The Last Experience Point

Chapter 140: The True Value of Items

Kalana crouched down, reached out with her arms, and around the neck of a little Elvish girl no older than five or six, she placed a friendship necklace manifested through magic by the Elvish Goddess, Eilea Vayra. With inquisitive, childish eyes, the girl looked up at Kalana, and then at the Goddess; her lips moved, but she said nothing. Her father, who stood beside her, used both of his hands to then gently—and expectantly—nudge her on the shoulder.

“What do you say to these two ladies?” he asked her.

“T-t-thank you,” she squeaked nervously.

“Thank you—what?”

“Thank you, Princess Kalana.” She bowed her head. “Thank you, Great Goddess.”

Kalana hugged the girl. “You’re welcome, cutie!”

With that, the girl’s father, who wore a green cloak, bowed gracefully and departed with his daughter, making room for the next in a long line of Elvish and non-Elvish visitors alike who were waiting patiently for their turn to meet the Goddess. At the moment, Kalana, along with her mother, the little human boy, Pete, Angelica, and even her dad, too, were more or less encircled with the Goddess in a guarded perimeter located in the mob-free zone of the Island of Elendroth.

As if to accompany the miracle of the Great Goddess’s return, none of her island’s periodic but brief storms had materialized so far today, and so the sky was a sunny, beautiful blue, casting golden rays of sunshine down on top of them all while the smell of cooking meat, baking bread, and even some sweets wafted on the air. It all served to put Kalana in a really happy mood. She finally got to be around the Goddess, and she was being super helpful, too!

Even dad looks happy.

The fact that dad had taken his place here was a relief but also a surprise. Given dad’s animosity, Kalana worried he’d neglect his responsibility and oathbound role as husband to the sworn queen, as it would have caused him to become scorned by all of Elvish kind. Thankfully, he seemed to understand that this was not something he could get out of, and to be honest, Kalana liked seeing her dad and her recently rediscovered mother at least managing to reside near one another without it causing a shouting match or violence to erupt between the two of them.

“Need something cold to drink, honey?” her father asked her.

“Nope, I’m fine.”

“You sure? It’s pretty damn hot out here.”

“I’m good, dad. Promise.”

Although the work of assisting her mother and the Goddess was hard—at least, socially speaking—it was really important, and she was so honored to be playing such a big role in it. And you know what else? Kalana was having lots of fun, too. She was energized by the overall festive atmosphere, finding it useful in helping to prevent her from becoming emotionally or outgoingly drained. This was good, because there sure were a whole lot of people who wanted an audience with the Elvish Goddess.

For her part, Kalana had been given the important formality of introducing them. Her job was to speak in an elevated but courteous voice and announce their name to Eilea before proceeding to announce Eilea’s name to them. At their current pace, however, it was pretty clear that this was going to be an all-day and possibly even all-night event—which was crazy when considering that it was totally unplanned and happened by surprise.

This whole thing had sort of just “come together” with no warning. Nobody—except maybe Zach—knew in advance that the Great Goddess was going to return today or even at all. Everything had to be improvised from the moment of her appearance. But, all things considered, it was mostly going smoothly so far. All around the mob-free zone, trays upon trays of delicious food were constantly being set down on impromptu tables staked into the grass. All of the food was prepared by the Elves themselves, much of it being made on large, charcoal barbeques that were not far from the seating area that had been erected in such a hurry. In a way, this kind of reminded Kalana of the camp that they’d set up prior to the Ziragoth raid—only without the tents or the fear of death.

Oh! Here come the humans, too. This is all gonna become even more hectic now.

Her mother, with permission from Eilea, had ratcheted up the stakes around an hour ago when she’d placed a diplomatic call inviting the high-ranking members of the various human guilds to visit the Elvish Goddess. Probably, mom was thinking that presenting an Elvish Great One to them would raise the diplomatic standing of the entire Elvish race. Given flight times and other factors, most weren’t expected to arrive until tomorrow evening at the earliest, but servants of the various guilds had been dispatched ahead of time to prepare, and the very first few—probably from the nearby Shores of Wrath—were beginning to trickle in; this meant that their current, “backyard-like” atmosphere was probably going to become a whole lot fancier by the time the humans got done doing their human-things to it in advance of the guild-members arriving.

Of course, not all the guilds would be sending representatives. Considering their current state of affairs, it wasn’t much of a surprise that the Guild of Gentlemen were neither invited nor willing to send so much as a single dignitary to attend; in light of what had happened to Peter V, that was probably a good thing. Kalana wasn’t too sure her mom wouldn’t do something really undiplomatic like decapitate whoever might’ve shown up. She was really, really upset about Peter's death.

I don’t wanna see anyone from that guild either, Kalana thought, curling her nose at the thought of those mean people stepping foot on their sacred hunting grounds. They declared war on us!

Anyways, with the political-guild humans on their way, her mother had ordered four of her high-level Elvish warriors to the southeast of the island a short while ago. Supposedly, there was some quest there that mom believed would make the invisible barrier around the island go away for three consecutive days. This would allow the helicopters carrying important guild members to land directly on a hastily made clearing a bit farther north set up specifically in anticipation of their arrival. Normally, coming here via air or boat required very careful navigation through a miniscule, difficult-to-find pocket that let small craft pass undamaged. Failure to do so meant crashing into the barrier, which in turn meant any level-1 humans aboard dying unnecessarily.

Everything that’s happening is ‘cause Zach brought her back to us, Kalana thought, amazed. I still can’t believe my baby brought the Elvish Goddess back to us. I just can’t believe it!

Kalana was so proud of Zach, who she cared about more than anyone else. Lately, she wondered if she told him that enough. Sometimes, she felt a bit guilty, because she knew she often spent too much time yapping at him whenever he was mean or did something that got on her nerves, and that was because he could be really mean and he did often get on her nerves! But Zach was also one of the best people Kalana had ever met, and she really needed to tell him that more often.

He saved me from the worst of my misery…

Almost four years ago, when Kalana had been relocated to the primary city of Whispery Woods with her dad, she’d found herself all alone in a new, strange world; she’d had no friends, no one to talk to, and to make it all worse, she’d still been badly reeling from several years’ worth of trauma: things that, even now, she only had the courage to really think about when Jascaila was around to help guide her. Back then, she’d been in a really bad place, plagued by nightmares every night and filled with a darkness that wouldn’t go away.

But then, one day, having shown up late for school, she’d carelessly bumped into Zach while rushing through the second-floor hallway on her way to class, causing her to drop her bag and empty all of her holobooks out onto the grimy, seldom-washed vinyl flooring. Even though Kalana had been the one at fault, it’d been Zach who apologized, bending down to help her retrieve her spilled belongings.

And just like that, she’d latched onto him. She’d become a total nuisance. She’d started following him everywhere he went, unable to stop herself. And then, a few months later, this became even easier because, through sheer coincidence, Zach and his dad moved into the apartment across the hall from her due to the price of rent increasing uptown. From that day on, she always sought him out. And a big part of this was because he allowed her. Even when he protested or called her annoying, she knew he never meant it. He always let her be near him. Gods, she’d liked him so much from the very beginning—even though it’d taken him years before he realized that he liked her too.

I loved him from the day he bumped into me, she thought, a warm feeling causing her toes to tingle as she thought about how much fun they’d had together these last two weeks. I wonder what he’s up to right now?

Kalana had been too busy to pay much mind to what he’d told her earlier: something about going with Jimmy through a dungeon to see Alex? Normally, that would’ve made her worry a bit, but the Great Goddess seemed capable of keeping tabs on him. And as if seeing Kalana’s concern for Zach popping up onto her face again, she once more offered some reassurance.

“They’re fine,” Eilea said, lowering her head and slightly closing her eyes.

“They are?” Kalana asked.

“Yes, I’d know pretty quickly if something ever happened to either of them, so there’s no reason for you to worry. They are both just fine.”

“Okay,” Kalana said, exhaling with relief. “Umm, are they with Alex?”

“I don’t think so: at least not yet. Let me see if I can find out more.” Her eyes narrowed as though deep in concentration, and for a few seconds, she was quiet. Then she turned her head off to her left in the direction of the ocean, staring at it blankly. “I found them,” she announced. “The boys, they are currently…hmm…it looks like, right now, they’re playing in one of the dungeons.”

Kalana rubbed her forehead and released a groan. “Really? I thought they were just gonna go talk to Alex. Figures they’d get bored and start messing around.” She sighed. “I’m sorry about that. I dunno why they’re wasting time when there’s so much going on here.”

Eilea again resumed her narrow-eyed look of concentration. “Well, I’m not sure if they’re actually trying to do anything more than pass through. It’s most likely the case that they’re just making their way slowly through the dungeon and it’s taking them some time.”

Angelica, who was the only non-Elf aside from Pete that was allowed to remain inside this tight-knit perimeter, seemed to stiffen somewhat, and she pouted. “This is all my fault,” she said. “Gahh! I should’a handled the situation better.”

Eilea placed her palm on Angelica’s shoulder. “It’s really not your fault, Angelica. I regret that Zach wasn’t allowed to speak to me directly, but even if he had been, I would’ve told him the same thing that you did. As much as I regret our limitations, you were correct in your assessment: no matter how small a favor it might’ve been, my worthless husband still would’ve objected to you portaling him to Slopes of Dal’Zarrah under those circumstances.”

Two audible gasps came from her mom and dad, and it reminded Kalana that they did not know everything that she knew, which was why hearing Eilea speak degradingly about Adamus, her husband, must’ve come as a shock to them. Even still, they asked no questions, and both of them probably thought it was just normal quarreling among the Gods. Kalana wished she could tell them more, but she knew she couldn’t. There was probably so much stuff they were confused about.

They don’t even know that Adamus and Eilea are the only two left, she thought, a nervous pit forming in her stomach as she was forced to grapple with such an uncomfortable truth. She decided not to let it bother her too much, though. She needed to just appreciate that the Great Goddess, Eilea Vayra, was still among them, and she was standing right next to her!

Glancing outwards at the perimeter of Elves, Eilea said, “I need to let it be known from this point on that if Zachys Calador ever needs to speak with me for any reason, no one shall bar him from doing so.” Somewhat more emotionally, she said, “I…I don’t want him to feel like I’m somehow off limits to him now, or that he’s being sidelined.”

Eilea’s words only seemed to further befuddle mom and dad, but they both nodded without question. Having become distracted by her thoughts, Kalana realized she hadn’t called the next in line, and people were starting to get anxious. She returned her attention to the list she’d been given containing the prioritized order of those wishing to see the Goddess, but before her eyes could find the next name to call, she was distracted yet again as Angelica frowned and became visibly anxious.

“Do ya know if Zach’s still angry with me?” Angelica asked, coming across as worried and a bit saddened. “He was annoyed that I wouldn’t take him to Slopes of Dal’Zarrah, and I hope he’s not too upset.”

“Can’t you see for yourself?” Kalana asked her curiously. “I thought you can see what’s going on around the world like Eilea can.”

Angelica smiled at her and raised her index finger, her expression briefly brightening. “I sure can! But only from my inn, Kalana. And even then, I can’t read emotions: just events.” Following that brief moment of cheerfulness, her glower returned, and she regarded Eilea. “So um, do you know if he’s upset with me?”

“If he is,” Eilea answered, “then I can’t imagine he’ll stay upset for long. It really wasn’t your fault, and I’m sure he knows that. But, if it’ll put your mind at ease, Angelica, I’ll see if I can find out.” With that, Eilea again lowered her head and briefly closed her eyes. “Right now, I cannot sense any ire towards you from him. It’s difficult to get an accurate read from this distance, but his mind seems oddly uncomplicated.”

“Uncomplicated?” Angelica asked.

“Yes. Typically, the mind is filled at all times with layers of complex emotions, both conscious and unconscious, and Zach is no exception to this—most of the time. But right now, I can only sense…I can only feel something that registers to me as…well, as ‘greed.’ Can this be right? All I feel is a strong, overwhelming sense of greed. I must not be getting a correct reading.”

Kalana sighed. “Nope, you definitely got it right,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Knowing my Zach, he probably either just found something really expensive in that dungeon, or uh, he’s daydreaming about loot.”

Eilea gave her an odd look as though Kalana’s words were unexpected. “Zach is greedy?” she asked.

Kalana returned her look with one of her own. The question took her by surprise. “You…you don’t know?”

“I’ve watched over him a great deal recently, but not on such a deep level that I’d know. Is he truly a greedy person?”

“Well, sometimes he is. He’s not always greedy, but whenever he does become that way, uh, he’s like really greedy. I can’t believe you dunno that.”

Eilea nodded. “For whatever reason, I simply have never felt this side of him until just now.”

“Oh. Well, umm, sometimes he can be a little greedy.” Kalana lowered her voice just a bit. “He better not be doing something bad or mean,” she grumbled. “What’s he up to, anyway? Can you find out?”

Her mother glared at her. “Kalana! Do not pester the Great Goddess with insipid, petty questions regarding such trivial concerns.”

Kalana opened her mouth to apologize, but Eilea waved her hand and spoke first. “It’s perfectly fine,” she said. “You and your daughter can ask me whatever it is you like, and if I’m able and permitted to answer it, I will.”

Following those words, she paused as if to consider Kalana’s question. Then she made a slight shake of her head. “I can’t really tell with any specificity what Zach is up to,” she continued. “The level of focus and attention required to hone my gaze to where I can clearly see his deeds is more than I can spare right now.”

“That’s all right,” Kalana said graciously. “Thank you for letting me know he’s okay.”

“Of course, young princess.”

Kalana smiled at the Great Goddess; distantly, she wondered what Zach could possibly be up to that would make it so that the only thing Eilea could sense from him was greed.

Maybe it’s nothing, she thought.

******

“—which is why if we start at five-hundred thousand a stone, and we let the political guilds and adventuring guilds get into a bidding war, we can probably capitalize on things very quickly before we go blabbering about Mushkie to everyone. Basically, you give me just a few days to sell our ‘merchandise,’ and then afterwards, we can reveal to the Explorers Brigade and everyone else that we found such an amazing—ahh, fuck! Another one!”

Zach dropped into a squat while simultaneously leaning backwards as a Sneering Imp Warrior that had been hidden in the shadows blasted forward, its wings buzzing. Annoyed and irritated, he watched as the creature made numerous zigzagging motions in the air before slicing its spear at his throat, missing him completely and flying directly past him. It then came around for a second strike, but this time, Zach managed to hop back to his feet, swing his blade upwards, and intercept its spear with his sword, the two weapons clashing above his head as it then flew off behind him for the second time.

“So, what was I saying?”

“Uh, you were talking about how we’re gonna make millions before we reveal Mushkie’s item shop,” Jimmy said.

“Oh, yeah. Right. Okay, so—fucking Gods damn these annoying things! One second!”

The Sneering Imp Warrior launched itself at Zach for the third time. Zach, following its motion the best he could in the scant light, bent his knees and stood at the ready on this faded, polished-stone flooring of what had thus far been an incredibly dark, shadowy, and tube-shaped hallway that rain straight across F29. To this point, the floor had been mostly unremarkable; it had consisted of a straight path through a damp, mossy-smelling passageway that contained irregularly located imp mobs that had jumped out at them when entering their aggro range. The first few times, it’d given Zach a scare, but he’d become accustomed to it pretty quickly.

Now, as the Sneering Imp Warrior flew until it was just an inch or two in front of him, it then dashed backwards in the air before once more bouncing itself forward while lifting its spear. Zach drew back his arms, ready to guard against its next strike. This time, however, rather than merely collide his weapon with the creature’s gilded spear, he realized that this was the perfect situation to try out his newest ability, the information of which was still hovering near the bottom of his vision from when he’d read it over a minute or two earlier.

As far as he was aware, it was the very first ability he’d ever acquired that was just an ordinary, non-unique, and non-legendary skill: one likely possessed by a number of sword-wielding adventurers. In fact, Zach was pretty sure he’d seen this very ability used by a few people during the dragon raid, but he’d decided to read it over anyway just to be safe.

Inner Ability

Halting Strike

Exertion Cost

Low-Moderate

Cooldown

60 seconds

Description

Stuns the first entity struck for a duration between 0.5 and 1.2 second(s) (T1 stun). Cannot be used on rock-based monsters or those that are incorporeal. Halting Strike has no effect if the user’s sword does not connect with a valid target, that target’s armor, or that target’s currently wielded weapon or shield. (ability must be used within 10 seconds of activation).

As the Sneering Imp Warrior released its twisted, demonic-sounding laugh and sliced its spear downwards at Zach, Zach activated Halting Strike. The moment of activation, the tiniest bit of darkness abated as his sword began to crackle with red, electric-like sparks, which were not particularly bright but still managed to cause a hint of reddish light to bounce onto the walls to both sides of him as well as the stone floor. From the base of the weapon up to the tip of the blade’s edge, these electrical tendrils now covered the entirety of his sword, which to his relief, he found to still be under his control. Unlike with Wave Slash or Phase Slash, it appeared this ability did not possess his body.

Swinging his sword upwards and outwards, a clang filled the previously quiet dungeon floor as his blade once more met the imp’s golden spear in a way similar to their previous clash only a moment prior. But this time, the mob did not simply fly off after Zach deflected its attack. Upon impact, the red tendrils bunched up at the very end of his blade, forming into a singular ball of plasma that then traveled up and along the imp’s spear before entering its body through its arms and causing it to immediately stop; now, it remained right where it was, hovering in place midair while its entire body began to randomly shoot off red sparks.

“Got you,” Zach said with a grin.

Given the stun’s short duration, Zach had no time to delay. He picked up his left foot, lurched his body forward, and then stomped that same foot back down again while twisting his hips and swinging his arms around, delivering a follow-up strike that not only cut off the imp’s entire jaw, but caused it—along with a splatter of blood—to stain the wall to his left.

26,400

HP

46,100/72,500

Name

Sneering Imp Warrior

Level

45

Zach, moving as quickly as he could, struck out again, whipping his sword in the opposite direction. And Gods, he came so close to delivering another powerful hit that he could actually feel the disappointment in his arms when his sword batted away nothing more than the empty air. The imp, recovering from the stun just in time, managed to slip by, zipping behind and over Zach’s shoulders; the imp then disappeared once more into the darkness behind him—but not before Jimmy threw his staff out, grunted, and from the tip of it, he unleashed one of his blueish, ball-shaped, and fist-sized projectiles, which moved even faster than the imp. The last sight Zach had of the creature—at least for the moment—was its forked tail vanishing into the shadows while a damage number—8005—made itself visible even amid the darkness, though it cast no illumination of its own.

“All right, I lost my train of thought again. What was I saying?”

Jimmy sighed. “You were going on about how we should wait a few days to tell everybody about Mushkie’s item shop.”

“Oh yeah! Right.” Zach nodded. “So, I agree it’d be really fucked up to just keep him a secret, especially after he begged us to tell everybody and whatnot. But look: if we could wait just a couple of days before we told everyone—only like three or four at the most—we would be able to sell all this shit we just bought at a real premium. We could even make different groups bid for it, too.”

Zach studied Jimmy’s expression—or tried to, at least. This floor was so damn dark that it was actually tough to see his reaction. “Well?” he asked. “What do you think?”

Jimmy took his left hand off his staff, raised it, and then pointed over Zach’s shoulder. “I think that mob’s coming back at you. That’s what I think.”

“That’s not a real answer,” Zach grunted while ducking down low at the exact same time. The mob returned, shooting overhead, its spear cutting the emptiness above. Zach pursued, springing forward, jumping into the air, and then taking a vicious downwards swing at the creature, narrowly missing for the second time what would’ve been a very powerful hit had it connected. A small click resounded as his feet touched down onto the stone, and he regarded Jimmy. “We need to start planning what we’re going to do. That’s all I’m trying to say. We have to move quick on this.”

Given such terrible lighting, it was very hard to tell if Zach was correctly seeing what looked like an irritated glare coming off Jimmy. Honestly, this had to be the darkest dungeon floor Zach had ever visited. Of course, he wasn’t counting the one he and Kal had fallen into in Whispery Woods because there was no reason to believe it had even been a dungeon floor in the first place.

Whatever it was, it had been pitch black, and it was only thanks to Kal’s ability that they had been able to see anything at all. On this floor, however, they did at least have some light, but it was a strange sort of lighting that couldn’t be “manipulated” via external sources.

Somehow, only the area around Zach and Jimmy happened to be lit. It was as though they were traveling with an invisible torch attached to their hips or something. Everything a few feet ahead of and behind them was always submerged in darkness. Obviously, one of the first things Zach had done upon entering F29 was try to use his phone’s flashlight to scout ahead for mobs; surprisingly, that didn’t seem to work on this floor. It was as though the darkness ate the light beyond a certain point. The light simply did not illuminate anything in either direction beyond a constant threshold.

Barely able to see the finer details on his face, Zach, for the second time, tried to make out Jimmy’s expression, and like before, he just couldn’t do it. Eventually, he gave up and decided to continue badgering him until he got an answer.

“Do you get what I’m saying?” Zach asked him. “We don’t want to keep Mushkie waiting, so we have to move fast.”

“How about we make it through this dungeon first and then we worry about all that later?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to figure out the details now?”

“Nah, not really,” Jimmy said, his voice now leaving no doubt that he was annoyed. “Zach, you got to stop thinking about money all the time. For real, that shit gets tired quick. Give it a rest.”

Zach frowned. “Sheesh. Sorry you hate money.”

“I don’t hate money, dude,” Jimmy said, shaking his head. “I just don’t let that shit consume my life. I’m trying to, you know, just enjoy being in this cool-as-hell dungeon, and you’re ruining the fun of it with your greedy-ass, me-me-me bullshit. Fuck out of here with that already. It’s enough!”

Surprised—and irked—by Jimmy’s sudden eruption of anger, Zach opened his mouth to respond with equal harshness, feeling defensive. Then he became literally defensive as the imp lunged at the two of them. First Zach, then Jimmy ducked as the Sneering Imp Warrior tried taking off both their heads with the same swing. As it tended to do, upon missing, it flew off and into the darkness. Jimmy tried to sneak in a hit on its retreat, releasing another of his blue orbs from the point of his staff, but this one missed and ended up causing a small crack in the wall a bit ahead of them.

Zach waited for the exact moment that the sound of its buzzing wings faded, and once it became inaudible, he snapped his head towards Jimmy, eager to verbally retaliate, his temper rising. Put simply, he really didn’t like the way Jimmy had just spoken to him and he certainly didn’t feel that what he’d said warranted such a harsh response. Yet, as Zach inhaled, ready to unleash a ferocious string of insult-laden expletives at Jimmy, he surprised himself by instead choosing at the last minute to be productive rather than reductive—as Jascaila had taught him to do.

“That was really harsh,” he said, his tone measured. “Jimmy, I don’t just care about myself—which is what I think you’re implying with that whole ‘me-me-me’ thing—and you should know that, because if it was true, I wouldn’t have fought assassins to protect you. And yeah, I’m not perfect: I got that. But it’s not right to make it seem like I’m some heartless prick. Also, if I pissed you off, it wasn’t my intention, and I apologize.”

Once again, Zach could not properly interpret the look on Jimmy’s face due to his inability to see it clearly. Even still, it appeared as though something was bothering him. A moment later, Zach discovered precisely what it was as Jimmy made a slight grunt and said, “All right, look. I didn’t wanna do this now, but since you clearly aren’t gonna drop it on your own, I’m just gonna be real with you and get it over with.” His gaze became stern. “Zach, I’m not selling any of the items we bought, and I don’t think you should sell any of yours, either.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yes! Everything we got is the kinda shit you’re gonna regret not carrying around. And I know you wanna make bank. I get you. I do. But it’s dumb. You’re gonna need these things. So, yeah, I was hoping to talk about it later, but that’s how it is, and I’m not willing to argue over it. Okay?”

Stunned, Zach asked, “Then why did you give me your gold to buy everything in the Weekly Haul shop if you weren’t expecting me to make us both a huge profit from it? If I keep all the items, how are you even expecting me to pay you back? Kalana?”

“Man, I don’t care if you pay me back. Do what you want with your items. I’m just saying you should keep them. I’m keeping mine. Anyways, I’m not mad, so it’s all good.”

With the mob having escaped yet again, an awkward, but very brief moment of silence fell over the two of them. Or at least it was awkward to Zach. It didn’t appear to be awkward for Jimmy, though, who continued on as though it had never happened, seemingly moving on from this whole conversation the instant the sound of buzzing returned from somewhere within the darkness.

“You sure you can’t just blast that guy to hell with that slash-thing you do?” Jimmy asked, clearly putting all of his focus on the dungeon. Zach noticed he was staring into the darkness in the direction the imp had flown, and he was staring intensely, too. It reminded Zach that, even though this floor had so far been significantly easier than the previous one, Jimmy was still taking it very seriously and was giving this dungeon his all.

He's confident but not in a carefree way, Zach thought as he learned more about his new friend’s behaviors and mannerisms.

Usually—at least in Zach’s experience—when people were boastful or overly confident about something, they tended to be susceptible to underestimating a situation. Not Jimmy, though. Something told Zach that he’d be just as attentive on the first floor of Yorna as he was on this, the 29th floor of Trials of Nolak.

“I can’t spare it,” Zach said. “I’m starting to run really low on time.”

At the cost of 20 seconds, he’d been comfortable with a single usage of Halting Strike, but even that had probably not been the best idea. Right now, he had just nine minutes and eight seconds left on his current duration of Unleashed Phase, and unless their luck changed soon, he was going to hit zero.

It's this damn darkness!

Because they couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of them, every encounter with mobs on this floor happened unexpectedly and in close range. This meant Jimmy could not use his area-of-effect poisons without risking the two of them getting caught up in it, which therefore meant he couldn’t call upon his stamina regen ability. And Zach, for his part, was having the absolute worst luck in proc’ing the stamina regeneration buff on his sword. He’d gotten it off every now and again, but not to the extent that it prevented his time from gradually declining. About thirty minutes in total had elapsed since they’d left Mushkie’s item shop, and it was now an open question as to whether or not he’d be able to continue having an active duration by the time they made it to what they assumed would be a boss on the next floor.

It no longer matters so much if I don’t, he thought. I guess, technically, we do have other options now.

As if the universe was conspiring to prove Jimmy correct, Zach was reminded that, right now, sitting in his Bank and Storage, were two copies of the same consumable item called Dungeon Escape Rope, which according to its description, would “relocate” the user to the “nearest main-world exit or entry point respective to their current dungeon floor.” This meant that, if for any reason it became clear that the way ahead was too dangerous to be worth the risk, all Zach needed to do was swing the rope three times and then throw it up into the air, and it would apparently take him back to Galterra.

Right now, he and Jimmy were on F29, and two floors prior to this, F27, was the one in which they’d arrived, its entry point being located in the Whispery Woods region: specifically, the basement-level boiler room in an abandoned school. Based off what Jascaila had told Zach, they’d again return to Galterra upon reaching F31, which would let out somewhere in Slopes of Dal’Zarrah. Assuming Zach understood the item’s information correctly, then whether or not he ended up back on F27 or in F31 would depend on whichever was closer to where he used the rope.

Since F28 likely served as the halfway point in terms of raw distance to both floors, whether or not the rope took him back to Whispery Woods or forward to Dal’Zarrah would depend on how far him and Jimmy made it into this current floor—which was impossible to know. Regardless, if it looked like taking on the boss would be too difficult, they could use their Dungeon Escape Rope right at the entrance to F30 and travel instantly to their destination or at least someplace safe.

Maybe I should keep some of these items after all. I don’t even really need the money, because if I sell my inn room, these items will be chump change compared to how much gold I’ll rake in just from that.

At any rate, Zach decided to just take Jimmy’s advice for the time being and worry about it later. For the moment, he refocused his attention on dealing with the Sneering Imp Warrior, which emerged from the darkness, came to an abrupt halt before Zach, lurched downwards, and then sprang back up with a rising, whooshing slice of its spear, which Zach had to guard by whipping his own sword directly down on top of it. Another loud ring filled the otherwise quiet dungeon floor, and then the imp once more sped away.

Zach, frustrated, was not willing to let it get away yet another time without paying a price. Leaping forward, Zach actually dived after it in a desperate attempt to punish the mob for being annoying. As his body was flung after it, he swung his sword as quickly as he could before plopping straight down onto his belly on the stone floor, and then he lifted his eyes to see if he’d done any damage.

Sadly, all he managed to do was slice off about half its forked tail, which didn’t even leave behind any blood and only ended up hitting it for 4,102. With that, the creature continued on its way—only to die an instant later as the rarest ability on Zach’s sword proc’d, filling his eyes with a pillar of pure blue flame that ignited into existence: one so dark it was almost black. This tremendous, fiery spectacle, which surrounded the mob and incinerated it so thoroughly that it did not even leave behind any ashes, dealt so much damage to the creature that Zach felt the air rushing out of his lungs as he gasped in surprise.

655,209

+18000xp

“Goddamn,” Jimmy said, and this time, there was no mistaking the expression on his face. Though the fire could not illuminate anything ahead or behind them beyond a certain point, it could light up the area directly around them, which it sure did, though it was a dark, eerie sort of light. Still, it was enough so that Zach could clearly make out the impressed-looking grin that Jimmy fired Zach as he playfully then elbowed him in the side. “What the hell was that? And why is this the first time you’re using it?”

Zach hopped up to his feet then shrugged. “It’s a proc on my sword. It actually only has a 0.5% chance of proc’ing, but it’s higher than that for me because of a ring I got off a boss on Kal’s island.”

Jimmy made a “whoop” sound. “Hell yeah. That was awesome. I’m guessing these things are weak to dark-type magic, too.”

“Makes sense,” Zach said. “Especially since they’re strong against light. Hey, I wonder if that means…wait, does that mean something’s always weak to the opposite element that it’s strong against?”

Jimmy shook his head. “Not always. A lot of the times it is, but sometimes it isn’t. At least based on what I’ve seen, anyway. I found out pretty quickly that this game doesn’t have any kind of steadfast rock-paper-scissor system like in Pokémon or whatever.”

“I see,” Zach whispered. More loudly, he said, “Jimmy, I understood about ten percent of that. Also, this isn’t a game. Remember?”

For some reason, this caused Jimmy to wince. “Some things are gonna be really hard to live without,” he said with a groan. He glanced at the world around him, shaking his head as he muttered under his breath that there was “just no way this can be real.” Zach decided not to interject. Although it seemed like a regression, Zach knew that everything was a process, including Jimmy’s acceptance, and there would be some moments more than others where he would struggle to accept that he was never going home again.

I wonder how I’d feel in his shoes, Zach thought, totally unable to imagine what something like that must’ve felt like.

With Jimmy by his side, the two of them pressed on, and for the next five minutes, they continued to make their way carefully down the long, straight, and tube-shaped passage. The lack of any enemy interactions during this time made things both simpler but also a bit more unsettling as well because Zach’s current duration of Unleashed Phase was now all the way down to a mere 3:51.

Finally, however, the scenery began to change, and it did so suddenly as though it occurred between footsteps. One moment, everything ahead of them was the purest and darkest black, and then the next, a dim, but still very noticeable light lit up what appeared to be a pathway that ran about fifty feet before resulting in even more darkness. Interestingly, this light was concentrated exclusively along the floor: it was as though the dungeon were rolling out a carpet made solely of its glow. Seeing this, Zach paused, looked at Jimmy, and then the two of them exchanged a mutual shrug, and with that, they both continued on.

“Let’s move a bit faster,” Zach said. “My time’s running short.”

“Yeah, good idea. I’m gonna be pissed if we have to rope out before I get to kill the boss.”

Figures that’s what he’s worried about, Zach thought. But I want to defeat the boss, too.

Moving quickly, they half-jogged, half-ran down the light-lined path, and then shortly before reaching the end of it, Jimmy held out his staff in front of Zach, which Zach took as an indication for him to stop. Yet before Zach could ask him why, Jimmy then extended his arm and pointed it forward. “You see it?” he asked. “Right over there.”

Zach looked where Jimmy indicated, and then he nodded. Up ahead, where the light and dark seemed to transition from one to the next, there were two vaguely rectangular shadows, one directly across from the next. Both silhouettes seemed to stretch upwards from the floor to a height slightly taller than Zach, with one hugging the left side of the wall and the other hugging the right.

“Those two shadows?” Zach asked. He craned his neck and saw Jimmy bow his head in the affirmative. “Okay, yeah, I see them. Barely, though. What about it?”

“They’re probably mobs,” Jimmy said.

“You think so?”

“Mhm. What else would they be? Bookshelves?”

Zach laughed. “Good point. Since we can see them, that means you can target and poison them, right?”

“Yup.”

“Good, because I really need—”

“The stamina buff, I know. Don’t worry, I got you.”

Jimmy stood up a bit straighter. Holding his staff with both hands, he raised it above himself, and Zach watched as, right after, a giant cloud of mist popped up at what he hoped would turn out to be the end of this passageway. An instant later, another, smaller cloud followed the first. Given the modest size of the area and the fact they were only dealing with what looked like two mobs, Jimmy only had to use each ability a single time. Due to the overall darkness, Zach couldn’t make out the color of each cloud-like puff of poison; both the green and the purple appeared to his eyes as a muted grey. In fact, he wasn’t so much as seeing them as he was seeing the way they caused the world up ahead to further darken.

Breathing heavily, Jimmy panted and said, “You’re up.”

With that, the two shadows began to move towards them, proving that Jimmy was correct in his assertion that these were mobs. And though Zach could not yet make out their forms, he could actually hear them as they approached. Right away, he knew that these were not the imps they’d been dealing with, as they did not make a laughing sound, but a weird sort of…Zach wasn’t sure what to call it. It was like a chuckle and a grunt, and it was very, very deep in pitch. It also made a disturbing echo, too.

“Zur-hur-hur-hur-hur-hur.”

Eventually, the two shadows had drawn near enough that Zach could finally make out their forms—and it was difficult not to find them off-putting. What emerged from the dark were two creatures that bore very little resemblance to the mobs they’d encountered so far. Far removed from the imps they’d encountered until now, the only two things these mobs had in common were their forked tails and dual horns protruding from their heads, though theirs were substantially larger than the imps had been. In fact, everything about these mobs was larger.

They look tough, Zach thought, preparing himself for a hard fight.

The two approaching monsters were wingless yet taller than Zach by about a foot at least, and they sported large, bulging muscles, toned abs, and massive forearms. Without a doubt, they were far more human in appearance than the imps had been. Their skin was a bright red in color, their eyes were large and glowed a radiant yellow, and their faces were considerably more expressive than the mobs they’d faced in here so far; in particular, it was their facial characteristics that, in Zach’s opinion, were their most defining features.

Along with their menacing, glowing eyes, there was a constant sneer on their mouths that made them appear like a lunatic about to release a bout of maniacal, hysterical laughter. They were sneering so hard it actually looked painful. With their lips pulled back, the mobs displayed two rows of pristine white teeth. Along with the strangeness of their smile, they were oddly dressed as well. Though their bellies, chests, and most of their legs were exposed, they wore metal shoulder guards and matching metallic boots. Outside of that, the only piece of clothing to be found was a pair of human-like black shorts.

Unlike other mobs, these ones moved with a bizarre slowness and with a casual stance, which saw their long-fingernailed hands remaining at their side as they strutted towards him and Jimmy. This naturally drew Zach’s attention to the weapon they had in a large scabbard attached to their back. Here, Zach noticed that they were each carrying a massive, two-handed sword, the blade of which did not look anything like steel. It actually resembled more of a glass with a strong reflection visible even in this low level of light, and the grip on the weapon seemed to be made of some kind of bronze material. Despite this, the swords appeared no less heavy.

Zach frowned. An ominous feeling came over him. Something about these two seemed different.

*****

“He’s where?” Angelica asked.

Angelica rarely shouted. Even when angry, she tended to stop just shy of a shout. For this reason, Kalana became really scared and worried and stuff when her name briefly flashed red, then yellow before returning to white. Even Eilea seemed to become alarmed, which of course only made Kal worry even more.

Kalana had been taking a little break, as her voice was becoming sore from having to do all the formal announcements. Promising everyone that they wouldn’t lose their spot in line, the crowd had dispersed for the time being, with most moving to join the other Elves in eating and drinking. Though the density had lessened, she was still encased in a protective perimeter—albeit a smaller one for the moment, and one of mom’s Elves had gone off to get them something to drink. It had been at this point, roughly fifty seconds ago, that Angelica had made a casual remark that turned into something far scarier.

“I wonder how much longer it’s gonna take Zach to get through Hamen’s Isle,” she mused aloud in a singsong voice.

“What’s that?” Kalana had asked her.

Angelica had smiled. “It’s a low-level dungeon in Whispery Woods that lets out in a water fountain right in Knights Boulevard near downtown Slopes of Dal’Zarrah.”

Kalana had tilted her head sideways as she’d thought over Angelica’s words. “Huh? That’s not the dungeon they went to.”

“It’s…not?”

“Nah-uh. Jascaila sent him to umm…I dunno, I forgot the name. Trials of something, I think Zach said.”

Angelica’s eyes had opened more widely, which had immediately sent a warning signal into Kalana’s brain that something wasn’t right. “Trials of Nolak?” she asked.

“Y-yeah,” Kalana said, beginning to panic even before she knew if such a reaction was warranted. “Why? Is that bad?”

Angelica looked at Eilea, and the fear in her eyes had spread immediately to Eilea, who pursed her lips and said something that Kalana had not been expecting. “Angelica, is there an issue here?”

Shouldn’t she be the first to know? Kalana wondered.

As if anticipating this question, Eilea said, “I’ve always been in charge of user relations. I myself only ever made two dungeons, and both were destroyed and removed due to failing to meet my husband’s standards of quality. For once, I can’t take issue with his judgement. I’ve never liked the dungeons. But…more to the point, is this a problem? I’m familiar with the dungeon in question. It used to be a very popular dungeon. I’ve never been there myself, of course, but going off memory alone, nothing about it strikes me as being particularly worrisome. Is there something I’m missing?”

“Yes!” Angelica blurted out, and with that, fear had truly gone racing straight into Kalana’s heart.

“Why?” both she, her mother, her father, Eilea, and even the little boy, Pete, had all asked at the same time.

“Do ya not know about the specifics, Eilea? Or what’s actually inside the dungeon?”

“No, and why should I?” she had asked, just the tiniest bit defensively. “Like I said, I’m not an expert in our bestiary or dungeons. I, like the Great Ones Zana and Tarshaz, was in charge of residing right here on Galterra, making myself accessible to the adventuring public and serving as an interface between their concerns and criticisms and the other System teams.”

“System?” both Fylwen and Eldora whispered at one another. Eilea ignored them.

Mom and dad both exchanged shocked glances; it was as if everything they were hearing was causing them to become confused and unsettled. Even still, Kalana doubted it was for the reasons they should have felt that way. Most likely, they were now fretting less over the content of what Eilea was saying, and more over whether or not they were worthy to hear her speak it. Kalana, on the other hand, was focused entirely on finding out why Angelica seemed so spooked.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. “What’s so bad about this dungeon?”

“On a fundamental level? Nothing’s wrong,” Angelica had explained. “But Trials of Nolak is a large-scale raiding dungeon. It’s a dungeon meant for parties of thirty or more adventurers, not two. In the old days, it used to be cleared constantly, so adventurers could make their way through it alone and unharmed on their way to the item shop. That, ya know, was its main draw. Every Monday after the dungeons reset, some guild would always run it first thing in the morning, and since the mobs there don’t have normal respawn timers, um, people would wait for the dungeon to be clear, and then it’d become one of the busiest dungeons in Galterra all week long. It got so bad at one point that Eilea snuck in a queuing system just to prevent impatient adventurers from killing each other to get ahead of the line.”

“You’re talking about Mushkie’s, yes? Now things are ringing a bell. Yes, I remember stealthily adding that. But my accursed, vile excuse for a husband removed it, claiming it was interfering. That aside, I still fail to see the cause for such alarm. I can feel that the boys are fine.”

Angelica again frowned. “I dunno what they’re up to, but they’re not gonna be fine for long. They won’t even make it past F28.”

Kalana shuddered. “Why not?” she asked at a whisper, mentally calculating how long it would take her to run to the Great Library if she swam—then sprinted—at full speed. But what about obstacles in her way? Could she get there without hurting anyone? Right now, her impulse was to get going before things worsened. And this impulse only became even more urgent as Angelica answered her question.

“On F28 alone, there’s all kinds of booby traps and deadly things set up. And then there’s this big boulder that, uh, if you don’t know it’s there, it’ll crush you to death. And even if you do, you have to solve a puzzle and then fight off a giant horde of enemies.” Her face lit up with pain. “They won’t make it past the very first floor that they arrive on.”

Kalana clutched her hand against her mouth, horrified. “No! Don’t say that!”

Angelica averted her gaze. “Even if they did make it past F28, they’re gonna get crushed on F29. But they won’t make it that far.”

Eilea, as though wanting to put an end to the discussion, lifted her palm and shook her head. “All right. Enough of this. I’ve heard enough.”

“But, Eilea,” Angelica began, “the boys won’t be able to—”

“Nonsense,” she interrupted. “Look. Everyone calm down and hear me on this: I did not go through the arduous, dangerous, and potentially world-destroying process of bringing Jimmy across time and space without having a very good reason for doing so. None of you seem to understand that what takes decades of first-hand experience for Galterrans to discover is something that comes to Jimmy as simple as breathing. Whatever dangers lurk in this dungeon, I’m devoutly certain the boy will sort it out or find a way to escape. If not, I wouldn’t have risked the destruction of our world to bring him here.”

Angelica exchanged a skeptical look with Eilea while mom and dad eyed one another a second time; during this, Kalana began turning away, ready to take off towards the dungeon. Had her mother not grabbed her wrist, she would have already been gone.

“Mom, I have to go,” she said, trying to yank away her hand.

“Trust in the Goddess,” her mother said.

“But—”

“Kalana! Do not second guess the Great Goddess’ word!”

Kalana lowered her voice, which had taken on a trembling quality. “I’m sorry…”

*****

As the two mobs pulled to within fifteen feet of him and Jimmy, both of the large, imposing, sneering, and demonic-looking creatures reached behind their backs and drew their weapons. Interestingly, though, they were still making their way at a very sluggish, relaxed pace. Since Jimmy had not cast his slow on them, this meant they were moving at their normal “pursuing” speed. Though clearly not sentient, it was still a display of confidence that made the muscles in Zach’s shoulders tighten with apprehension.

“Jimmy, I need the buff!” Zach said to him as the two mobs neared. Something about all this felt off. His internal sense of danger was skyrocketing. “Hurry!”

“Meh, I can’t yet,” Jimmy said, adding a shrug to his words.

“Wh-what? Why the hell not?”

“My bar’s not filled. These things are, like, really resistant to poison.”

Zach swore. “I thought that legendary passive of yours got around that?”

“What, Scourge of Giants? No, that’s only for the purpose of successfully landing the ability, not the damage it does—meaning if something has high resistance to poison, my poisons will still land for almost their full duration and can’t be resisted outright. It doesn’t mean they’ll do full damage.”

“Gods be damned,” Zach growled.

The proof that Jimmy was correct was right before his eyes. As the two creatures approached, they would occasionally make a minor flinching gesture and take anywhere between 400 to 720 damage before continuing on. It was an unusually low number—especially considering that the mobs had a whole lot of HP: so much so that, when Zach saw the number, he feared his heart would give out.

HP

2,108,870/2,110,000

Name

Death Harbinger A***

Level

52

HP

2,109,030/2,110,000

Name

Death Harbinger B***

Level

52

“Why is their HP so Gods-be-damned high?” he shouted, a nervous thudding coming from within his chest as he stared in disbelief at the two approaching mobs. Trying not to panic, he asked, “How long until your bar is filled? Jimmy!”

“I don’t know, man. Shit’s moving slow as hell.” Jimmy muttered something to himself about an “asterisk” then began to study the mobs with a strange calmness.

Zach, having no idea how it was possible for a level-52 mob to have over two-million HP, swore aloud a second time. “To hell with it.”

Wanting to get this over with, he dashed forward, meeting the two mobs head-on before they could cross their way over to him and Jimmy. As if welcoming this challenge, they made another of their weird laugh-grunts, and then they attacked first. Thankfully, they did not move as fast as the imp mobs had, and Zach was easily able to anticipate what came next. He filled with a very short-lasting confidence. In fact, for just this moment, he’d even had allowed himself to think he might be able to quickly tear through these two and proceed onwards.

Yeah…

Upon his approach, both mobs raised their glass-like, two-handed swords, and then both swung them Zach’s way at the same time. Zach, forcefully twisting his body first to his left, and then to his right while striking out defensively, crashed his own sword into Death Harbinger A’s, then B’s right after; the result was something that sounded more like two deep “clicks” rather than steel on steel. It also sent a considerable amount of shock into his wrists: far, far more than he’d expected. So much so that Zach felt his eyes widen with alarm, and he had to grit his teeth and squeeze his grip tighter to avoid losing control of his weapon.

My wrists, he thought, confused and awestruck. They hurt—badly. What the…?

Both mobs launched follow-up attacks immediately, and unlike their first round, which consisted of each of them striking the same way but from a different angle, this time, Death Harbinger A made three unexpectedly fast slices with his weapon: the first vertical, and the next two horizontal. At the same time, B made a somewhat longer, but even faster four-strike combination.

Zach stepped to the side to avoid A’s vertical slice, then ducked beneath the first attack from B. Then he flicked his sword about two more times, barely managing to guard against two more strikes, and following that, he leaned out of the way of the last strike from A while striking upwards defensively to protect himself from the final strike of B.

“Assholes,” he growled.

He retaliated, throwing his body around in a counter-clockwise direction and using the spinning movement to add force to his blow as he ripped his sword across and over the throat of Death Harbinger A. Though he connected and tore into the creature’s flesh, and though his efforts were rewarded with a spray of dark red blood, the creature did not even seem fazed, and its wound did not appear particularly deep.

3,421

Zach’s mouth fell open in shock. Was that all the damage he’d been able to do? Just 3,421? Had he somehow only grazed the creature without realizing he’d done so? Because he was pretty sure he’d landed a direct hit.

What the fuck? I definitely got it. I know I did.

Undeterred, Death Harbinger A merely pressed on as though shrugging off the attack; this, as a few more minor but noticeable spurts of blood trickled out of its open neck wound. Taking a swift step in Zach’s direction, it raised its sword and then delivered a daunting, chopping slash that looked to be coming in way too fast and way too powerfully for Zach to risk trying to guard against it. Zach was therefore forced to throw himself down towards the polished stone flooring with his body moving in the opposite direction. He then entered into a back-roll before hurriedly scrambling up to his feet as the other, B, dashed forward and took several very quick slashes at him with its own weapon.

These things are really tough!

Zach swung his sword to guard from the right. Click! Enormous shock jolted him, and it was a miracle he kept hold of his weapon. Yet he’d soon need another miracle as he subsequently whirled his blade to the left, resulting in another dull click, meeting a second strike with one of his own. B came in for a third attack, but now, it was aimed a bit lower as if intended to cut him open at the hip. Zach lunged his body to the right, then fully spun himself around the sword, maneuvering out of the way while unfortunately putting him squarely back in the sights of Death Harbinger A. With a neck still leaking blood, Harbinger A crashed his sword down on top of Zach while B dashed forward from behind, effectively sandwiching Zach in between the two of them.

I’m getting destroyed. What the fuck?

In two quick motions, one followed by the next, Zach raised his blade to guard against A’s attack, and at the same time, he lifted his leg and then shoved it behind himself, back-kicking B for 81 damage and effectively forcing it about five steps away. Then he was forced to grunt with exertion as he locked blades with A again. This time, “A” launched such a vicious, smashing strike that Zach croaked in horror as his sword was knocked cleanly out of his hands. The fight had only just begun, and already, he’d reached the point where he could no longer withstand the shock of guarding.

As his weapon flew off behind him, it was only due to Zach stumbling backwards in the same direction that he was coincidentally able to snatch it right back out of the air. Yet B was on him even as he was still stumbling. This was bad. Really bad. Zach was being overwhelmed. Twice more he ducked, having to drop back down the moment he straightened his back as B was really letting him have it.

“I…I don’t think I can beat these guys!” Zach shouted, flooding with alarm and doubt. “Jimmy, I…I don’t know if I can win!”

“Yeah, I don’t think so either,” Jimmy said calmly: incredibly calmly considering Zach was being absolutely thrashed right now and had no idea how to turn the tables to his advantage. These things felt like they were level 200, not 52!

“J-Jimmy!” he shouted again. “These things are way too—”

“Yeah, I know,” he said, still completely calm. Zach, whose wrists were now barely able to stay wrapped around the grip on his sword, began narrowly dodging their shredding, life-ending slices, spinning his body out of the way of two more flurries from each of the two mobs.

“You know what?” Jimmy asked. Having been pressed off to the side of him, Zach could see him tapping his chin with his left thumb as he spoke. “You see that asterisk near their name? I wasn’t sure at first, but now I am: these guys must be elites. Heh. Didn’t know you guys had that here. Kinda glad, though. Elite mobs are fun when you have the right comp. This must be a large-scale raiding dungeon.”

“What are you talking about?” Zach shouted, fighting for his very life. Yet things soon escalated, becoming even worse for him!

Up until now, there’d always been a fair and understandable distinction between different types of non-boss mobs. Melee mobs came in close with weapons, ranged ones fired at him from a distance, magic ones used magic, and healers healed. But now, however, the rules seemed to change. Immediately after ducking and twisting his body to evade three blazingly fast strikes from Death Harbinger B, Death Harbinger A halted in place as though it’d been rooted, seemingly giving up in its pursuit. Then it extended its two-handed sword, holding it straight out in front of itself.

“Zur-hur-hur-hur-hur-hur.”

The very tip of the glass-like blade began to glow. This glow soon turned into an orb of energy, one small enough to fit into the palm of the average-sized hand. But it began to grow, becoming larger and larger until it was the size of a balloon. It also began to shine more brightly with each moment, too. After just a few seconds, it also began to flash, causing a strobe-like effect that at last caused the entire tube-shaped passageway to light up: not just the immediate area, either, but all of it.

Uh-oh.

“Jimmy,” Zach whispered, swallowing nervously. “He’s gonna shoot that thing at me, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, obviously. Better get that shield thing ready.”

A buzzing sound filled the dungeon floor, but it was not like the buzz of an imp’s wings. Rather, it sounded more like that of a generator being fired up. And immediately after this sound, the muscular, dual-horned, red-skinned fiend made a flinching motion with its body, one that reminded Zach of the recoil he himself endured when using Phase Cannon only far more powerful. And with that, Zach saw this blinding white streak of energy blast off the sword, rip across the distance between him and Death Harbinger A, and all while moving so fast that it was nearly impossible to follow.

Despite already running badly low on time, Zach activated Phase Shield. It wasn’t even a choice, really. Honestly, what else would he do? Thankfully, as fast as the streak of burning light was moving, his Phase Shield appeared even faster ahead of it, emerging directly in front of Zach. And now, there was almost something of a battle of light, as this pure-white, flashing, strobing streak of energy contrasted with the emboldening, brilliant gold of his shield. The result was that half of F29 became seeped in gold, and the other in the flashing white light.

And then, just like that, it all came to an end. Zach had no idea how massive the explosion would have been if that attack had managed to land or strike somewhere nearby. He imagined it would’ve been pretty damn big, at any rate. Thankfully, he wouldn’t have to find out right now, as the energy was essentially erased from existence the exact moment it struck Zach’s Phase Shield. It was an instant. It didn’t even make a sound, either. The projectile simply slammed into the shield—and then it was gone.

About three seconds later, Zach raised his fist and wiped a streak of blood from his nose. His jaw hurt, his head hurt, and oddly enough, even his ribs hurt. Actually, it took a short moment before he was truly able to feel the extent of his pain, which worsened and then peaked after about another five seconds. And while it was not even a tenth as bad as the returned portion from a Ziragoth attack, Zach felt as though he’d just taken about fifteen punches from Spider all over his face and body. As far as injuries went, it was still on the lower end of the scale; nevertheless, if this was what constituted a “tiny percentage” of the power behind their attack, it meant that these things were way more powerful than a level-52 mob had any right to be.

“Fuck, I’m hurting everywhere,” Zach groaned, finding it difficult just to keep his weapon raised. He eventually had to remove his left hand from his blade and drop to one knee while clutching his ribs. “Gods be damned, I feel beaten up.”

For a moment, he grew fearful that he’d be cut down while in a position of weakness. But as he lifted his head and looked at the approaching mobs, he realized that neither of them was actually approaching anymore. Both were now remaining completely still, and yellow, cartoonish-looking stars were dancing up and out of the top of both of their horned heads. This meant Jimmy must’ve mezzed them a second or two ago, and somehow, Zach had missed it. Jimmy had likely been waiting for his poisons to expire so that they wouldn't break his mez.

I think my ribs are broken.

Jimmy, still tapping his chin, said, “Yeah, sorry, Zach, but we’re not getting past this part.” He sighed. “Honestly, it was pretty clear from the start that this dungeon isn’t meant for two people. But that’s not really the issue, though. Like I said, I can handle a raid dungeon. Problem for us, though, is that these two jokers can resist poison, so…yeah, looks like neither of us are taking them down.” Jimmy turned his head to Zach. “Don’t even worry about it though. We’re gonna come back here with a couple of GSG dudes or maybe some of Zephyr’s guys if we wanna take on that boss—which we do. No way I’m not coming back in a few days to get revenge.” Jimmy made a confident laugh. “Now that you showed me this dungeon, I’m gonna be spending so much time here.”

Zach, wobbling his way back up to his feet on unsteady legs, fell immediately back down as a pain exploded in his ribcage. “Ahh, fuck. It hurts! My passive HP regeneration isn’t working. Why?”

“You must’ve gotten hit too hard. Uh, I don’t think that works beyond a certain level of injury. Not sure what does or doesn’t get healed passively, especially since my constitution isn’t high enough to experience it.”

“Jimmy, I need a heal.”

“Yeah, that ain’t gonna work. You broke some bones or something,” he said. “I don’t have a heal that works on that.” Jimmy tapped his shoulder with his staff in a gesture that Zach realized a moment later was meant to imitate a backpack. “Use one of your red stones. You’ll be all right in like twenty seconds.”

Zach recoiled in disgust at the suggestion. “On second thought, it doesn’t hurt that bad after all.”

“Dude…”

“I’m fine!”

“Do you even realize your face is bruised, your nose is broken, and ya’ll got like two black eyes?”

Zach tried to stand up again, and Gods, it ached badly. He grimaced, then flashed a look of anger at Jimmy, who seemed to be chuckling while he cracked a muscle in his back and stretched. “Hey, man, don’t be mad at me. You’re being stubborn. Use the goddamn rejuvenation stone and stop being a loot hoarder.”

“I’m not a…ugh. Gods, this hurts so bad.” The pain was most intense when trying to breathe, and Zach knew he wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. With each flare of agony, the temptation to use one of his reds was growing.

“All right,” Jimmy said, sheathing his staff and clapping his hands twice. “We did really good today, but we got a lot to review before we come back here for more. But yeah, let’s get gone before my mez breaks. Here, catch.”

Zach, confused, extended his right hand, the motion itself causing his ribs to flare up in pain, and then he caught something in the air that Jimmy had thrown at him. It looked like a bundle of rope. He groaned and nearly fell over just from the pain that catching it caused him. “You want us to retreat?” Zach asked, shocked.

Jimmy nodded nonchalantly. “Yep, I’m calling for a retreat or else we’re gonna wipe. My poisons aren’t working, so I’m basically neutralized. And your shit’s about to run out too, right? And you can’t even move anymore. So, yeah, we have to B.”

“We have to what?”

“It means we have to go back. It’s from League of…ah, just…come on, let’s go see your friend. We’ll come back in like two days and finish what we started. Promise.”

Without waiting to even see if Zach agreed with his decision, Zach watched as he began spinning the loose end of his bundle of rope exactly three times before throwing it up at the ceiling almost as though it contained a grappling hook at the end of it. The moment his rope made contact with the ceiling, Jimmy then vanished—he simply vanished. His body became translucent like that of a ghost, but only for an instant, and then he was…gone. Zach, glaring angrily at the two mesmerized “elites” that’d gotten the best of him, decided to take out his anger by spitting at one of them; he watched as a glob of it struck one of them in the face.

This broke its mez.

“Zur-hur-hur-hur-hur-hur.”

“Oh shit!”

Hurriedly twirling his own rope around three times, he threw up his arm, causing the rope to fly upwards almost as though pulled by an invisible magnet; it continued to rise until the top of it touched the ceiling. And then the world went white an instant before Death Harbinger B slashed its blade right down on top of his wounded form.

****

“—which is why if you don’t let me go, mom, I swear, I’ll—”

“They’re back in Galterra!” Eilea announced suddenly, causing Kalana to immediately turn her head, along with her mother, her dad, Pete, and Angelica.

“The boys are all right?” Fylwen asked, having now become drawn in to the general sense of growing worry.

Eilea nodded, a self-satisfied smile on her lips. “I can sense them far more strongly now that we’re all back on the same planet.”

“But how did they make it out?” Kalana asked. “The way Angelica made things sound, umm, it shouldn’t have been possible for them to get through.”

Angelica chimed in immediately, looking just as relieved as Kalana was beginning to feel. “They must’ve found some rope,” she whispered. “From the…” A look of excitement crossed her features, and she spoke with a louder, more upbeat tone of voice. “I think Jimmy found the item shop, you guys! That’s the only thing that makes sense. It’s not really common knowledge anymore. I think Jimmy must’ve found it all on his own.” Angelica snickered. “Ah-ha! So that’s why Zach was feeling so greedy. He must’ve found the store.”

“The store?” Fylwen asked.

“Mushkie’s shop. I can’t really tell you guys too much because you don’t know it, and it’s against Adamus’s rules to tell you about things like that before you know them.”

“True but unfortunately so,” Eilea said in agreement. “In all likelihood, Angelica and I have already dispensed more information to you than we should have.”

Kalana’s ears twitched, and she curled her lips. “Wait, tell us, please. What store? It sounds so cool!”

Angelica winced at her question as though keeping the answer from her was painful. “I’m sorry, Kalana, but I can’t! You have to discover it on your own.”

“Oh, okay. I understand. Maybe I’ll find out later from—”

Kalana cut her words off as she felt a vibration coming from her pocket. Immediately, she pulled out her phone, and then she exhaled in relief as she saw it was Zach calling her. “Baby! Are you okay? Is everything all right?”

“Uh, yeah, of course it is. Why do you sound so freaked out?”

“It’s just…”

“It’s just what? I’m only calling to let you know we’re in Slopes of Dal’Zarrah in case you were worried. Sounds like you were. Anyways, I’ll call you again in—h-hey! Stop!” he shouted. “No, don’t! Don’t you dare!”

There was a sound of a struggle, and then a voice—Jimmy’s voice—came through over the phone’s speakers amid further sounds of scuffling.

“Hey, Kalana!” he shouted. “Just wanna let you know that me and Zach found an item shop that would benefit the entire civilized world, and your boyfriend’s trying to keep it a secret because his punk-ass is being greedy. He also has like 4 spare healing stones now and he wants to sell them before you find out. Haha, get fucked, Zach. That’s for screwing me out of the inn room.”

There were more sounds of struggle, and then Kalana heard Zach saying “Jimmy, you mother f—” before the call ended.

Kalana crossed her arms and frowned. “I knew it! That’s exactly the kinda thing I thought would’ve happened.” Clearing her throat, she shouted, “Umm, Donovan! Zephyr!” Across the distance, they turned her way. Lowering her voice, she said, “Mom, let them pass, please.”

Fylwen whispered something to a nearby Elf, who reverberated her orders further down the chain. Before long, both men approached, and each stood before her awkwardly yet appearing curious, too. Kalana decided to come straight out with it. “Okay, so umm, Zach just found an item shop that sells rejuvenation stones. Can you guys please spread the word? And also tell your adventuring friends that the Elves are willing to pay a fair price for as many as they can provide, ‘cause there’s a lot of really hurt people in Den of Ziragoth waiting for them.” Her tone saddened as she added, “There’s a little human boy with really badly burned skin, and he’s been on life support for weeks. I need to get him one of each as soon as I can.”

Donovan and Zephyr looked at each other as though floored. “Did you say an item shop that sells rejuvenation stones?” Zephyr asked.

“No fuckin’ way,” Donovan added. “Impossible. Those fuckers are harder to find than diamonds. You know what we have to go through to get our hands on ‘em?”

Kalana shook her head. “Nope. But I know they’re rare. So, will you guys help me? Pretty please?”

“Gods, of course!” Zephyr said. “It’s not just Den of Ziragoth who needs them. There are a lot of wounded and disfigured survivors from the nuclear bomb, too. Especially those who survived the radiation.”

Kalana bowed her head in thanks. “Thank you! Please let everybody know, okay?”

“Yeah, definitely,” Donovan said. “Who’d even want to keep something like that a…” Donovan chuckled heartily. “Oh, yeah. Right. Well, sucks to be him.” Scratching the stubble on his chin, he asked, “How do we get there? To this shop, I mean.”

Kalana twisted her lips. “I dunno yet. I’m gonna have to force Zach to—”

She paused again as her phone blooped. Glancing down at it, she couldn’t help but frown. She’d worked so hard to keep her number private from the public, and it seemed it had finally leaked—or wait. No. Taking a second glance, she realized it was from Jimmy on a number she didn’t recognize. He must’ve finally bought himself a phone and memorized the number from seeing it used by Zach. She was glad that he’d finally bought a phone. It was one of the things Jascaila had recommended he do, claiming it would help him “establish himself” here and ease the acceptance process.

She read over the message. “Oh, okay. This is umm, really detailed stuff. Awwh! His name’s Mushkie and he has a little umbrella!”

Donovan scratched his head with his gauntlet-covered hand, which was framed by black plate armor. “Huh?”

She held up the phone to him and Zephyr so that they could read it over. “No shit,” Donovan said with another grunt. “Dungeon Escape Rope, eh? Wish I had that shit on me during that tower raid last month, ain’t that right, Zeph?” He guffawed and slapped the shorter man on his side hard enough to make him wince.

“Yep. That’s a really nice discovery they made. I wonder what…uh oh. Zach is texting me,” Zephyr said, removing his own phone.

Kalana and Donovan both turned their heads in his direction. “What’s he saying?” she asked.

“Yeah, what’s the kid want?”

“Ehh, it’s mostly just death threats telling me to keep my mouth shut or else. They’re pretty good, actually. Check this one out, Don.” He held his phone up so that Donovan could see it, and Donovan nodded with approval.

“Wow,” he said. “Yeah, that’s a pretty good threat. I like how he managed to get asshole and intestines in the same threat. Anyway, how about we round up our guilds, buy some good booze, and liven Mushkie’s shop up a bit?” He made a mighty grin. “I wanna make a good first impression, after all.”

“Okay,” Zephyr said. “I’ll spread the—”

“Donovan and Zephyr not spill Zach special item store secret!” Fluffles shouted with a hiss as he dashed around two Elvish guards that tried to stop him. He leapt over a third and called lighting down on top of a fourth as he raced his way over to them. Despite his terrible behavior, he was so cute that Kalana couldn’t resist giving him a little chin scratch.

“Zach call Fluffles and tell him everything,” the cat said, meowing first from Kalana’s chin scratch then hissing at Donovan and Zephyr.

“Awwwh! Do you have a phone, Fluffles?”

“No,” the cat said with a meow. “Fluffles’ humans tell him everything.”

“Humans? Oh. Wait. Umm, let me guess! Rian and Lienne?” She didn’t even need him to answer to know that she’d guessed correctly, because just outside the perimeter of Elves, she’d seen both of them dive at Fluffles and extend their arms as if trying to stop him from coming over here.

“Sorry,” she heard Lienne shout in the distance. “We told him not to attack!”

Fluffles gave a pleased meow as Eilea bent down and patted his head. For a moment, it looked like he was the Godly being and she his servant; the cat lifted his head in such a dignified, cute, but arrogant way. “Hi there, beautiful,” she said.

“Oh, hi, Eilea Vayra,” Fluffles replied, purring.

“Hello,” she said again, smiling. “I’ve always loved cats.”

Fluffles turned around. “I going to visit Mushkie and buy all the Weekly Haul items and snacks. Nobody else allowed in Zach and Fluffles’ special store, or I attack.”

Before Kalana could say another word, he scampered off.

Did Zach really think that would work? she wondered, amused. She did have to admit that it was kind of adorable that Zach was constantly enlisting the help of Fluffles to run mischievous errands despite it never working out for him. Last week, he’d enlisted the cat’s help in covering up the fact that he’d accidentally broken one of Kalana’s kitchen drawers by pulling on it too hard. It failed, of course, because Fluffles ended up agreeing to betray him in exchange for two pieces of turkey.

Kalana felt both guilty and giddy as the information spread from adventurer to adventurer. Ding after ding came from the phones of many of them, though the information was also beginning to visibly spread by word of mouth, as evident from the excited reactions showing up on so many different faces. Before long, all of the adventurers who’d rushed over here to meet Eilea knew of the item shop, and since most active adventurers were here, it meant that nearly the entire adventuring community became aware of it at the same time. It was now far too late to stop the spread of information even if she'd wanted to. And though Kalana suspected that the Elves would be busy for at least a few more days in honor of Eilea's return, it wouldn’t be long before they too took a trip over there as well.

“Until today, I'd forgotten Mushkie even existed,” Angelica said, her voice coming across as reflective and distant. She spoke to no one in particular, and Kalana doubted anyone but her was even paying attention as Angelica mused over something that seemed a bit personal to her. Her name turned red, and it stayed that way for a good minute. “It sounds like Mushkie hasn't lost his mind yet. I'm glad. Some of the others already have. I hate Adamus so much. I want to be the one who kills him.”

Kalana wasn't sure what that was all about, but she decided to pretend she didn't hear it. It wasn't her place to pry.

*****

“There’s what now?” Alex asked, taking off his glasses and wiping the lens with the soft part of the front of his suit. His chief secretary, a man by the name of Dalin Poltark, stood at attention before Alex as he clarified what he’d described as an “evolving situation” taking place in the city.

“Two boys believed to be high-level guild members, Lord Oren. They’re ‘fighting’ with each other—though I use that term very loosely—in a shop on Dignity Ave. and 3rd St. that sells cellular phones and subscription services.”

“Fighting?” Alex asked, becoming alarmed. “How significant is this fighting?”

“Not particularly, sir. A poor choice of words on my part. Eh, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the two boys are roughhousing around, but I’m told they’re not being overtly violent, and they’re not believed to be a threat to public safety.”

“Has anyone been hurt?”

“I don’t believe so. The peacekeeper who reported this to me claims that they’re not behaving in a way that is outright illegal. It’s more that they’re simply causing a public disturbance, though not necessarily due to their behavior. The issue, as I’m led to understand, is that they’ve gathered a steadily growing crowd, and if this continues, it could evolve from a ‘crowd’ into a ‘public gathering’ before long. That’s really the concern here.”

Alex repeated Dalin’s words in his head, finding them confusing. He was still trying to ascertain exactly what was going on. Certainly, the possibility of a sporadic public gathering was always an important one to be dealt with, as all public gatherings required advanced notice so that an appropriate number of peacekeepers could be assigned to maintain public safety and pubic order. But before Alex worried about that side of things, he needed to better understand the situation.

“Let’s back up a moment,” he said. “You’re telling me there are two boys in Slopes of Dal’Zarrah believed to be guild members, and so far, they’ve not behaved violently, threatened our citizens, or destroyed public or private property, correct?”

“That is correct, my lord,” he said. Then he held up a finger. “Ah, well, with one minor exception, but I don’t believe it rises to the level of—”

“Tell me,” Alex said.

“Of course, my lord. To be clear, this is not yet being considered an emergency, and no one has been harmed, but the boys apparently knocked over a glass display case while roughhousing, though early indications are that this was not intentional. Furthermore, these two unknown youths apologized and are even cooperating with the peacekeepers sent to investigate, which we’re taking as a sign of their non-hostility. Though, an officer did report to me that one of the boys offered both him and the store owner a bribe.”

“A…bribe?”

“Yes, Lord Oren. The young man offered five times what the merchandise was worth to, quote, ‘not tell Kalana I did that,’ end quote. He then offered the peacekeeper a sum of ten-thousand gold coins not to, quote, ‘tell Kalana I tried to illegally buy someone’s silence with a bribe,’ end quote. A third officer has regrettably been relieved of duty for accepting the bribe.”

Alex sighed. “So, we’ve established one of them is Zachys Calador.”

Dalin’s lips parted as though in surprise. “That’s actually what some of the witnesses claim to believe, Lord Oren. It’s also the cause of the growing crowd due to Sir Calador’s celebrity status. But since we’ve not yet verified it, I’ve omitted it from my report as it has not even graduated past the stage of rumor and speculation.”

“By any chance, is the other young male someone of a similar or slightly older age, a few inches taller in height, with dark skin, black hair, and armed with a staff on his back?”

“Yes! How can you possibly…?”

Alex got up from his office chair. “Please go with the first bouquet of flowers that we discussed for the Orcish queen. She’ll like those colors. If you’ll excuse me, I have to step out for a moment.”