps of dark smoke drifting above it. With his heart still hammering on his chest, Alex finally snapped out of it and turned to look around the clearing, silently admonishing himself for not doing so earlier. Aside from a glimpse of Cedric, he had completely zoned out into what was in front of him. Closest to him, the crew leader had a booted foot over the unconscious boar¡¯s neck, standing above it with both hands on his spear like a conqueror of old. On the other side of the clearing, Valerian likewise stood in front of Daven¡ªhis large tower shield strapped to his left forearm¡ªas he inspected the two fallen boars in front of him. One of them was slumped over with a nasty lump on the side of its head while the other trashed about on the ground with its four hooves tied together with twine. The archer was in much the same situation as Alex, sat on the ground with a grass garland covering his feet. He cut at it with a small pocket knife, muttering under his breath. ¡°What was that!?¡± Diana snapped, sounding distinctly rattled. She looked down right disheveled compared with a few moments before, with dirt smeared over the left side of her face and several strands of her fiery hair poking out of her braid. A thick spike of earth jutted out of the ground by her feet, and a few yards away, where she once knelt with her hands on the ground, a large clump of grass was missing. Using his spear, Cedric poked at the grassy turf beside the boar¡¯s head with narrowed eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t quite know,¡± he admitted. ¡°It never happened with me and my group when we pruned this place.¡± He gave the ground one last nudge before shrugging. ¡°But it¡¯s not uncommon for dungeons to produce effects like that. Sometimes it¡¯s some kind of poisonous gas, others might spawn illusions that¡¯ll mess with a chaser''s senses. If I were to guess, it probably happened because you stood still for too long on the same spot.¡± Frowning, Alex looked down at the monsters still clutching at his feet. [Grasping Grass lvl 1] [Grasping Grass lvl 1] Cedric either really couldn¡¯t see the tags like the others or he was an expert liar. And despite his own apprehensions toward the crew leader, he would bet on the former being true. It was just a feature of his own powers, more than likely. Another point to the theory that this Second thing might have some veracity to it, even if his earlier excitement had died down after his poor performance controlling his magic. Alex still had nearly half of his MP, so he brought forth the fire again and got to the business of burning away the grass monsters. In its raw form the fire was more powerful than before, more wild, and it was a tricky thing to ignite the long grass blades while avoiding burning his shoes. When he was finally free and looked back up, Daven was strutting across the clearing toward his sister. ¡°Well, it seems like I won then.¡± He had a giant grin on his pock-marked face. ¡°I took one down without killing it!¡± Diana scoffed. ¡°Only because Valerian helped you, otherwise the other two would¡¯ve run you over.¡± ¡°A bet is a bet,¡± Daven said, laughing. Even the close call hadn¡¯t been enough to shift the archer¡¯s mood, it seemed. ¡°And I¡¯m tired of sleeping on the ground. The floorboards on this inn are too bumpy.¡± ¡°You either needed help or didn¡¯t get the boar,¡± Cedric cut in, ¡°so in my book all of you lost the bet. That means you get to tie off the pigs and carry them to the wagon.¡± He stepped off the Wild Boar and rubbed his nose in disgust. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come to enjoy the smell in due time. Now chop-chop and get to it, I¡¯m already looking forward to a good cup of ale by the fire tonight.¡± Diana sighed, but Daven didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°Looking forward to that cute barmaid, you mean?¡± he said, wagging his eyebrows suggestively at the leader. Cedric shook his head. ¡°What ever happened to respecting your seniors?¡± He sounded unruffled, but Alex could see the dusting of red that rose on the crew leader¡¯s cheeks. Shrugging, Alex followed Diana to get some rope in Lady¡¯s saddlebags. Alex had just found out another intricacy of how his skills worked, the subtle play between power and control, and he didn¡¯t mind doing some menial work as he thought things through. xx The road wound around familiar low forested hills before it turned west to roughly parallel the Dunnser river that led to the village of Riverbend. From that point, it was another hour¡¯s walk listening to the boar-burdened wagon groaning at the joints before they came across the first farms with thatched, timber houses, sitting stoutly surrounded by fields looking recently sowed. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. They were mostly solitary homesteads, though a few were clumped together in groups of two and three houses. Here and there men and women in coarse coats walked the fields checking for weeds and pests among their crops; and a few children were out as well, herding sheep atop donkeys or playing about with wooden sticks and pebbles. When the crew was spotted coming up on the road, the children would run up to the edge of the fields, leaning against fences or peeking above hedges to call out eagerly at them. Their eyes would shine with awe when they saw the monsters tied up on the wagon. The adults were less excitable but no less polite, and would offer nods and waves in their direction. Cedric looked completely in his element as he soaked in the children¡¯s adulation, smiling brightly as he twirled his spear above his head and behind his back like a staff-master, while Daven didn¡¯t miss the opportunity to goof around making funny faces or poking at the unconscious boars. Diana and Valerian took it all in stride, though neither had the charisma of the crew leader or the humor of the archer. On his part, Alex stayed off to the side as much as he could, all the while hardly believing that people with access to game-like powers¡ªif they indeed could all use it like the rest of the crew¡ªwould spend their days hoeing fields and raising cattle when they could bend the very elements of the world. It was all about perspective, he knew, as they had no doubt grown up thinking that having these amazing powers was a normal part of life, but it was still baffling. His own excitement for his power had settled into something less sensationalist and more sensible after a bit of reflection. No doubt there was still much he didn¡¯t know and understand about it, and it did him no good to create expectations on his first day on the job. He decided to take on his power as it came and not make a fuss of what he didn¡¯t get like a spoiled child. After all, the potential was all there, he would simply have to work for it like always. ¡°Doing alright there, Alex?¡± Daven¡¯s voice suddenly pulled Alex out of his own mind. Quickly looking around, he saw they¡¯d just moved past the most recent farmhouse with a few children running about, and the archer was sidling up beside him. ¡°You¡¯ve been dead quiet for a while now.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking back on the dungeon, that¡¯s all,¡± he said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t how I expected, even if there was a close call there at the end.¡± ¡°That was something for a first time, eh?¡± Daven nudged him on the arm, chuckling. He was a nudger on top of being a shoulder-slapper, apparently. ¡°It would have been fine anyway. I would have sniped them all before they got a scratch on any of us. Val jumped in too soon, I¡¯m telling you.¡± It was Alex¡¯s turn to chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would have, buddy,¡± he said lightly. As Daven proceeded to expound on precisely how he would have taken down all the boars with a single arrow shot, the crew rounded a bend on the road that let out on open country once again; and, in the distance, Alex saw smoke staining the blue sky, a dozen fingers of it lazily rising up into the air from somewhere hidden behind a few hillocks still on their way. Riverbend laid beyond, even if he couldn¡¯t yet see it. It was, however, his first view of the Dunnser north of the road, just a vaguely green-brown line in the northern horizon running from the east to the west until it hid behind the hills like the village they would find soon enough. ¡°So, Alex.¡± Cedric came around the wagon nearer to him and Daven, temporarily shutting up the archer. ¡°Have you decided what you¡¯ll do from now on?¡± ¡°Finding a place to spend the night before anything,¡± Alex told him. Cedric nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a good start. We¡¯re staying at the Bedstone Inn¡ªthere¡¯s really only the one, that¡¯s all the options you¡¯ll have in a place like Riverbend¡ªso we¡¯ll all go there after dropping the boars off. You can figure out if you want to stick with us tomorrow.¡± Alex thought for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Getting some more information about the world at large while in Riverbend was at the top of his to-do list, but he also wouldn¡¯t mind being carried by Cedric and his crew while he was still so weak. ¡°Isn¡¯t Master Orson the one who issued the job?¡± Diana asked, looking back from where she walked beside Lady. A genial smile lit up Cedric¡¯s face. He seemed to love having answers to people¡¯s questions. ¡°As the mayor, yes, but we can¡¯t put the monsters on his inn¡¯s stables. It would spook the horses too much. Orson asked me to leave them in with the town¡¯s blacksmith, a fellow named Bryon. He¡¯ll have a space ready to take them.¡± Diana simply hummed in response, one hand lazily stroking the pony¡¯s mane. The road climbed up the gentle slope of the hill easily enough that Lady had no trouble pulling on the heavy wagon, and soon enough they crested its peak. Below, perhaps a mile away, the village of Riverbend spread on both sides of the river like a perfect mockup of a medieval village, half a hundred houses surrounding a single wooden bridge that spanned the river where it curved southward. The village was bordered by a vast wood on its western side, while in front the crew, on the eastern side, fields and pastures were interspersed by stands of trees or tall hedges delineating the different properties. And to the far northwest, past the village and the woods, so far it looked more mirage than reality, a chain of snow-capped mountains jutted out into the sky like the spine of some great dead beast. Cedric didn¡¯t give Alex a chance to appreciate the view for long. With the village in sight, they pressed on quicker, and soon enough they were among the first houses this side of the Dunnser¡ªhalf-timbered, whitewashed homes that reminded Alex of old German buildings. They were mostly single or two-storey affairs, and since there was plenty of space to be had, every house seemed to have its own small garden or chicken coop or pigpen at the back. More importantly, the village looked like it was being dressed up for prom. Vines stretched across the road like green streamers hung with wildflowers and colorful wreaths along their length, the air rich with their spices. The shutters of every house were open as if to soak in the sunlight, and beautifully sewn rugs and banners hung from the windows like portraits into different worlds. Doors too were swung wide; next to each of them, small tables sat topped by all sorts of bite-sized cakes and pies and quiches, with every house seeming to have their own specialty. Daven was the first to break out toward a cake-brimmed table, but the rest of the crew was quick to follow, hungry as they all were, and even Valerian allowed himself one or five of the pastries. Lady was a smart enough animal to keep moving forward as they taste-tested every house with a table out. Alex took a particular liking to the pork sausage quiche of a one-storey home and stuffed his pockets with a handful of the treats. A penniless man had to eat where and when he could, he thought to himself, even as the little toddler watching from inside the house gave him a scowl. They weren¡¯t alone in the streets, either. Riverbend seemed alive with activity. Instead of simply watching them pass by, a handful of village children had come to greet them like returning heroes when they were first spotted at the edge of town, and were dodging around the wagon as they tried to peek at the tied up monsters inside ever since. Beyond the children, a few women wearing a strange combination of pants under knee-high skirts came to meet them at the doorstep at some of the houses, to ask their opinion on their baking or commend them over their day¡¯s catches. And further ahead, despite the chill in the air, lines of bare-chested men hauled ale kegs and wine barrels and stacks of well-cut timber over to the village green by the bridge. To these people, interdimensional kidnapping during a grocery run was the least of their worries, and preparations for this so-called the Selection Festival were in full swing. Chapter 10 Cedric finally called for a stop on their pastry tour in front of a two-storey house one street over from the main road, where they could just see the edge of the village green before the bridge. Beside the house, a small smithy was set up under an extended shingled roof. The forge itself was up against the house¡¯s stone wall, with a tall brick chimney rising above it and a trio of troughs sitting beside it. The place looked just about what Alex had in mind when it came to pre-industrial smithing: rough and dirty with a pair of anvils as the centerpieces and barrels full of nails and horseshoes and hoe-heads piled all around. Workbenches held hammers and tongs of all sizes; two grinding wheels sat on the dirt floor. The bitter smell of hot iron lay heavy in the air. And, of course, the whole thing wouldn¡¯t look complete without a stocky bald man with a wiry beard and shoulders like a roided-out bull working at it. ¡°I thought I heard that gaggle of children being louder than usual,¡± the man who could only be Master Bryon grated, then he dunked the short piece of iron in his hand into a trough. The water gave out a sizzling hiss, and the smith¡¯s large figure was nearly obscured with the vapor. Then he pulled it out of that trough and placed it into the other one¡ªsome kind of oil, this time. When he moved aside to speak with them, his bald head was covered in a fine sheen of sweat and water, and his black beard sparkled with dew. He eyed the five of them and the boars inside the wagon with a particular look of distaste before turning to Cedric. ¡°It figures you finally brought the monsters then, chaser?¡± Wearing nothing but roughspun pants and a heavy leather apron over his barrel-like chest, the smith cut an imposing figure when he scowled. ¡°Been lazing about the village too long with that other lot you showed up with. The Festival starts the day after tomorrow, you know.¡± Cedric¡¯s thousand watt smile didn¡¯t waver a bit. ¡°Worry not, my good man,¡± he said. ¡°Delivered on time as promised. The day after tomorrow is still two days away, no?¡± The smith huffed, turned away, and stepped back to the forge. Alex watched as he pulled out another iron rod from its depths with his bare hands, the lower half of the piece still glowing red-orange with heat, and repeated the quenching process with it. ¡°Leave the wagon there and be on your way, then,¡± Bryon said through another cloud of vapor. ¡°Tell Orson his fat arse was right. He¡¯ll give you your pay.¡± Cedric waited for Bryon to continue for another moment, then shrugged when nothing was forthcoming. ¡°As you say, master smith. We¡¯ll be on the Bedstone if you need us, then.¡± The smith didn¡¯t turn to look, just waved them off. They got about ten feet away before Alex had to ask, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he have been wearing gloves or something? He was grabbing that thing like it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°He probably doesn¡¯t need to,¡± Cedric said, leading the group toward the village green through narrow alleys between houses. Like the road to the dungeon, the streets in the village weren¡¯t paved or cobbled, just dirt hard-packed by traffic. ¡°Most blacksmiths in small villages like this are Warriors by class, they just path that direction after someone unseals it from their sight. Usually a parent or a mentor. Or themselves, if they¡¯re lucky enough. Likely he has¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯d bet he has some form of fire resistance,¡± Daven butted in, walking beside his sister in front of Alex. ¡°Or a trace to make his skin tougher,¡± Valerian added. Somehow as they left Lady and the wagon behind, the large man had ended up at the back of the crew with Alex. ¡°Or something that makes it easier and less dangerous to work iron. There¡¯s a hundred different ways for that.¡± ¡°You can never tell the Gates a person has opened or the traces they can use because of those Gates until they tell you about it or you see them use it. Always good to keep that in mind.¡± Cedric glanced back over his shoulder. ¡°Talking to you, eh, Daven. That¡¯ll be on the test too.¡± Diana chuckled, and the archer glared at his sister, red on his cheeks. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I already know that one, man,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t need to rub the earlier miss in.¡± Up ahead, the houses opened up to an open patch of ankle-height grass dotted with trees hugging the side of the Dunnser, large enough to easily accommodate a hundred or more people without crowding the place too much. There weren¡¯t that many villagers there as Alex and the crew skirted the center of the green through a small dirt path, but work was certainly being done by dozens of men and women erecting small wooden shacks, bringing out rows of tables and benches, and stacking up kegs and barrels of booze until they stood higher than a man was tall. They made it past the green without much fanfare, the smell of fresh water growing in Alex¡¯s nose the closer they got to the river. The Riverbenders seemed to be very much work-minded people who were satisfied with giving them a nod and a wave as they focused on their tasks, and the children who¡¯d followed them had slipped away after they stopped at the smithy. The bridge they came to seemed in line with what Alex had seen in the village so far. It was a simple but solid affair with squat stone foundations on each bank and a body of wood stretching across the river, wide enough two wagons could just squeeze through together. The Dunnser was narrower at this point, and it''s dark waters ran placidly beneath their feet as they crossed it. The burbling sound of the current lapping at the stones on the shores combined with the clamor of simple village work being done behind them was so pleasant it would fit right into the background of a Hollywood movie. Alex was surprised at the sturdiness of it too, as the wood barely sagged an inch with all their weight. Still, he waited for them to step off the other side before he turned to Valerian. ¡°So, are you a Warrior too, then?¡± Alex asked, shooting a meaningful glance at the large shield strapped to Valerian¡¯s back. Before the man could even think of answering, Daven rounded on Alex. ¡°Are you kidding?¡± he said. ¡°Val here¡¯s a Paladin. He¡¯s not a first-rank peasant like the rest of us.¡± The archer let out a jovial laugh and slapped Valerian on the shoulder. At least he does it with everyone, Alex thought, then said, ¡°Huh. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met someone of the second-rank before.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ve met two now.¡± Cedric had stopped a little ways ahead by a line of trees. He had a thumb pointing at his own chest. ¡°I¡¯m a second-ranked warrior too, a Lancer. Now come on, it¡¯s way past lunch time for me.¡± Hidden behind the clump of tall willows that stretched by the riverside was easily the largest building in town. It was three-storeys high, built in the same style as all the other houses except for its first floor, which was entirely erected with white river stones. A wooden plaque depicting a man sleeping on a stone bed hung over the front doors.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. They had arrived at the Bedstone inn. Inside, Cedric wasted no time going up to the portly man standing behind the bar, while Daven led Alex and the rest of the crew toward a smaller table on the back of the room, past the smattering of people talking and digging at their own food. ¡°Don¡¯t mind the deadness of the place,¡± Daven said, dropping down on his seat. Diana sat next to her brother, but she immediately pulled out her Siren stake and seemed to zone out of the conversation. ¡°It gets crowded in the evenings. S¡¯what happens when there¡¯s only the one inn to drink at.¡± Alex hummed, sitting himself across from his fellow mage. ¡°What¡¯s the usual fare here, then?¡± he asked. Daven¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Oh man, you need to try their bacon trencher.¡± He leaned over the table like an excited doodle. ¡°It comes with freshly baked bread and a nice rounding of eggs and cheese to really pull you in. But the bacon, Alex, the bacon¡­.¡± He made an exaggerated ¡®oooh¡¯ sound that rumbled in his chest. ¡°You have an actual addiction to breakfast food,¡± Diana said, snorting. Her eyes never left the rune-carved piece of wood. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that¡¯s the best kinda food, is it?¡± ¡°Oh I could go for some bacon,¡± Alex said, and he couldn¡¯t help the laugh that escaped him. ¡°You have no idea.¡± ¡°It¡¯s decided, then.¡± Daven slapped his palms down on the table. ¡°Bacon for everyone today. Actually, make it so it¡¯s bacon for the whole crew forever. We¡¯re a bacon-only crew now.¡± Alex chuckled, and Diana had a smile at the corner of her lips even as she shook her head. As they talked, Valerian had been sitting silently at the head of the table. He had a large coin in one of his hands, a dull iron thing so dark it could almost pass as black, and he twirled it between his fingers as easily as an experienced player would with a poker chip. A bird of some kind showed on one side mid flight, while the other seemed completely blank. His eyes stared away into the middle distance, looking at nothing in particular as he played with the coin. For the first time, Alex stopped to really look at the man. The paladin was obsidian made flesh, from the midnight black of his skin, his close-cropped hair and shaven chin, to the solidness of his stance, even just sitting across a table. The only thing that broke the image were the staring eyes, so black and uninterested they looked as if they had lost any and all of their light. Before Alex could note anything further, Valerian stood up suddenly. ¡°I¡¯ll be eating in my room,¡± he said, then made it for the stairs after signaling the innkeeper. Alex watched him go in silence. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him,¡± Daven piped up. ¡°He¡¯s the big brooding solitary type. Besides, he only does the coin trick to look cool in front of me. He can¡¯t compete with my natural charisma.¡± ¡°Right,¡± Alex said. He doubted Valerian was the type of person who did anything just to look cool, but he tried not to think too much about it. He had his own problems to occupy his mind. In this case, the matter of money. Getting to civilization was all well and good, but how would he be paying for all of it? Sure, he still felt his wallet in his back pocket, and he knew there was at least some fifty dollars on it¡ªand his credit card too. But that would be of no use here. So how? Alex knew the answer. He just had to do it and not think of it. Pulling a move out of Valerian¡¯s book, Alex stood up in a jolt just as Cedric finished speaking with the innkeeper and mayor of Riverbend, Mayor Orson. The lancer had moved to the side of the bar to speak with a young woman wearing a kerchief over her head. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Daven asked. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back,¡± Alex simply said, moving down the length of the common room before the archer could say anything else. The inn was a cleaner place than Alex had expected, with speckless tables and scrubbed floors and not a sign of dust around, but the smell of old sweat and cheap alcohol still permeated the air like a piece of gum that refused to peel off. The innkeeper noticed him coming before Alex made it to the high-topped bar. ¡°How can I help you, son?¡± Mayor Orson asked. He had a gravelly, wizened voice to match the full head of white hair receding from his brow. Great white mustaches hung over his upper lip all the way down to his chin. ¡°I¡¯m looking for room and board for a few days,¡± Alex said, leaning over the countertop. ¡°How much am I looking at here?¡± ¡°Two silver marks for a week¡¯s stay with two hot meals everyday,¡± he said, and Alex couldn¡¯t hide his reaction well enough. Orson gave him a look and let out a low chuckle. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry lad, guests don¡¯t pay for food here in Riverbend during the week of the Selection Festival, so you¡¯re down to a silver mark for the week. With all the food and drink you can stomach.¡± He patted his own gut as if to illustrate. Orson¡¯s belly was indeed wide, stretching the grease-stained apron he wore to the brink; but it was no wider than his shoulders. The man had been strong before he grew plump. One silver mark. He had none, of course. But he might have something better. Pursing his lips, Alex let the last threads of sentimentality dissolve in the face of his new reality and reached for his chest. But before he could, something clinked on the wooden counter in front of him. ¡°There,¡± Cedric said from across the bar. The young woman with the kerchief he was talking with watched the interaction with red cheeks from the staff-side of the countertop, her peach-colored eyes sparkling with delight. ¡°You earned it.¡± Stunned, Alex glanced down at the small, nickel-sized silver coin and frowned. The last thing he wanted was to be indebted to Cedric financially on top of everything. ¡°Look, I¡ª¡± ¡°I just got paid,¡± the leader of the crew said with a charming smile. ¡°Just take it, no strings attached.¡± He winked and turned back to his conversation with the barmaid, as if to emphasize the stringlessness of the offer. Alex paused, then gave a firm nod when he had a better idea. ¡°Thanks,¡± he muttered, picking up the coin and sliding it into his jean¡¯s pocket. If there were truly no strings attached, then he was better off saving the local currency for later. This time, he reached into the collar of his shirt unimpeded. Orson had a bushy eyebrow raised as Alex pulled out the locket and unlatched it from the collar. He held the old keepsake in his hand for a moment, its weight heavier than it had any right to be. I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t. Before he could change his mind, Alex showed it to the innkeeper. ¡°How much can I get for this?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s real silver.¡± Humming thoughtfully, Orson extended an open hand. ¡°May I?¡± Alex dropped the locket into the man¡¯s callused hands. The innkeeper looked carefully at the piece, poked and prodded it before finally pulling it up to his mouth and getting his teeth in on the action too. ¡°Real silver,¡± Orson agreed. ¡°There¡¯s not enough of it to make a halo, but with the craftsmanship of it¡­.¡± He thumbed the small leaf-engravings on the locket¡¯s edges and nodded to himself. ¡°Aye lad. A full silver halo it is. I¡¯d ask if you¡¯re sure you want to sell this, but I know the look of a man who¡¯s made a decision.¡± Alex swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He tried to speak but couldn''t form the words. So he settled for a nod. Orson put a hand beneath his apron, reached into the inner side of his pants, where from the looks of it a small purse hung from his belt, and pulled out a large silver coin from it. Deftly, he flicked it into the air toward Alex, who snatched it from the air. ¡°Good business, lad,¡± Orson said, but Alex already had his eyes trained on the coin. A halo, by what the man said, and it was certainly large enough to be worth more than a silver mark. A hooded man dominated one face of the coin, a fatherly smile on his lips even as his eyes were shadowed by the hood. On the other, six stars formed a silver constellation, with the words The League of Free Republics engraved beneath. ¡°Oh.¡± That was Orson again. When Alex looked up, the locket was open in the innkeeper¡¯s hands. A slip of color showed inside. ¡°By the First,¡± the man breathed. ¡°This painting¡­ it¡¯s beautiful.¡± Unbidden, Alex¡¯s eyes turned to it. It wasn¡¯t a painting, he knew, but a tiny picture of a family in all-formal clothes. The father had a dark suit on, the mother a flowing dress, and the siblings sitting in front of them looked more like dolls than anything. But the older sister¡¯s smile was wide and wicked, an arm slung over her younger brother¡¯s shoulders. The smile was the only thing that made the picture and the people within look real. ¡°Do you want it back?¡± Orson asked, an annoying look of pity on his weathered face. Glancing at the family for the last time, his knuckles clenched white, Alex simply shook his head. ¡°Keep it.¡± Chapter 11 ¡°I, uh, never had a coin this¡­ costly. How much is it worth?¡± Alex asked, two fingers holding up the silver halo. After lunch¡ªwhich, as Daven promised, had upped the bar when it came to bacon-making¡ªOrson had led him to his room on the third floor of the inn, a boxy den with a cot tucked in one corner and a dresser with a washstand on the other. A small, unshuttered window faced the grove of willows by the river, tinging the room with a faintly bitter smell. It was better than he¡¯d hoped. ¡°Twelve to one gold mark,¡± the innkeeper said from behind him, standing by the door. ¡°Same as copper pennies to copper marks, and copper marks to silver marks, and so on.¡± Alex turned to thank him, only to get a small key and a handful of copper coins dumped on his hands. Six, by his count, though one was decidedly smaller than the rest. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a silver mark for a whole week,¡± Orson said. ¡°I put you down for three days, in case you planned to leave sooner.¡± ¡°Oh. Right.¡± Alex looked down at the coins, cleared a throat that didn¡¯t need clearing. ¡°I was a bit distracted with uh¡­ with the festival and all.¡± ¡°Of course, lad.¡± Orson smiled, put a hand on his shoulder for a moment, and left. The door clicked shut behind the innkeeper, and Alex could do nothing more than gather his little copper coins and carefully put them away in one of the dresser¡¯s drawers. The key he held on for now, and though he thought of stashing the silver halo with the other coins, it was too valuable to keep anywhere else but deep inside his pocket. If Orson was to be believed, the currency of this world worked on multiples of twelve. A simple enough system, he supposed, though knowing how that worked did nothing to inform him on the actual price of things. He certainly needed a coin purse of sorts¡ªhe doubted his wallet would be any good in holding this many coins, but then again he didn¡¯t even know how much that was worth. All he had to go on was the price of a week¡¯s stay and meals in a small village inn that for all he knew was in the middle of buttfuck-nowhere. A traitorous part of his mind wondered if he¡¯d done the right thing, trading the locket for a bed and a hot meal. His clothes and his wallet meant nothing to him, so that thing had been the last emotional tie to his world¡­ and to them. And when have bitter memories ever put food on the table? Alex shook his head. Never, though at times he had sorely hoped for it. Straightening up, he strode down to the window and looked outside. The sun was a bit over halfway down the western sky, but not quite there yet. There was still enough sunlight to go about and too many things to figure out despite how tired Alex felt. The muscles of his back ached with some sort of phantom pain that the level ups were supposed to wash away, and it had been nighttime when he was torn away from his world. I fall asleep now my sleep schedule is done and over with. Alex chortled at the thought. It sounded stupid even to himself, but the last thing he wanted was interdimensional jet lag. Besides, he needed to forget about the locket and put the whole thing behind him. It was over and done long ago, really. He had to focus on the here and now. xx There was another, narrower staircase at the back of the inn by his room, and Alex was able to slip away without running into anyone from the chaser crew. The courtyard behind the inn was mostly closed off by a barn and both a pigpen and a chicken coop, but he squeezed past them easily enough despite stepping on one too many piles of pig shit. The western side of Riverbend was much like the eastern, all dirt streets and well-built houses, only smaller and a bit older in their construction if he were to guess. They had built themselves a good community here, at least at a first glance, and the westerners had not stinged out on their side¡¯s decorations. Vines and flowers hung all over the streets; banners draping from open windows flapped in the late afternoon breeze. Alex even nicked a chewy, cheesy pastry from the front door of a one-storey house. The main road led west away from the bridge into the village proper, only to wind back south before it went too deep into the forest, where it followed the course of the Dunnser, nearly paralleling the river. After some snacking, Alex followed the river south too, skirting the main road so as not to attract too much attention. He wouldn¡¯t find what he wanted when there were still houses dotting the forest sporadically. So it was a full ten minutes of walking later, when he hadn¡¯t even seen a woodsman shack for a bit, that Alex came to a stop. There were a few tracks nearby, large boot prints that were likely made by the loggers ranging a bit beyond their shacks, but even someone as inexperienced as Alex could tell they were at least a few days old. They wouldn¡¯t be bothering him now so late into the day. It wasn¡¯t so much about secrecy as it was about privacy. He needed to train with his powers some more, and while he wouldn¡¯t be doing anything crazy, he didn¡¯t want too many questions being raised if he were to do something specially different by the world¡¯s standards. He found the perfect practice spot by a shallow gorge amongst the trees, a dried out streambed still covered in dead leaves, where a tall rockface jutted out from the ground. Creepers ran all the way down to the rock¡¯s lower half where moss covered it like a giant fuzzy sock. It would make for a good target. [Status] Name: Alex Hart Level: 3 Class: Mage HP: 60/60 MP: 80/80 [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 10 Soul Affinity: 8 Free Points: 7 [Skill Points]: 0 Fire Proficiency - 3/5 Water Proficiency Lightning Proficiency This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Air Proficiency Earth Proficiency Arcane Proficiency [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] ¡­ Putting all his chips in Fire Proficiency had been a mistake, even if Alex had done it thinking it would help him to better shape his use of the Power. Having only the one element at his disposal was not only limiting in the options he had in combat, but he had no idea if his experience with fire would translate to water and earth and all the other proficiencies. But that was a bygone matter. The blunder had taught him something either way. No amount of point-dumping in his skills would help him overcome his actual ability in using them. But if he had a way to increase the power output, then surely there had to be a way to match his control over the thing, otherwise the whole thing made no sense. Alex snorted. Because games are always balanced. In either case, that was the first thing on the list for things-to-figure-out, and at least he already had a couple of ideas. He had noticed something during his latest fight. When he attempted to pull off the fire whip there had been some give in the process. He had visualized the whip in his mind as clear as day, and the thing had slowly taken shape in his hand before it just wouldn¡¯t go any further no matter how hard he tried. But there was some stretching there, a good push beyond the starting point of the simple idea, to when the threads of fire started to twist into the form he wanted. That told him a lot, and he¡¯d come up with a theory during the long walk back from the dungeon. In his control of the power, there must be a soft barrier, and a hard one. The soft one he could bulldoze through like he did with the compressed fireball that took out both wild boars and sent him flying on his ass. It was difficult, yes, but it could be done with effort and some clever application of mana. But when he tried the fire whip there had been a point when he knew will power just wouldn¡¯t be enough. There was a certainty to it that went beyond mere feeling. And if that hard barrier couldn¡¯t be overcome by either force of will or putting a third point in Fire Proficiency, then it had to be manageable by his other game-related stats. With a thought, fire sparked in Alex¡¯s hand. He tried to make the whip again, commanding the fire to do his bidding, only to immediately run into the barrier. The result, as expected as it was, frustrated him to no end. As new as the power was to Alex, there was a horrible familiarity to it when it flowed from his chest to the rest of his body, and failing to control it gave him a maddening sense of impotency. He let go of the fire and tried to breathe out the irritation he felt. Centered¡­ Always centered. Instead, with his inhales and exhales falling into a deep rhythm, he focused on the pathways within his body, and on that seemingly infinite pool of power beyond the gates that let it trickle out into his chest. It was¡­ immense, immeasurable. Warm and cold, calming and raging¡ªand all the shades in between. What kind of energy was it? His life force, perhaps, or his soul? Or even¡­ God? Or whatever passes for gods in a world of fucking video game powers. It didn¡¯t matter, really. His trace of choice, the fireball, came to his hand at the smallest whisper of want, and he made sure to note the path the power followed, the metaphysical arteries in his body that it rushed through. He let it dissipate, cutting off the flow of power, before summoning it again. He did it another two times again in quick succession, just to make sure, and the results didn¡¯t change. He nodded to himself. The same path, each time. In fact, the fireball came about all the quicker there in the end. It seemed that once he¡¯d learned a trace, his body and its pathways grew accustomed to making it happen faster and faster the more he repeated it. As an afterthought, Alex glanced at his status. HP: 60/60 MP: 75.8/80 Trying the whip and pulling out four fireballs seemed to have cost a point each, though his mana regeneration had already kicked in. Not bad, but infinite training seemed to be off the picture. Keeping that in mind, Alex began to form the whip again, only this time he focused inward. He searched for the barrier, from where it was formed to where it ended. Only to frown at his discovery. There was no one barrier stopping him. As the power flowed through the hundreds and hundreds of arteries from his chest to the hand he imagined the fire whip coming to, dozens of them seemed clogged at different points of his body. Three stopped just an inch out of his chest, one just before his index finger tip, while the others were all along his arm and shoulders. But they weren¡¯t just closed off by an invisible force. Rather, they were shrunk, underdeveloped, and no power could pass through. Following his previous hunch, Alex pulled out his attributes again and spent one of the seven free points on Power. [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 11 Soul Affinity: 8 Free Points: 6 The instant he did it, two arteries on his arm and one of the three clogged ones near the source bloomed to life. Alex gasped, nearly faltering to the ground. A new surge of heat spread through his chest and arm as the power flowed freely in those new paths, and a joyful laugh soon followed the gasp. How had he forgotten about this? It felt like drinking a mug of hot chocolate on a cold winter night, with a generous pouring of liquid crack. The fire in his hand gained the slightest strength and brightness too, a single ribbon of fire joining in the attempt of forming the whip. Hell, even the smell of the forest around him seemed sharper and more alive. Alex¡¯s immediate thought was to put the rest of his free points on Power and ride the high of it for as long as he could, but he¡¯d seen the result of doing that far too many times back home. It wouldn¡¯t have been a shitty government orphanage without an appropriately shitty drug problem. So he shook the feeling off and centered himself again. Moving to the side, he decided to sit down on a fallen tree, just in case. It wouldn¡¯t do to get accidentally high while face down on soggy leaves. When he was settled and ready, he turned to his attributes. This time, instead of putting a point in Power, he went for Soul Affinity instead. [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 11 Soul Affinity: 9 Free Points: 5 The surge of power and ecstasy Alex expected didn¡¯t come. The shrunken arteries remained as they were. However, that meant he was also sober enough to feel the fire in his hand taking shape, the handle of the whip coming to be exactly as he pictured until it was made somehow solid in his grip. It stopped there, though, the thong of the whip extended no further than a few inches above the handle. Still, Alex smiled as he looked down at the half-formed flaming whip. It was progress. Not only that, it was information. Valuable one at that. From what he gathered, Power would open up his pathways, granting him more raw power to work with, while also increasing a bit of his control. Soul Affinity, on the other hand, gave him no increase in output he could see¡ªthe fire didn¡¯t grow in size or strength, but it did allow him to enhance his control of what he already had. Greatly at that. Feeling motivated, Alex pushed himself to his feet and walked across the shallow gorge. The dead leaves beneath him crackled like the fire still active in his hand. He stopped once he stood some ten feet across the green-veined face of the jutting rock. Peering through the canopy, Alex noted the sun halfway down the horizon, so he still had a good few minutes to play around. He lifted his empty left hand, thought, and the fire answered him. xx The sound of Alex¡¯s tired laughter cut through the quiet among the trees. The forest had grown gloomy around him with the gathering dusk, the faint sunlight scarcely breaking through the foliage. But directly around him, the yellow light of the fire in both his hands easily chased the shadows away. In front of him, the gray-green blend of rock and vine had turned black. The entirety of the rockface was fire-scorched, and the burnt moss at its foot gave off the smell of rotten compost. That still did nothing to change his flying mood. He might have even gone a bit overboard. [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 12 Soul Affinity: 13 Free Points: 0 Glancing at his stats, Alex smiled. His attributes and proficiency weren¡¯t nearly high enough to melt stone, but he sure could kick the shit out of it. He let go of the fire and rested his hands on his knees. ¡°That¡¯s what the fuck I¡¯m talking about,¡± Alex murmured between panting breaths. Life was a whole different beast when you knew the rules to the game. Chapter 12 - TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------- TEMPORARILY REMOVED ------------------------You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Chapter 13 In the early hours of the morning, with the soft light of dawn streaming through the gaps of the shuttered window, Alex watched the bright screen before his eyes as he lay in his room. He had been dreaming the whole night of somewhere radiantly bright, until the ping! had woken him up. [Quest: Prune Riverbend¡¯s Dungeon] Riverbend¡¯s Dungeon is overflowing. Kill monsters. Get strong. Reward: Level up! I don¡¯t know how these quests come up, but why the fuck so early? Grumbling, Alex pulled the wool blanket down and sat up, ignoring the protests of his back. It didn¡¯t even give me the decency of feeling¡ªjust for that confusing moment after waking¡ªthat I was back in my apartment. How inconsiderate! He craned his neck back and forth, then took to cracking his spine by twisting his torso around. The popping that followed, unlike his night¡¯s sleep, was deeply satisfying. Might as well sleep on the floor like Daven. He regretted the thought as soon as his bare feet touched the cold and unyielding floorboards. He hissed. Nope, I¡¯ll stick with the hay bed. Shivering, Alex skipped to the door where, as promised, his dirty clothes had been washed and dried for him during the night. He touched the fire-warmed fabric of his shirt and nodded in appreciation. The cold works hard, but Orson the innkeeper sure works harder. When he was dressed¡ªand with shoes on¡ªhe sat back on the bed and stared at the quest pop up. Figuring out how quests were formed had to be a priority for him at some point. The level up reward was too valuable not to abuse, since he was already noticing how it got progressively harder to ¡®plateau¡¯, even at his current level three. Maybe that¡¯s the reason the villagers don¡¯t just band together and try their hand at the dungeon. It took too much time to level up enough to become a Chaser, time you don¡¯t have when there¡¯s crops to sow and animals to tend to. In either case, the quest was right. You can¡¯t get stronger if you don¡¯t kill monsters. That¡¯s that. At least as far as he knew. The problem was, as far as anyone in Riverbend was concerned, the dungeon didn¡¯t need pruning yet. Cedric said he and his last crew pruned it three months ago, and that a dungeon like this one only needs a clean up three times a year¡ªonce every four months. That¡¯s what he said, though. And if Alex¡¯s suspicions were right, then there was no reason to take him at his word. The crew leader had reacted nonchalant to the monsters outside the dungeon, even if he said he was surprised that it was happening. Did he already expect them to be out, or did he simply not care? No, he said it himself it wasn¡¯t supposed to happen if the dungeon is pruned correctly. Cedric didn¡¯t seem the type to loudly admit to his own mistakes¡ªbut he did, and then simply brushed it off. Why would he do that? Alex shook his head. It was no use racking his brain for answers when he had nothing to go off of. He knew nothing of dungeons besides what Cedric told the crew, and he already crossed the man out as unreliable. Moping about it won¡¯t help, he told himself. And when you realize thinking won¡¯t get you any further, it means you should have already been moving a good three thoughts ago. Straightening up his jacket, Alex stood and made for the door. Time to do some digging. xx As it was so early in the morning, Alex expected to be the first of the crew to be up and active. He was wrong. When he made it to the common room of the Bedstone, Valerian was already sitting at their same table by the unlit hearth, apparently following Daven¡¯s rule of bacon-only nourishment. Alex reciprocated a nod as he made it to the bottom of the stairs, but turned the other way to walk toward the bar. Trust would be a strong word¡ªbut Alex couldn¡¯t bring himself to be suspicious of the paladin. If he was somehow involved with what was happening with Cedric, even after knowing the crew leader for only a week, he was a better actor than Alex could give him credit for. At the same time, he wouldn¡¯t search for answers from the man, as Alex himself was the newbie of the party. Why would he trust me, the stranger wearing strange clothes who is cagey about his strange past, over the professional, experienced Chaser? No, he was better off trying someone a bit more neutral. Near the wall by the stairs, Alex had to dodge past a man who turned away from his table to cough, cringing as he saw a fat clump of phlegm splattering across the ground. It stood stark green against the light wood of the floorboards. Lovely bit of deco, that is. The man muttered a wheezing apology, only to start hacking again. Indeed, Valerian wasn¡¯t the only one in the room, as a few unfamiliar faces dotted the tables here and there. Some were haggard from the night¡¯s drinking like his new friend, their forms stooped over barely eaten eggs and soup, while others looked surprisingly spry, talking animatedly and laughing amongst each other.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Coughing-man aside and with considerably less traffic than the night before, Alex made it to the countertop unmolested and with all his toes intact. The shelves behind the bar were lined with barrels of drink, the dark wood of the wall barely visible behind them. Orson turned from replacing an empty cask just as he approached. The innkeeper¡¯s eyes went straight to Alex¡¯s face, and he smiled at something he saw. ¡°Looking for a pick-me-up, lad?¡± His rough voice sounded somehow amused. Alex stopped, confused. ¡°Uh, what?¡± ¡°First one¡¯s free, second¡¯s six pennies. The third¡­¡± Orson shrugged. ¡°The headache will serve as a lesson after that one, no doubt. We don¡¯t take kindly to wastrels here at the Bedstone.¡± Headache? Why does it sound like he¡¯s trying to sell me drugs? ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ pass for now, thank you,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s not what I came to speak with you, actually.¡± ¡°Not looking to sell another trinket, then, are you?¡± The innkeeper crossed his tree-trunk arms and gave him a flat look. ¡°Because then I¡¯d have to start asking around if anyone¡¯s jewelry has recently gone missing?¡± Alex frowned. He¡¯d been tempted at times, and had plenty of bad examples to follow, but he¡¯d never been a thief. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± He tried keeping his tone friendly.. Orson stared into his eyes again, then nodded. ¡°Just checking, lad,¡± he said, sounding sincere. On the underbar in front of him, a wide pail sat with dozens of ale mugs soaking in soap water. Picking up a random mug from inside of it, Orson pulled a clean dish rag from the pocket of his apron and started wiping it dry. ¡°Believe me, as an innkeeper, even in a small village like Riverbend here, I¡¯ve seen everything. How can I help you, then?¡± Alex took the near apology for what it was and forced himself to move past it. ¡°Well,¡± he said. ¡°I wanted to ask about the dungeon nearby.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re a Chaser to be looking around dungeons now?¡± The innkeeper¡¯s bushy brows rose in tandem. Alex straightened up. ¡°I¡¯m not a professional per se, but I¡¯m working under Cedric as of now.¡± He might not be a thief, but Alex wasn¡¯t above lying when the situation called for it. A man¡¯s got to have principles, shitty as they are. ¡°And here I thought Cedric was only doing it to impress my daughter when he paid for your stay yesterday.¡± Orson chortled. ¡°You know, he had an actual group last time he came here, but now he brings children with him. That big one aside.¡± He sighed, put the clean mug down on his other side, and took out another one. ¡°I suppose the dungeon here really is that weak.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I came to inquire,¡± Alex jumped in. ¡°I was attacked by some boars yesterday. And I was outside of the dungeon.¡± ¡°Outside?¡± The innkeeper echoed, frowning. His hands stopped wiping at the mug. ¡°That is strange, yes.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Alex said. ¡°And when I asked about it, I was told the dungeon was pruned too recently for that¡­¡± The implication was too heavy to go unnoticed. Orson looked pensive, and a hand rose to stroke one of his mustachios. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not been long enough¡­¡± ¡°Could it be, perhaps, that the dungeon wasn¡¯t pruned correctly?¡± Alex posed the question as if it had been thought on the spot. Then he quickly put both his hands up, seeming abashed for having brought up the possibility at all. ¡°An innocent mistake, I¡¯m sure. I truly do not mean to point fingers toward Cedric and his last crew, I¡¯ve simply heard about one too many dungeons overflowing after a crew didn¡¯t do its job right. I¡¯m sure some are malicious in their intent, but most of the time it happens by accident.¡± Alex was surprised to see Orson shake his head vehemently. ¡°No lad, that I¡¯m sure can¡¯t be it,¡± he said. ¡°The man may not be able to keep his eyes to himself, but he¡¯s no cheat. I know that for a fact, too. Other towns and cities do it differently, but in the Riverbend dungeon there¡¯s a rare plant that grows a single flower every four months, just one at a time, and only in one spot at the far edge of the second stage of the dungeon. Every time we give payment, the flower is affixed to the records. Records that, for the past seventeen years, I keep myself.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Alex leaned back from the countertop. That wasn¡¯t on the plans. Whatever they were. He attempted to come up with something¡ªanything. ¡°Uh. Then¡­ has it ever happened that the dungeon overflowed before it was supposed to?¡± he tried. ¡°Anytime the village had to call for a pruning before the usual schedule?¡± The man scratched his mustache. ¡°Perhaps,¡± he said. ¡°I looked through the past records when I took over their keeping, even the ones brought over from Holdensfor when they still held the dungeon¡¯s title, but I can¡¯t say I looked too closely.¡± Alex pursed his lips. Cedric had mentioned the village records before. Would he try something knowing there was concrete evidence there? Unless¡­ unless he altered them. The hows and whys of the thought slowly unfurled in his mind. As convoluted as it was, the idea had merit. Thinking on the spot, Alex asked, ¡°Would it be possible for me to check these records, then?¡± ¡°Sorry lad,¡± Orson said, clicking his tongue. ¡°Can¡¯t see them unless you¡¯re a Chaser, papers and all. I can check it myself once the next pruning is up, but there¡¯s not much else I can do.¡± Alex thought of insisting, or even telling the innkeeper he thought Cedric might have tempered with them, but decided to keep quiet. It would be too shady to do that after Orson¡¯s show of trust on the crew leader. So he just smiled. ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Alex said. ¡°It was just a thought. I won¡¯t bother you any longer, then.¡± Orson already had his mind turned to the soaked mugs and didn¡¯t hold him to ceremony, sending him away off a wave of his hand. Alex walked away with his mind running. He could try to find these records by himself, but he had no idea where they were kept¡ªprobably inside the inn, but where exactly he couldn¡¯t know¡ªnor did he think it was a good idea to go sneaking off after it. Who knows what kind of punishment they have for that kind of stuff here. Instead of going to join Valerian, Alex turned to the stairs. He wasn¡¯t particularly hungry after the night he had, and since his initial plan failed, he needed to regroup. A nap wouldn¡¯t go amiss either. Quicker than he could react, Alex felt hands clasp one of his arms and pull. Shit! He stumbled forward, into the dimness of the cramped hallway behind the stairs. The hands let him go just as he nearly pitched to the ground. Heat bloomed on his chest when he called upon his fire, and when he straightened up, a foot-long flaming arrow rested on his hand. It was only the hitch on the voice that stopped him. ¡°Wait!¡± Chapter 14 ¡°What do you think you are doing?!¡± Alex hissed, trying to keep his voice down. He thought he was being attacked, and the suddenness of it had his heart pounding. With the firelight flickering on her face, Lanna the barmaid had the decency to look embarrassed, even if anger still showed in the tight set of her jaw. ¡°You¡­¡± she trailed off, eyeing warily the fire-arrow still hovering over his hand. Then she took a deep breath, and something inside of her hardened. ¡°What¡¯s your business with Cedric?¡± She managed that with a straight voice. Shooting a quick glance over his shoulder, Alex noted with no amount of relief that this little confrontation hadn¡¯t been noticed by anyone else in the inn. The hallway she¡¯d pulled him into was hidden by the bulk of the stairs, and the light coming from the open windows of the inn didn¡¯t reach very far in. It wouldn¡¯t do for people to think he¡¯d assaulted the daughter of the innkeeper, even if it had been the other way around. He turned back to Lanna. ¡°Not very nice to listen in on your patrons'' conversations,¡± Alex said, frowning. ¡°Are you with the CCC or something?¡± she carried on. ¡°Trying to inspect his work? I¡¯ll tell you right now, Cedric¡¯s a good man, he is.¡± That CCC again? Alex paused, considering. Maybe I could use this. He just had to be careful. ¡°What¡¯s it to you who I am?¡± he asked. Lanna narrowed her pale eyes. ¡°I washed your clothes last night,¡± she said. ¡°Never touched anything so fine. Fabric so smooth it¡¯d make a baby¡¯s cheeks seem like gravel. You¡¯re not a hopeful, no matter what you told my da¡¯, or whatever you made Cedric and the others believe.¡± Alex was stumped for a second. She thinks I¡¯m rich and important because of my clothes¡­ well, then. He puffed his chest out. ¡°And you think you¡¯re doing Cedric a favor by speaking on his behalf like this?¡± His tone held authority now. She swallowed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I do. He¡¯s innocent, you heard what my da¡¯ said.¡± ¡°I did,¡± Alex said, nodding. As a gesture of good faith¡ªand to keep her from screaming out to her father and people at the common room¡ªhe let go of his hold of the magic. The fire petered out, and the hallway fell into half-darkness again. Lanna breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°But,¡± he continued, and here he took a step forward. ¡°Were I what you accuse me of being, I would suspect that the records had been altered.¡± The barmaid''s eyes widened, and Alex held back a smile. Just a little more pressure. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be too hard for an experienced Chaser to do it without anyone else noticing. He would be pulling the wool over all your eyes.¡± Lanna opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the stairs above them groaned. Heavy footsteps came stomping down. For the second time in a minute, her hands grabbed him and pulled him deeper into the hall. This time, Alex allowed it. As they passed by an open door to his right that led downward into a cellar, then turned the corner into another hallway, Alex forced his expression to stay neutral, even if inside he was anything but. What the fuck am I even doing? Lanna thought he was with the CCC, and he had no way to prove himself one. He kept following her in silence, watching the tight set of her shoulders in front of him. Plausible deniability, man. As long as you don¡¯t technically admit to being some kind of government agent, surely you can¡¯t get in trouble, right? Right? Now, it was only the fact she walked ahead that hid his grimace. Lanna stopped in front of a dark wooden door in the back of the inn. A window nearby showed the courtyard with the outbuildings, and the willows by the river beyond them. Fortunately, there was enough of a breeze in the air to mask the smell of shit coming from the pigsty. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the dungeon records,¡± she said. Worried eyes flitted back and forth down the corridor before they settled on Alex. ¡°And you can check by yourself that they haven¡¯t been altered.¡± Alex didn¡¯t say anything, just raised both his eyebrows. As if daring her to go on and open the door. No reason to incriminate myself even further. Lanna pursed her lips, then nodded, and pulled a key out of her pocket. xx It was a library. A small one, true, but very charming, with a couple of snug chairs around a small hearth, and two walls filled with leather- and wood-bound books. In the third wall, a work desk sat devoid of anything beyond a few loose papers and ink. ¡°Is this your father¡¯s personal study or something?¡± asked Alex, glancing around the room. ¡°Does it matter?¡± she said sharply. No small talk, then. Fair enough. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t.¡± Lanna was already thumbing the covers in a row of books, looking for something. She clicked her tongue when she got to the end then moved down a row, restarting the process. Shrugging, Alex decided to take a look at the other wall. Unlike the thick record books Lanna was inspecting, the ones on this side of the room were smaller and better made, bound in leather and with fancy finishings. He pulled one out of the shelf. An Accounting of the Seventh Rose War of 791, by Mannair Broent, the title read. Alex read the first page and nearly drooled to balance the writing¡¯s dryness, so he put it back in its place, with perhaps more force than necessary. He picked out another, larger tome. The Eternal Wars - Volume 2, by Sannet. Eyeing the same row, Alex saw there were four other books with the same title, for a total of five volumes. Some wars they must have been. These could well be interesting, but he would need years to catch up with all the important wars for a whole new world, and it was still likely to leave him stumped. He needed something more general¡ªbasic knowledge.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. It wasn¡¯t meant to be, however. A sudden ¡®aha¡¯ from behind him pulled him back from his search. Lanna gestured to him as she carried a thick book over to the desk. She plopped it down atop it with a heavy thud, and proceeded to open it into the latest updated page. It was easy to determine where that was since every thirtieth or so page had a pale pink flower pressed against it. ¡°There, the latest entry for the dungeon scheduled pruning.¡± She pointed a finger at the small, hand-written text. Walking over, Alex made a show of inspecting the neat writing and the flower squashed on the page. He even went so far as to smell it¡ªno scent at all, surprisingly. He didn¡¯t expect to find anything on Cedric here, not after Orson vouched so vehemently for him. Alex didn¡¯t have a personal vendetta against the man, it just made the most sense with the way he had been acting about the forest and his old crew. Plus the smile. He just couldn¡¯t get over how too-bright, too-nice it was. People weren¡¯t that righteous. But whether Cedric was the culprit or not, the dungeon was overflowing, even the prompt for his quest confirmed it. And if he wanted to complete it, he needed all the information he could get his hands on. That meant that, now that he was here, he needed to make the most of the opportunity. Alex hummed. ¡°It does appear it¡¯s in order,¡± he said, going back on the book to the other flower-marked pages to compare. ¡°Appear being the important word.¡± ¡°What?¡± Alex opened his mouth to imply that she might be into it with Cedric, just to see what else she spouted, but something in her eyes stopped him. Something familiar. If he said the words, Alex realized, and actually accused her of this, she would feel like he felt when Orson called him a thief. Ah, damn it. Why is this a line I don¡¯t want to cross? He shook his head and settled for saying, ¡°I need to check the other records. There are still monsters coming out of the dungeon before they should. If Cedric isn¡¯t to blame, then something else is going on here.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked, eyes doubtful. ¡°You heard the conversation,¡± Alex said, moving back toward the record wall and pointing at all the books. ¡°I was attacked outside of the dungeon. A month before that¡¯s even supposed to be a possibility. That¡¯s dangerous. Something''s not right here in Riverbend. I need to know if this has happened before. And if it has, why.¡± Lanna had stopped to consider him. Her mouth parted open as if she didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°I¡­ I thought this was about incriminating Cedric,¡± she said after a moment. ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± It was about completing his quest, in reality. But Alex would let her believe what she wanted. ¡°Da doesn¡¯t know I have the key to his study,¡± she said. ¡°We really can¡¯t be here.¡± She bit her lip. ¡°But I¡¯ve been up since before dawn preparing for breakfast. He¡¯ll already expect me to take a break now, either way. And he¡¯ll be out front for hours still.¡± Swallowing, Lanna gave him one last look before she walked up to stand beside him. ¡°What are we looking for?¡± Right about now, ¡®I have no clue¡¯ didn¡¯t sound like the appropriate answer. Alex only knew one thing, actually, but it would have to be enough. He examined the whole of the book shelf in front of him. ¡°Inconsistencies,¡± he told her. ¡°Any time a pruning has been done ahead of schedule, or if there¡¯s any recordings of the same situation we are in¡ªmonsters escaping the dungeon before they are supposed to.¡± xx ¡°Here!¡± Lanna¡¯s voice snapped him from the monotony of another record book. ¡°Thirty three years ago. In the summer. Two and a half weeks before they had scheduled a pruning.¡± Alex put down his tome and sighed. ¡°Two, then¡­ in more than thirty five years.¡± He had found another one earlier, fourteen years ago, when some of the most distant trappers and hunters from Riverbend had reported gory sites of dead animals in the forests close to the dungeon for a week, before they spotted the sounder of wild boars responsible. That had happened almost a month before they were due a pruning. ¡°Unless Cedric has been planning since before he was even a thought in his mother¡¯s mind, then it¡¯s definitely not him,¡± said Lanna. ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Alex said, waving an airy hand. ¡°We¡¯ve established that already.¡± She smiled victoriously. The mood had lightened considerably after his suspicions for Cedric faded, and Lanna seemingly started to think that Alex at least had some altruistic intentions behind his search. So he had to ask a question that¡¯d been burning through his mind the whole morning. ¡°Why would you show me the records if you can¡¯t be sure I am who you say I am?¡± Lanna cocked her head to the side. ¡°Simple,¡± she said. ¡°If you were then I¡¯d be proving Cedric¡¯s innocence to the CCC.¡± Then the dimpled smile on her face turned sharp. ¡°If you were not, then you wouldn¡¯t have spent the last few hours digging through the records with me and I would¡¯ve called you out to my da¡¯ and everyone else in the village.¡± Alex raised an eyebrow. Clever¡ªand ruthless, too¡ªbut not quite on the mark. He kept any response to himself. ¡°I would¡¯ve gotten into a bit of trouble with da¡¯, but that¡¯s about it,¡± she finished, looking pleased with herself. Pointing at the book in her hands, Alex tried to steer the conversation back on topic. ¡°Tell me more about this last one,¡± he said. ¡°When did it happen? How? And any clue as to why it happened at all would be even more important.¡± Her eyes scanned the page for another second before she gasped. ¡°A whole hamlet was attacked in the night by boars and killer sloths. Barely anyone survived.¡± She had a finger on the page, following each line as she read. Her smile had vanished entirely. ¡°It was in the summer, the survivors fled to Holdensfor. This was when the town still had the title to the dungeon. I know the name of the magistrate who wrote this, too. Da¡¯ knew him. He died when I was three, sixteen years ago.¡± ¡°Then I can¡¯t see any relationship between them and now beyond the fact it happened.¡± Alex sighed, brows scrunched up in thought. ¡°Different seasons, different people reporting the monsters at different spots.¡± He shook his head. ¡°This makes no sense.¡± ¡°Is that going to happen here in Riverbend?¡± she asked, voice tight with fear. Her pale orange eyes pleaded with him. ¡°Is that why you came?¡± Maybe why I was kidnapped, definitely not why I came though. It wasn¡¯t a coincidence that this was happening just as he arrived via interdimensional suckhole fourteen years after it last occurred, then nineteen years before that. It just couldn¡¯t be. ¡°No,¡± Alex replied, though to which question he didn¡¯t say. Best let her come to her own conclusions. ¡°And definitely not if we prune it right away.¡± Lanna nodded, more to herself than anything. ¡°Right, you¡¯re right.¡± She let out a nervous breath. ¡°So we just tell Cedric and my father about everything, then he can just sign it off on another pruning, if a bit earlier.¡± ¡°No,¡± Alex said quickly. And out the whole story? Including me as the fictional CCC agent with no credentials whatsoever? Pass. ¡°No. This¡ª¡± and he pointed at her and himself and the books ¡°¡ªis off the record. It never happened. I need to look into this further. At the dungeon, before some fear stricken villagers run it out of proportion and this gets back to the higher ups.¡± Just a sprinkle of a white lie that he felt like an asshole for doing, but they¡¯d been there yesterday with no problem, even if it wasn¡¯t at the specific time the dungeon needed to stay neighbor-friendly. And the roaming boars were hours away from the village. That meant so long as it was solved soon, it¡¯d be a win-win for everyone. ¡°But you¡¯ll prune it, right?¡± Lanna frowned. ¡°You can get this done?¡± Alex looked at the quest that flashed up as he thought of it. ¡°Yes, today, in fact,¡± he said. ¡°But remember, I¡¯m just a hopeful. I need to take Cedric and the crew with me. So today, at lunch, you¡¯ll help me convince them¡ªdiscreetly¡ªto go back to the dungeon and prune it. Alright?¡± Lanna seemed unconvinced at being deceptive for a moment there, but she quickly nodded. ¡°For Riverbend,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Alex allowed himself a small smile. See, some good will come with the selfishness of my quest. There was no reason a liar like him couldn¡¯t be a hero too, right? Chapter 15 In the end, convincing Cedric and the others to go to the dungeon had been no trouble at all. In fact, Daven had jumped at the opportunity to prove himself after last time¡ªthough he¡¯d winced at his own raised voice¡ªand Diana seemed on board as well. Valerian had gone along with it with a simple noncommittal shrug, and Cedric himself didn¡¯t last past the second batting of eyelashes by Lanna, even if the barmaid seemed more embarrassed than him by the end of it. Alex planted the suggestions just as Lanna had brought their late breakfast, so the whole conversation had seemed natural. After eating, they¡¯d taken to the road at a relaxed pace, and this time Cedric brought them all the way to the official start of the dungeon. Though the dome of the dungeon allowed access at any point, the trees leading to the entrance made a sort of funnel to this one spot where a big wooden plaque was staked to the ground like a road sign. The whole place looked like the entrance to an open-air museum more than anything. ¡°Come here,¡± Cedric called, leading them near the plaque. The face of it was tilted upwards at a slight angle, and a thick layer of dust and fallen leaves had settled over it. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. ¡°Daven, tell me what you see.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, I know this,¡± Daven said, crouching before the plaque. The archer had sweated off the hangover in the first hour of the walk and was back to his usual level of energy. ¡°It¡¯s those ratings you showed us a couple of weeks ago.¡± He squinted down at the writing, using his cloak to wipe the plaque some more. ¡°Uh, yeah, I see now why you didn¡¯t let us go into that other dungeon. Sovereign¡¯s big hanging man-tits, but this dungeon is weak in comparison.¡± Cedric laughed. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡± Alex approached as well, curious. There was nothing special to the plaque beyond the words and numbers set in relief. Dungeon 0014239 0-1-1-0-0-1-0 He frowned. ¡°What does it mean?¡± Cedric raised an eyebrow toward Daven. ¡°Go on, this is on you.¡± ¡°Aside from the identifier, the numbers are the AMORTEM rating the CCC gave to this dungeon,¡± Daven said. He put his thumb against the first zero on the bottom row and started, ¡°Access, Monsters, Oreum, Record, Terrain, Environment, and Mental. All rated zero to ten.¡± The way he spoke, he sounded just like Diana explaining her Siren. Then he gave the plaque a dismissive flick, and the spell around his words broke as he laughed. ¡°Basically, this dungeon is trash.¡± Alex looked down at the different numbers. With the way it came up almost every time a dungeon or chasing in general was brought up, it was past time Alex learned what the CCC was. At the same time, with how ubiquitous it was, he couldn¡¯t just reveal his ignorance of it. So he chose to stay on the safe side of what a hopeful would ask. ¡°Uh, I suppose I can rationalize most of them, pretty much,¡± he said. ¡°But what does Oreum mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an old term for treasure or riches,¡± Valerian explained from the side. Daven¡¯s smile grew wide. ¡°Loot,¡± he said. ¡°First-blessed loot!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too excited,¡± Cedric said, patting the archer on the back. ¡°I didn¡¯t find any in my last run, and we sure as shit looked for it.¡± ¡°Well it does say it¡¯s possible, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Daven said, crossing his arms in denial. Cedric shook his head. ¡°You won¡¯t find a zero-rated dungeon when it comes to Oreum,¡± he said. ¡°As weak as they may be, they¡¯ll have an Enhanced or two starting on the third stage that drops something. It¡¯s just that monsters in the first two stages¡ªthe ones you need to clean up for a basic pruning¡ªdon¡¯t usually drop any loot in most dungeons. This one is no exception, unfortunately.¡± An Enhanced? Some kind of a special monster, sounded like. Alex pursed his lips. The quest said he only needed to prune the dungeon, no more no less. He would worry about Enhanced monsters when the time came. ¡°Gah!¡± The archer snapped and rose to his feet in a jolt. ¡°What¡¯s with all the joy killing going on? Let a man dream, damn it.¡± Diana made a mocking face. ¡°There, there, little brother,¡± she said with an obnoxious level of affection. ¡°We¡¯ll get you a toy with the peddle later.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just upset ¡®cause I got to keep the bed even after losing,¡± he said, blue eyes dancing with mirth. ¡°I let you have it so you didn¡¯t spend all of today complaining about it,¡± she said, putting her nose up in the air. ¡°Alright,¡± Cedric said, waving a hand in the air. ¡°Enough wasting time. Let¡¯s get this done. Remember the rules. Stay together. Eyes open. Follow your leader¡¯s lead. And don¡¯t fuck up.¡± They moved further down the trees until they stopped in front of the shimmering dome of the dungeon. Cedric stood at the front, his bronze-bladed spear in hand. Alex and the siblings slid in behind him, while Valerian took the rear. The paladin had come down from his room just before they left the village with a short sword strapped to his waist to go with his shield. He had yet to take the sword out of its sheath, even though Daven had bothered him about it the whole morning. ¡°One more thing,¡± Alex said just before they stepped inside. ¡°What about Record? What does it mean?¡± ¡°That''s easy,¡± Cedric said. ¡°It¡¯s to do with how many have died in the dungeon.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Alex said. That was promising for his quest. ¡°So no one¡¯s ever died here?¡± The crew leader snorted. ¡°Oh I¡¯m sure a farm boy or a lone hopeful have, coming here as a dare or to prove themselves. But the Record only counts for licensed Chasers. They¡¯re the only ones the Company can keep track of if they die or go missing.¡± xx The sun was not yet at its highest point in a blue sky only speckled with clouds. Sunlight filtered through trees in the dungeon, and a light breeze blew around them. Had they not walked through the dome and straight into the earsplitting screech of a Killer Sloth, it would have made for a pleasant day. ¡°Nice welcome party,¡± Cedric said, grinning. Like him, Valerian showed no signs of suffering under the monster¡¯s scream.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Daven tried to open his mouth to say something along those lines, but his teeth were gritted so hard he barely managed to mutter something. HP: 59.5/60 MP: 130/130 Keeping his HP bar at the corner of his eye, Alex looked around the tree tops for the familiar monster, fighting through the pins and needles poking at his head. He found it soon enough. On the tallest arm of an unnaturally tall oak a few feet away from them¡ªso close to the entrance the tree¡¯s branches brushed against the dome¡ªa man-sized sloth had its head thrown back as it cried out. The beast had the same brown fur and white head as the one he¡¯d fought earlier. And who could forget those talons? The Killer Sloth held on to the tree trunk with a single nail impaled into the wood nearly to the finger. Lovely little things they are. [Killer Sloth lvl 2] (Frenzied) Of course. Are they always frenzied or something? That had scared him the last time he faced the same monster. Now¡­ now all he felt was excitement. He felt it creep up his arms, across his chest. His skin was prickly with it. It was EXP time. Then again, today he had something better in mind that a stick of wood to use against the sloth. Before he could make the first move, a blade of solid air zipped past his head, soaring toward the tree tops. With its head turned up, the sloth didn¡¯t notice Diana¡¯s trace until it¡¯d nicked its arm as it flew by. The shrill screech stopped immediately, and its beady black eyes turned down to stare at them Alex looked to the source of the magic. Diana stood before the crew, her arms up in a stance. Another blade was already forming between them. She gave him a smirk when she noticed him looking. Oh fuck no. Warmth climbed Alex¡¯s arm until fire bloomed on his hand, then it quickly formed into an arrow. And he fully intended to use a living target practice this time. The Killer Sloth wasn¡¯t nearly as cute as Lanna to convince him otherwise. When Alex turned his eyes to the monster, the thing was already moving. It jumped down the branches like a monkey. When Diana released another blade of air toward the sloth, he didn¡¯t do anything, just waited. He knew the beast. It wasn¡¯t as foolish as the wild boar to charge recklessly. Before the compressed air could strike it, the sloth planted its steel-like claws on the trunk and swung around it. The blade hit the side of the tree, biting into the bark. But no cake. When he heard Daven unsling his bow from his shoulder, the string already in place and ready, he waited. By whatever trick of the trade, the archer managed not to damage the string with the jostle of the road, and his first arrow flew just a second later. Again, the sloth danced around the shot, raking its claws on a higher branch so his descent slowed just enough to avoid being tagged. The arrow flew aimlessly between the boughs, and Daven cursed. Through another air blade and two more arrows, Alex waited. The Killer Sloth dodged and swung around each attack, sometimes even flinging itself up again to avoid being hit. Yes, he knew how good the beast was jumping around among the branches. Up there was its domain, its playground. But he also knew when it was the most vulnerable. ¡°Here it comes,¡± he heard Cedric mutter under his breath. Alex grinned. The sloth landed on a low branch with a heavy thud, howled out a screech, and launched again. He waited for the last possible moment, a stretch of second where you couldn¡¯t know whether the beast was aiming at another branch below, or at them. But to someone who¡¯d seen it before, like he believed Cedric had, it was a completely telegraphed move. The fire arrow took the beast straight in the chest. Flesh parted before fire made solid, and the sloth howled even as it fell down. Alex saw his fire arrow dispersing in the air, leaving behind a cauterized wound in its place. Not a second later one of Daven¡¯s arrows found its mark on the sloth¡¯s shoulder, and Diana¡¯s air blade cut into its thigh. The Killer Sloth hit the ground already dead. Soon, it was dust. Daven whooped, a fist pumping in the air. ¡°Fuck yeah!¡± Diana was more subdued, but she smiled as well, nodding Alex¡¯s way. However, it seemed not everyone thought their first kill was a success. Valerian was shaking his head, huge arms crossed around his middle. Cedric¡¯s cough stopped any further cheering. ¡°Alright, well¡­ this was a great example of what not to do in a dungeon,¡± he said, almost laughing. ¡°It¡¯s so bad that I¡¯m glad it happened here, even if this will be an easy run.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Daven sputtered. He pointed at the spot where the Killer Sloth had disappeared from. ¡°We totally dusted it! I mean, did you see my drawing speed?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw that,¡± Cedric said, all patient and smiley. An indulgent smile. ¡°I also saw all three of you focusing solely on the same target for more than fifteen seconds.¡± He hefted his spear in one hand, turned stark right, and flung it like one of Daven¡¯s arrows toward the brush. A piercing squeal followed the sound of a wet thunk. When he turned back to them, his expression was grave. ¡°I saw one of your deaths, too, when Valerian and I weren¡¯t here and that boar crept up on you.¡± Alex gaped at the spot Cedric had thrown his spear at. He hadn¡¯t sensed anything coming at all. The other two seemed to be just as surprised as him, if horrified. As if on cue, the wind gusted past them, sweeping up loose leaves. It carried the leaves southward, toward the direction of Cedric¡¯s spear. Ah. The wind was blowing the wrong way, he realized. And I couldn¡¯t smell their stench. ¡°Just because the dungeon is tame doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t die,¡± Cedric said. ¡°There might not be any Chaser deaths on this dungeon¡¯s Record, but I already told you that plenty of inexperienced hopefuls like you took their last breath here. And I know, maybe you could have seen it just before it attacked and avoided it. Maybe you could¡¯ve heard him and blasted with your magic or filled him with holes. I know. ¡°But the point is to minimize maybes. Eyes open,¡± he recited, his commanding voice a strong contrast to usual, and Alex could suddenly see just why he was a crew leader. Why people like Orson and Lanna and the rest of the crew respected him so much. ¡°The rule is there for a reason. There¡¯s a place for risks as a Chaser¡ªshit, risk is what keeps us in business. But that doesn¡¯t mean you take them when you don¡¯t have to. Got it?¡± It felt like a bath of cold water to Alex, and he nodded along with the others. This hadn¡¯t concerned strength or ability with his powers, this was basic common sense in a place like this. He thought he already knew the monsters of the dungeon. The Killer Sloth with its dive bomb attacks, the boars rushing being hailed by their sound or their smell. But like Cedric said, there were maybes involved. Possibilities, chances. He might be able to blow up a dozen boars on his own, but the thirteenth might get him if he turns his ankle on a root, or a sloth might dive at him from his blind spot. Sure, his magic played out like a video game. But he had ran and sweated in this world, ate and drank and dreamt at the Bedstone inn, felt the godly power beyond the gates in chest when he focused. It was too real to be just a game. Alex had no intention of testing out if death here was legit too. He¡¯d been given no choice when he was brought here; but if he had to play, he¡¯d do so to win ¡°We¡¯ll go around like we entered the dungeon,¡± Cedric¡¯s voice broke through his thoughts. The lancer moved to stand in front of the crew he led. ¡°I¡¯ll take point, the three of you will snipe any mob from behind me, and Valerian will take the rear. We¡¯ll move¡ªalways move, when we can. The monsters will come to us, and we already saw what happens if we stay still too long here.¡± They hadn¡¯t taken five steps when a small stampede of boars emerged from the brush some fifteen yards away. The five monsters stopped by the tree where Cedric¡¯s spear was impaled, almost as if they knew it marked their companion¡¯s grave. Then they turned to stare at them, red eyes full of hate. Each had a tag floating above them. [Wild Boar lvl 1] ¡°It seems we have our first volunteers,¡± Alex muttered under his breath. Chapter 16 The boars charged, hooves churning the grass beneath them. Daven knocked an arrow, but instead of facing the incoming threat, he turned to their left. ¡°Vinelings!¡± He aimed at a clump of trees that seemed to spawn a trio of the little monsters. Their skittering was barely noticeable under the thumping of the boars. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them!¡± the archer said. Cedric nodded, looking around their surroundings with a small smile. ¡°Cedric,¡± Valerian boomed from behind them, ¡°Switch!¡± And suddenly the paladin rushed past them while the crew leader fell back to the rear. It took a second for Alex to understand. Smart. Cedric lost his weapon, and Valerian is a defensive type. It seemed a bit too showy to be truly needed given the situation and both their classes, but it would be a good way to teach teamwork to teach the hopefuls in the crew. Diana went to her knees beside him. ¡°Same as yesterday,¡± she said to Alex. ¡°I¡¯ll slow them down before we kill them.¡± Her hands sunk on the earth, and the ground ten paces in front of the crew turned into a thick muck. Alex opened his mouth, intent on telling her that wouldn¡¯t work. The boars might charge recklessly, but if they could jump over knee-height roots, they certainly wouldn¡¯t stop at a particularly wet stretch of earth. But he didn¡¯t have time to have a discussion about the particulars of the monster. The boars were faster than you¡¯d expect for a beast of their size, and quickly closed in on them, blaring out like demons. Instead of waiting to snipe the boars out once they reached Diana¡¯s ill-conceived trap, he brought fire out in both his hands. He didn''t form the flames into any particular trace, just flung out his arms and sent two streams of fire to either side of the muck pit at an angle, creating a tight funnel they had to go through to pass. The wild boars snarled as the fire corralled them, but they were headstrong beasts. They clustered together in the center as he expected, and when they came just before the mud, they jumped. Leaping one after the other, the boars looked like a synchronized swimming team diving into a pool. Letting up on the fire streams, Alex shaped two familiar traces in his hands, and soon twin fireballs flew from his hands. At the same time¡ªand to his shock¡ªDiana flexed her arms and a row of earthen spikes jutted out from the ground on the end of the muck pit, spear-like points ready to impale the descending monsters. They never made it down onto them. The fireballs burst with a roar against the five wild boars in mid air, sending them sprawling to the sides. The three closest to the blast turned into glass and dust immediately, while the other two landed on the ground with burn marks on their hairy flanks. Not only that, each of them had cauterized cut wounds all over the side of their bodies. During his practice at the forest, Alex found that he had enough control to have the fire spinning around itself in the center of the sphere. The explosions weren¡¯t potent enough to be used as grenades on their own, but the blades of fire inside of them added a good bit of damage to their result. With the boars struggling to stand, Alex aimed a fire arrow at the boar closest to him and had it through its eye in two seconds flat. He quickly turned to the other, but a sharp blade of air cutting a slice out of the last boar¡¯s neck dissuaded him from action. The beast gurgled out a final snort, blood spewing from his mouth, before it broke into black glass. Adrenaline burned in Alex¡¯s chest even after the threat was over. He could still hear that click-clacking sound further into the forest, though it seemed like only one now. He looked just in time to see one of Daven¡¯s arrows take the vineling straight into its center mass. Then the forest around them was silent again. The air was filled with the smell of burnt flesh. Dust floated up into the sky from various spots to their front and left. Through it all, Valerian had his shield in front of him in a solid, yet relaxed stance. Now, he seemed to shrug off his preparedness as if it was never there. ¡°Better,¡± Cedric said nonchalantly from behind them. ¡°Better, but not good enough yet. You two were a bit selfish trying to dust them by yourselves.¡± Wait. Alex ignored him and turned to glare at Diana. ¡°You knew they¡¯d jump your trap¡­ you wanted me to wait it out so you could dust them.¡± Diana crossed her arms. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d leave all the kills for someone else, did you?¡± She glared back. ¡°And I didn¡¯t hear you telling me of your plan either. You were going to dust them yourself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t give me a chance to tell you anything. And besides, I wasn¡¯t going to dust all of them,¡± Alex said, smirking now. ¡°I did dust them all.¡± ¡°Not the last one,¡± she hissed. ¡°Yes, congrats on your consolation prize,¡± Alex said dryly. ¡°Enough, enough.¡± Cedric stepped in between the two of them. Daven was looking at them both, a smile twitching at his lips. ¡°Daven, nice job spotting the vinelings and isolating them,¡± he told the archer. ¡°And you two as well. You both had plans and used the terrain to your advantage. That¡¯s good. Now all you need to do is come up with one plan instead of two. Be less wasteful.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Diana asked, still scowling. Cedric sighed. ¡°Each of you would have gotten those five boars, yes. Great. But how long can you keep that up, huh? How many traces can you use before you¡¯re too exhausted to create even a little gust of air or a spittle of fire?¡± Diana frowned, turning to look away from the crew leader. But as she stood there, her eyes turned pensive. She did seem the type to reflect on her mistakes. Thinking of Cedric¡¯s question, Alex couldn¡¯t help glancing at his status. HP: 60/60 MP: 81.9/130 He tried to count it out quickly in his mind. Two for each of the fire arrows, and he knew from practice that the fireballs that had once cost him ten points each were down to eight now with his increased control of his powers. The most wasteful spell had been the streams of fire from his hands. With his regeneration at a hundredth of his total mana per minute, that made it fifteen points for each stream. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. So quite a few more traces, he decided. ¡°A dungeon run, even for pruning, is only called a run,¡± Cedric continued. ¡°In reality, it¡¯s a grind¡ªhours long¡ªsometimes even days or weeks depending on the dungeon. A mage of both of your strengths can¡¯t spam traces like that with no consequences.¡± Days? Alex winced. There goes that thought, then. Unless they constantly stopped to let him recover some mana, he wouldn¡¯t last too long. Not with using fire like he did just now. ¡°Well, how do we decide on a single plan, then? Or who gets the kill?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Especially in the heat of the moment like that. It¡¯s clear everyone here wants to elevate as much as possible.¡± She turned an accusing finger to her brother. ¡°Daven thinks he¡¯s clever too, but I know him better than he does himself. He only said he¡¯d take the vinelings by himself so he could dust them himself.¡± The archer opened his mouth wide in feigned outrage. ¡°Why, sister dear, I take offense to that.¡± He put a hand to his heart. ¡°I would never¡­ ever¡­¡± Diana nearly growled at him, and Daven laughed. Cedric ignored the theatrics. ¡°You¡¯ll have to do like every Chaser who doesn¡¯t go solo. Share. Rotate who gets the kill every ten minutes or every monster you come across, or every group of monsters. Or whenever one of you is out of juice.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Decide, and do it here and now too, so we don¡¯t need to have this conversation after every monster we dust.¡± With his piece said, the crew leader walked off toward his spear. ¡°You two deal with whatever gets the most attention and I¡¯ll take care of anything sneaking on the sides,¡± Daven said, and like Cedric went off to recover whichever arrows he could get. When Alex looked, Diana was staring at him, arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Well?¡± Alex frowned, not answering at once. This was too great a chance to waste while having two second-rankers as a safety net. He needed to farm experience as much as possible, and that meant coming up with the best strategy. Any minute-count for a rotation was the first off consideration. First, they didn¡¯t have a clock. As pathetic as it was, Alex was going to need to adjust to the idea of a life without specific time-counting. The sun and the moon were all well and good, but they had their limits. Perhaps there were magical ways to accurately tell the time, but he doubted any of them had one of them in hand. Second, he didn¡¯t know if his mana could last five or ten minutes of consistent use, as he was always pausing to recover or to feel the pathways inside him during training. Nor did Alex want to end up having his turn of killing during a stretch of time where no monster showed up. Another option would be rotating by the monster or by the group of monsters, but that would be too disruptive. So it would have to be either by a set number of kills or until the one doing the killing got too low on mana. Unfortunately, he had no idea what Diana¡¯s mana reserves looked like. No one had ever mentioned anything related to attributes, levels, health and mana. And Alex wouldn¡¯t be the first to ask. ¡°How about we come up with a set number of monsters until we rotate?¡± he asked. ¡°Say, five or ten?¡± Diana narrowed her eyes, as if trying to unpeel his suggestion for anything that might disadvantage her. ¡°Very well,¡± she said after a moment¡¯s consideration. ¡°We¡¯ll switch every ten kills. And the one in reserve can always step in if needed.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Then he frowned when he realized he missed something. ¡°Wait, what about Valerian and Cedric?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Cedric asked, returning with his spear in hand. ¡°Dusting monster,¡± Valerian explained succinctly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you trying to elevate as well?¡± Diana asked. ¡°Ah, you want to know why we aren¡¯t claiming any kill time?¡± Cedric planted the woodend of his spear on the ground and leaned against it, seeming to consider his own question. ¡°Hmm, how can I put this? I told you chasing is not an exact science before, right?¡± Diana nodded at him. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure the mages at Runekast have come up with all sorts of calculations to figure it out, but as far as I know, the weaker a monster is compared to you, the less it will elevate you. To the point where killing the monsters here won¡¯t do much at all for Valerian and I.¡± Alex listened intently. Progressively harder to level up, then. That confirmed it, as even he who was only level three was having trouble. He didn¡¯t level up after killing the sloth and four of the wild boars now, plus the vineling and the boar from the last time. ¡°Wait,¡± he said, turning to Cedric. ¡°So why do you come to prune this dungeon at all?¡± He might not be overly suspicious about any foul play on the crew leader¡¯s part, but he was still curious. ¡°The coin, of course.¡± The crew leader smirked. ¡°And the company.¡± Alex snorted, thinking back on the barmaid who so fervently defended Cedric¡¯s honor. ¡°Of course.¡± xx ¡°Eight,¡± Alex called out, perhaps a bit louder than he needed to. Beside him, Daven covered a laugh with his fist. ¡°Will you shut up?¡± Diana snapped, just as the dead form of a Bushtail fell from its perch atop a thick bough, bleeding heavily from a gash on its chest. [Bushtail lvl 2] Alex would have liked to say that the first time he encountered one of the Bushtails he had rent the thing apart limb by limb with blades of fire. The monsters were like giant, bark-brown squirrels that cocooned themselves with their long bushy tails and rested upside down much like bats on the low branches of trees. But reality was often disappointing. He had walked just under a Bushtail without noticing it, and the monster¡¯s tail had flicked out like a frog¡¯s tongue to wrap around his neck. It was as fluffy a tail as you would expect, until it wasn¡¯t. The thing hardened like steel around his throat and pulled him up with a strength that a larger-than-normal squirrel shouldn¡¯t have. It had happened so fast he didn¡¯t have the time to react with his magic. Only Cedric¡¯s quick reflexes and sharper spear saved him. Diana had given him a hard time for the past half hour over not being able to deal with his rotation, since Cedric had gotten that kill, so he wasn¡¯t in the mood to let her concentrate. He rubbed at his bruised throat and shot a glare at Diana. ¡°It¡¯s not so fun when someone else does it to you, is it?¡± She huffed and kept on walking after Cedric, who¡¯d gained a few yards on them. Valerian walked nearly twenty feet behind them, trailing them the same way a monster would. He served like a rearward scout more than anything. When Daven nudged him with his bow, Alex allowed himself the satisfaction of the small victory that this was and marched on after them. His first rotation had been mostly wild boars and vinelings, with a single Killer Sloth as the last kill. It hadn¡¯t been enough for him to level up, but he was trying to stay positive. Soon it would be his turn again. Soon. xx Cedric put a finger to his mouth. ¡°Quiet now,¡± he whispered. He edged forward until he was hard against the broad trunk of an oak, then called them over. Alex and the others shuffled forward, kneeling beside him. The crew leader pointed to the other end of the clearing they¡¯d found, where a big anthill the size of a pick-up truck sat like a giant turd. ¡°That¡¯s the vinelings¡¯ nest. They roam out and create other smaller nests all over the first stage of the dungeon, but that¡¯s their main spawn there.¡± Alex¡¯s eyes widened. Their spawn? He peeked over the side of the tree and, indeed, he could see the vinelings skittering all over the side of the dirt hill, click-clacking around like the creepy little wood-spiders they were. Three, four¡­ two just went in, that¡¯s six. He eyed them hungrily. That was only outside. There must be dozens of them in there. Level one monsters or not, that was a lot of experience just sitting there in the open. A smile spread across Alex¡¯s face and he turned to face the crew. ¡°Just who¡¯s turn is it again, Diana?¡± His fellow mage looked like she¡¯d just swallowed a lemon. She had killed her tenth monster not two minutes ago. ¡°Yours,¡± she spat, the words seeming to hurt her soul. ¡°Damn fucking right.¡± Chapter 17 ¡°Let¡¯s be fair here,¡± Alex said. They¡¯d fallen back a few yards to hatch out a plan of attack, and a discussion had broken out over the rights to the Vineling anthill. ¡°We decided beforehand on the rotations, so now only because it¡¯s my turn we¡¯re suddenly going to change things up?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one corrupting the spirit of our deal over a technicality,¡± Diana said, scowling. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more than ten Vinelings there.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Alex said, though he did. And she did too. But he couldn¡¯t really play the nice guy here, could he? Not when so much experience was on the line. Who knows when the Second might need it? It rankled him to think like that, but he forced the guilt down with extreme prejudice. Selfishness was the way to go. Always. He knew that. He¡¯d learned that more than once. With her, and with the other kids in the homes. ¡°Stop,¡± Valerian said. The word was softly spoken, but everyone listened. ¡°You¡¯re thinking about this the wrong way.¡± He turned to the crew leader. ¡°How did you do it the last time you came here?¡± ¡°Zathan¡ªI mean, one of my former crewmates. He¡¯s a sorcerer, a second-rank mage.¡± Cedric coughed and gave them a smile. ¡°He just flooded the thing with a water spell. Done and over with in five minutes.¡± Valerian looked at Alex. ¡°Can you do something similar?¡± ¡°I can torch the place¡ªturn it into a giant oven. But¡­¡± ¡°But they can escape through one of the tunnels,¡± Valerian finished. Alex made a face, but nodded. The paladin then turned to Diana. ¡°And you?¡± She bit her lip. ¡°I don¡¯t have the strength to pull the air from the hill and suffocate them. Not yet,¡± she said. ¡°I can cause a cave in, though. But¡­¡± ¡°But they might just dig themselves out another way,¡± Valerian said. ¡°Or the cave-in might not kill them all.¡± Cedric was nodding along. ¡°Yes, you need to work together on this one,¡± he said. ¡°And you¡¯re all forgetting about Daven in this equation. The deal is only fair when he gets to kill the monsters on the wings.¡± He shot a questioning look at the archer. ¡°What do you say?¡± Daven seemed to think for a bit, then shrugged. ¡°Can¡¯t do much about all of that with just arrows,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll take the ones who skitter out, and you two blow the thing up or whatever.¡± He pointed first at his sister then at Alex. ¡°You owe me though. Big time.¡± He cracked a smile. Cedric chuckled. ¡°Good lad,¡± he said, and clapped him on the shoulder. Valerian too nodded at the archer. Daven tried to hide it, but he straightened and held his shoulders higher where he sat on a fallen log. Alex wanted to say they were wrong, but they weren¡¯t. He knew that. Damn them, but he did. He silently clicked his tongue. ¡°Fine, then.¡± He grabbed a loose stick and started drawing on the dirt ground. ¡°How about we do this?¡± xx Alex circled the area of the clearing, staying low beneath the tree line. He moved with silent steps, as silent as could be when you weren¡¯t a woodsman and there were leaves crinkling underfoot. So long as the Vinelings in their anthill didn¡¯t notice, then it didn''t matter. They weren¡¯t human enemies that would keep scouts and patrols to check for spies and stalkers. Occasionally, one of the monsters popped out of the nest and went off into the forest, toward some other smaller nest the creatures kept. Or, in the case of the one who went the way Alex had just come from, straight into one of Daven¡¯s arrows undoubtedly. As he crept along, errant shrubbery grabbed at him like fingers, tangling at his clothes. He pushed the knife-edged twigs away when he could, and were he not wearing long sleeves he¡¯d be scratched worse than the owner of a schizophrenic cat. The anthill loomed closer and closer. The giant turd, as Daven had called it before they left, was hard against the northern side of the clearing, its sprawling base nearly reaching the tree line there. He followed the movement of monsters on the hill with dark eyes, and something twisted inside his stomach. Apprehension. Fear. Excitement. All jumbled together. They weren¡¯t feelings Alex was used to having. At least not before yesterday. There wasn¡¯t much adventure to be had in the life of a quiet community college student with no family and no friends. It was a dangerous mixture, and he liked it. Up above, the sun hung proud just shy of the center of the sky, though a chilly breeze kept any heat from truly warming the day. Still, sweat prickled the skin of Alex¡¯s back. He felt flushed, high on the thrill of the hunt. I want this. The realization came as a surprise. I¡¯m eager for it. He always saw himself as an apathetic person. And sometimes a pathetic one as well, for the lack of life in his life. But perhaps he didn¡¯t know himself as well as he thought he did. A hiss came from behind him. He swung his head back, and saw Diana clasping a hand to her forearm. Her shirt was sliced there, and a thin line of red blossomed on her pale skin. She muttered a curse, at herself or at the offending briar that cut her, then wiped it off and urged him forward with a nod of her head. Until they got to the opposite end of the clearing, Alex kept his long-sleeve-wearing arms close to his chest. ¡°Are you ready?¡± he asked once they settled behind a broad tree. Their view of the anthill was unparalleled here. They were just a stone¡¯s throw away¡ªa very short throw too. The Vineling nest was dotted with more tunnels than a Vietnamese forest. On this side of the giant turd, and this close, Alex could count near a dozen of the monster just by peeking inside the holes. Diana was looking at the nest too, counting as he was, and her eyes swiveled to meet his. She raised an eyebrow and didn''t speak. She didn¡¯t need to. Alex sighed. ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± He made a pacifying gesture with his hand. ¡°You were right. Are we doing this or not?¡± She nodded through a victorious smirk. ¡°On three,¡± she said, three fingers up. Then two. One. Then they were sprinting, straight at the giant turd. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The plan was simple. One of the oldest in the book. Shock and awe, as it were. Even though they were both mages, they didn¡¯t have enough power to take the thing down at a distance, so they needed to get close. And crossing the entire clearing¡ªan open field of green grass without any sort of cover¡ªto get to the objective sounded more like a suicide attempt than anything else. So they snuck along until they could attack. It worked. The Vinelings only noticed them when Alex vaulted over the knee-high brush near the tree line, Diana hot on his heels. He made it a step onto the dirt base of the little hill before any monster had rushed him. The hill rose steeper than he¡¯d initially expected, taller than he was by a few feet. Diana caught up with him, panting, and promptly dropped to the ground. Her hands found purchase on the loose earth easily. ¡°Give me¡­¡± Her brows knit together with focus. ¡°Thirty seconds,¡± she finally said. Alex grunted a reply and planted himself in front of her. Pulling on the power came easier than ever now. It swept through his chest like a torrent, aching to be used. The first basketball-sized mass of vines that click-clacked to within five feet of him got a fire arrow to the face for its trouble. The thing stumbled on its numerous twig legs like it was drunk for half a second before it buckled onto itself. A glance at its corpse before it disappeared into black glass showed it had burnt up from the inside. Alex suspected an attack of similar strength wouldn¡¯t have killed the monster if it was another element other than fire. Another two sidled up to him on both sides, vines trashing in anger, and Alex was double wielding now. At this distance the arrows were easy to aim and hard to miss. The first got the same treatment as the one before, but the Vineling to his left suddenly leapt, dodging the arrow by a centimeter. It had the high ground on him, too, and it flew straight at his face. Only to get crisped by a wall of flames before crumpling down at Alex¡¯s feet. He smiled, wiped sweat from his forehead. He had come up with the trace back in the Riverbend woods, a fire barrier in a semi circle around him, chest high. It wouldn¡¯t do much against stronger enemies or physical attacks like arrows and swords. But against a bit of plant wrapped up in twigs like the Vineling? It was perfect. The heat of the flames didn¡¯t affect Alex, but a quick glance behind him showed Diana sweating like a faucet. The other Vinelings that had been outside rallied at him. They didn¡¯t seem to have a way to communicate amongst each other¡ªbeside the clacking of their legs, the Vinelings made no noise even as they died with a flaming arrow to center mass or burnt up once they got too close¡ªso the ones inside the giant turd stayed there as Alex ravaged their compatriots. When he was surrounded by five of them, Alex pulled out another trace. Seeing Diana in action earlier yesterday had given him ideas when he was practicing, so he fell to his knees, hands splayed close to the ground, and created a carpet of fire in a small area in front of him. The Vinelings closest to him, their whip-like vines already flickering in the air for a taste of his blood, were caught up in the storm when their wooden feet burst into fire and broke apart. Two managed to jump back in time, nimble as they were, and Alex had to let go of the carpet trace to pepper them with the arrows again. He couldn¡¯t yet maintain a trace like this one or the fire barrier while also attacking with fire arrows, and he needed direct contact with the fire to keep so much control of it. It was the reason why his fire arrows had such a short range. Were he to try and shoot them at a long distance they would just disperse halfway there. By then, Alex had gotten into a rhythm. Arrows when he could, barrier or carpet when he needed. Rinse and repeat. During those thirty seconds, the throbbing at his throat was forgotten. The fear of a new world inexistent. Any suspicions he had evaporated. Distant things that made no matter. All there was in the world was the rush of power. The drumming of his heart. The fight. The victory in each kill. ¡°Alex!¡± Diana¡¯s voice brought him back to reality. ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± she called. He shot another fire arrow. ¡°Do you want a formal invitation to start?¡± Diana¡¯s answer came by way of a deep rumble on the earth. Alex almost lost his footing, and the smaller Vinelings shook up and down like they were under an earthquake. They would¡¯ve tumbled over had they not had eight legs each. Then one by one, the bee-hive tunnels of the Vineling anthill start closing up. Earthen jaws closed any passage into the gullet of the giant turd. Despite having no eyes or mouth, the little Vinelings seemed slack-jawed as they dumbly watched the entrance to their homes disappearing. And when an arrow flew high into the sky, with a strip of white cloth tied to the shaft flapping in the wind, Alex knew Diana had succeeded in blocking the tunnels on the other side as well. Only one opening remained, the one right in front of Alex. He glanced at the four remaining Vinelings still skittering outside and spoke over his shoulder, ¡°Your turn to play bodyguard.¡± Diana pulled her hands from the earth and gave him a tight nod. ¡°Got it.¡± Her breathing was coming in heavy gasps, and she almost stumbled trying to stand. The effort had clearly taken a lot from her. Not your problem now. Alex slid up to the open tunnel and planted his feet on the dirt wall next to the entrance. Inside, a curious Vineling poked out from an intersection deeper into the passageway. He smiled at it, then brought both hands to bear and stuck them inside the tunnel. There was no fancy way to do it. Fire bloomed out of his hands, the constant streams from before all concentrated into that one narrow crevice. The Vineling at the end of the tunnel didn¡¯t even have time to be surprised before he was engulfed into the orange flames of his power-made flamethrower. But it wasn¡¯t strong enough. He knew it. It wouldn¡¯t be sufficient to torch the entire place, every passage and hole and crack in the earth the little fucklings had carved out. Frowning, he looked to the numbers blinking faintly at the side of his vision. HP: 60/60 MP: 66.8/130 Alex had recovered his mana during Diana¡¯s rotation, but the carpet and the barrier cost a lot to use¡ªand maintain. Nearly twelve points each spell, then half a point for every second. Thinking back on the way he¡¯d managed to compress his normal fireball into that bite-sized explosion, Alex realized what he had to do. He chanced a look up, and saw his fellow mage standing in front of him, battling the Vinelings on the anthill with swords of solid air and lances of earth that poked out of the ground when the monsters got too close to them. Shaking his head, he quickly brought himself back to task. Focus now! Reaching deep inside him, farther than he¡¯d ever dared, he sunk every single ounce of power available to him into the fire blowing from his hands. The outburst nearly toppled him backwards. In an instant, the stream turned into a tide, a blazing wave of red-orange flames that flooded the mouth of the tunnel before surging inside like a hungry animal. With a direct connection to the fire, Alex could almost feel the conflagration rushing through the passages, seeping deeper and deeper into the ground, consuming everything it encountered. All he could hear was the roar of the fire and the earth cracking beneath him like a giant dragon¡¯s egg. On the screen, his mana winked out in chunks, first ten points, then fifteen, and on and on. Alex wanted to get all the Vinelings inside, every last one of the critters, but he couldn¡¯t leave himself vulnerable without any mana. He didn¡¯t think Diana would let him be attacked, but he couldn¡¯t trust that she could handle it if the remaining Vinelings mobbed them or other monsters emerged from behind, not before Cedric and the others arrived. He just couldn¡¯t bring himself to bet his life on the back of others so easily. Reluctantly, he stopped the flow of fire. The whoosh of hot air and flames being flushed into the tunnel winked out. A gasping breath escaped him as he finally released his hold on the power. His arms felt heavy, weighed by a ton of lead, and Alex reeled back when he noticed that the skin of his forearms was steaming in the cool air, like the pathways inside had been burning up with the heat of the power. He realized he¡¯d been staring too long when he heard a shuffle on the dirt. His head shot up, ready to use his remaining ten mana if necessary. But there were no more Vinelings anywhere around them. The anthill was deserted. The giant turd looked to have been baked. Smoke rose from tiny cracks on it all along its face. Only Diana stood there further up the mound above him, watching him with wide eyes. Chapter 18 Ping! Level up! The sharp noise was so unexpected in the aftermath of the carnage that Alex nearly yelped. He didn¡¯t. What he did do was trip his ankle on a rut and flop down on his back, rolling down the dirt hill until he sprawled onto the grass below. Diana¡¯s laugh followed him down to the base. ¡°And I was just about to say that had looked awesome.¡± Alex groaned and spat a clump of grass that¡¯d found its way into his mouth. ¡°Screw you,¡± he muttered, picking himself up from the ground. His freshly-cleaned clothes were brown with dirt, and he dusted himself off as best as he could. Had he not just leveled up¡ªwith his mana restored and the aching bruises on his neck gone¡ªthe sting of tripping over himself in front of someone else might have been worse. Above him, Diana stood pensively for a second before she hopped down next to him. ¡°Let¡¯s see if that helped any,¡± she said, closing her eyes. Alex almost asked what she was doing, until he noticed how focused she seemed to be. Whatever it was she was doing, he didn¡¯t want to interrupt. So he took a couple of steps back, raised his hand up into the air, and sent out the signal, an orange flare that flew in an arc over the anthill. It was slow, and it wouldn¡¯t hurt a fruit fly if it tried, but it worked. ¡°Alright there?¡± The yell came all the way from the other side of the clearing. Cedric¡¯s voice. ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex called back, two hands around his mouth. In front of him, a shudder ran through Diana. She made a noise on the back of her throat, a pleased sound close to a purr. ¡°Finally,¡± she whispered. Now he had to ask. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I plateaued,¡± she said. He could hear the smile on her voice, and saw it when she turned to him too, a bright and sunny thing he hadn''t seen on her face just yet. Then Alex had to stop himself from frowning. He looked at her properly again, at the weariness hidden beneath her white smile, at the small cut still red on her arm. Unconsciously, a hand rose to rub at his neck. His good-as-new, uninjured neck. As if that Bushtail had never suffocated him. Do¡­ do they not recover like I do when they plateau? He heard footsteps approaching, three sets, trotting around the side of the anthill. Alex quickly turned away. ¡°I need to go, uh, to the bathroom,¡± he said the first thing that came to mind. ¡°Take a piss, you know. And more, maybe, I don¡¯t know.¡± He cringed. ¡°First save me, you''re worse than Daven.¡± She waved him away. ¡°Just go, we¡¯ll wait here for you.¡± Alex didn¡¯t wait to hear it twice. xx Shit. Shit. Shit. He scrambled through the brush, thinking furiously. The tree line was left a bit further behind, but he could still spot the crew standing around by the anthill if he squinted. That means Daven could still see me if he tried. Alex clambered on, dodging past thick briars, stepping over tall roots. He kept his ears open to the familiar snorting of the boars and the click-clacking of the Vinelings. A close perusal of the canopy showed no Killer Sloth either, so he chose a broad tree nearby to stop. He put his back to it and slid down to sit on the ground, panting hard. It¡¯s different. Too different. Plateauing and leveling up. This Sight and his status screen. The Gates and his Skills page. How could their magic be so similar and yet¡­ no talk of actual numbers as their levels, no attributes, no leveling the same skill more than once. And now¡­ no reset to HP and MP when they plateaued. Hell, Alex didn¡¯t even know if they had health points or not. Surely that would¡¯ve come up at one point or another. Think. Think straight. He breathed in deep of the crisp air. Center yourself. Then breathed out. Center. In, and out. He felt the rough bark against his head, the trunk solid against his back with the reassuring weight of reality. Yes, he¡¯d already decided this was reality. But the game itself had been wrong since the beginning. Too lacking in too many ways¡ªno charisma or luck, no inventory, no starting gear. And though the other people¡¯s magic system resembled his own, clearly his video-game powers were solely his and his alone. At least the worst offenders when it came to reality-breaking gaming logic. There was that bit about the Second too, of course. He¡¯d taken it almost as a joke after the starting screen called him that. It hadn¡¯t come up with anyone, aside from the worrying deification of the figure of the First, whoever he was. But if he was the Second¡ªand people believed that he was given his extra abilities, would they worship the ground he walked on like they did to their blessed First? Or would it be the other way around? Alex gulped, too familiar images coming to mind. Yeah, not touching that with a ten foot pole. Prophets weren¡¯t exactly universally accepted when they first came up. He didn¡¯t want to have Romans on his heels any time soon. No, he needed to hide those parts of his powers. It was too dangerous. At least while he wasn¡¯t strong enough to take care of himself. At least while he wasn¡¯t sure it would either get him killed or have people fawning over him. Both were frightening outcomes. That meant he couldn¡¯t let these people get too close to him. None of them. He might not have been right about Cedric, and the other three seemed the good sort of people. But who would Daven and Diana tell, if they knew? What would Valerian do? His breathing picked up again, and a strange tightness twisted at his stomach. Centered! Alex tried inhaling deep, but his throat felt locked. Damn it, not now! Sweat rolled down his face. His hands were shaking like leaves in the wind. Coward! Blood pounded on his ears. He couldn¡¯t hear the forest anymore, couldn¡¯t feel the tree at his back. He was trapped. Frozen. Do something! With shuddering arms, Alex hugged his knees to his chest, buried his face in them until he was all alone in the dark. There was nothing but him and the darkness. Nothing. No one. He tried breathing, failed, tried again. One inhale. Out. Then another. Slowly, breath by breath, his body stopped rattling like he was hypothermic. Sound returned. Until he was sitting in the forest again, the peeling bark hard against him.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Letting out a sorry chuckle, Alex hugged himself closer. He hated doing that as much as he loved it¡ªas much as he knew it helped when just breathing and trying to center himself wasn¡¯t enough. The position was comforting and warm. Familiar. Like only her hugs had ever been. He had been a ten year old child just arriving in the system when he first held himself like that, all alone and scared of the bigger kids. He remembered crying as he sat on one of the bunker beds at night, knees close to his chest, hoping it had all been a horrible dream and his sister was on her way to come pick him up. She hadn¡¯t. Rachel had grown distant after their parent¡¯s death. It was like she¡¯d died herself. She was eight years older than him, an adult already when it happened. And yet her deep blue eyes, the same color as his own, slowly lost their usual brightness, until they were as dark and empty as the abysses on the bottom of the ocean. She became gaunt and pale, her cheeks sunken in, and he couldn¡¯t remember her eating for a whole week before she abandoned him. He didn¡¯t understand much then, being only a child, but he did after. And the warm memories of his sister had only soured with time, and he in turn became cold. It didn¡¯t matter why she did it, just that she did. He¡¯d trusted her, loved her more than he ever did their parents, and she left him. Alone. Bile rose at the thought of her, and that nagging feeling of guilt tugging at his chest returned. That only served to make him angrier. I was ten, damn it. Alex¡¯s teeth grinded against each other, hot tears pricked at the corner of his eyes. How was I supposed to know? What was I supposed to do? He held on to his knees tighter, but at least he could breathe again. The bitterness was always better company. xx After pulling himself together, and spending a few minutes molesting his throat until it turned red like it had been prior to the level up, Alex turned back the way he came and walked back to the giant turd¡¯s clearing. Valerian stood up when he saw him emerging through the brush. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t go too far alone in a dungeon,¡± he said, face stern like a block of granite. He sounded like a math teacher Alex had in tenth grade. More disappointed than angry. Alex couldn¡¯t find it in himself to care much. ¡°I just really had to go.¡± He tried for a smile. ¡°Man, you¡¯re pale as plaster,¡± Daven said from the side, then he grinned. ¡°Those are the best ones though, I know. Nothing better than a good dump after some monster-killing.¡± Diana rolled her eyes, but Cedric chuckled and patted the archer on the back. ¡°There¡¯s plenty better young grasshopper,¡± he said, eyes twinkling. ¡°Now come on, we should start moving now. You two did a good job here, but there¡¯s still some dungeon-ground left to cover.¡± They set off deeper into the forest this time, aiming toward the center. They had been going on ever narrowing circles around the dungeon since the morning, but Cedric thought they¡¯d killed enough of the monsters to access the second stage. ¡°And if we haven¡¯t we¡¯ll just hunt them as they come,¡± he said, spearheading the crew as always. ¡°The Vinelings are the only ones with a fixed spawn here, and the largest in quantity. There¡¯s not enough Bushtails to make that big of a difference and the boars will come to us eventually. The sloths will too, if slower.¡± Alex thought of the Grasping Grass monsters they¡¯d encountered yesterday, and how Cedric thought it was some kind of environmental reaction to staying in the same spot for too long. Correcting him on it wasn¡¯t even an option now. He would ask how Alex knew, and then he¡¯d have his back to the wall. ¡°So there¡¯s a set number to dust before we can go to the second stage?¡± Daven asked, though his eyes never left the treetops, an arrow knocked to his bow. ¡°That¡¯s boring. Where¡¯s the mystery in that?¡± Cedric sent an amused look to the archer. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of mysterious dungeons out there if you want, Daven,¡± the professional chaser said. ¡°But this one does, yes. Not an exact number, perhaps, but something in the line of a good deal more than half of the monsters in the first stage. And the longer you leave it unpruned, the more monsters there will be.¡± ¡°Well,¡± the archer started saying, then paused before he could say anything. He drew an arrow taut on his bow and pivoted around in a circle, his movements slow and deliberate, eyes peering like a hawk. Alex and Diana immediately looked about themselves, searching for an invisible enemy in the shrubbery or up on high. Alex had his fire ready and waiting, but Cedric stopped him with a raised hand. Instead of being watchful like them, the crew leader was looking at Daven with an expectant narrowing of the eyes. In a burst of movement, Daven shifted on his feet and fired an arrow into the trees, past a thick clump of foliage that obscured the sight of anything beyond. ¡°What¡ª¡± Alex started, until he caught the Bushtail with the arrow through its eyes falling to the ground with a dull thump almost thirty meters away. Daven turned to them, cocky as a rooster. ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s grab this bloody dungeon by the balls and squeeze, then.¡± Cedric smiled like a proud father. It was after another hour of slow grinding before a second, smaller dome of shimmering air appeared at the center of the forest. Alex watched in awe as it blinked into existence in the distance like a great hologram, before it solidified into the same hazy surface of the outside dome. Along with the other hopefuls, he was more than confused when he realized they had covered that area before, and thoroughly too. There had been no sign of a pre-made, portal-like dome ready to expand a thousandfold into another dimension inside an already separate dimension. Just more trees and shrubs and leaves. According to Cedric, however, that was standard dungeon business. Pocket spaces. Portals. The whole nine yards. When the crew leader first mentioned dungeons having stages, Alex had imagined gloomy caverns and tight crawl spaces that served as passages to these higher phases. There were those, too, apparently, but Riverbend¡¯s dungeon was as tame in this regard as it was in everything else. They weren¡¯t too far off from where the dome showed up, so the crew stopped chasing around the base of a small wooded hill and trod off toward the dome. Before they got too close, though, Cedric called for a stop after they forded a small brook not unlike the one where Alex had first met the crew. ¡°We¡¯ll pause here,¡± he said once he found a nice spot where two fallen logs formed a half-square. ¡°Drink, eat, and rest up. We¡¯ll set off again in an hour, then we¡¯ll make a straight push to the flower spot of the second stage. We don¡¯t need to clean up most of the monsters there like we did here.¡± ¡°But we can though, right?¡± Daven asked, beaming. Some fifteen minutes after his impressive Bushtail kill¡ªafter sniping an errant Vineling nesting inside a burrow of roots¡ªthe archer suddenly jumped up and down like a kid at Christmas when he plateaued. He¡¯d been insufferably cheerful ever since. Cedric shrugged, settling down on a log. ¡°We can,¡± he said. He loosened his shoulders, then craned his neck to one side and the other as if after a long day¡¯s work, even if he didn¡¯t appear at all tired. ¡°The festival isn¡¯t until tomorrow, so we have the whole day. Though we will leave before nightfall without mistake. You all aren¡¯t quite ready to chase in the dark.¡± Valerian hummed in agreement. He unstrapped the tower shield from his back, scanned the underbrush around them a final time, and sat down heavily at the end of the other log. The whole time they were in the dungeon, Alex had yet to see a drop of sweat coat the man¡¯s brow. Then again, Valerian only had to step in once, when Alex and the siblings were occupied by a scattering of Vinelings and two Killer Sloths. From the quick glimpse Alex got before the paladin was done with the three boars that tried to attack them from the back, he hadn¡¯t even unsheathed his sword. A little love tap from his shield¡¯s hefty iron boss had been plenty enough to dust the creatures. Alex took a seat himself near the paladin, and watched Diana plop down on the grass across from him, her head lolling back to rest against the trunk of the log. Her eyes closed with a weary sigh, as if that would help transport her to some lush bed in her dreams. His fellow mage was still feeling the effects of closing all the tunnels of the Vineling nest, though had he not had his mana recovered by leveling up, Alex reckoned he would be in worse shape than she was. He would have to be careful not to drain his mana when a level up wasn¡¯t imminent. And without an exp bar to note his progress, that meant never doing it without an exit plan. That sort of exhaustion didn¡¯t seem like the fun type you get after a good workout at the gym. After leaving the giant turd, Diana used her more powerful traces sparingly and often called on him to take his turn on the rotation before he was due. Naturally, Alex didn¡¯t complain. Of course, taking the lead in their combined duty kept him too occupied to think about his level up, but now that they would rest, he had a few decisions to make. With a thought, Alex brought up his status page. It was time to distribute his new skill and attribute points. Chapter 19 Before focusing solely on his screen page, Alex glanced at the others. Only to realize Diana wasn¡¯t the only one with her eyes closed. Daven, too, seemed to be asleep, huddled beneath his cloak. The only thing that gave him away was the movement apparent through his eyelids. ¡°You plateaued too?¡± Cedric suddenly asked. Alex¡¯s head shot up. ¡°Uh, yeah, I did,¡± he said. ¡°How did you know?¡± The crew leader smiled. ¡°That was a lot of Vinelings back there, Alex. Go on then, Valerian and I will keep watch.¡± He pulled something out of his pocket¡ªa stone, it seemed, and laid his glaive over his lap. ¡°Don¡¯t lose yourself to it, though. Be steadfast. I¡¯ve seen experienced chasers addicted to the feel of the Sight. It isn¡¯t pretty. I¡¯ve already told this to these two, so consider yourself warned.¡± Alex didn¡¯t know what to say. His mouth hung open for a moment, utterly confused, until he snapped out of it and muttered something in agreement. Following the siblings, he closed his eyes too. He had never tried accessing his status like that, but the screen was there promptly. [Status] Name: Alex Hart Level: 4 Class: Mage HP: 60/60 MP: 118.9/130 [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 6 Power: 12 Soul Affinity: 13 Free Points: 5 [Skill Points]: 1 Fire Proficiency - 3/5 Water Proficiency Lightning Proficiency Air Proficiency Earth Proficiency Arcane Proficiency [Locked] [Locked] [Locked] ¡­ If the difference between his and other people¡¯s magic frustrated him¡ªif nothing else than because the divergences between the two seemed completely random¡ªthen Alex could at least appreciate the consistency here. It would drive him nuts if the attribute and skill gains of every level varied according to some arbitrary external factors like which monsters he dusted recently or if it happened inside or outside a dungeon. That meant five free points again. The logical, game-like decision would be to dump them all in Power or Soul Affinity. They were certainly the attributes that would most affect his ability to fight monsters and protect himself. Magic was might for a Mage. But it was different when a single health point could mean life or death for you¡ªactual death too. He couldn¡¯t count on spawning back where he started. He would be tempted to put some points on dexterity too, if he hadn¡¯t already used three of his initial five to prop it up a bit. That would have served him well as a rogue. Now that he thought of it, it had already helped him. He¡¯d been too occupied by the fact he could make fireballs to really test it out, but he remembered jumping over that stream yesterday when he would have never been able to do that before. That single point in strength might have helped, too. He was never scrawny, but no one could ever call him muscular at any point in his life. Alex bit his lip, his fingers drumming against his thigh. No right answer here. Sometimes you only found the right way to go when you arrived there and looked back. [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 8 Vitality: 8 (+2) Power: 13 (+1) Soul Affinity: 13 Free Points: 2 That looked¡­ alright. Decent for a mage. Good balance between Vitality, Dexterity, and his more attack oriented attributes. A glass cannon was the last thing Alex wanted to be. He moved on to his skills page, where he knew he would end up window shopping and not making a decision in the end. Knowing he wanted a new proficiency was one thing¡­ choosing between the five options was a whole ¡®nother. Each one had its own charm, though the two that most attracted him now were Lightning and Arcane. A more defensive proficiency would be more advisable given the nature of his fire, but lightning as an element could be used for more than its pure destructive powers¡ªwith that being a temptation in itself, and arcane was just too wizard-y and mysterious to ignore. Diana¡¯s own achievements with it just served to prove its utility. Alex reflected on the two, trying to see which one edged the other out, until he remembered what a pairing of a Fire and Air proficiency could do. Damn¡­. He could have ripped the whole Vineling nest up into charred pieces if he had fed his fire with more and more oxygen. As he considered this, a gust swept through their little nook in the forest. Wind whistled through the trees, and the scent of fresh grass tickled at Alex¡¯s senses. His nose scrunched up, then a big wet leaf slapped him across the face with a loud squish. Startled, Alex swore, whacking the leaf away with a hand. So much for increased reflexes with dexterity. He heard a laugh and allowed his eyes to crack open. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Daven was trying to hold in his mirth. ¡°Your face man,¡± he said, near cackling. Alex glared at the archer, and he held his arms up in surrender. ¡°Swear to the First it was only the wind.¡± He couldn¡¯t hold it in and laughed. ¡°It''s got great accuracy though.¡± Alex wouldn¡¯t have believed had the leaf not come from the opposite side of where the archer sat. Before he could say anything else, his name was called. ¡°What?¡± He turned to the side, annoyed. Valerian was staring at him. ¡°Water?¡± The paladin held a leatherskin in his extended hand. Alex looked at it for a second, hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s boiled,¡± Valerian assured him. Alex raised an eyebrow. ¡°The leather?¡± He got a half-second chuckle for that. ¡°Yes, I suppose, and the water too.¡± So Alex took it with a muttered thank you and gulped down a drink. The water ran down his throat sweet as honey. Another must-get from those peddlers. Wiping at his mouth, he offered the skin back to Valerian. Across from him, Diana chose that moment to return from the Sight. She blinked up at the sky, letting out a satisfied sigh. ¡°Everyone¡¯s done?¡± Cedric asked casually, eyes down on his lap. He was meticulously running a whetstone on the single edge of his spear. There was a faint shink sound for every pass the stone made on the blade. He got nods from Alex and Diana for that, but Daven turned his thousand-watt grin to him. ¡°Just opened the Gate of the Arrow. I¡¯m about to blow shit up!¡± The whetstone suddenly stopped. Cedric let out a chuckle that spoke of fond exasperation, and Diana put a hand to her face, groaning. ¡°I already told you not to tell that kind of thing to anyone,¡± she said, her voice muffled through her palm. The archer shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re going to see it soon enough anyway,¡± he said. ¡°Who makes these rules anyway? Some fancy-nancy in that big city you want to go to?¡± Diana threw her arms up in the air. ¡°It¡¯s called propriety,¡± she said, irritated. ¡°You don¡¯t go around telling people something so intensely private. You don¡¯t want to tell them and they don¡¯t want to hear it.¡± Daven snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not telling people,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m telling the crew.¡± He shrugged as if what he said was just common sense. His sister looked just about to explode, but to his other side, Alex glimpsed a small smile adorning Valerian¡¯s usual stolid face. It seemed you could get a peek of the man beneath the stone every once in a while, so long as you looked for it. As for the argument, Alex wasn¡¯t quite sure what they were even speaking about. He could see how a culture of confidentiality toward one¡¯s abilities would arise to maintain a person¡¯s privacy¡ªand the element of surprise, if you wanted to be honest about it¡ªbut if they were truly about to see it happen, then what difference did it make? Well, it was okay for others to share, at least. He would be doing no such thing. ¡°Wait,¡± Cedric said. He was looking at Diana. At her arm. ¡°Let me see that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± she said, still sounding irked. Daven had a knack to bring that out in people. The crew leader only had to raise an eyebrow, and she relented easily enough. Alex grimaced at the sight. The skin around the cut had turned an angry red. But Cedric only hummed. ¡°That will get infected if you leave it open for a couple days, but you¡¯ll be fine with a minor heal tonight. Ask Lanna when we come back later.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Diana said, peering down at her arm with a degree of concern now. The girl was angry, not stupid. ¡°Lanna¡¯s a healer?¡± asked Alex. He didn¡¯t even know for certain everyone had classes, but this seemed to confirm it if a small village barmaid had one too. Cedric nodded. ¡°Who do you think heals the Bedstone¡¯s patrons in the morning when they get too rowdy the night before?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even know they offered that at an inn.¡± ¡°Oh that¡¯s right,¡± Cedric said, ¡°you¡¯ve never been to a city, have you?¡± Alex shook his head. Cedric still had his whetstone out, but he put it back into his pocket now. ¡°Inns and taverns usually employ healers to cure hangovers and headaches and what not. It keeps the customers paying for drinks and all that,¡± he said, then he leaned forward over his glaive as if to tell them all a well-guarded secret. ¡°Gambling houses make a lot of coin off of that. They have free drinks, you see, and pretty maids to serve them, but you have to pay to get its effects washed away. An increasing amount after every healing. Men have been known to go inside one and never come back. Not with their money any way¡­ or their freedom.¡± Their freedom? Alex crossed his arms, considering. Sounds like something they¡¯d do back home. Daven nodded along, pulled a piece of jerky from inside a pocket in his cloak and bit into it. ¡°Told ya there¡¯s something wrong in these cities,¡± he said, looking at Diana. ¡°Not a single honest folk in there.¡± Diana rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, the big city is vwery big and scawy,¡± she mocked. Daven passed around his seemingly endless supply of jerky even as he and Diana continued their argument, descending further and further into childish insults. Cedric and Valerian just listened along, putting a word here and there, and laughing when Daven pulled out his best cityfolk impressions. At the same time, Alex was thinking back on his first minutes in this world, and on the misclick that transformed him into a mage. ¡°Wait a second,¡± he said, interrupting the duo. All eyes turned to him. ¡°You said you can only elevate by dusting monsters, right?¡± Cedric nodded easily. ¡°Well, how does a Healer ever level up, then?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Cedric said, shrugging at Alex¡¯s stunned expression. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s the way that it is. The great majority of people who pick Healer when they turn twelve don¡¯t ever plateau beyond the first time if they¡¯re given a monster to dust at their Selection Festival, like they do here in Riverbend.¡± He opened his palms up and moved them up and down, as if weighing the other side of a scale. ¡°Unless they¡¯re rich enough to pay for chasers to bring them monsters, of course, or they have a crew that accommodates them and wants their Healer growing with them, which is rare to find.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I heard about arcane-focused mages, too. It¡¯s too¡­ bookish to be of much use in killing monsters,¡± Diana said, her eyes narrowed at the grass in front of her. ¡°There¡¯s exceptions, I heard, mages who¡¯re able to turn arcane power into a veritable weapon. But they hide their secrets as jealously as corsairs do their treasures.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re gonna get you to Runekast, right?¡± Cedric asked kindly. ¡°So you can learn and become that exception.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Diana said casually, failing to hide the hopeful expression on her face. Only for that to twist into a scowl when Daven snorted. ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± he said. ¡°Bunch of pansies go to that school.¡± He snorted again, chewing loudly on his jerky. ¡°School,¡± he repeated the word while adding a healthy dose of scorn. ¡°What are you gonna learn there that you can¡¯t here, in the field?¡± ¡°Runekast is a prestigious academy,¡± Valerian interrupted. His voice brooked no argument, and Daven shut his mouth quicker than a rabbit caught in the sights of a hawk would run. Diana was glaring murderously at her brother now. ¡°It¡¯s a good dream to have, Diana. A noble dream.¡± Then the hawk turned to look at the rabbit, daring him to speak. Daven only pouted like a child caught misbehaving, mumbling something incoherent under his breath. Diana whispered a quick thank you to the paladin and settled back on the grass, shooting another glance at her brother before she closed her eyes. It was quick, but Alex thought he caught something else in that final look, something much more akin to heartbreak than anger. From where he sat, she looked to be doing breathing exercises to calm down now. He would too, in fairness, if Daven was his brother. And he was the last person to comment on a sibling relationship. Nobody spoke after that. A heavy silence that no one wanted to break settled over the group, and Alex decided to hold on to any more of his questions until it didn¡¯t seem like they would cause a nuclear reaction between the siblings. To distract himself, he played around with his status page, thinking of the possibilities behind his future skills as he ate his piece of the leathery beef jerky. When the one hour mark came, and Alex could only assume Cedric used the position of the sun to count, the crew leader rose from the log. ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± he said. For some reason, the words seemed to hold a weight to them. The three hopefuls of the crew scrambled to their feet. A mixture of nerves and excitement coursed through Alex¡¯s veins, his pulse ran wild. ¡°This will be a good opportunity to see how you deal with stronger monsters you have no information on. Valerian and I will hold back again, but I won¡¯t take any chances there.¡± Valerian rose too, with the same sureness he had in everything. ¡°If I think you cannot handle it, I will step in,¡± he agreed. ¡°That understood?¡± asked Cedric. Agreement was all he got from the three of them. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s not waste anymore time." Chapter 20 Crossing the dome to the second stage didn¡¯t feel any different than the first one. The world blanked white for a second, and Alex felt a coldness spreading across his skin. The jolt of passing through into a dungeon didn¡¯t affect him as much this time, and he came through on to the other side with a firmness to his steps that didn¡¯t match the thundering of his heart. Cedric was already turning about with his spear in hand, dark eyes watchful of their surroundings. Valerian and the siblings came through behind Alex a moment later. It took him a second, but Alex was on guard as soon as he noticed. He scanned the woodland around them, the wind-blown birches and maples, the gnarled oaks and the prickly bushes and the thick undergrowth. There was nothing different there, the green aroma of the forest and the whistle of the breeze were the same, only everything was¡­ dim. He blinked once, twice, rubbed at his eyes, but nothing changed. The colors are all wrong. The realization came with a sinking sense of menace. He could feel it tingling across his skin, setting the hair in his arms on end. It¡¯s like we don¡¯t belong here. The forest was stained in a hazy red-purple coat, just faint enough to seem like a trick of the eye while being impossible to ignore. He looked down at the ground beneath him, at the grass and loose twigs and fallen leaves. No, they were still the same color, just¡­ tainted. Finally, Alex turned his eyes upward, toward the visible purple sky. Unlike the dome of air in the first dungeon which just softly¡ªand near invisibly¡ªshimmered above the land, this one had a visible tint to it. A smokiness that diffused and smeared the light until you couldn¡¯t find the sun in any one spot in the sky. The whole forest looked like it was in perpetual twilight. Alex shivered, and he could see Diana and Daven to either side of him looking just as putout. ¡°And this is a tame dungeon?¡± Diana asked, cautiously stepping away from the dome behind them. She gazed around warily as if a beast straight out of her nightmares would jump them at any moment. As far as Alex knew, it just might. ¡°It is,¡± Cedric said, giving a final examination of their surroundings before he turned back. ¡°Are you ready for it?¡± The question didn¡¯t imply the possibility of denying it. ¡°More than ready,¡± Daven said, a confident smile plastered on his face. It would have been believable were he not gripping his bow like he wanted to break it. Cedric smiled as if he expected the answer. ¡°Just remember to not take any unnecessary risks,¡± he said. ¡°And make sure to conserve your energy as much as you can.¡± Then he turned and walked off, spear ready and out in his hands. Alex followed behind, his steps crunching old leaves beneath. The siblings stepped to either side of him, whether to keep the same formation as before or to maximize the distance between each other Alex didn¡¯t know. With his tower shield secured on his arm¡ªthough his sword was still sheathed on his side¡ªValerian stalked at their rear, his face ever grim. As they walked, Alex¡¯s eyes peeled off to every little shuffle in the undergrowth, every twig snapping off around them. Occasionally, a terrible wail sounded deeper in the forest, the sound you would expect a deer to make if its skin was being peeled off. Or a person. No one asked anything, and Cedric didn¡¯t offer explanations. It seemed the crew leader really wanted to test them here. Despite the nerves, Alex didn¡¯t draw his power out just yet, instead he let the wave of mana flow to just beneath the surface, letting it boil there, eager to be let loose. As was the nature of fire. He had found that he was only a flicker away from summoning the flames this way, while saving considerably on his mana expenditure. It still ticked away at about a point seven per minute rate, but that meant his mana regeneration had taken it down from being two full points. He hadn¡¯t bothered being so careful as to passively spend mana just to be ready, not after the first half hour in the first stage anyway, but for now he wanted to keep on his toes. The atmosphere of the forest with its perpetual twilight-glow unsettled him. It was as if his instincts were constantly whispering of danger but never quite screaming about it. And sure enough it didn¡¯t take long for them to come across the first monster. Not two minutes after leaving the proximity of the dome, the crew stopped abruptly when something sharp rasped against tree bark above them. Heads swiveled, and an arrow was knocked and drawn in a heartbeat. Blazing flames and hard shimmering air emerged from bare hands. As Alex held his breath, a trace ready to turn this new monster into burnt dust, something shifted in his peripheral. He turned¡ª But Daven proved faster than he was. The arrow flew quicker than he could blink and something screeched from the canopy in response. Another followed, parting jumbles of leaves to strike at its target. It missed, and the answer came with a Killer Sloth dive bombing the crew, knife-like claws glinting in front of it. It had a bleeding gash on the side of its white-furred head where the first arrow scored it. Alex¡¯s first fire-arrow was quicker than Daven¡¯s third, finding a place in the beast¡¯s gut. Diana¡¯s air blade caught it on the side next, followed by a solid arrow to the heart. Cedric had to gingerly step to the side to let the Killer Sloth crash to the ground, dead on arrival. The scene nearly mirrored their first encounter of the day. ¡°That wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Diana commented, her stance more relaxed now. Daven kicked at the ground with his boot and grumbled, ¡°Glassing waste of arrows.¡± A few minutes inside the second stage and the archer already thought the strongest monster in the first stage unworthy of his efforts. Alex could only chuckle silently. ¡°Well,¡± Cedric started, ¡°you said you just opened the¡­ Gate of the Arrow, right?¡± Surprisingly, his tone was cautious. It seemed even knowing the archer¡¯s disposition Cedric didn¡¯t want to offend.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. His fears were unfounded, however, and he only got a petulant nod in response. The crew leader smiled.¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t worry about it for too long.¡± He stretched down and picked Daven¡¯s arrow from where the sloth had fallen, then a thin stick up from the ground beside it. ¡°I know of archers who can create new arrows out of sticks and twigs the way Alex here shapes his fire. And second-rankers do it out of thin air.¡± He walked up to Daven and offered him the stick and the arrow in the same hand. ¡°They didn¡¯t say it like you did, of course, but I reckon that must be a trace they made with the Gate of Arrow. You just have to figure it out by yourself.¡± Daven looked down at the two objects in front of him, thinking for a second, then grinned. He grabbed at the stick. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said. ¡°I will, you¡¯ll see.¡± Cedric nodded. ¡°Good sentiment,¡± he said, then offered the arrow again. ¡°Don¡¯t take it too literally, though. Not here. You still need the arrows for now.¡± The next monsters they found were a pair of bushtails, hanging down from a bough arching over the narrow path through the brush they¡¯d taken. The big squirrels were dangerous once you were within their steely tails, but like this? More like target practice. The forest was thicker here, yes, denser and darker, but more sparse when it came to monsters, it seemed. Daven scoffed. ¡°Really?¡± He reached for the quiver at his side but stopped just short. Straightening, the archer shrugged and looked to Diana and Alex. ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s easier for you two to deal with them.¡± Despite everything, Alex couldn¡¯t help feeling a little disappointed as well. Still, he took a shot at the bushtail on the right, taking whatever satisfaction he could have from dusting another one of the little freaks, while Diana cut down the other one. Alex watched dispassionately as the monsters fell to their death, squealing shrilly before thudding on the forest floor. Ah, screw this. Heaving out a sigh, he let go of his tight hold on the power. It wasn¡¯t worth the effort. That tiny itch at the back of his mind hadn¡¯t gone away, but it just felt like his gut was crying wolf to him for minutes on end. Of course, that¡¯s when everything went to shit. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡ª¡± Diana had started saying, then she yelped and fell to the ground. Alex turned, taken by surprise, only to watch her body slowly being dragged down the slope beside the path. Something had taken hold of her ankle. A vine of some kind, wrist-thick and angry-red. At the same time, at the bottom of the small decline, the earth shook, trembled. Then the ground burst open, shooting dirt and old roots and leaves into the air. A form rose there as if birthed from this sick forest, a bulging mass of writhing red vines that reminded him of a giant intestine come alive. Thick stalks connected it to the ground, sprawling around it in a web of creepers, and a pus-yellow flower wider than Alex was tall unfurled at its crown like the wings of a hawk. The vine trying to pull Diana down led to the monster¡¯s large belly, twisting as it went. Something swelled within its organ-like bulge, and the petals of the flower above it fluttered as if ready to take flight. It stopped, pausing as if on the verge of belching, before letting out a thundering, rasping wail that reverberated in the forest. It was similar to the one they heard before¡ªonly this time it wasn¡¯t one of suffering. It no longer had to fool other animals and people to come and help the dying creature it impersonated. No, this wail was hungry, cruel. The sound rang in Alex¡¯s mind, rattling the inside of his skull¡ªthough his HP didn¡¯t tick down like it did with the Killer Sloth¡¯s shriek. His eyes flashed to the tag above it. [Flesh Flower lvl 5] Alex swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He didn¡¯t want to find out if the monster was named for its appearance or for what it was fond of eating. In the distance, roars and wails and long shrieks echoed. He looked at the vine monster as a knot formed in his stomach. That hadn¡¯t been a wail, he realized. It had been a call, and the forest all around them came alive in answer. A shiver crawled down his spine. As the monster kept pulling her, Diana screamed, cursed, grabbed at a root above her. Daven snapped out of it first. ¡°Diana!¡± He clawed desperately for his quiver, pulling out an arrow. Before he could knock and draw, something whooshed from the brush, blurred in the air, and Daven was suddenly knocked on his back like he¡¯d been punched. His bow flew from his hands to clatter against a tree. The archer rolled onto his knees, clutching at his stomach, hacking like a dying man. Alex watched as the new monster responsible for it rose from beside him, standing on its back legs as if proud of its accomplishment. [Spring Rabbit lvl 3] Indeed, it was a rabbit. A little bigger than usual, sure, about as tall as Alex¡¯s calf, but brown-coated and cute as they come. If you didn¡¯t account for the curling ram¡¯s horn on its head, the trickster-red eyes, and the abnormally thick legs that it stood on. A wheezing scream seized Alex¡¯s attention. A second vine had taken Diana by the neck, even as she clawed at the one pulling at her ankle. Her eyes were red-shot and wild, seemingly too wild for her to think of using her magic in that split moment. Don¡¯t just watch! Half stunned, Alex bit the inside of his cheek until he drew blood. Move, damn it! And suddenly he could. Breathing deeply, he pulled on the power. Light swept through his veins, the welcoming heat spreading across his body through familiar pathways. A second later, the fire arrow that had been on the forefront of his mind took shape and flew toward the yellow crown of the Flesh Flower. Almost contemptuously, a thick red vine sprung from the twisting mass of the monster like a giant limb and swatted the spell away. The fire construct broke apart in the air, but the flames caught on the vine. The fire ate at the limb for a moment, burning it like a fuse, until the vine was slapped down and ground against the earth. Alex gaped. He needed something stronger. A new trace came to mind¡ªsomething he¡¯d only tried once at the end of his practice but by then he didn¡¯t have the mana for it¡ªand he opened his arms wide apart to accommodate it. He had been so unbalanced by the last minute he only caught the smell when it was right behind him. Something rotten, fetid and musty. His eyes widened and he turned, just in time for a tree trunk as wide as his thigh to slam on his side. Alex saw black. A grunt of pain escaped him, then another as he crashed hard against the earth, rolling over the forest floor until the bulky roots of a tree stopped him. His ears were ringing. His ribs ached when he tried for a breath. Rolling to his back, he groaned and spat to the side. It tasted like blood. Blinking spots from his vision, he finally saw what had taken him by surprise. It was a hulking tree monster, seven feet tall with long branches for arms and the main trunk bifurcating to form stout legs. Its wooden body was all peeling bark speckled with rot and dark blotches, and three cracks in its middle formed the twisted facsimile of a face. Thick black sap ran down from the eyes, pooling at its cruel, jagged mouth. [Deadwood lvl 4] The Deadwood loomed over him like an ogre, watching him as it would an insect. Another pair of eyes watched him too. Alex found the crew leader standing to the side. ¡°Do something!¡± he yelled, voice raspy. The only thing he got in response was a raised eyebrow. All this time, Alex realized, Valerian and Cedric had just been watching everything unfold, unmoved. What is going on!? The crew leader ran a passing gaze over the three of them. ¡°Monsters here are better at finding you,¡± he said, as calmly as if they were in the middle of a lecture hall. ¡°That¡¯s why we won¡¯t need to go around hunting them down. Every creature who heard that first cry will make its way to this spot.¡± He suddenly stepped to the side, nimble as a dancer, and a heartbeat later another Spring Rabbit shot past him like a bullet, flying off into the thick brush. Cedric acted as if it had never happened. ¡°So¡­ decisions¡­. What will you do now? How do you act when your life''s on the line?¡± He set the blunt end of his spear on the earth and leaned on it like he was bored. ¡°Because I¡¯ll tell you right now, Valerian and I won¡¯t help you here.¡± Chapter 21 He led us to our deaths. That was the only explanation Alex could think of as he lay there on the mushy ground. Why else would Cedric bring them here when he already knew what type of place this hellscape forest was? Beneath a purple tree across from him, Alex¡¯s gaze found the paladin of the crew standing impassively with his shield hanging from his arm. None of the monsters seemed to have their focus on him as of yet, though he doubted that would concern him even then. Alex searched Valerian¡¯s face for something, trying to find what it took to do this, and couldn¡¯t find it. Yes, Cedric might, but Valerian wouldn¡¯t. Alex thought himself a good judge of character, and the stolid man certainly didn¡¯t seem the type to knife someone in the back. Wouldn¡¯t he? The doubt reared its head immediately. You don¡¯t even know him. What if it was just a story that he met Cedric only a week ago? How could he know if Valerian hadn¡¯t been part of Cedric¡¯s former crew and was just playing a part here? He couldn¡¯t. And suddenly Alex wanted to scream at his naivety. Idiot! Absolute idiot! He had been wrong about people before, even the ones he thought were miles above mistrust, and there was no surer proof of betrayal than the feeling of a knife scraping at your spine. As he felt it now. The fear that had knotted his stomach before turned into something darker now, almost comic, and Cedric¡¯s words echoed in his mind. What will you do now? The casualness of it irked him more than anything. I¡¯ll fucking show him what. His HP bar flashed faintly in his peripheral. HP: 54.4/80 Two more whacks by Mister Tree and Alex was done. He was starting to realize that his per minute regeneration¡ªwhich was very useful when he had a half hour to sit and rest¡ªwas meaningless when seconds counted. The Deadwood was moving again, its lumbering steps producing a grating sound of wood scraping wood. The fact that a monster as bumbling and noisy as this had snuck up on him was as embarrassing as it was concerning. He needed to find a way to improve his awareness, but of course this shitty game didn¡¯t have a perception attribute. Pushing past the stabbing pain on his side, Alex jumped to his feet. His eyes flit across the area, searching. Diana still struggled against the vines half-way down the slope¡ªfor a breath now as well as to get herself free¡ªand Daven was just now starting to rise from his knees. The thought of helping them did cross his mind, Alex swore that it did, but life sometimes was much like an emergency in an airplane. You must save yourself first, always. Then, time permitting, you try to save the toddler sitting beside you whose mother already died of shock during that first round of turbulence. That is, if the kid hadn¡¯t been crying during the whole flight, of course. And Alex could draw a lot of parallels between Daven and an annoying toddler. It was only to stop the nagging voice at the back of his mind that he promised himself he¡¯d help them after taking care of the Deadwood, if nothing else then for the EXP it would provide. Mister Tree was on top of him then, hollow eyes promising hurt. A drop of its sap dropped from those eyes to the ground, and the leaves there sizzled and crumbled. Odor as toxic as off-brand bleach rose into the air. The Deadwood reared and swung its branch-arm as if to backhand him. Alex jumped to the side and tucked, rolling beneath the blow. A swish of air passed overhead, tickling the hairs on the back of his neck. It was a better roll than he¡¯d ever done, even on a proper mat. It would have been perfect had a protruding root not jabbed him in the back. He hissed, coming up from the roll all crooked and wrong, but forced himself to jump again when the branch was brought down over him like a giant whip. The Deadwood¡¯s arm smashed against the earth, flinging detritus everywhere. Muck and clumps of mushy leaves splattered over him as he slid to a stop off to the side of where the crew had been walking. A broad tree tainted purple blocked most of his vision, and he heard more than saw fighting going on below him: the distinct whiz of one of Diana¡¯s air blades, the high keen of the Flesh Flower, and a string of curses whose creativity betrayed its speaker. It seemed those two had finally decided to do something. Alex ignored it all. With the power already filling him, he launched a fireball at the center mass of the Deadwood stalking toward him. The flames roared out of his hand, orange light carving a path through the purple dimness. The monster was too slow to dodge. There was a flash and a boom as the fireball exploded on contact. Smoke rose, gray and acrid, and Alex saw log-like legs stumbling back before they were covered by the smoke too. For a moment he thought it was over. Only for a moment¡ªas in the next, the Deadwood emerged through the blanket of smoke, its stride as certain as they¡¯d been a minute before. It seemed unhurt, the bark of its face only slightly black and charred. Its jagged mouth opened and closed, clacking against each other. Smoke plumed out of the emptiness inside like a chimney. Alex¡¯s jaw hung open. It was laughing at him. This discount Treant is making fun of me. His temper flared. Flinging his hands out, he tried again, another fireball followed by two flaming arrows and a concentrated stream of fire. Heat washed over the area. Flames spat and crackled through the air as Alex kept on the onslaught uninterrupted. His MP dipped after each trace, but he had enough to spare. The fire rushed out of his hands like they were mini flamethrowers, and he only stopped when the whole monster was cloaked in smoke. There was a moment of silence there as he panted, heart pounding inside his chest. He barely felt the pain in his ribs anymore, until he coughed from inhaling the bitter smoke and had to clutch his side. Fuck. That hurt alright.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Then he heard it. Clack, clack, clack. The slow cadence of the laugh was almost mocking. It made Alex¡¯s teeth grind. Still laughing, the Deadwood lumbered forward through the smoke like the undertaker rising from the dead. The whole front of the beast was blackened and scorched, but it stood strong as only an oak-on-legs could. The beast¡¯s mouth was fixed in a cruel rictus. Two steps and its long arm was already swinging. The reach in each blow was massive and Alex had to retreat again, dodging in the face of overwhelming strength. Each strike drove him further back, each strong enough to crack him like an egg if it hit. Ducking behind a tree, he slipped in the slush and almost tripped when his ankle caught on a root. No, not a root. Alex looked down. Daven¡¯s longbow lay beneath him, almost entirely covered by the undergrowth. He stopped cold, unsure of what to do. The crash of the Deadwood¡¯s arm against the side of the trunk decided for him. The whole tree shook with the force, wood groaning, cracking, leaves and needles raining down on him. He bolted. But not before snatching up the bow on his way. He scrambled to the other side of the tree just as Mister Tree slammed the spot he stood a second before. Sprinting away, he didn¡¯t look back. Instead, he looked toward the fighting he¡¯d heard. A quick glance showed Daven trying to reach his sister¡ªwho apparently had been able to cut through the vines holding her down and was peppering the Flesh Flower with wind blades and rock slides¡ªonly to get clipped on the side by another ramming of a Spring Rabbit. ¡°Daven!¡± Alex called. Without waiting for a response, he launched the longbow his way before turning back to face the Deadwood. There¡ªhe¡¯d helped them. More than he had to, even, but now it was past time he put an end to the Deadwood. It had thrown him around long enough. The lumbering beast was like an unstoppable titan as it pushed off the tree Alex had been hiding behind and strode toward him, each step so heavy it left deep ruts in the forest floor. The stench of the thing had only gotten worse with the burns, a sickening mixture of rot and melted tar that emanated from it like an aura. He didn¡¯t bother attacking the Deadwood again. It was clear it had some form of fire resistance in its outer bark. None of his attacks had worked beyond repainting the fake Treant a little darker. And not for free either¡ªhis MP bar that had paid the price. Still, he let the power spread through him. Heat suffused every cell in his body before he stopped it there, just a thought away from boiling over. Alex let his breathing settle as he faced the Deadwood coming toward him. He wouldn¡¯t be able to outmuscle the monster. That was its game. Slow, heavy. Simple. He couldn¡¯t beat it with power alone. He had to be quick. Slippery. But more importantly, clever. The page popped open in front of his eyes. [Attributes] Strength: 6 Dexterity: 10 (+2) Vitality: 8 Power: 13 Soul Affinity: 13 Free Points: 0 (-2) His build might suffer for this, but that didn¡¯t matter if he didn¡¯t live to see it. And to do that, sacrifices had to be made. So he shrugged off his precious jacket, grabbed it by the collar and wrent it in half, then wrapped the cloth around his hands, covering them like oven mitts. He was due a new coat anyway. Without waiting for the Deadwood to approach him, to come at him on its own terms, Alex exploded toward the monster. No feeling confirmed the changes he made. He didn¡¯t uncoil like a spring, nor did his eyes feel sharper by any indication. But when the tree monster swung at him, the gnarled wooden joints of its branch-arm creaking, Alex went low, under the blow, and into the guard of the Deadwood. Time seemed to slow as he rose from a crouch and came face to face with his enemy. Human eyes met hollow wooden cracks, inches apart. The smell this close almost made him retch. Musty and toxic. The Deadwood¡ªbig, hulking fella that it was¡ªhad no range of motion small enough to hurt him there. It tried to gain distance, reeling back. He wouldn¡¯t let it. Alex grabbed on to its sides, fingers digging into the peeled and scorched bark. A low grumble escaped the empty pit that was the Deadwood¡¯s mouth. It was no longer laughing. Good. Black sap leaked out of its eyes, forming deep grooves on the corroded wooden skin until it pooled at the mouth.That was his target. With his mitts on, he thrust both his hands into the mouth of the Deadwood, gripping sharp wooden teeth. The monster tried to clack the jagged things close, to rip apart his fingers, but Alex kept it open, pulling the jaws apart like he was holding onto a lion. The sap soaked the jacket, singed and withered the outer layer, but it couldn¡¯t get to skin. Alex¡¯s mouth opened in tandem with the Deadwood''s. There, deep in the cavern of his throat, a blaze lit up. The outer bark had not budged under his fire, so he would simply have to try the innards. He had never tried this, but it wasn¡¯t some complicated thing. The power felt like a rush of heat same as when he did it with his hands. His fire wouldn¡¯t burn him, he¡¯d known that for a while now. And if it worked for the rest of his body, then there was no reason he couldn¡¯t become a dragon. Take this, you rheumy piece of shit. Then the flames came, spitting and crackling, spouting like a watercannon out of his mouth and into the hollow of the Deadwood. Alex swore he saw the cracky eyes of the monster widen for a second, before the whole thing burst into flames from the inside. The conflagration took so violently that he couldn''t keep the stream of fire for long and stumbled back, covering his face from the hot breath of the Deadwood. It seemed the fire could burn him easily enough once it was no longer under his control. The Deadwood had a moment of confusion as Alex slipped out of its reach, ducking beneath its flailing arms, before it tried swinging for him again. It tried. The monster broke into tiny panes of black glass before it could take a single step. The fire blinked out with its kindling like a phoenix folding into itself. Alex was left standing there, panting for breaths that stung his nose. His heart rattled the inside of his ribcage. Each heartbeat a dagger of pain. The inside of his forearms was covered with grazes and splinters. There was mud on his face, cold as warpaint. A drop of sap had leaked through the jacket, leaving a coin-sized burn on the outside of his hand. He hadn¡¯t noticed until now. Someone was laughing around him, too, a strange, manic thing. It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder that he realized it was his own. I¡¯ve gone mad. The laughter stopped. He shrugged off Valerian''s hand as the white adrenaline ebbed away, replaced by a colder sort of thrill. But damn me if that didn¡¯t feel good. Valerian didn¡¯t try to hold him back as he stepped away. Truth was, Alex wasn¡¯t even angry anymore. As he saw the two experienced Chasers observing the siblings down the slope, he realized what this had been. A test, of some kind. A sick test, but he had just fought a mini Treant in a twisted twilight forest. This was a sick world. Shouting curses, Daven was madly clubbing the Spring Rabbit beneath him with his bow like it was a baby seal. It took three more wet squelches and the monster broke apart. When his next strike hit air, the archer tumbled forward into the dirt. It seemed he¡¯d found his mortal nemesis as Alex had with the Wild Boars. Beyond him, near the bottom of the decline, Diana sat on a craggy root catching her breath. Her braid had come undone and a mane of red hair tumbled down onto her shoulders. The ground in front of her was torn and gouged like a no-man¡¯s-land. Where the Flesh Flower once stood, the earth bulged and jutted out in lances, and the trees surrounding the spot bled sap from long gashes. The three of them had passed. Chapter 22 ¡°What the hell man!¡± Daven said, fuming. ¡°You can¡¯t just do that.¡± After they¡¯d climbed back up the slope, he had yet to let Cedric speak. He stomped back and forth across the path before he rounded on Alex. ¡°Tell me I¡¯m not crazy here. Somebody!¡± Alex just shrugged, and Daven threw his hands up in the air in frustration. He¡¯d tried with his sister already, but he¡¯d gotten nothing. Diana just stood there quietly beneath Valerian¡¯s shadow. She had realized the purpose of this too, even if it was clear by the frown on her face she wasn¡¯t the biggest fan of the whole thing. Cedric waited patiently for the archer to run out of steam, as if he¡¯d expected the reaction all along. ¡°You all did well,¡± he finally said when there was a pause. ¡°You didn¡¯t give up or run away. You fought, and you lived.¡± Daven made to speak, but Cedric stopped him by holding a finger up. The crew leader fixed the boy with a firm stare. ¡°You¡¯ve fought before, Daven, I know. A few monsters here and there. Your bow was always enough to take the day. But you¡¯ve never had to fight for your life like this, have you? Never had to watch your sister struggle for her own?¡± The archer glanced at Diana, swallowed heavily. ¡°Did you know what you were going to do in a situation like this? How you would react?¡± Cedric continued. ¡°Would you rather that first time happened somewhere else, or here, with Valerian and I watching?¡± ¡°But Diana almost¡ª¡± ¡°I panicked,¡± Diana interrupted her brother. ¡°I should have cut that first vine before it ever took me down but I froze. And when it had me by the neck¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°It felt like I was drowning. Yes, it was awful, and I hated it but¡­¡± Her eyes were drawn tight, but the condemnation seemed to be turned inward. More self-critical than accusatory. She let out a resigned sigh. ¡°But Cedric is right. It was best that it happened here, now.¡± ¡°Diana¡­¡± Daven started glumly, but she just nodded at him. Cedric¡¯s brown eyes softened. ¡°Look. I¡¯ve never had to do this before, alright?¡± He sounded suddenly tired. ¡°Every chaser has gone through it when they¡¯re hopefuls. Myself included years ago, and I¡¯m sure someone did it to Valerian as well. It¡¯s a trial by fire kind of situation, made to look like all is on the line. Even if it isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°I still hold that doing it here was a mistake,¡± Valerian said, arms crossed over his armored chest. ¡°Too many things could have gone wrong as I am not familiar with the local monsters.¡± Cedric nodded. ¡°You have a point,¡± he conceded. ¡°And I sprung that out on you. I was going to do it in the first stage, but these three surpassed my expectations.¡± He looked at them, meeting each gaze. ¡°I won¡¯t ask, of course, most of us aren¡¯t as eccentric as Daven when it comes to these things, but your ability with your Gates¡­ is something else.¡± His eyes had stopped on Alex when he said it. Alex stared back flatly. He didn¡¯t ask, sure, only implied he would like to know. Asshole. Just the same, Diana kept quiet. ¡°Ah, well¡­¡± Daven said, suddenly flushed with embarrassment instead of anger. ¡°You know how it is and all.¡± ¡°In any event,¡± Cedric said, all jovial again. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know how to train by yourselves. Plateauing is all well and good, but having a bunch of Gates open doesn¡¯t make you a good chaser. It¡¯s how skilled you are with them, be it one gate or ten.¡± He cracked a smile. ¡°The motion of the ocean, as it were.¡± Daven nodded dumbly. Diana rolled her eyes, though a reluctant smile pulled the corner of her lips. Cedric opened his mouth to continue, but a harrowing wail echoing somewhere in the forest stopped him. Somewhere close. His jaw clicked shut. It was just as well. Alex was about done with this conversation. ¡°Are we finishing the dungeon or what?¡± he asked. He was still up to it, his MP healthy enough if he used the power sparingly. Diana looked more disheveled than overall tired, and Alex had no idea how the power was used for classes like Daven¡¯s Archer. Or Cedric¡¯s Lancer and Valerian¡¯s Paladin for that matter. He had yet to see them doing anything supernatural beyond a few feats of strength and speed. Cedric scanned the brush around them for a second, then nodded. ¡°Yes, better we push on,¡± he said. ¡°The monsters will intercept us no matter what. Valerian and I will deal with them for now.¡± After the fight they just had, no one in the crew disagreed. xx If he ever thought he could deal with Cedric if his suspicions had proved true, Alex was dead wrong. The crew leader carved a bloody path through the dungeon. The long blade of his spear shone violet in the tainted light of the forest, and it cut through the Deadwoods¡¯ bark as easily as it would wet cardboard. The lashing vines of the Flesh Flowers could hardly scratch him before he gutted its bulging mass or ripped away its flower crown, and any Spring Rabbit was more nuisance than actual obstacle for him. And all of that was combat alone. No flashy moves, no anime-like blasts or power ups. Cedric didn¡¯t use any power-intensive trace as far as Alex could see. Perhaps the sheer speed and reflexes required to do what he did were given by whatever Gates he had opened¡ªsome passive abilities that allowed him to move as gracefully as he did. That¡¯s what Alex suspected Daven had as an archer as well. Beside the new Gate of the Arrow he¡¯d told them about, there had to be something to allow him better handling of the bow, a form of increased perception or plain better eyesight, and some field stealth. Even now as they followed behind Cedric after he sliced open another Deadwood¡ªthe fifth so far¡ªDaven¡¯s steps fell more silent than any of the crew¡¯s. Diana marched beside her brother, brooding all the way. She hadn¡¯t taken her performance against the Flesh Flower as well as Cedric had. Alex had not seen how she¡¯d dealt with the Flesh Flower, occupied as he was, but from the aftermath of it, it sure seemed like she didn¡¯t have much to worry in that regard. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. And Valerian, instead of taking care of the rear as usual, walked beside them like a bouncer protecting celebrities from rabid fans. Every Spring Rabbit that launched itself at one of them was bashed across its cute face with the metal boss of his shield. One hit was usually enough. They had just entered a thicket of squat elm trees when Cedric held up a hand. The dense brush was covered in shadows here. The low elm branches looked like gnarled fingers reaching to grab at their heads. ¡°Quiet now,¡± he whispered, eyes narrowing as he peered about. Everyone stopped behind him, and all sound died with them. Too silent to be natural. The air was thick in Alex¡¯s nose, stale and wet. He bent his knees to stay beneath the branches. No one had mentioned trees coming alive, but he¡¯d seen too many horror movies to ignore them. Cedric pointed before them. ¡°See there,¡± he murmured. ¡°And there, there, and there. Flesh Flowers.¡± Each spot had a lump swelling the earth. Two flanked them on the right, while the others were further ahead in between the trees. In the dim light, they looked like tricks of the eye. ¡°There¡¯s more too.¡± He squinted about, then shook his head. ¡°But we¡¯ll have to spring the trap to know what else is hiding here.¡± ¡°What do we do?¡± Diana asked. She sounded eager to prove herself again. ¡°Valerian already knows what to do,¡± the crew leader said. ¡°Daven, you¡¯re on branch duty. Keep your eyes on high. Diana, you and I will take the Deadwoods. Alex, I want to see how you do against the Flesh Flowers. Your fire will work better against them.¡± There were silent nods all around. Cedric flipped his spear on his hands and braved forward, the leaves crunching under his feet the only thing to be heard. The others were quick to follow behind, spreading into a tight semi circle around the crew leader. Unbidden, a smile found its way onto Alex¡¯s face. It was about damn time. The power wasn¡¯t the only thing he felt spreading across his chest. Following Cedric as he butchered the monsters in the forest was like watching a friend playing a new game he just bought. It was fun for a while, but at some point you wanted to try it out yourself. Watching just wouldn¡¯t do for him now. Alex didn¡¯t think it ever would again. His heart beat faster, the hairs on his arms standing up. Chaos broke when the first Flesh Flower burst out of the ground further ahead to the right. Fire bloomed in Alex¡¯s hands, and the light illuminated the shadowed forest around. His eyes widened at what he saw. Many of the elms weren¡¯t trees at all. The Deadwoods rose as if from a deep slumber¡ªthree, four¡­ six of them, their hulking bodies groaning into motion. Then the shrieks came from above. Three together¡ªthree Killer Sloths, hiding in the eaves, and the shrill sounds seemed to grate and scratch against each other. The jabbing pain in his head was immediate, causing his grip on the power to flicker. The traces already forming in his mind¡¯s eye broke apart. Diana and Daven brought hands to ears, and even Cedric couldn¡¯t hide a wince. That¡¯s when the Spring Rabbits shot out of the brush. The ambush was a good one, Alex had to admit. Certainly more than what he expected. In fact, he didn¡¯t even know monsters were capable of planning something like this. The first surprise with the Flesh Flowers springing out of the ground and the Deadwoods emerging from the tree line was meant to take their focus away from the canopies. Canopies which hid the Killer Sloths. Sloths whose shrieks left them vulnerable to the rabbits¡¯ ramming. After that, they¡¯d be easy prey to bigger monsters, no doubt. A great plan, all in all. Properly organized and executed. They didn¡¯t take Valerian into account, however. One moment he¡¯d been walking in the back of the formation, and the next he was punching the Spring Rabbit that had gotten to within a meter of Alex¡¯s head square across its furry jaw. Something cracked beneath Valerian¡¯s boulder-like fist, and the rabbit flew away as if it was a punted football. Alex reeled back in surprise. He would never have dodged that in time. There were gasps behind him, and he glanced back. His jaw dropped when he saw a giant shield of golden hard-light stopping the two Spring Rabbits who¡¯d leapt at Daven and Diana. The hologram-like light shield matched the real one planted on the ground between the siblings, only several times wider and taller. The monsters crashed their curled horns against the gleaming hard-light with a loud crack and bounced away. Not a dent was left on the shield. It reminded Alex of the Green Lantern''s solid light constructs, only bright as the sun. ¡°Mind the battlefield,¡± Valerian rumbled through the shrieking of the sloths. Alex nodded and pulled himself up, trying to shut away the needles in his brain. His HP was dropping steadily as the Killer Sloth¡¯s sang their deadly song, but he had bigger things to worry about. To his left, Cedric was taking care of four Deadwoods by himself, dashing in and out of their guards, spear flashing. Bark flew as his attacks hit home; but as slow as the monsters were, he couldn¡¯t find too many openings when so many were focusing on him. The other two had passed him by and were shuffling toward Diana. The clacking of their laughter added to the monsters¡¯ melody. That meant Alex had to manage the Flesh Flowers by himself. Whether he liked it or not, he¡¯d have to leave the sloth¡¯s and their shrieks to Daven. The two closest were shuffling toward them, vines whipping about in a frenzy. High keens sounded from the pus-yellow flowers above them. Setting into a low stance, Alex¡¯s skin flushed as the power surged inside. He didn¡¯t bother with the fire arrows. Those wouldn¡¯t work here. A trace he¡¯d been dying to use took shape in between his hands, his arms thrown wide to the side. Fire sparked and bloomed in front of him, long and broad like a surfer¡¯s board, before tightening on the outfacing length, grinding into itself, narrower and narrower. Sweat beaded on his brow, but that hard barrier that would stop him wasn¡¯t there. It wasn''t easy focusing when the screech of the sloths still sounded, but he could do this¡ªhe knew it. He pushed on the fire, squeezed it and molded it to his liking even as it spat out sparks in resistance. The flames shrunk into a thin wedge, shrunk until the edge on the outside was flat¡ªsharp. What started as a board looked like the blade of a giant scythe now. The strain only stopped when the fire seemingly relaxed in his hold. Alex smiled, feeling the pathways inside him flourishing to accommodate the new trace. Confident, he turned to the first Flesh Flower. The monster didn¡¯t have any legs, so it¡¯s body slithered on its stalks like a giant, bulbous snake. ¡°Alex,¡± Diana called, voice strained. She was looking at the Flesh Flower from the corner of her eyes, even as she jumped back when the Deadwood in front of her managed to step out of the pit of mud she¡¯d formed. ¡°If one of those bloody vines gets anywhere near me, I¡¯ll kill you in your sleep.¡± ¡°Understandable,¡± he answered flatly without looking. He had no intention of becoming a plaything to the monster. The vines reminded him too much of tentacles. Before the Flesh Flower could ever get in range, he shot the flames toward the monster. The trace flew in an angle, aiming to split the thing in two shoulder to hip. Two rust-red vines lashed out to intercept the scythe. Unlike how they were able to bat away the fire arrow earlier, however, the fire cut right through them this time. The sheared tentacles flopped down to the ground, thrashing without their gnarled stubs. The Flesh Flower they belonged to wailed in pain, intestine-like body writhing madly, only to fall silent as the flaming scythe sliced through the giant flower of its head and part of its bulging mass. All its vines stopped suddenly, limbs cut apart from the brain. Alex watched the scythe speed past the monster, cutting through the brush, only stopping as it hit a thick elm tree. The flames dispersed in the air, and the trunk was left with a huge gash that nearly felled it. It didn¡¯t explode after losing its cutting power as he wanted, but it was enough. Behind it, a geyser of sickly green blood erupted out of the empty crown of the Flesh Flower. At the same time, a Killer Sloth with an arrow in its eye dropped from above, almost on top of the bigger monster. They broke into black dust together. ¡°Mine was harder to hit,¡± Daven said petulantly. Seemed he wasn¡¯t too happy with sloth duty. ¡°Maybe.¡± Alex turned to him and gave him a smirk. ¡°But mine was bigger.¡± Chapter 23 The next Flesh Flower suffered the same fate as the first. Green blood rained in the twilight forest. That one had gotten close enough to splatter some of it on Alex¡¯s face. Reflexively, he wiped the viscous liquid off before the monster and every part of it turned to dust. That was easy. Too easy, even. But his mana couldn¡¯t sustain it for long. HP: 69.3/80 MP: 64/130 It cost almost thirty mana to use the scythe trace. If he used it against the other two¡ªand didn¡¯t level up, he¡¯d be down for the count, or near as much. Too vulnerable a situation for his liking. Alex grimaced. He¡¯d have to improvise with the other two. Around him, the thicket rang with the sound of combat. Metal scraped wood as Cedric danced with his spear. He¡¯d taken out two of the Deadwoods already, but another had emerged from the tree line to bother him. Still, it was easy to see he was playing with the monsters. Further back, Diana cursed worse than her brother as she juggled the two Deadwoods that had targeted her. Her footwork left much to be desired as she dodged about, slipping and sliding occasionally over the muck. She would have been in trouble were it not for her earth magic always slowing or trapping the big tree monsters. In fact, Alex was surprised she didn¡¯t use it to firm the ground beneath her. Her blades of air left deep rents in the face and limb of the Deadwoods, but it wasn¡¯t just fire their bark was resistant to. They seemed to have some limited immunity to all types of magic, at least in their outer shell. He thought it was strange at first how Cedric kept dividing them to fight against specific monsters, but he could see it now. Cedric wanted to see how the rest of the crew would fare without him. No, not how they would fare. He¡¯d done that already. This was to see what they would do when following the leader¡¯s orders wasn¡¯t optimal anymore and he wasn¡¯t there to update them. In all honesty, Alex was growing tired of these tests. And if he had the mana for it, he¡¯d stick to the orders and clean out the Flesh Flowers by himself just to be petty. But he didn¡¯t have it, in the end, and so he would have to prove Cedric¡¯s point¡ªsomething about breaking rules when necessary, probably. Nearer to him, Valerian was playing his part well. He grunted when he knocked another flying Spring Rabbit to the ground; but when there was a lull in the ramming attacks, he would just stand around instead of helping the rest of the crew. It was too obvious. Daven certainly hadn¡¯t noticed. He had downed another Killer Sloth in the meantime¡ªand the last one had stopped its painful screeching¡ªbut he didn¡¯t turn and shot at the Deadwoods all around him. He just kept his eyes on the high branches, looking for the remaining Killer Sloth. Exactly as Cedric commanded. Sighing, Alex turned to help Diana. The fireball formed and shot off a moment later, bursting against one of the Deadwood swinging at his fellow mage. The explosion threw the monster off balance for a moment. Smoke covered its bulk, and Diana gained a few second¡¯s breathing room. Still, she shot him an annoyed glance. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. Sweat plastered her unbound hair to her face. She was tired, clearly, but stubborn. ¡°Aim for their eyes or mouth,¡± Alex said. ¡°What?¡± Before he could answer, she knelt to the ground and put both hands into the earth. Hard-packed dirt rose from the ground a few yards away to cover the trunk-legs of the other Deadwood. It held¡ªbut only for a few seconds before the beast broke right through the dirt. Diana growled and was forced to retreat again. She was going around in circles now, kiting the monsters. ¡°What you¡¯re doing is not working, is it?¡± Alex asked. By her reaction she wanted to take the question as a snub. After all, not a few hours ago, they had been competing to see who got to dust each monster. But there was still some logic in that big brain of hers, and she said, ¡°Yes.¡± If he heard some gritting of teeth in the way the words came out, Alex ignored it. ¡°I¡¯ve already found that out before when I fought one of these,¡± he said. ¡°So learn from my mistake and aim for their damn eyes or mouth.¡± After a moment, Diana nodded. It didn¡¯t take long after that. They dusted the two Deadwoods first¡ªDiana and Alex sharing the kills between them, then moved on to help Cedric together after convincing Daven that spending his time looking for a single Killer Sloth while the crew leader dealt with six monsters by himself wasn¡¯t exactly the ideal solution. xx He had been right. Alex suffered through Cedric¡¯s whole spiel about the secret fifth rule of dungeon diving as they rested soon after all the monsters had been dusted. Sometimes, improvise. Not exactly as impertinent as break the rules when necessary, but the spirit was the same. So again, he had been right. Kind of. ¡°So what I¡¯m getting is¡­ don¡¯t follow your orders?¡± Daven asked, eyebrows knitting together. God bless the boy, at least he could be funny. Sometimes. Diana palmed her face. Leaning against a tree, Cedric sighed. ¡°No, Daven. Just¡­¡± he trailed off, then sighed again. ¡°Just try to find a compromise between following my orders and following your gut too, alright? This was all to teach you to act independently when the crew leader isn¡¯t there to spoon feed you orders. Things can always go tits up, even with the best laid plans.¡± ¡°Well you coulda¡¯ just said that.¡± Then when Cedric wasn¡¯t looking, Daven turned to Alex and winked. Shaking his head, Alex couldn¡¯t help chuckling. He raised the waterskin in his hand toward the archer in a toast. It went to show people could always surprise you. Taking another gulp of the water, he passed the skin back to Valerian who sat next to him.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°My brother¡¯s limitations aside,¡± Diana started. That earned a middle finger from Daven, which she pretended not to see. ¡°Are we just to ignore the fact that those monsters just¡­ just ambushed us?¡± Alex straightened. He kept quiet about that, thinking it was just another one of those things everyone else knew and took for granted which he couldn¡¯t comment on. ¡°Good question,¡± Cedric said. He turned to Daven with an expectant look. ¡°You ought to know this.¡± A sly smile crept up Daven¡¯s lips. ¡°No, no,¡± he said, putting his arms up. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly know the answer here, Cedric. I¡¯m too limited, you understand. Ole'' Miss Brains here can figure it out by herself, I¡¯m sure.¡± The middle finger was swiftly repaid. ¡°Dickwit.¡± ¡°Pipe,¡± Daven spat back. Diana growled. That seemed to have struck a nerve. ¡°Hayhead!¡± ¡°We come from the same shitty village, you uppity idiot.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± Cedric stepped in before Diana could pop a vein in her forehead. Shame. Alex had been enjoying the show. ¡°Settle down you two. Daven, just answer the question man. The examiners love to put stuff like this on the written part. Oh and Alex, it¡¯s only funny for a little bit before it becomes annoying. They can go for a while, trust me.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°I could do with some long-form entertainment. Maybe some spoken word performances. Daven''s a poet at heart, I''m sure.¡± Cedric chuckled. Diana sat back down with a huff, but Alex noted how her cheeks were rosy with embarrassment. The way Diana behaved around her brother sometimes reminded him of one of the boys back in the orphanage. He was two years younger than Alex, but you¡¯d think he was born well into his mid-forties by the way he talked and dressed and acted. His name helped, too. Wilfred. Not Will. Wilfred. The boy didn¡¯t allow anyone to shorten his name. He played his part well too, but Wilfred¡¯s cot was right next to Alex¡¯s, and every time something upsetting happened with the boy he would run to his bed and cuddle a ragged stuffed elephant as he cried. Whenever he had that little elephant in his hands, Wilfred turned into a child again. Daven was Diana¡¯s toy elephant, Alex realized. He brought out the child that was still inside of her no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Everyone had theirs, that part of you that was never allowed to grow up for one reason or another. It was years later when Alex found out about Wilfred''s. His parents died when he was five, and the family who adopted him moved away and left him back in the orphanage when he turned eight. Apparently, he had been too much trouble to be worth it for the family. So, in that odd way that only childhood trauma can spin things in your mind, Wilfred tried to act as adult as possible to be less of a burden to the grown ups in his life. Even if inside he was still just a lost boy in an orphanage, hugging his toy elephant when the world reminded him of his lot in life. Daven starting again broke through his strange thoughts. ¡°We¡¯re not that bad, she just¡ª¡± ¡°Just answer, Daven,¡± Cedric cut him off sharply. It was the glare more than the words. ¡°Fine,¡± the archer said glumly. ¡°It¡¯s probably the reason this dungeon has an Environment rating other than zero. Environment most of the time means harsher weather, but things that affect the way monsters behave count as well. Dunno why it doesn¡¯t count for the Monster rating, but that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Alex asked. ¡°The Environment of this dungeon is conducive to¡­ monsters knowing how to ambush? How does that make any sense?¡± Daven only shrugged beneath his cloak. ¡°A lot of things don¡¯t make sense, they only are,¡± Cedric said. ¡°There¡¯s sense in this, however. The Environment rating is not only about the weather. My crew and I were hired to look into this one dungeon once, just before I came here to Riverbend for the first time. We thought it was a nice and easy place at first, but this toxic fog would roil out of the ground every other hour and cover the dungeon whole. We were only able to make it past the first stage by hiding inside a network of caves. I wouldn¡¯t consider that a weather event, but it¡¯s part of the dungeon¡¯s environment.¡± ¡°That adds up,¡± Diana said suddenly. Her tone carried none of the sullenness of before, but she conspicuously avoided looking at her brother. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t explain monsters ganging up like they did here. Especially different monsters coordinating to the point of keeping silent and following a sequence of attacks.¡± Cedric smiled patiently. ¡°I wasn¡¯t quite finished,¡± he said. Diana flushed. And, of course, Alex saw that Daven was grinning at his sister being rebuked. ¡°In the case of this dungeon here, it¡¯s about the level of organization,¡± Cedric continued. ¡°There¡¯s no hive mind to the monsters, nor something directly controlling them. But they tend to ambush. The Monster rating only pertains to the individual strength of monsters in a dungeon, so this falls outside of that. In the Environment rating. There¡¯s no explanation as to why some dungeons have these effects on monsters, only that they do. Hells, I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s dungeons out there that have whole villages and towns of monsters living inside as if they¡¯re people themselves.¡± Daven cracked a laugh. ¡°I¡¯d pay to see that.¡± ¡°Better to get paid for it,¡± Cedric said smartly. Daven¡¯s eyes shined. The boy had a hero-worship complex the size of his daddy issues¡ªwhich Alex would bet was already overly prominent. They left their little redoubt some minutes later, and it took nearly another hour and a half of dogged chasing for the third stage dome to appear in the center of the dungeon. It was smaller than the previous, just a few storeys high, shining sea-green against the purple sky of the forest. The crew had kept their winning formation from before, dusting monster after monster as they went, though Cedric dispatched any of the larger ambushes they walked into. And this time he didn¡¯t play around. It was always over before it began, really. Despite being the one who¡¯d fought the most out of the whole crew, Cedric didn¡¯t seem any more tired. He walked in front of them toward the center of the dungeon with his head high, spear ready. Lithe as a panther, and likely just as dangerous. In fairness, Valerian looked fresh as well, marching behind them in that methodical way of his. But there was a larger than life quality to the paladin, in size and in presence, that made it hard to tell what was going on with him no matter what. If Valerian ever tired, Alex doubted he would be able to notice. The same couldn¡¯t be said about the rest of the crew. Daven¡¯s steps no longer were as careful and silent as before, crunching detritus loudly as they climbed up the side of another hill. He still held his bow at attention, but it sagged at his side. Behind him, Diana panted like a war horse, her hair plastered with sweat on her neck and brow. She¡¯d stopped competing for monsters for a while now. And though it rankled to be included in the weaker group, Alex too could feel the weariness seeping into his bones. The muscles were already gone, at this point. He stuck one foot after the other as if on auto pilot. If he stopped, he was afraid he would need another hour¡¯s rest to get back up again. It wasn¡¯t his health or mana¡ªthose were still at manageable levels. And it couldn¡¯t be the physical part either. Sure, they¡¯d walked a ton in the last hours, but he was more than used to that in his life. If he had to guess, it was the overuse of power that brought this exhaustion, the constant cycling of it through the pathways inside of him. He only hoped this was something that could be trained out of. Cedric stopped them as they crested the small wooded hill. Ahead, the dome sat in the middle of a large clearing surrounded by forest on all sides. ¡°Finally,¡± Daven breathed. ¡°Not as easy as you thought, huh?¡± Cedric asked, a winning smile on his lips. The bastard didn¡¯t even have the decency to sweat. Daven grinned through a cough. ¡°Won¡¯t stop me.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going into the third stage?¡± Alex asked, wiping his forehead. Cedric barked a laugh. ¡°That¡¯s above your pay grade my friend. No, we won¡¯t go into the third stage, but we¡¯ll go through the dome.¡± He looked at the three hopefuls and gave them a pitying smile. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll enjoy the surprise.¡± Chapter 24 Heaving out a breath, Alex threw himself down on a bed of tall grass and pikachu-yellow daffodils, hugging them like they were old friends. It¡¯s odd how you take colors for granted until a hellish purple forest takes them away from you. Beside him, Diana grunted and flopped to the ground as well. Daven, for all his talk, was already wrapped up in his cloak, curled on the ground like a giant baby. Turns out chasing wasn¡¯t as easy as he expected. Alex rolled onto his back, feeling the warm rays bathing his face. It felt so good being off his feet. He sighed. The sun shone here. And it smelled right. There was life back in the world. They were in a large clearing, which Cedric told them was squeezed in between the second and third stage of the dungeon. After they crossed into the dome, a narrow trail flanked by shadowy woods led them to this little oasis. Another, similar path on the far side of the clearing supposedly led to the real entrance to the third stage. Spotted with wildflowers and with a small pond glimmering on the far side like a blue eye, it was paradise. Well, it was a resting spot. Which was very video-gamey of whatever or whoever crafted this dungeon. Alex was surprised a save progress option didn¡¯t pop up to him. ¡°Yes, yes, enjoy it,¡± Cedric said, standing in the middle of the glen. ¡°I¡¯ll give you all half an hour to rest after I find the flower then we¡¯ll leave.¡± ¡°Will you need any help?¡± Valerian asked. ¡°No, I should be¡ª¡± Alex filtered out the rest of the conversation. This was a place for peace, not to hear Cedric¡¯s words. And the man did love the sound of his own voice. Although, Alex had to admit Cedric knew what he was doing, and he was damn good at it too. Having seen just how hard it was being a chaser, Alex couldn¡¯t help growing some respect for the crew leader. Ah, who was he kidding. He already respected the man after seeing him deal with that Wild Boar the first time they came to the dungeon. He was just annoyed his suspicions were wrong and Cedric turned out to be the goody-two-shoes hero after all. It wasn¡¯t his fault he didn¡¯t trust Cedric, though. Surely not. The man smiled too damn much. Something vibrated beneath him, and for a second Alex thought it was his phone until he remembered where he was. He groaned and covered his eyes with one arm. He¡¯d left his phone at home before going out his last night on earth. A rookie mistake, though he doubted it would be of any help here with no reception and just one battery charge. The earth rumbled again, louder this time. Enough to cause the flowers around him to shake as if buffeted by winds. Lifting his arm, he popped one eye open and looked at Diana. ¡°Can you stop?¡± ¡°Tryin¡¯ to sleep here,¡± Daven whined from the other side. Diana raised her head from the ground, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s not me.¡± He prepared to say something back, but everything seemed to happen at once. There was a hissed shit from where Cedric had been before something exploded out of the calm waters of the pond. Alex flinched, covering his head in reflex. A woosh of air followed, a smack and a pained grunt. Then Cedric¡¯s body shot past them into the forest like it was a cloth doll. ¡°Up!¡± Valerian boomed. Alex didn¡¯t have to be told twice. He jolted to his feet, nearly stumbling with haste. Daven did¡ªhis feet caught on his cloak and he tumbled forward, face smacking on the ground. More composed, Diana stayed low, her hands ready to dig into the earth. Water and sludge rained down on the clearing. Alex turned to the much diminished pond in time to see a monster rising from within. It came out antlers first, a giant rack with beams as long as Cedric¡¯s spear and tines just as sharp. A smooth wooden mask covered the monster¡¯s face, and the body that climbed out was completely hidden underneath a bulky lichen cloak that glowed a faint green. It towered over them nearly ten feet tall. [Sage Treant lvl 15] Alex wanted to bite his tongue off. Why did he have to call that Deadwood a fake Treant? Behind its mask, which only had openings for the eyes and a thin line as a mouth, the monster looked across the clearing at them with deep red eyes. Eyes too intelligent for comfort. ¡°Sovereign¡¯s balls,¡± Daven swore, finally standing up. He glanced over his shoulder to where the crew leader had been thrown at. ¡°Is Cedric¡­¡± ¡°Worry about yourself,¡± Valerian said gruffly. He had moved from the edge of the clearing to stand in front of them, shield at the ready. They would need it, by the look of things. ¡°What do we do?¡± Diana whispered, as if afraid to draw the Treant¡¯s attention. Growling, Daven knocked and drew an arrow. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what.¡± Diana opened her mouth to call out to him, but she stopped once the arrow started glowing as if the whole thing had just come out of a forge, only a fierce blue instead of orange. A sound like smoldering coals started to come off the arrow. Alex¡¯s eyes widened. That was new. It had to be something to do with his new Gate. A heartbeat, and Daven let it go. Alex watched as the arrow hissed through the air like a bullet, blue sparks in its trail, before it found its target with a wet squelch. The Sage Treant glanced down slowly to where the arrowhead met the thick moss of his cloak, just above where its heart would be if it were human. Nothing. The arrow looked like a pin needle on a rubber ball, unable to pierce beyond the very tip. The moss around the arrow writhed like a worm, causing it to dislodge and fall to the ground. When its red eyes turned back to them, they seemed to have an amused gleam to it. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The bow in Daven¡¯s hands slumped. In front of them, Valerian set his feet wider, putting his body behind the shield as if he expected immediate retaliation. Seeing the paladin¡¯s reaction, Alex tensed, pulling deep on the power. Diana seemed to have the same idea. Her hands sunk into the earth, ready to act, though she didn¡¯t pull the trigger on making an offensive move. All was quiet for a second, until the silence was broken by a cough behind them. ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying.¡± They all turned to see Cedric walk out of the tree line, dusting himself off. Alex could have kissed him at that moment. He even heard Diana heave out a relieved sigh. ¡°The bastard is an Enhanced,¡± Cedric said, sidling up to them. The Treant only watched them, almost as if curious. ¡°He¡¯s above your level in every way possible.¡± He spat to the side. It came out red. Blood. Daven looked at the clump of blood on the grass. His face grew pale. Like a boy realizing his dad wasn¡¯t an unstoppable superhero after all. Cedric must have noted, since he smiled confidently. ¡°It got me by surprise, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll deal with it.¡± The image was made less reassuring by the crimson tint splashed over his teeth. He strode up to the front of the group and put a hand on Valerian¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Look after the kids, momma bear.¡± The paladin frowned. ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± He peered at the Treant wearily. ¡°We should fall back now.¡± ¡°And come back without the flower I promised?¡± Cedric shook his head. ¡°What would the good folk of Riverbend think about¡ªabout us? No, I will take him by myself.¡± ¡°Cedric, if this is about showing off to the girl¡­¡± Valerian started. Cedric¡¯s eyes flashed. ¡°Girl or not, I still call the shots here.¡± He spat to the side again. His face twisted into a sneer. ¡°And this bastard bled me. There¡¯s a price for that.¡± For a moment, the muscles in Valerian¡¯s jaw clenched. But he only breathed out. ¡°Very well.¡± He took a step back, and his stony face softened for a moment. ¡°But there¡¯s a price for hubris as well. I hope you don¡¯t learn of it this day.¡± Surprisingly, Cedric laughed. ¡°I do love it when you get philosophical.¡± Alex almost missed the crew leader shifting to the balls of his feet, then he was off. He dashed like one of Daven¡¯s arrows, straight at the Treant. His spear lay in front of the twenty feet monster, looking more like a discarded toy than a deadly weapon. Cedric made for it. The Sage Treant wasn¡¯t fazed. From inside his cloak, the head of a great wooden staff poked out, glinting in the sunlight like an emerald, and something erupted out of the ground in answer. Grass and dirt tore away in giant clumps as chest-height roots rose and dove into the earth over each other like an all-consuming wave rolling in the direction of the tiny human. The damn monster was a caster. Cedric didn¡¯t slow down for a moment. For all that Alex had seen since waking up, this felt the most surreal. It was a scene straight out of hollywood. Cedric was right, too. If this was the power of an Enhanced, Alex and the siblings simply didn¡¯t have a chance. It was like watching two trains coming straight at each other on a path of collision. And he couldn¡¯t say that the outcome looked bright for the crew leader. But as the wave looked about to engulf him, Cedric leapt. And this was another moment which made Alex realize he was in a world where everyone could be a mini-superhero. Any would-be Olympian would be jealous as Cedric soared over the first few rows of thick roots like it was nothing. He landed in the midst of the thicket, light as a feather on his toes, then immediately jumped off again, using the roots as stepping stones. Wherever his feet touched, rough wood grew and bifurcated, springing out to coil around his ankles like vipers. Pillars of wood rose and branched off all around him, trying to box him in. Yet Cedric was too fast. Even as a veritable forest sprouted to stop him, he danced around the grasping roots easily, never stopping his advance, and soon he was only a few yards away from the Sage Treant. He leapt off the mass of roots and hit the ground running. Seeing his efforts achieving nothing, the Treant let out an earthy grumble from behind its mask. The head of its wooden staff suddenly stopped glowing, and when Cedric was close enough, the monster swung at him with surprising speed. Cedric dropped to his knees, sliding on the grass like a football player celebrating a goal. The staff whistled over the crew leader¡¯s head, and when he stood, he already had his spear in hand. The bronze blade came up flashing, cutting a long line on the lower side of the Treant¡¯s moss cloak. With footsteps that shook the earth, the Sage Treant moved back, glancing down to where it was cut. Cedric did the same, and he frowned when he saw the attack had no effect. The moss glowed brighter and simply regrew on the spots it had been damaged. ¡°It didn¡¯t work,¡± Diana breathed out from where she squatted. Daven nodded gravely. ¡°Just like my arrow,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s like the cloak is alive.¡± It seemed the archer was taking things seriously for once. Everything had all happened so fast Alex forgot to let go of the power. He elected not to do so now either. ¡°Should we help him?¡± he asked, though all eyes were fixed on the fight happening across the clearing. The Sage Treant brought his staff out again, the tip shining bright green, and swung it down straight at the crew leader. Cedric didn¡¯t try to parry. He jumped back, avoiding the hit; but it seemed it was never meant to take him. A great crack sounded when staff met earth, even though it had hit soft grass. Crevices spread around the staff, around the Treant, and from them, monsters rose out of the earth. First two, then four, then ten. Not the grotesque Flesh Flowers or the lumbering Deadwoods¡ªbut skeletons, human-sized and cruel-looking, their mud-brown bones made of gnarled wood, loose soil still clinging to their joints. They held a variety of weapons in hand, these carved out of great antlers similar to the Sage Treant¡¯s own, clubs and swords and spears. The crew watched in disbelief, and even Cedric paused at the sight. [Wooden Skeleton lvl 7] (Summoned) x10 The new monsters didn¡¯t give the crew leader much time, though. They shuddered at the same time, as if they were all obeying a single command. Heads snapped, necks cracked. And something appeared beneath their skulls, a green light that shone through their eyes like marbles. The skeletons all turned to Cedric, finding their target, and sprung at him. Cedric stopped two bone-swords coming down at him with the shaft of his spear and pushed them back. He started to swing sideways to cut down the two skeletons, but another three flanked him and he had to swivel around to stop them. Spears thrust at him from both sides. Alex watched near mystified as he dodged one and parried the other. The blade of his spear ran the length of the bone spear, rasping terribly, and sliced at the shoulder joint of the skeleton. The arm fell dead on the ground, but its owner showed no recognition. It simply took hold of its bone spear with his remaining hand and thrust again, being joined by others who tried to skewer the human. Cedric bent this way and that, as flexible as a reed on the wind. Clubs swung at him. Swords fell at all angles. Spears stabbed. There was beauty in the chaos, in a sense. A deadly dance where everyone knew their part. None of the blows scored hits, but even from this far, it was clear Cedric found himself on the defensive. He was faster than them, by a margin, but he couldn¡¯t seem to find an opening to attack, surrounded as he was. Valerian broke from their stupor first. ¡°We will,¡± he said. ¡°Cedric will have to forgive us for interrupting him.¡± He hefted his shield up and turned to the three of them. ¡°I will¡ª¡± he stopped cold as soon as he saw Alex and the siblings waiting for his instructions. His eyes roamed over them as if they were ghosts, pupils wide and skittish. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± he trailed off again, then his mouth clicked shut and he fell silent. Chapter 25 For the first time since Alex met him, the implacable paladin seemed stuck. A big vein on his neck was straining like he couldn''t breathe, his jaw clenched tight. From the corner of his eyes, Alex could see Cedric battling the ten skeletons, giving ground reluctantly as they tried to swarm him. The rasping sound of metal on bone rang in the clearing every time their blades met. He didn¡¯t like the idea of going against so many level seven enemies, much less the Sage Treant. But Valerian didn¡¯t seem the type to leave someone behind, and Alex suspected Daven was foolhardy enough to jump in to save Cedric, no matter how dire the situation got. And if Daven stayed, then so would Diana. What a mess. ¡°What is it!?¡± Daven asked urgently. He looked frantic to help Cedric, eyes darting between Valerian and the crew leader. Diana made to step closer to Valerian, her brow drawn in worry, but Alex¡¯s voice stopped her. ¡°Valerian will go for the skeletons.¡± The words were out of their mouth before he realized. As soon as Alex said his name, Valerian snapped to attention like he¡¯d been doused with cold water. He looked at Alex for a flitting moment, eyes bloodshot and searching. Then he nodded. When Alex turned, it was to see Daven and Diana waiting for him to go on. He¡¯d never been much of a team player, much less a leader, but there was a first time for everything. And he didn¡¯t like his odds of going back through the second stage of the dungeon by himself. So Alex swallowed and continued, ¡°We¡¯ll help picking them off from a distance. That¡¯ll free Cedric to deal with the S¡ªthe Enhanced.¡± He coughed to cover for his slip. The others didn¡¯t seem to notice, which he was thankful for. The last thing he needed now was to have to explain himself to them. With the plan agreed on, they set out at once, skirting the mass of roots beside them. Alex¡¯s heart pounded against his chest as he ran beside Diana and Daven. Despite how tired they looked, grim determination was stamped across their faces. Too loyal, in his opinion. Too foolish. The clearing was a flat, empty field beside a few patches of wildflowers and the pond from which the Sage Treant burst out of, and it didn¡¯t take them long to cross the distance. As they reached the edge of the roots, Valerian gave them a nod and turned inward, cutting toward the direction of the pond. He would go straight at the problem to relieve Cedric, while the three of them would be a few yards back, keeping the two more experienced chasers and their skeleton friends in between them and the giant monster. They had lost sight of Cedric for a second there, as the crew leader had been pushed back and was nearly pressed against the forest of roots. Luckily, the Sage Treant only seemed able to control one spell at a time, and with nine skeletons¡ªCedric had broken the spine of one¡ªstill in the field, the roots didn¡¯t come alive to capture the crew leader. Alex and the siblings slid to a stop by a higher stretch of ground just in time to see Valerian bowl through the flank of the monsters like a truck. One of the skeletons broke into glass and dust when its skull was shattered by the rim of the paladin¡¯s shield, and two more were flung away by his charge. Their wooden bones rattled like chattering teeth as they crashed almost ten feet away. Alex watched as Cedric jumped at the opportunity, cutting two skeletons in one slash in that moment of relief, and by then it was their turn to enter the fray. Diana¡¯s spell shook the earth as she created a small stand of packed dirt they could hop on and have a better view of the battlefield in front of them. Daven¡¯s first shot flew in the air a second later, and two fire arrows followed after. Alex¡¯s shots missed, but Daven''s steel-tipped arrow nicked the skull of a skeleton just about to impale Valerian from the back, causing the monster to stumble. The paladin didn¡¯t even turn from fighting off two skeletons to bash the off-balanced monster in the face with his forearm, cracking its skull and turning it into dust. He and Cedric were fighting near each other now, almost back to back. Cedric was a storm against three skeletons, batting weapons aside, breaking wooden arms and legs. Monster crashed to the ground left and right. Alex didn¡¯t even bother firing another spell, while Daven took another pot shot that was dodged. Even as they were defeated, the Wooden Skeletons proved to be insanely fast for the hopefuls. Cedric cut the spine of the last skeleton as it still tried futilely to break through Valerian¡¯s defense. The crew leader turned to them, his hair sticking to his face with sweat. ¡°Nice job you three,¡± he called, smiling widely. Daven didn¡¯t wait for them as he jumped over the earth wall and sprinted over the short distance to Cedric and Valerian. Shrugging, Alex followed after with Diana. The fight with the skeletons turned out easier than he expected. It made sense, in the end. Cedric and Valerian were second-rankers. The Wooden Skeletons, even numerous, shouldn¡¯t be a problem for the two of them. The Sage Treant on the other hand¡­ Alex reckoned it would be a problem, even if Cedric didn¡¯t want to admit it. The big monster stood there some twenty yards away from them; the earth directly around it seemed to be dead, the grass brown and dry, the ground cracked. It was as if the land had been sapped of life. It watched them unblinking, almost with curiosity, as Daven ribbed Cedric for getting taken by surprise. It was as if the monster found the tiny little humans interesting. ¡°What about the Enhanced?¡± Valerian asked. He had his back to them, shield facing the Sage Treant. ¡°Surely you see that we should retreat here.¡± Cedric laughed. ¡°Are you kidding? This is the most fun I¡¯ve had in months.¡± He ran a hand through his hair, leaned on his spear. ¡°Look Val, I appreciate the save and all, but the plan hasn¡¯t changed. I¡¯ll take down the bastard and we¡¯ll find the flower. Then we¡¯ll leave.¡± As imprudent as he knew it was, Alex didn¡¯t mind staying now that Cedric was fine. He wanted to see the limits of what a second-ranker could do¡ªand even if he didn¡¯t get the kill on the Sage Treant, the quest demanded the dungeon be pruned. He needed the damn flower to take back to the village, if only to make sure it counted. ¡°But¡­¡± Diana hesitated for a moment, then started again. ¡°But none of the attacks worked. The arrow did nothing, and even your spear didn¡¯t make it through that cloak.¡± ¡°Every monster has a weakness,¡± Cedric said, flashing her a winning smile. ¡°Always remember that. I¡¯ll just have to poke the bear until I find his.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Daven nodded along like it was some grand wisdom. Valerian glanced back at the crew leader with disapproval, but it was a resigned sort of look. He would go along with Cedric, Alex knew. By the pond, the Sage Treant finally decided to move. It stomped to the side, leaving the deadened area of ground behind. The wooden staff appeared from behind the fold of its cloak, green light gleaming at the top. Alex felt his breath hitch. Beside him, the others had stopped too, looking to the Treant in a moment of frozen expectation. The tip of its staff paused in the air, pointing straight at them. ¡°Is it challenging me?¡± Cedric asked. He sounded delighted by the idea. Then the monster slammed its staff on the ground again, opening new cracks on the earth that spewed skeleton after skeleton, one after the other, a dozen, then more and more, until they surged forth toward them like a wave of chattering bones. Shit. Alex let the power flow through him again, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Beside him, the siblings stilled, faces pale. Alex didn¡¯t blame them. That had to be more than double the skeletons from before. Cedric clicked his tongue. ¡°No honor for an old-fashioned duel with this bastard, is there?¡± He took hold of his spear and started forward as if going for a leisurely walk, only in the direction of a flood of armed skeletons. ¡°Take care of the ones who make it past us,¡± he said, flashing a confident smile back at the three of them. Valerian was already walking at his side, shoulders tight with purpose. They only got some fifteen yards away. Just before the monsters came close enough to touch the two second-rankers, Valerian¡¯s hard-light shield popped up in front of them, even wider this time. The skeletons crashed violently against the shield, antler-weapons and bones clattering, many of them being crushed by the weight of the monsters behind them. Valerian grunted and took a step back, but he held firm. Black dust rose in the air from the first line of skeletons being squashed by their fellows. Like water, the Wooden Skeletons streamed to the sides, spilling around the shield in ones and twos when they noticed an easier way to get to their human prey. Most skeletons that made it past went straight to Cedric¡¯s side, as Valerian was smart enough to angle the shield in a way that pushed them toward the crew leader. In such low numbers, Cedric steamrolled through all of them in a single exchange. One parry, one swipe, and the skeleton was dust. When the first few monsters started coming out of the other side, Alex grunted. ¡°That¡¯s us.¡± Fire came to his hands at the same time as Diana prepared her own air blade and Daven nocked an arrow. The first skeleton on their side fell in a hail of traces from the three of them. Then the next and the next and the next. It was hard to miss when the three of them stood in a line behind the fighting and every monster that made it through seemed intent on taking out Valerian. If a skeleton dodged one trace, at least one of the two others were sure to tag him. All the while, the main body of Wooden Skeletons still battered away at the golden shield. They used whatever they could, scratching with their weapons or thumping bony fists. Hell, Alex even saw one of the monsters bashing its skull against the surface of the shield, I Am Legend style. Valerian¡¯s trace still stood, but he saw hairline fractures spreading around its surface. It wouldn¡¯t last long. Frowning, Alex suddenly realized there were still too many of the monsters, despite the near dozen Cedric and the three of them had already dusted. He cast his gaze further ahead in the clearing, beyond the shield and the skeletons. The Sage Treant had moved again¡ªin fact it was moving now, traipsing on the far side of the clearing. Except it hadn¡¯t stopped raising skeletons. Wherever it passed, the ground cracked open like an egg beneath its staff, Wooden Skeletons emerged like zombies rising out of graves, rushing to joining their cohorts. ¡°Fuck,¡± he muttered. ¡°What?¡± Diana said without looking at him, her hand cutting the air as she sent another air trace out. She missed, but Daven¡¯s follow-up arrow shattered the skull of the latest skeleton that appeared on their side. Alex pointed. ¡°The Enhanced hasn¡¯t stopped raising more skeletons. If we don¡¯t dust it¡ª¡± Just then, the sound of glass breaking. Alex turned. All of them did. A large crack had formed in the center of Valerian¡¯s shield. The paladin took another step back and brought his empty right hand up as if to push on his own shield. The skeletons on the other side whipped up into a frenzy. ¡°Nothing we can do. Cedric¡¯s got his hands full,¡± Daven said, nodding toward the crew leader. Cedric was back to fighting almost seven skeletons at a time. But whenever he dusted one, cutting at their spine or bashing their skulls, another one took its place. More and more of the monsters were spilling out to his side from behind the shield, and Alex could see that some of the newly-raised ones bypassed the shield entirely. They weren¡¯t very smart, obviously, but they were learning. ¡°Use one of your special arrows,¡± Diana said. Another skeleton on their side stopped Daven¡¯s reply, but it was quickly sniped by the three of them. They couldn¡¯t even help Cedric, as the way he dashed in and out in the middle of the skeletons made it too likely for them to hit him with friendly fire. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy, alright,¡± the archer said. The fingers of his right hand tapped incessantly against the side of his bow. ¡°It won¡¯t work either way. You saw it earlier.¡± ¡°Maybe because you and Cedric only got its cloak,¡± Alex cut in. ¡°It regenerated, like it¡¯s a living thing.¡± Diana nodded. ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking. Try aiming for the head. Cedric said it had to have a weakness, no?¡± Alex flinched as the shield suddenly cracked again, this one echoing a high keen in the clearing. Fractures spider-webbed across the entire surface. The hard-light construct looked like a broken windshield. Three more skeletons came through on their side. Only instead of running at Valerian, they came at them, wooden bones clattering together. Daven made to raise his bow, but Alex pushed his arm away, so that the arrow was pointed to the distance. To the Sage Treant. ¡°Focus!¡± he hissed. ¡°We got these.¡± Diana grunted her agreement beside him. Alex didn¡¯t look to see if Daven had complied. Two fireballs formed in his hands and promptly zipped toward the sprinting monsters. Fast as they were, the Wooden Skeletons had no problem ducking aside, even as the traces exploded behind them. But he didn¡¯t need to hit them, only distract them for a moment, then Diana¡¯s air blade cut through the lead skeleton. Two left. The monsters stopped their mad dash for a second, as if surprised one of their own had been taken out. The two skeletons had the same weapons, some kind of antler-mace with a spike on top that reminded Alex of a giant femur. ¡°Use the fireballs again,¡± Diana said in that moment of respite. ¡°Just aim it in front of them.¡± Alex raised an eyebrow; but as the skeletons rushed toward them again, he didn¡¯t bother asking. He brought fire to his hands again, wincing at the strained feeling of the pathways inside of him. The full day of casting had been rough on them. With the fireballs crackling in his palms, he waited until the monsters were back at full speed again before he hurled them forward. Diana¡¯s plan became evident when, instead of continuing using air, she dropped to the ground and placed her palms against the earth. Just as the skeletons made to jump over the low-flying fireballs, a few inches of ground rose in front of them¡ªan insignificant little barrier, smaller than the full step of a stair, but at their speed their feet crashed against the higher ground in the worst possible toe-crunching manner and they toppled forward, right on the path of the fireballs. A roar of fire and clattering bones was the result. Before they even turned into dust, a zipping sound came from Alex¡¯s side, and he turned just in time to see Daven¡¯s scorching blue arrow fly away like a comet. It flashed over the shield, nearly scraping the top, and a second later caught a distracted Treant on the side of its mask, cracking it nearly in half. The monster stumbled back, stunned; but only for a moment, as in the next, it threw its head back and roared, a deep, croaking sound, more anger than pain. Its mask looked much like Valerian¡¯s shield, cracked but unbroken. But it didn¡¯t matter¡ªthe damage was there, and it wasn¡¯t healing like the cloak. ¡°It worked,¡± Diana cheered, getting a surprised laugh from Daven. Alex watched as, on the field, even the Wooden Skeletons paused for a moment, as if confused by what was happening. Cedric didn¡¯t bother with fair play and slaughtered the monsters directly in front of him, his spear like a scythe cutting through wheat. Chapter 26 As the last of the skeletons around the crew leader turned to ash, Cedric turned to three of them and winked. ¡°You found the weakness,¡± he said, laughing. Daven nearly dropped his bow trying to send him a thumbs-up back. They hadn¡¯t won the day yet, though. A few feet away, the skeletons suddenly broke out of their stupor and started bashing away at the golden shield. Valerian took another step back. Even from where he stood, Alex could see sweat beading on Valerian¡¯s brow. He grunted every time a few of the monsters coincidentally hit the shield at the same time. The mob seemed to sense that too, bunching up in huge numbers on the other side. There had to be some thirty Wooden Skeletons there, striking again and again against the shield like a horde of mindless zombies. ¡°Let me deal with the lackeys first.¡± Cedric walked up to stand beside Valerian. There was a sense of supreme confidence in the way he drawled out the words, as if all this time he¡¯d just been playing around. He twirled the spear over his head in a show of dexterity, then set his spear ahead of him in a stance Alex hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°You can drop the shield, Val¡± ¡°What?¡± It was Valerian who said that through gritted teeth, but Alex heard Diana whisper the same words. Was he about to power up like a main character or something? ¡°Quick already,¡± Cedric said. ¡°I got this.¡± Valerian shot Cedric a glare over his shoulder, then did the next best thing to shrugging when you were holding back an army with your shield arm. Then the giant golden shield broke away as if it never were, producing a sound like fine crystal shattering in the wind. The skeletons in the front lines stumbled forward as their strikes met empty air instead of solid resistance. Before they could take another step, Cedric was already swinging. His spear cut from the side as if aiming at nothing in front of him, but in that split second the bronze blade of his spear shone a bright gold, as if a halo from the heavens came down to illuminate it. A golden shadow rose from behind his swing like an afterimage of his movement, a sharp blade of pure light forming in the air. It expanded out, wider than Valerian¡¯s shield had been, then it flew forward. The force was so great the first skeletons had their spines shattered rather than sliced, all along the line. Slack-jawed, Alex watched as the energy sword, or whatever that was, cut through the rest of the skeletons like they were nothing. A surgeon¡¯s knife through flesh, only they were wood in this case. Skeleton parts clattered on the ground, weapons and hip bones and femurs, until the attack soared past the last of them and dissipated in the air. There were so many of them that when their bodies broke into black dust, it burst up in a cloud that covered their view of the clearing. The others looked numbly at the back of the crew leader. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Lancers could do that,¡± Alex said into the silence. The spell broke and Cedric let out a laugh. ¡°I can¡¯t, really.¡± Despite the levity, a hint of weariness had seeped into his voice. Cedric turned, spear in hand, and pointed a finger at the blade. Alex and the siblings walked up to join them, and to the surprise of the crew, it wasn¡¯t bronze anymore¡ªits color had become a dull gray like any old iron. But on the non-cutting edge, small grooves ran all along the inside. Runes. ¡°But my baby here sure can,¡± he said, placing a kiss on the haft of the spear. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have started with that?¡± Alex asked dryly. He was about ready to go back to the inn already. His whole body felt sore and heavy. ¡°And where would be the fun in that?¡± Cedric gave them a too-bright smile. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say you had a super spear before, man?¡± Daven said. He sidled up to Cedric and slung an arm over the crew leader¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Can I borrow it? I want to try the whole cutting air thing. Please? Just once?¡± Cedric only laughed. Surprisingly like her brother, Diana crowded around Cedric too.¡°How does it work?¡± She almost raised a hand to grab the spear but seemed to stop herself. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen runes that can do¡­ this. It¡¯s not supposed to do this.¡± Cedric chuckled. ¡°These runes are different from the ones you know,¡± he said, ¡°not that you¡¯d be able to read them anyway. But this is hardly the time for a lecture.¡± He nodded to the other side of the clearing as the dust slowly disappeared. Alex turned his head. Oh, right. The ten feet tall monster was still there. And it seemed as surprised as they were that the Wooden Skeletons had been decimated in one blow.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Perhaps we should consider a more combined approach this time,¡± Valerian said. It was only phrased like a suggestion. The lines of his face seemed deeper than they had been earlier today. He, too, looked exhausted. Cedric was wise enough to comply. ¡°Very well, though it won¡¯t be much of a challenge now that I know where to strike it. We can go all out, but I suggest you three keep your distance from it. I¡¯m not sure you would survive getting hit by the bastard, even if it¡¯s a fluke.¡± xx They hit the Sage Treant with everything they got. Alex had pointed out it needed to have its staff physically touching the ground to raise more of the skeletons, so that¡¯s what they focused on. The Treant was only able to bring a half-dozen more of the level seven monsters before Cedric and Valerian were all over it. Alex certainly didn¡¯t mind dusting three of the skeletons on his own when they were distracted trying to protect their summoner. Seeing as the monsters were still a few levels higher than him, he was sure they made for good exp. In fact, Cedric taking down all of them on his own was a true shame. Having the crew leader and Valerian act as human shields as he safely farmed the skeletons had been a blessing, now that he thought of it. The last skeleton still on the field was cut to pieces by one of Diana¡¯s air traces, and then there was only the Sage Treant left. Cedric and Valerian acted like a well oiled machine as they darted in and out of its guard, diverting the monster¡¯s attention whenever it got too close to hitting one of them. Unlike the Wooden Skeletons, however, the Treant wasn¡¯t dumb. It knew its weakness well enough to defend it, especially after Cedric¡¯s first attempt at reaching up with his spear to cut at the monster¡¯s face. It kept its staff on a high guard, ready to slap down any attempt to reach its face, as most of their attacks on its body were useless against its thick cloak. The only other way to break through its defenses would be to strike in between the fold of its cloak; but for a monster that big it was surprisingly quick on its feet, and it kept up well against even Cedric. Their dance was a brutal one, shields and spears thumping and clashing against staff. Each step of the Treant was worth two of the humans, and it used its reach well by always circling around the two of them. Alex thought he saw an opening once, but after his first fire arrow nearly hit a jumping Cedric, he and the siblings refrained from attacking outright. The exchange between the two second-rankers and the Treant uninterrupted for another minute before Diana spoke up. ¡°I have an idea,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Cedric will understand it as soon as he sees it too.¡± ¡°What do you want us to do?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Cause a distraction on its flanks. Don¡¯t aim for the head, leave that to Cedric. It doesn¡¯t matter if you hit the cloak, it only matters that you distract it for a second.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Daven said, an arrow already in hand. ¡°When do we hit?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll know.¡± Alex gave her a tight nod and set off, circling wide to the right. Daven went left, staying just as far away. With how fast the Treant was, neither of them had any intention of coming close to the monster. Cedric was right. One hit like he¡¯d taken in the beginning of the fight and any of them would have to be carted back to the village in pieces. He pulled on his power as he got into position, though even that was easier said than done. The fight had moved them to nearly the other side of the clearing. Cedric and Valerian tried to corner the Treant like a pack of wolves, but the monster was slippery. And any full swing of his staff had to be dodged or blocked head on. That gave it some breathing room every time. A sound much like a gong reverberated in the air as the wooden head of the staff crashed against Valerian¡¯s shield. The paladin rocked back with the force, but as Alex was starting to notice, the man knew how to hold on. Cedric chose that moment to thrust at the masked head, spear flashing, but the Sage Treant spun its staff in the air expertly and batted the thrust away. Diana acted then. As she said, it was hard to miss. The earth rumbled like an empty stomach, and something like a wave rolled out from beneath her toward Cedric and Valerian. A bright flare exploded out of Alex¡¯s hand as soon as he saw it, and the projectile zipped away toward the side of the Treant the next moment, hissing through the air like a firework. It was a useless spell in combat, in reality, something Alex had made more as a signal flare than anything. It burned a terribly bright orange, but it was more bark than bite. On the other side, Alex heard a thwang and saw a trio of arrows shoot out all at once. Daven certainly wasn¡¯t trying for accuracy here¡ªwhich was good. The two attacks converged at the same time. Alex swore he saw the recognition in the Sage Treant¡¯s eyes when it caught the incoming missiles in its periphery. And he saw Diana¡¯s plan too. Her earth wave grew in size as it went, until the crest was nearly waist-high on the towering monster by the time it got there. He wasn¡¯t the target though. As the Sage Treant moved to intercept Alex and Daven¡¯s attacks, swiping at the flare with his staff and turning his cloaked back to the arrows, Cedric got the idea. He leapt, using Diana¡¯s earth as a springboard, and slashed at the head of the monster. The Sage Treant must have noticed it too late. The blade bit deep into the side of its face, slicing the mask in half. Black blood sprayed out, and the Sage Treant reeled back. The monster roared in pain, swinging its staff erratically to stave off any further attacks. Cedric was already back on the ground. He gave Diana a nod over his shoulder, though he didn¡¯t take his eyes away from the Treant. Neither did Alex. Cedric¡¯s attack had broken its mask and gouged out half the monster¡¯s bark-like face, but it still stood, growling like a wounded animal. ¡°Let¡¯s press it,¡± Cedric told Valerian, who showed his assent by charging the right flank of the Treant. Cedric circled left, twirling his spear above him in a show of dexterity. Before either of them could strike at the monster, the Sage Treant opened its mouth and blew out a cloud of bright yellow particles in the face of the two second-rankers. Cedric and Valerian didn¡¯t even take two steps before they fell flat on the ground, eyes glassy and unseeing. A sharp gasp came from where Diana stood. Alex¡¯s stomach fell. ¡°Shit.¡± Chapter 27 A thousand thoughts ran through his head in that split moment of quiet after Cedric and Valerian fell. To charge ahead, arms blazing like a madman; to turn and run back to the second stage¡ªhe didn¡¯t owe these people anything, he wasn¡¯t going to die for them; to stay frozen on this field of grass and flowers until it was his own turn to fall at the hands of this monster. Then the Sage Treant threw its head back and let out a deep roar, as if crowing after defeating its enemy, and he knew what he had to do. Screw Cedric, the crew, and all the rest, but if Alex faltered here at the beginning, the first time he came against a challenge that seemed insurmountable, then there was no point in braving the rest of his life in this death game. There¡¯s no champagne at the end of the race for those who don¡¯t dare, that¡¯s what his father always said when he lectured him as a child. But after his parents and sister died, Alex turned inward¡ªalways taking the back seat, always staying in his lane. If for nothing else than to spite the man¡¯s memory, he never reached out to something greater, never had any dreams of a better life. In that manner, he had failed in his life back on Earth. He knew that. He had let his distaste for his dad turn him mediocre. Only he couldn¡¯t do that in a world like this¡ªhell, he didn¡¯t want to. But to win in this world, he would have to risk everything, to gamble against death every day. To put his life on the line. So when the Sage Treant brought its staff up above its head as it stood over Valerian¡¯s body, the fireball that had left his hand a second before exploded against the shoulder of the monster, who staggered back a couple paces. It wouldn¡¯t hurt it, not with that damned cloak it had on, but it would buy them a second. Alex was right behind his trace, running straight at the monster, heart pounding in his chest. It was a bit too much like the first thought he had when Cedric and Valerian fell, but he liked to think he had a plan. He had to risk, yes, but that didn¡¯t mean he had to be a fool about it. Coming to a stop by the fallen bodies of the two second rankers, he hurled another fireball at the Treant. The monster had barely recovered its balance before the spell burst against its chest, covering its upper half in dark smoke. It stumbled back another step, though only just. Pulling back on his power, Alex quickly knelt and put two fingers against Cedric¡¯s neck. A second, and he had it. He was no first responder, but he could tell a heartbeat when he felt one. The Treant trying to bash Valerian when he was already down only confirmed it to him. The two of them were still alive. Daven slid to a stop beside him first. ¡°What are we gonna do?¡± he spoke between heavy breaths, bow clutched tight to his hand. ¡°You¡¯re going to get these two out of here,¡± he said, and by then Diana had made her way to where they stood. ¡°What about us?¡± she asked, looking back as her brother grabbed a collar-full of both Valerian and Cedric¡¯s shirts and started dragging them away with no small amounts of grunting and puffing. Alex was surprised he didn¡¯t hear any complaints from Daven, but as much as he was a loudmouth at times, the archer did prove himself reliable when push came to shove. The Sage Treant chose that moment to express its displeasure. Waving its staff through the thinning curtain of smoke, it roared again, red eyes on a face all tree-bark much like a Deadwood¡¯s staring straight at them. Alex spared a glance to the tag above the monster, and he was glad to see that it hadn¡¯t gained a Frenzied status like the Killer Sloths had. More than just a tag telling him their names, he would pay good money to have visible HP bars for monsters like these. Knowing how close they were to being dusted would be a game changer, and it was a puzzling oddity that he had one and they didn¡¯t. Thinking about it, he focused on his own. HP: 80/80 MP: 56.3/130 Not good. This much MP wouldn¡¯t last long. And he would bet Diana was in an even worse situation than him. Without Cedric and Valerian to cover as human shields for them, any protracted battle would see them dead. He would have to be decisive in his use of the power from now on. No, he needed to have been meticulous all along, but moping about it wouldn¡¯t help now. Once the toothpaste was out of the tube, there was no getting it back inside. Alex forced a smirk on his face. ¡°We take him out, of course.¡± There was a beat of silence. ¡°Are you mad?¡± Diana hissed. ¡°No, we take him out,¡± he repeated. ¡°Vineling hill style.¡± Diana opened her mouth to refute him, but it clicked shut. Then she was nodding. ¡°That might actually work.¡± ¡°There¡¯s always Plan B if it doesn¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s Plan B?¡± Alex stared at her dead in the eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± After all, he didn¡¯t know either. Looking back up, he noticed the Sage Treant was doing the same thing it had done with Cedric. Its staff, the very tip glowing with an ethereal, emerald green light, was pointed at his direction, some kind of taunt or enmity declaration. Weird, seeing as it was a fucking monster, but at this point Alex had just decided to roll with the punches. Stranger things would no doubt become a part of his life from now on. And like before, the stare-off lasted just a moment before the staff swung down. Diana reacted before him. With her hands slashing across the air, she sent a pair of shimmering blades toward the monster, who halted the swing and brought its cloaked arms up to block the attack. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°We can¡¯t let it summon more of those things,¡± she said quickly, then pointed toward the forest of roots scarring the surface of the clearing. ¡°Or that.¡± Quickly looking back, Alex noted Daven had gotten Cedric and Valerian away from the immediate danger-area. Good. ¡°Then let¡¯s get this over with,¡± he said. ¡°We need to get closer and when it leans down to put us to sleep, we hit it.¡± Diana nodded. One more fireball and another air blade aiming at the head kept the monster on the defensive as they approached it. Alex felt like a character in a first person shooter game about to hit a close range RPG as he went down to kneel on the grass, Diana standing behind him, his two hands aiming up. Fire already played on the tip of his fingers, licking at his hands. Hungry for blood¡ªor dust, as it were. Growling, the Sage Treant slapped Diana¡¯s last air blade out of the air with its staff. It looked surprised for a moment when it saw them in front of it, but by then Alex had already unleashed a firestorm on the monster. The torrent of fire, burning its way from his chest to the palms of his hands, became a mini flaming tornado when Diana fed her air magic into the mix. The Sage Treant howled as the flames engulfed everything above its shoulders, and for that split second he allowed himself a mental cheer for a well executed plan. But then, of course, Alex realized he was an idiot. An absolute, gigantic, soon-to-be dead idiot. The Sage Treant wasn¡¯t a hill¡ªan unliving, immovable thing. Like any creature in pain, it simply¡­ got out of the way. The fire tornado served as an inconvenient screen blocking his view of anything in front of him, so when the Treant ducked down below the trace, Alex barely threw himself back when the wooden staff came lurching at his side. It caught him square on the elbow, spinning him. Something cracked. Hot, scalding pain flared all along his arm. There was a moment of vertigo, flailing, blinding whiteness. A breathless grunt escaped him as he hit the ground. Then Diana was pulling on him by the armpits like a child, dragging him away from the Sage Treant. A bump had his broken elbow hitting his own knee, and Alex had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying. ¡°Alex!¡± He heard Diana¡¯s worried voice as if from beyond a tunnel. ¡°Alex!¡± She pulled him harder every time she said his name. ¡°Alex!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± That was Daven, sounding far away. Another spike on his arm, like someone took a mallet to his bones. Come one, snap out of it! Grunting, Alex found his feet, if only so she would stop knocking his elbow and near sending him into catatonia. He blinked up, Diana and Daven crowding around him. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said through gritted teeth. Alex forced himself to look down at his arm and regretted instantly. Yeah, not good. Taking a giant staff to the arm was not conducive to the human constitution. But at least no bone had broken the skin. That, at least, was good. He couldn¡¯t let them know the extent of the injury, since he planned to heal it right now. ¡°It¡¯s just a bruise,¡± Alex said, trying for nonchalance. The hissing after every syllable probably didn¡¯t help. ¡°Just a bruise?¡± Daven said incredulously. ¡°I heard that crunch all the way back there.¡± ¡°Let me check it,¡± Diana said, reaching for his arm. Not a chance. Waving her away and ignoring the protests, Alex turned to the giant elephant (antlered-monster-demon) in the room. The Sage Treant was howling up a storm, rubbing its face on its cloak. Dark smoke rose from behind its arm. Alex caught a whiff of kindling in the air and shook his head. He had just gotten his ass kicked by a walking bonfire. ¡°We should leave now,¡± Daven blurted out, eyes flitting between them and the Treant. ¡°Diana and I can carry the two of them, at least for a bit. Then we¡¯ll make camp for the night, or at least until they wake up.¡± ¡°And how far do you think we¡¯ll get between the three of us against all the monsters in the second stage?¡± Alex asked acidly, then immediately winced. The pain was making him a dick. Shaking his head, he stood to his full height. ¡°Look, we have better odds here than out there with two dead weights on top. We¡¯ll go with Plan B.¡± A reckless dick, too, but what did he have to lose? Besides life and limb, that is. Diana started, ¡°Alex¡ª¡± He turned and looked both of them in the eye. ¡°Just trust me.¡± A heartbeat and he had his answer. ¡°Fuck it,¡± Daven said, ¡°let¡¯s do it.¡± Beside him, Diana simply sighed. ¡°Fine. What¡¯s the plan?¡± Alex nodded his gratitude. They placed an unhealthy amount of trust on a two-day old crew mate, but who was he to complain? ¡°Daven, I need you to stop him from moving his arms, even if for a second. Can you do that?¡± A grim smile appeared on the archer¡¯s face. Next thing he had two arrows on hand, a thin cord tied behind the fletchings stretched between the two. Alex was counting on that. He turned to Diana. ¡°Two things,¡± he said. ¡°First, some air distraction. Then, the same you did for Cedric.¡± ¡°The same¡­ are you crazy?¡± she hissed. Alex shrugged. Maybe he was starting to be. ¡°Can you do it or not?¡± Diana bit her lip. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work¡­ run.¡± Daven laughed. With Plan C settled, Alex let the power fill him again, the thrumming heat coursing through his body was the tiniest comfort for the pain around what was left of his elbow. His plan was a bit audacious, sure, but he had already decided to gamble. This was simply him being pushed into an early all-in. Not ideal, but it would have to do. The sinking feeling in stomach threatened to pull him under a pit of despair, but he didn¡¯t let himself be paralyzed by it. He took off at a dead sprint. Every step was a stab at his arm, a knife sawing against bones and muscles and nerves. The Sage Treant saw him coming and growled in anger. It knew he was the one to burn it. Its bark-face was charred and cratered by the firestorm, but it wasn¡¯t dead. Alex was looking to fix that inconvenience. He ate the ground between the two of them quickly. Blood thundered against his ears. He didn¡¯t bother when the Treant made to swing. Daven trusted him to make the plan, so Alex had to trust him now¡ªhad no choice but to trust him. And he was rewarded as the arrows flew ahead of him, crossing each other in front of the Treant before being yanked out of their trajectories to wrap around the monster. Alex had no idea how the feat was done, but it did its job. The Treant''s arms snapped to the monster''s sides, a flicker of what could pass for surprise flashing in those red eyes. Alex let a nasty smirk show. Cedric wasn''t wrong in calling this ''Enhanced'' a bastard. It would, indeed, pay for his arm in blood and dust. He jumped without looking down, soared for a second before his right foot found purchase in what should be empty air. Diana had come through. He jumped again, and suddenly he was of a height with the Sage Treant. MP: 23.6/130 The number blinked faintly on the corner of his eye. It wasn''t much, but he had already found a way to do the most damage with as little as this, even if it had a slight kamikaze-esque appeal to it. The fireball in his hand writhed as he poured all the mana he had left on compressing it. He didn''t have to look to know it had suddenly shrunk down to the size of a coin, snapping and crackling unstably in his palm. It wouldn''t last two seconds before going off on its own. With a roar, the Sage Treant flexed its arms and broke Daven''s restraints. Too late. With his own war cry, flying through the air like a human bullet, Alex shoved the tiny fireball against the Treant''s face. There was a flash, then the world exploded. Chapter 28 Ping! Level up! The much coveted ping sound rang at the same time as Alex¡¯s back hit the ground. A great woosh of air escaped his lungs, and he floundered for oxygen like a fish for a desperate moment, blinking wildly at the blue sky, before he could breathe again. Immediately, his first instinct was to touch his face. He was sure the explosion had seared it worse than a well-done steak for a split second there, but there was no pain. Not there, and not in his formerly shattered elbow. He chanced a flex of his left arm and felt all the appropriate machinery responding accordingly. Bones regrown, muscles reknit, unbruised skin. Ah, the joys of living in a semi-rpg world. ¡°Bloody hell!¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Alex didn¡¯t have to turn around to know who had said what. Their voices were surprisingly similar when you weren¡¯t looking, but the choice of words really made things easy. Grunting, he rolled to his knees. ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± he said, pushing himself up to stand. ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± Diana sidled up to him ¡°But the explosion¡­ and your arm¡ª¡± ¡°The arm was just a bruise, I¡¯m telling you.¡± Alex wiggled it in front of her face. ¡°See.¡± The fact his arm was not a useless piece of flesh anymore hanging off his shoulder showed just how overpowered his ability to heal up with every level up was. Then with a thought, he conjured a handful of flames into his right palm and put the fingers of his left hand inside of it. ¡°And my fire doesn¡¯t hurt me that easily,¡± he said, smiling. That seemed to satisfy the girl, at least. She didn¡¯t need to know that as soon as he released the fire for his control, he could burn just as easily as any sack of meat out there. ¡°Was that how you did that explosion yesterday with those boars?¡± Daven asked, eyes shining as he stared at the place the Sage Treant had fallen. ¡°¡®Cause I can get behind this type of magic.¡± ¡°Pretty much, yeah,¡± Alex answered dismissively. He was already turning to look at the fallen second rankers, still sleeping a few yards away. Then his eyes shifted west to the dipping sun. It was past time for them to go. Diana noticed. ¡°We should hurry.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Yes, but we need to get the flower first.¡± He needed that quest done. It was half the reason he was even here at all. ¡°Try to wake up the others, I¡¯ll start looking for it.¡± ¡°Do you know what it looks like, at least?¡± Diana asked, frowning. Alex froze for a second. ¡°Not really,¡± he rushed to say, chuckling awkwardly. She didn¡¯t know he had seen dozens of the same flower, somehow made not to decay, pressed against the pages of a book. ¡°But I assume it¡¯s different from any of the others around here, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be unique.¡± Diana looked across the expanse of the clearing, to the dozens of flowerbeds dotting the grass. She sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll help you.¡± They spread out along the far side of the clearing first, Diana starting her search from the right side of the half-empty pond while Alex went to the left. The whole thing was made even more annoying when Alex realized he couldn¡¯t just skim through the flowerbeds looking for the distinctive pale-pink of the special flower, as Diana herself was also looking spot by spot. Sighing, he crab-walked between the places where color blossomed amidst the grass, muttering under his breath about his lower back. The level up, as always, seemed to act in a very surface level area of recovery. All the injuries were gone, yes, and it felt as if he¡¯d just gotten a double-shot of caffeine in his veins; the energy was good enough to carry him for a bit longer, but the crash was just around the corner, he could feel it in his bones. In the way his muscles ached and his joints creaked.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. A sudden breeze gusted, carrying the heady scent of the flowers and dispersing any smoke that still remained. Alex allowed himself to stop and sit back on his heels for a second, breathing in the spices in the air, his mind still reeling after everything. The setting sun, half-hidden behind a smattering of clouds, made the whole clearing seem awash in a gentle, peach-colored light. Only the mass of roots bulging in the middle of the clearing like a cancer and the dust still floating about where the Sage Treant met its end broke the peaceful image around him. That, and Daven, of course. The archer had decided to put on a free show for them on the other side of the clearing. Alex watched curiously as he knelt down in front of Cedric, took him by the collar, and started tossing him around and yelling in his face something along the lines of ¡®where is the fucking money?¡¯ as if he was out doing a shake up for the mob. It worked. Cedric was up in a jolt, muttered excuses spilling out of his mouth. Daven fell down to full belly laughter, cackling and wheezing like a hyena. Alex shook his head at the scene. Daven¡¯s idea of humor should be the subject of serious study. Then Daven had the bright idea to do the same with Valerian. Naturally, he found himself flipped over and smacked down to the ground like a particularly pale pancake, the literal fist of an angry god cocked back over his face. This time, it took a minute for Alex¡¯s stomach to stop hurting, tears prickling the corner of his eyes as he laughed. Maybe Daven did have a future in comedy. Wiping at his eyes, Alex sat up and sighed. The search for the flower and Daven¡¯s antics were a good distraction from anything too important. On the edge of his awareness, he could almost sense the extra attributes and skills available beckoning him like a temptress whispering sweet nothings in his ear, but even thinking felt too much like undue effort for now. Unless something else popped up, he could worry about distributing his points after he had a good night¡¯s rest. It wouldn¡¯t do to make decisions like this when he was essentially running on a level up-inducing high. Cracking his neck, Alex shrugged and moved on to the next flowerbed. That¡¯s when something caught his attention. It wasn¡¯t the flower, unfortunately, but from the corner of his eyes, he saw something glimmering on the grass. A tanned white against green grass, and only a couple of feet away from where the Sage Treant died. A quick scan around the clearing showed the others doing their own thing. Diana crouched over a bush, Daven trying to explain what happened after the two second rankers were knocked out, making grandiose swipes of his arms and explosion sounds, while Cedric humored him and Valerian didn¡¯t even bother. Frowning, he stood to his full height. He lost sight of the thing as soon as he moved, the grass and the last specks of black dust getting in the way, but he was sure there was something there. Walking over, he knelt over the spot, and he couldn¡¯t help the sharp intake of breath that came to him once he pulled out the object half-buried in loose dirt. It was a dagger, a beautifully carved piece with vine engravings on its wooden hilt and a blade made of the same antler bone the Wooden Skeletons wielded. Fucking hell. Was that¡­ ¡°Is that¡­¡± Alex¡¯s head whipped up. Diana stood over him, her electric blue eyes curiously eating up the dagger. He cleared his throat. ¡°It sure seems like it.¡± By then the others had made their way over, Daven nearly bowling through him in his excitement. ¡°What does it do!?¡± the archer asked, his voice pitching high. Alex looked at him weirdly. ¡°You stick ¡®em with the pointy end, genius.¡± Standing a few feet behind them, Cedric snorted. Daven shook his head. ¡°I know that, obviously, but they say some loot can have¡­ blessings.¡± ¡°Blessings?¡± Alex¡¯s eyebrows climbed up. ¡°A blessing from the First,¡± Valerian said assuredly, and Alex had to bite down a quick retort. More like Second, in this case. He looked down at the dagger again, turning it over in his hands, eyes examining every inch of it, fingers tracing the furrowed carvings. The wood was incredibly smooth to the touch, as if it¡¯d been properly sanded and polished and oiled instead of being the droppings of a dead monster. When nothing stood out to him, he brought up his status page in hopes it would show him a glimpse of some hidden power in the blade. But there was nothing. No pop up about its properties, no notice of it being a reward. Alex shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve no idea. Looks like a normal dagger to me.¡± He flipped it over and offered it to them, handle first. Before anyone could take it, Cedric shook his head. ¡°Keep it,¡± he said, that genial smile he was so practiced in sliding easily onto his face. ¡°If what Daven just told us is true, then you deserve to have it more than anyone.¡± To the side, Valerian nodded in agreement. Looking at the siblings, Alex only got nods in response, even if Daven pouted and extracted a promise to let him try it out for a bit. So he shrugged and pocketed the dagger. He wasn''t nearly nice enough to dissuade them from giving him a free item.