Stanley was tired, so very tired. The day had started well enough and then quickly devolved into a massive battle between Lairs. Caffeine had been hurt. People had died, to protect him… and he'd sworn to see them rewarded. "I should have spread out the Core gathering over a few days…" Stanley thought . "But then again, the way things have been going, they might not have had a few days. Better that I got them all ranked up already." That way if they died now, it wasn't his fault… "I really need to sleep."

The problem was that he kept remembering waking up that morning… to pain, surrounded by fear and death. "I will Not be afraid of sleeping!" He had enough problems without adding more. "I am more powerful than ever, I'm safe with Caffeine here watching over me. Caffeine is fine." He was at Nate's base, Nate and company were all around him, packing up and getting ready to move into the tower the next day since both groups had decided to join forces. Apparently enough people had died in the Tower and now it wasn't overcrowded anymore. "Hurray…"

Stanley finally gave up on trying to sleep with his racing mind and opened his eyes. It was dark, too dark. And quiet… "Where did everyone go?" Shadows moved in the darkness around him and Stanley shot up into the air… or tried to. He couldn't move! "No! I am not that tired!" The ground shook against his back and the shadows grew darker overhead. "Where is Caff!" Footsteps thumped, clicked, scratched and scraped. "I am not helpless anymore!" Skeletal hands clawed out from the darkness, sank into his chest, digging into his Soul. "I have power!" Suckered tentacles wrapped around his neck and squeezed. "I'll kill you all!" Claws ran slowly through his flesh, leaving burning lines of fire behind them. "I Will Kill You!" But he couldn't move… his power was gone, his body too weak. "No!" Hot blood dripped on his face, then splashed, rained, and poured over him, smothering, drowning… "I… no…"

Golden light bloomed as the sun rose above the horizon. Shadows melted under the light, vanishing and blowing away like smoke in the wind. The darkness overhead lit up into the bright blue of a summer sky. The looming shadows became tall evergreen pines that swayed and rustled gently in the warm breeze. Birds sang their sweet songs from all around. The sunshine bathed him in its warmth and Stanley relaxed under the light. No… It wasn't the sun, it was a brightly glowing, golden pug… "Caff!" The pug walked up next to him and curled up with his head on Stanley's chest. "It was a dream… a nightmare."

The realization of that fact sent the dreamscape slipping away, but the warm light remained with him as the Souls reappeared in his senses, all spread around him. "Thanks, Zeke," Stanley murmured as sat up slowly, his arms wrapping around and cradling the pug in his arms. "Good boy, Caff."

"No problem!" Zeke sounded happy, in voice and Soul as Stanley opened his eyes.

The sky was dark above them but the glow coming from Zeke's ability lit up the surroundings in a golden dome of light that allowed Stanley to see the boy clearly. Which meant he could see the small cuts all over his clothes, dark stains around them. "I hurt him…" Stanley thought, looking at the lines of blood on Zeke's face, the skin underneath unblemished. "But he healed…"

"Don't worry about it," Zeke smiled, reading his mind, "after sparring with Nate I didn't even feel it." And from what Stanley could feel from his Soul, the kid meant it.

Eve was next to her brother, her own skin and clothes showing similar signs of damage. She was angry, but not like Stanley expected, not angry at him. She was glaring at something that he couldn't see, likely a Notification.

"Alright," Nate's voice rang out nearby. "Looks like the free Vitality and Soul training is over, back to work! We need to be ready at first light tomorrow!"

"Nice joke…" There was a wide gap in the crowd of people circling around him, but Stanley saw more than a few people spread out in that open gap, closer to him. A lot of them started to get up or move back from the edge of that circle and out of the golden light, many of them putting clothing back on over the shredded scraps they had been wearing. Others slumped or collapsed onto their backs, breathing heavily.

"Were they really using my nightmare to train?" Stanley asked no one in particular.

"Why not?" Nate strolled over, blood on his face and plenty of gashes in his clothes. "Lots of us need more Soul points, though you'll need to step it up a notch to raise my Vitality a meaningful amount these days."

Stanley fell back over to sprawl on the ground and closed his eyes since he could still 'see' them easily enough. "You're a lunatic, Nate."

"Hey, I would've kept it going but I think we were about to start taking emotional damage from Caffeine's crying." Caffeine whined up at the man and Nate squatted down as he pulled a hunk of chicken out from behind his back. "Plus, I felt that things were about to escalate…" he said more quietly as he tossed pieces of chicken to Caffeine.

"Did I hurt Caffeine?" Stanley whispered, horrified.

"No, no," Nate said quickly, "Caffeine seemed immune to whatever you were doing. I think he was just worried about you."

Stanley felt slightly better as he gently petted the pug lying on his chest. "Why would you even suggest something like that?" Stanley shook his head, Nate really was crazy. "Plus how were you getting Soul points from that? I fixed my Soul Wound… And how long did I sleep?"

"Dunno," Nate shrugged, "Maybe an hour or two. As for why I would suggest this, it's simple, I want everyone to get stronger."

"I could have killed someone!" Stanley hissed emphatically and as quietly as possible.

"I don't think you were actually attacking anyone…" Nate said slowly, "I think it was just your Soul?" He glanced questioningly up at Eve and she nodded in agreement.

"It was. I know that feeling…" Eve sounded troubled as her voice trailed off.

"Everyone who could endure the pressure, at least for a short while, gained points in Soul and the softer people gained Vitality as well. What about you two?" Nate asked the siblings.

"Four Soul and two Vitality," Zeke said, smiling.

"Two Soul and three Vitality." Eve didn't smile.

"See!" Nate said, "It was stronger the closer we got and these two were rocking it, standing right there the whole time." Zeke beamed at the praise but Eve just kept frowning. "Plus with Zeke here, all of the little cuts were healed instantly."

"What if I 'had' attacked someone?" Stanley really didn't want to wake up from a nightmare and find out that he'd cut everyone in half…

Nate tapped the side of his head. "Intuition, remember? Don't worry, I was careful. I saw an opportunity and took it." He sat down next to Stanley and Caffeine crawled into his lap to get closer to the chicken that Nate was doling out in tiny bites. "It helped to shift the fear into something more useful and productive. Most of the people here rarely see you. You show up like a storm, do something crazy powerful and leave. Then you come back even stronger, wreck up the place and leave again to go kill a Raid Leader. Come back even more terrifying and…"

"Yea, yea," Stanley cut him off, "I'm super scary."

"But you can also be an inspiration as well," Nate said and Zeke nodded in agreement.

"I… I think I'd rather be feared," Stanley muttered under his breath, but even as he listened to the Souls around him, there wasn't much fear. A little sure, but mostly he felt only fatigue and resolve.

Nate laughed. "You are!" He leaned in closer. "But it's more than that, they've seen you bloodied and wounded, heard your Soul screaming in agony, and yet you always come back, always get stronger. It gives people hope that despite all of the pain and horror that they have experienced, all the nightmares that plague them, they can still rise above it and keep fighting, just like you."

"I told you," Eve said, "we are all fucked up… you're just a lot… louder about it."

Nate chuckled. "That's a good explanation. I think it even helps some of them to know that the monster in our midst has nightmares too."

Stanley only lay on the ground with his eyes closed and muttered under his breath about crazy bastards.

"So… going to get some more sleep, Stanley?" Nate asked.

"No," Stanley grumbled. "Hopefully what I already got will be enough if I meditate…" Stanley sighed and sat back up. "Anything else?"

Nate shook his head and patted Stanley on the shoulder. "Get some rest."

Stanley let his Skill take him away as the others moved off and Caffeine climbed into his lap. "So now my Soul is attacking people." He assumed it had something to do with his new Evolution. "All the little cuts… is that because I'm always 'cutting' everything? So much so that my Soul does it in my sleep?" Stanley let those thoughts slide away, something to talk to Marie about but no point in worrying now. Now was the time to rest.

His [Soul Meditation] claimed to reduce his need for Sleep, but he had yet to really test it. "Guess I'll find out now." Stanley watched the Souls around him as his body rested, his mental touch reaching easily out around him, much further than before. "I've been sleeping better lately, but I guess it was only a reprieve… Although I really hoped that my new Skill would help my mind more than that…" Stanley looked again at his latest Class Skill.

[Mental Fortress(Initiate I)](Epic)

A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Leave Undefended. Protect and Strengthen your Mind inside a Mental Fortress.

Greatly Increases Defense Against Mental Attacks or Intrusions. Anything Attempting to Touch Your Mind, Must First Breach the Fortress.

"Guess it can't defend me from the enemy within…" Stanley grumbled. It had been a long shot that it would help with his mental stability, but all the other options had been things that he felt could be replicated with [Mind Over Matter]. He had never been mentally attacked yet, that he knew of, and wasn't sure how to even start defending from something like that, hence his choice. The strangest part of the Skill though, had been the so-called Fortress. Stanley had expected a castle or something of the like, instead he got what looked like… an apartment building. "How is that a Fortress?"

Stanley put it aside, again, and tried to think restful thoughts. It did feel like his body could be refreshed by this, but he wasn't sure how his mind would rest since it literally had to be active to keep the Skill going. He knew that humans died if they didn't sleep for long enough, though… calling himself human now was a bit up for debate, despite what his Status said. "Maybe the energy that I'm circulating is removing the toxins that build up in the brain. Or maybe it doesn't matter because magic is a thing now." Stanley's rumination was interrupted by a new notification.

You Do Not Hold Full Dominion over your Twin-Soul. All Involved Parties must Agree.

He might have flinched if he wasn't meditating but Stanley was deep in his calm place and remained unbothered, mostly. He did notice something different though, a strong feeling of anxiety, and not his own. "Relax Lee, I'm not going to deny you and I really hope this is because you are ranking up to D." He Agreed.

New Trait: [We Are Three]

-1 Twin-Soul

"What the…" Stanley didn't like that but Lee did, he liked it very, very much. Stanley held off on his judgment as their Soul started to shift and an image or impression of something loomed within… or nearby, outside it?

It was a building… "Seriously?" Stanley wouldn't have thought too much of what he was seeing, except… "That looks like exactly the building in my Mental Fortress Skill… How?" He pulled up the new Trait, hoping for clarification.

[We Are Three]

What was Once Only a Part of Two, has been given a chance to Become Three.

You have Sacrificed and Gifted your Creation with a Spark of Your Twin-Soul, and with it, True Life, Freedom, Choice, and Will.

Your Creation, Built from Your Twin-Soul, has Begun to Awaken. Nurture It and Help It Grow. Protect It and Watch It Thrive. Give It More Sparks of Your Twin-Soul and See It Understand.

Twin-Soul Losses Variable and Dependent on Growth Rate of [Three].

"That… doesn't really explain much," Stanley grumbled. "Lee did say that he was building a home… apparently by creating a living building… Named Three… Go big or go home, right Lee?" It did kind of explain why his mental Fortress was an apartment building, sorta. "Is it because my Mind is partially within my Soul now?" That was the only thing he could think of. Obviously the building was related to their Soul if it was taking pieces of said Soul for itself.

As for how good or bad this was? "Lee really wanted it, so I'm in. Good work brother!" All he knew about his brother's class was that it used some kind of magic symbols that he suspected also used Soul somehow. "We did both start with a unique and larger than average Soul… and he used those symbols to hold our Soul together… so maybe that is how he created this, Three… that, plus the Source." Lee had never criticized him for that first night, for almost killing them and making them old, not that they got to talk much since then, but still. "Of course, I would have died without it, so…"

Stanley didn't really mind the cost, he wanted Lee to do whatever it took to survive and get stronger. Stanley would keep making their Soul stronger, as he had been doing for a while now, and together they would make it through. He had made his own choices that very morning after all, and gained a new Trait in his own bid to get stronger.

[Mental Soul]

You have Chosen Mind and Soul over Flesh. Your Flesh is Becoming Nothing More than a Reservoir of Power for Your Mind.

-90% Effectiveness of All Physical Attributes.

+90% Effectiveness of All Mental Attributes.

+25% of All Mental Attributes added to Twin-Soul Strength and Durability.

+200% Psionic Power.

+400% Psionic Energy Pool.

"I really went all in on Mental now… and Soul." Stanley worried about his choice, just a little bit, but he also was pleased with it. "If I met that Raid Leader now, I would rip it into pieces, no problem." The jump in power at D Rank had been significant and not just for him. Almost everyone that had ranked up today, had made similarly large leaps in power. And despite that, Stanley was sure that he was still stronger than all of them, except maybe Walter… and then only because he wasn't sure what exactly the man could do inside his Domain.

The most pleasing part of it all, was that Stanley's gamble of going all in on Psionic, had paid off. Plus he now had his Soul sheltering some of his Mind and if he could make that effect stronger than his choice would have no down sides. Theoretically.

Now they just needed to find the Undead… and before one of them ranked up to C… After the jump at D, Stanley was very nervous about what the next Rank would look like. "We need to end it already." And that was the plan. He would scour the Dungeon, in a grid search pattern if necessary, find where they were hiding and then Humanity would do what they had always done so terribly well.

Go to War.

But that was for tomorrow, tonight he needed to rest.

Stanley spent the night alternating between thinking about killing all of the Undead and finally escaping this place, and then practicing the mindfulness techniques that Marie had tried to teach him when he started getting too worked up. Not the most productive use of his resting time, but he did also work with his [Soul Awareness] to increase their Twin-Soul Attribute and hopefully the meditation would still refresh him. He had no idea what time it was or when morning was approaching from inside [Soul Meditation], but once more and more of the Souls around him started moving, Stanley figured it must be getting close, especially when Caffeine dashed away towards the cook.

The sun was just about to peek over the horizon when he opened his eyes to the organized chaos. Stanley felt mostly okay after his night of meditation and he got himself some food but otherwise stayed out of the mess. He was only here to carry the non-combatants and whatever luggage couldn't be left behind or carried. The packing up for moving day was somebody else's problem, and good riddance. Stanley always hated moving, of course it would be the easiest thing in the world for him now…

Nate had things well in hand though and the sun wasn't much further up before they were ready to go. Truck trailers were loaded up and Stanley picked them up easily. Four dry box vans for luggage and people that either didn't want to or couldn't make the trek on foot and were afraid of heights. There was also one flatbed trailer which most of the kids decided to ride, as well as some of the adults that enjoyed the flying. Stanley managed to get the teleporting kid, whom they had finally learned was named Adam, to settle down by putting Caffeine on the flatbed and that got most of the other children to climb on as well. 'Adam' still wasn't talking but one of the other children who had appeared with him, had claimed that was his name.

Stanley started out slower than necessary, staying above the forces on the ground. Most of the people here didn't know it, but this excursion had a secondary objective, as bait. All of Nate's top people were in the know, as well as the best in the Tower. Daryl and Adrian were supposed to be on standby with their own forces today, waiting and watching for a signal in case the Undead made a move.

But nothing showed.

A few of the stronger, or dumber, animals made attempts on the small army, but Stanley saw most of the wildlife simply get out of their way. He also noticed that the Wolves were trailing behind the Humans, at a good distance but following nonetheless. "Are they following Caff or Zeke?" Stanley knew that the wolf leader was highly intelligent, on par with humans at least… "Hell, she is probably smarter than a lot of humans." So it could be that she understood that Zeke was moving and the Purified area might go with him. But whether that would happen, Stanley didn't know. Zeke's aura had gotten a lot stronger when he ranked up to D, even just watching from above Stanley could have sworn that the rotting and twisted flora was visibly recovering as he passed.

At the halfway point, Stanley started the second part of operation 'Bait the Undead'. "We're close enough, Nate. I'm going on ahead." Stanley flew away from the army beneath him when he could see the Tower from his higher vantage and headed almost straight towards it. He stayed above land as much as possible, crossing the rivers quickly in case he needed to set down in a hurry, and his newly empowered Mind was on full alert. Stanley pushed his senses far enough out that it actually started to slowly drain his reserves as he flew. He also noticed that Sam, the leader from the stadium, had shown up. Stanley could pick up her rather noticeable, bright purple Soul on a skyscraper rooftop along his route. "Adrian must have been able to find her."

Stanley hadn't really wanted to agree to this idea, but he was reasonably confident that he could hold off more than one Raid Leader for the short amount of time needed for both armies to get to him, or for him to get to the Tower. In the worst case scenario, Caffeine was with the children, the teleporter could and probably would help, at least from what Zeke had told of the previous attack, and Stanley could and would kill every last undead he laid eyes on!

Still, nothing attacked them.

Stanley could feel the anxiously waiting Souls behind and ahead as he went. It was possible that the Undead could see that too… He was pretty sure that at least one or more of them had the [Soul Sight] ability that he had gotten from killing the first Raid Leader, which was why they tried to minimize the number of people who knew about the trap, but he didn't know if the Skill worked the same for him as it did for them.

His own [Soul Awareness] gave him much more useful information than the older Skill, but maybe it was just his lack of understanding. They could even have [Soul Awareness] as well, and Stanley was very sure that they had some kind of Soul Shield Skill like he did, or better. They could hide entire armies of Undead after all. "Or they have something like Walter…" The man had made that room for Stanley that blocked him from detecting Souls. "Could be a base somewhere, underground most likely, just chock full of Undead armies… I could have flown right past them and never noticed."

Stanley arrived at the Tower unaccosted and disgorged his passengers while watching for any sign that Nate's group would be attacked. Once again, he was disappointed, and a tiny bit relieved… "Show yourselves again, I dare you. You may have left me with some scars, but two of you are dead and I'm still here. I am strong enough now and I will kill you all!" Though he had felt the same way after E Rank… "No. This time I Know I'm strong enough!" Stanley remembered all too well just how strong that thing had been.

Stanley waited for the last stragglers of Nate's group to go inside and finally went in himself. The whole trip had taken maybe an hour or so, benifits of people being able to run faster than a car now, and him carrying anyone who couldn't do that. Immediately upon entering the Tower, Stanley could feel Walter's Domain wrap around him and resisted the urge to force it away.

Yet even as he did, he felt the pressure ease up and pull back slightly. "Thanks Walter," Stanley muttered, knowing the man would hear him. Ever since Walter's Rank up, Stanley had felt an annoying constraint while inside the Tower, like something was squeezing him. He was fairly confident that it was his Soul conflicting somehow with the Domain. "I am still a resident, so why…" Stanley let it go. It didn't actually hurt him and it was only an irritant that he could live with.

Caffeine sprinted away as soon as they were inside and Stanley moved slowly after him, listening to the Souls all around and observing the repairs that were being done at an astonishing rate. He hadn't really paid attention the day before, busy collecting Cores and all, but he thought he remembered Walter saying something about engineers or crafters that would be helping. Whatever or whomever he'd found was working hard. It didn't hurt that they had magic to help with the construction.

Along the way he passed Kira and her group, still only the four of them, heading down. "No undead then?" Kira asked.

Stanley shook his head. "Nothing showed. You going hunting?" When she nodded, Stanley added, "Remember, if you see any undead…"

"Yea, yea," she said, "come back and report the location." She waved as they continued down and outside.

"Don't die…" Stanley thought silently, watching them as they left until they slipped out of his range. All of them were dealing with the very recent loss and Stanley hoped that the ranking up had helped. But he still worried about Kira, she was taking it the hardest and reminded him of himself not that long ago. "She has friends around to watch out for her." Stanley hoped that would be enough, but he would try to keep an eye on her… "Damn it! Now I'm getting attached to more people…"

They 'had' saved his life… or at least saved Walter and perhaps everyone else in the Tower. Also saved Caffeine from more pain. Stanley twitched as his imagination showed him a vision of waking up in the tower, the building full of nothing but monsters and dead humans, Caffeine standing over him… bleeding… "Fuck!" He stopped moving to take some slow breaths and calm down. "That didn't happen! But I do owe them more… Damn it! I can handle worrying about them, it is a lighter pain to suffer… than what could have been."

He moved faster and found Caffeine in the almost deserted ballroom, or more specifically the kitchen adjacent to the ballroom. "Of course." Stanley smiled, his dour mood lifting, when Caffeine burst through the double doors with big fish in his mouth and was immediately followed by the cook. She yelled cheerfully at the large pug and chased him around the ballroom at an impressive pace, until Caffeine jumped through a large gap in the wall reconstruction and vanished outside. The long drop to the ground did not slow Caffeine down at all and he escaped with his prize.

The cook slid to a stop and smiled widely. "Hi Stan! Any trouble on the way here?"

"They didn't show." Stanley shook his head.

"You hungry? We got more than fish now." She held up a hand and started ticking off on her fingers. "Crab, lobster, squid, clams, and some bird I don't know."

"I'll take something to go, whatever's good," Stanley told her, "I'm going out again in a bit."

She brandished a large knife and pointed it at him. "I'm cooking, it's all good!"

Stanley held up his hands. "I just never really ate much seafood before…"

"Weird bird it is then!" She vanished back into the kitchen right before Caffeine came out of the stairwell and crept up to the swinging double doors to sniff underneath.

"Come on Caff," Stanley called the dog, "Lets go check in with the others and you can play with your girlfriend."

Halfway up, Stanley dropped from his usual cross-legged flying posture and started walking. It was another strange effect after ranking up, his new Trait drastically reduced his physical abilities, and yet he had never felt physically stronger than this, ever. His Strength should be effectively ten but it still felt like he was far beyond any Olympic athlete from before. He was curious what it felt like for people like Nate, obviously there was some kind of automatic adjustment being made in their minds. Stanley could knock his head on the ceiling with no effort, and there were probably people that went the opposite route to him in regards to Attributes and Traits. Without something helping those folks adapt, they would be destroying the building just by walking around.

They passed more than a few people going up and down the stairs, Caffeine politely checking each of them out for potential snacks and pets. Stanley knew that Walter could probably listen to and transport everyone in the building at once, if he wanted to but maybe these people didn't know that, or maybe Walter didn't want to be bothered and so kept his actual power unspoken.

Most of the people didn't recognize Stanley and he was very glad for that, though he did get some odd looks when a few of them noticed that the lights dimmed as he passed. Stanley didn't know how Walter made the lights work and just chalked it up to 'Magic' but he assumed the dimming was because of his Soul and Walter's easing up of his Domain around him. "I bet he could make the elevators work…" Stanley mused idly as he walked, not that anyone actually needed them…

Caffeine stopped, sniffed at the air and darted out of the stairwell before they reached the top. Stanley followed him, recognizing one of the Souls on this floor. "Guess he wants to say hi to her?" Stanley thought. "I should probably check in as well…" His nightmares returning again had been an unpleasant surprise and was still bothering him, plus his worries about Kira… "Marie did say to expect the nightmares… and not let it discourage me." Stanley followed the pug into an apartment with a number of people inside, just as one of the bedroom doors opened and Marie came out behind another woman that Stanley didn't know.

"We'll talk tomorrow Sara," Marie said to the other woman, "I'll have Walter let you know what time, okay?"

"Yes, thank you." She didn't look at any of the other people in the room as she left.

Stanley tried not to feel the pain coming from the departing woman, but he still picked up too much through his Soul shield. "Hi Marie, got a minute?"

"Um," Marie glanced at the two other people sitting in her living room while Caffeine pawed at her leg.

Stanley felt her hesitation, "Oh, right. She has other patients." He took a step back. "Nevermind, I'll come back. Just let Walter know…"

An older gentleman stood up quickly from the couch. "Please Mister, go ahead! I don't mind waiting."

Stanley almost flinched at what he felt from the man and he put extra effort into his Soul shield. Obviously he'd been recognized and not in a good way, not completely at least. The man was scared of him, but also extremely grateful at the same time. Stanley hated that. "I'll come back." He turned to leave. Feeling that gratitude so clearly and strongly… It felt like an obligation, like a responsibility to care for and preserve this man. He didn't want to care for or about anymore people. How many of them would die? How many would he fail to save? He didn't need anymore…

"Please, I insist!" the man begged.

"That's very kind of you Sébastien," Marie said.

Stanley stopped and sighed quietly. "Thanks," he murmured and didn't look at the man as he followed Marie inside her 'office'.

There was another young woman inside the room and Marie spoke to her as they entered. "Miss Rawley, this is Stanley. Stanley, this is Emily Rawley, my Apprentice." She turned back to the Apprentice. "Would you excuse us, please." The young woman also recognized him and left in a hurry. Marie settled in and smiled at him as he took a seat across from her, Caffeine climbing into his lap. "Stanley, you didn't like what just happened out there," she stated in her soothing doctor voice, "Would you like to talk about it?"

He would not like to. "I had the nightmare again last night." Stanley changed the subject and felt a tiny flash of guilt from her when he mentioned the nightmare.

She must have noticed him noticing and he felt the guilt reappear and shift into resolve. "Stanley, I have a bit of a confession to make," she said softly, "I was helping you sleep the last few nights that you were in the Tower and that is very likely why the nightmares stopped." She smiled sadly at him, but he still felt some nervousness from her.

"Don't be nervous," Stanley said with a sigh. He was disappointed, yes, but only because he now knew that he hadn't improved as much as he'd hoped. "Honestly, I really appreciate it, sleep was something that I needed. Badly." He frowned. "But why not just tell me?"

Marie quickly explained her theory on his resistance, as well as Walter's worries. "It might have been slightly unethical, but… well the world has changed somewhat and I had to tell you now because…" She looked apologetic. "I'm afraid that I can no longer help you sleep." Stanley wanted to protest that he really didn't mind but she held up a hand. "It's not that I won't, but I can't. You have gotten stronger and while your mind fought me before, now it is an unyielding wall. My Skills just bounce right…" Her eyes unfocused. "It leveled up…"

Stanley rubbed Caffeine's belly and told her about his newest Skill, the likely culprit that was stopping her. "But feel free to use your Skills on me as much as you like," he added. "Especially if it helps them level, hell it might even help mine level too." He tried very hard not to regret his choice, now that he knew the cost meant more nightmares. Marie was still as good as ever at reading people, or maybe just him, and she picked up on his reaction.

They talked and Stanley tried to focus on her suggestions and advice, but he couldn't forget that he'd cut the line and taken someone else's place. It really didn't help that he could feel the man's Soul just on the other side of the wall and the man was happy… he wasn't upset or annoyed at the delay, he was just happy that he'd found a way to help. "I don't need your damn…"

Marie was looking at him, in that way she did so well… She didn't say anything but Stanley could feel the question, or maybe just the invitation. "Damn she's good." He sighed and told her what was bugging him.

"Do you feel that you don't need any help, or that you don't deserve his gratitude?"

"I…" Stanley faltered, searching for… "I don't…" Marie waited patiently for him and Stanley realized what was really gnawing at him. "It was always me and my brother against the world," he said quietly. "We learned early on that people were not to be trusted, they would lie, cheat, and steal to get what they wanted. But we had each other, we didn't need other people, and didn't need to risk trusting anyone else. But now I…"

Stanley thought about his [Soul Awareness] Skill, an ability that literally let him see into people's Souls. "Now I can see… their Souls… and we were right about a lot of people, they are bastards. But some…"

Stanley could 'see' Zeke's golden Soul higher in the tower. The boy didn't have a selfish bone in his body… he'd been through nightmares that left him wounded, but all he wanted to do was help other people. Zeke didn't want power or recognition and was at his happiest when relieving the suffering of others. He only wanted to get stronger so that he could literally help more people at once…

Eve wasn't so noble, she was more… 'normal' and yet even her selfishness was driven by her fierce protectiveness and love for her little brother. How could Stanley fault her for being almost exactly like himself.

"I… have started to care about people… more and more of them…" He stared down at Caffeine but didn't see him. "...and I'm scared…" He swallowed. "...I'm scared that they will die… and how much it will hurt if I care…" Stanley laughed bitterly. "Is that selfish?"

"Trying to avoid pain is natural," Marie said, "but we have to be careful that in the process we don't end up avoiding all the things that give our lives purpose and meaning." Marie glanced down at the pug in his lap. "You care very deeply for Caffeine," she said, "and you have feared for his life many times. Would you trade the time you've spent with him to avoid the risk and pain of losing him in the future?"

Stanley didn't answer her, he didn't need to, obviously he wouldn't make that trade! But that didn't make his fear any less powerful. "I understand… and I think I already knew that, but it fucking sucks!"

Marie smiled. "I could quote you some philosophical wisdom about life being all the sweeter for its brevity, but I think you wouldn't appreciate it. So instead I will say, yes, it does suck sometimes."

They talked only a bit longer, as Stanley was feeling the pressure to get back out there and keep improving. Before he left though, Stanley asked about Kira and whether Marie had spoken with her yet.

"She has not come to see me yet." Marie seemed concerned about that. "I would appreciate it if you could keep an eye on her in the meantime…"

Stanley sighed but nodded. "I was planning to anyway, I owe her… I owe all of them."

Marie smiled at him. "If it helps to think of it that way, then go ahead, just remember what…"

"I got it." Stanley held up his hands. "I'll remember… and what about those two women I brought back from the…" He didn't want to say it but Marie understood and her Soul told him that it was bad news.

"One of them is doing well and I have high hopes for her recovery. The other… did not survive."

"Oh, was it the attack yesterday?" Stanley asked softly.

"No…" Marie hesitated and Stanley knew she wasn't telling him something when he felt worry and fear from her.

"What happened?" he demanded, "Did someone…"

Marie held up a hand to stop him. "That ability of yours is cheating…" She sighed sadly and continued, "I'm sorry Stanley, she… she killed herself a couple days after you brought her here."

"Oh…" Stanley could feel her worry for him and he let out his own sigh. It sucked but… "Relax. I almost killed them both when I found them… what they went through, I can't even imagine…" Stanley stopped that train of thought and forced out a smile. "Thanks for helping them… and me, I… really appreciate it. Now I have to go kill some stuff in my never ending quest for power." She didn't seem to appreciate his joke but only nodded and told him to be careful. Like she'd said, it was a changed world…

Stanley did stop on the way out, while Caffeine got some pets from Marie, to speak with the old man. "Thank you," Stanley said to him, "I really needed that, so thanks for letting me cut the line, I really appreciate it." He may have laid it on a bit thick but the man's face lit up, along with his Soul.

"My pleasure Sir! Happy that I could help!"

"Please," Stanley said, "don't call me sir, it makes me feel even older, just Stanley is fine."

That got a chuckle from the obviously older man. "Of course, Stanley. I'm Sébastien, us old timers gotta stick together."

Stanley smiled at the misunderstanding but didn't bother to correct him. "That we do." Caffeine came out of the room and got some more pets from Sébastien before they left. Stanley walked slowly down the hall as he listened to Sébastien's Soul behind them. The man hadn't gone in there just to chat, his Soul was as troubled and despairing as the rest of them, but for those brief moments he had been free of that weight. What was it that Lee said that time? "What's the point in them being happy now if they're going to be sad later?" Stanley remembered his brother quoting that from somewhere and it seemed to fit here. "The answer is of course, because they are going to be sad later."

He smiled down at the pug who was looking up at him worriedly. "I love you Caff. You're a good boy!" Caffeine dropped into a bow before sprinting down the hallway towards the stairs, he slid to a stop before the door and sprinted back past Stanley. He did that a few times before sliding to a stop and staring at Stanley in anticipation. Stanley leaned forward slowly and watched Caffeine tense up in preparation to bolt. "I'm gonna get you…" He felt only a few Souls in the stairwell. "Should be fine." Stanley lunged forwards and Caffeine bolted.

[Still Mind of the Psionic Beast] Activated.

Time slowed and Stanley saw the pug land on the wall inside the stairwell, before springing off to the side. He followed the dog, Moving himself as fast as possible after Caffeine. Stanley entered the stairwell and Caffeine was already two flights up, bounding from Wall to Wall in an ascending spiral. "Let's see if you can keep up." Stanley Moved himself straight up, slipping through the narrow gap in the middle of the stairwell. Lights flickered ahead and the few Souls in his path vanished as Stanley passed the pug and left him behind. "Too slow…" Caffeine sped up.

Stanley conceded the race when he reached the top floor and Caffeine was already sprinting excited circles around Princess in the next room. "You are truly my greatest ally." Stanley thought with a strange… feeling. "My Soul is interfering again." He couldn't seem to stop the smile from forming on his face as he flew slowly into the room where everyone was gathered. "I am safe here." Stanley also 'liked' what he was feeling…

[Still Mind of the Psionic Beast] Deactivated.

"Is that the first time unfeeling me chose to stop the skill?" Stanley thought in surprise, but he shook it off and looked at the gathered people. He was still smiling and let himself enjoy the moment. "It is okay to be happy now and not worry about what the future will bring…"

Daryl was talking. "...crafting supplies back after the hunters finish."

Eve glanced over at him and was immediately wary. "What are you smiling about?" she demanded angrily. "Are you the one shaking the building?"

"Oops…" Stanley kept smiling though. "Just checking in before I head back out," Stanley said to the room at large. "If you don't need me for anything…" Caffeine was still sprinting around Princess, trying to get her to chase him, but she remained sitting aloof with only her lashing tails betraying her.

"Actually," Nate said with a look at Zeke and Eve, "I was going to suggest that you start hunting with a team." Stanley opened his mouth to object but Nate carried on, "I know you don't need them to collect the Cores, but if you do find the Undead…" He glanced back at Zeke. "With Adrian's Fire here, as well as Walter, we don't need Zeke to keep the Miasma away."

Stanley closed his mouth and tried to think rationally about it. Unless he planned to run away from them, Zeke's light burning the Undead could only help his own power destroy them… "I'm fine with that… but later today." He ignored the visions his imagination supplied, of dead and dying… "I'm going out over the water first and I don't want to worry about dropping people into the ocean." Nate was obviously about to ask why, so Stanley continued, "There are some Humans out there, I'm guessing on islands. I'll bring them back and then we can go hunting." He finished with a look at an excited Zeke.

"Fair enough," Nate said, glancing around at the others for additional input. When no one else objected, he added, "I'll pick out a few more of the promising people to go with you."

A few minutes later, and after picking up his food from the kitchen, Stanley flew out over the ocean for the first time. He didn't like it, and Caffeine seemed even more unhappy about the idea. The mostly opaque water below was teeming with Souls, many, many D ranks and even more E ranks. Though nothing close to the squid lobster that had attacked the tower… "I think that was what I sensed in the water way back… or else something bigger learned to hide its Soul."

Stanley stopped above a large number of D ranks that felt more muted than the rest. "Is there a Lair down there?" He floated closer to the water. "The Undead could be hiding in the ocean, I'll have to search down there eventually…" He dropped under the surface.

Two things happened as his mind forced a bubble of air to accompany him under the surface. First Caffeine tried to climb onto his shoulders and then every E Rank nearby bolted the moment his power touched the water.

The sudden and coordinated movements, of the mostly large groups, were obviously schools of fish that must have detected him somehow. Stanley hugged the worried pug close and worked his way slowly deeper, his mind having a bit more trouble taking in his surroundings underwater.

Stanley took his time to get used to the new experience and did remember learning something once upon a time about diving, air pressure and the bends. But he didn't worry about it for long, the air around him was not being pressurized, he wouldn't let it. Stanley did keep an eye on his energy levels though, just in case the probably magic water came with magic water pressure.

It turned out to be a negligible drain by the time he reached the Lair, a sunken ship on the ocean floor, or at least it had been once upon a time, now it was only in the shape of one. What he assumed had once been metal was now coral, or maybe just magic rocks like the bat Lair skyscraper had been turning into. Stanley sent his mind into the Lair while stroking the trembling pug in his lap. "It's okay, Caff. I'll be quick," he murmured as he touched the first of the increasingly agitated… sharks? Stanley killed it and kept going.

More and more Lairs had reached the D Ranks and with that change, many of the monsters would now detect his mind even when he didn't physically enter. Whether it was caused by his Soul being more connected to his Mind, or simply the monsters being more aware of foreign energy intrusions, Stanley didn't know. So he didn't try to be fancy anymore, no killing entire rooms or Lairs at once, now he killed them as soon as he touched them. He didn't want to give them a chance to use any potentially dangerous Skills or suddenly lead a charge outside when he was distracted. Just kill, kill, kill. "I bet I could kill and scoop up those entire schools of fish if we needed food…"

The sharks actually did try to rally a charge outside… but the single entrance and exit was already under Stanley's power. They only died faster, which worked for him. He killed them one after the other until the rush ended and Stanley felt the 'Queen' surrender. He didn't see a notification, not actually being in the Lair, but he felt her Soul change as the defeat was acknowledged and she stayed in place above the cloud of tiny Souls that must be her eggs. He also saw the Core appear just inside the entry to the Lair.

"Fair enough," Stanley thought, he was already an ecological disaster, no need to completely wipe out whatever kind of shark had claimed the Lair. He did take all the Cores though, and then shot back above the water. "See, Caff? It wasn't so bad." The trembling pug only stared down nervously at the ocean while Stanley absorbed the Cores. "All mine, everyone can hunt for themselves now." He gained a decent haul from the D ranks and one oddity from the surrender.

[Great White Chomp](Rare)

Bite hard, Bite fast, Eat well.

Requires: Race[Shark Variant](N/A)

"Sounds perfect for you Caff, if you had Adaptable." He held it in front of the still nervous dog and Caffeine sniffed at it distractedly and ate it! "Or maybe you don't need Adaptable!" He checked Caffeine's status and was surprised to see the new Skill was there. "Maybe the Mana Drain didn't work because he really doesn't have Mana? Or he just didn't want it?"

Whatever the reason, Stanley chuckled and headed towards his original destination as he gave Caffeine lots of pets and kisses. "You know, I bet you could run right over the water, Caff. You move fast enough for it if you weren't so afraid of getting wet, of course I bet Nate could too…" He would have to get the man to try it, just to see the display.

His destination was a smallish island further out, one with Human Souls occupying it and surrounded by lots of hostile Souls. The Humans didn't seem too worried about the hostiles and Stanley could feel the monsters dying somewhat regularly. "No big rush." Though the Humans were all E Rank, by his estimation of their Souls at least, while the monsters attacking them were more D than E. "Just a little rush."

Stanley figured out how they were surviving once he got a good look at the island. It must have been some kind of military installation, with a few squat bunkers the only structures visible from the outside. As he descended and his mind was able to reach inside, Stanley could see a plethora of tunnels and underground facilities beneath the ground.

"Is that gunshots?" Stanley could 'see' the men, and women, most of them holding what sure looked and sounded like a gun. Obviously a magical gun from the way the projectiles were impacting on the crustaceans climbing out of the water from every direction. Then some of the monsters started turning back and running away, likely in reaction to them noticing Stanley's power. "You're not leaving with my Cores…"

Cut

Silence slowly descended on the island as the men inside realized that all of the monsters were dead and finally stopped shooting. Stanley caught a few of the bullets while he waited, just to check how powerful they were. "Decent… for only E ranks." He could hear voices shouting and Caffeine started huffing in reply. Stanley waited for someone to come out for the Cores but no one did.

A man sprinted down one of the tunnels and into the bunker that Stanley was hovering over. "Report!" Stanley heard the barked word clearly.

"Everything is dead. Looks like they were cut in half, no visual on what did that, no visual on more incoming."

"Roger!" The runner sprinted away and Stanley watched him until he stopped in one of the underground rooms between the bunkers, with a few people waiting inside. Another runner arrived shortly after him, from the other direction. Stanley couldn't hear what was being said, but he was guessing that he must have found some actual soldiers. He was tracing the tunnels and looking for a door, when the people in the room started moving again. Most of them headed towards the bunker underneath Stanley with one running towards the more distant bunker.

Stanley followed that one and finally realized that all of the soldiers in the other bunker were facing his direction. "I guess they saw me?" He was kinda exposed just hovering there. Stanley could feel a bit of curiosity from them, with a large amount of focused and deadly attention. "Definitely soldiers."

"Hello?" A voice shouted from below him. "Are you Human?"

"Negative," Stanley smiled and shouted back. "I am a meat popsicle."

"What the fuck?" someone muttered quietly and Stanley waited through the confusion while Caffeine started trying to jump down, until someone else said more quietly, "Multi-pass?"

"Greetings fellow earthlings!" Stanley said loudly as he floated very slowly and obviously over the side of the bunker and down where they could see him through the narrow gunports. "I come in peace?"

He did keep a strong shield in front of him and was glad for the caution when a whole lot of barrels pointed at him. Though guns just didn't feel as threatening after all that he'd seen… Caffeine barked at them. "Oh, this is Caffeine," Stanley added. "If you shoot at him, I will cut all of your guns in half like I did the monsters." That only made them more nervous, for some reason.

"You are on restricted military property! State your…" a voice started demanding.

"Dude!" another voice cut in, "has the rest of the world gone to shit out there?"

"Corporal!" the first voice shouted.

"Sir, he is obviously human and obviously has magic powers like the rest of us. There's a pug sitting in his lap!"

"Corporal, that is Classified…" he stopped talking and sighed. "Why are you here?" he asked Stanley.

"I've got bad news for you," Stanley said, "this is not a special magic island, and the rest of the world has indeed gone to shit. Well, at least Boston has…" He held his hand palm up and started pulling the Cores to himself. "I came out here for these…" He felt more than a few of them flinch as the Cores came zipping into his hand. "...and to take all of you back with me."

"Take us back?" the same voice, obviously some kind of officer, rose above a chorus of other comments. "Are you threatening…"

Stanley stopped listening. There was another island out here, further away, and he'd just felt one of the Souls there scream out in pain, and fade away… "Someone died." He dropped the Cores and snapped, "Pack your shit, I'll be back!" Their response went unheard as Stanley Moved.

[Still Mind of the Psionic Beast] Activated.

More of the same types of monsters were at the other island, attacking and swarming up the mostly dirt walls. A lot of them were pouring through a collapsed section of the wall. "More weakling humans, only one D Rank on the island." Stanley was already cutting down the sea creatures as he approached, and he killed the birds flocking above as well. He stopped above what he thought had once been a school gymnasium and relaxed his mental acceleration.

The screams of the Humans took a bit of time to stop, especially when the bloody seagull pieces started raining down around them. Stanley relaxed and checked his energy levels while he pulled all the Cores to himself. "To the killers go the spoils." The lone D Rank was inside the building and Stanley was curious why the man hadn't been helping. His Soul didn't feel like he'd been wounded… Someone spotted one of the flying Cores and followed its trajectory up to Stanley, his shout brought more eyes and Caffeine barked a greeting and jumped free to go say hello. Stanley let the pug go as he absorbed the Cores and watched the now moving D Rank.

"What is going on out here?" the man shouted when he stomped outside. "Why aren't you fighting? Get back on the walls!"

"The… they're all dead…" One man stuttered.

"What? Oh really?" The man climbed up the dirt embankment that served as a wall and looked over the gory mess. "Wow. You pathetic weaklings actually did something right." He turned back to face them. "So why aren't you collecting my Cores?" he shouted and then finally noticed Caffeine sniffing at one of the giant crab corpses. "Where did that dog come from?"

A few heads turned up towards Stanley but most of them cowered, looking at the ground and easing away from the man. "Do they fear him because he is too strong?"

The man stomped towards Caffeine but the pug was already moving away from the corpse as the man arrived. He kicked it aside and then spun on the pug. "Where is my fucking Core? If one of you thinks you can steal from me…"

"I took 'My' Cores," Stanley thought idly. "from 'My' kills."

The man glared at the people around him, rage flaring, and golden armor appeared around him as twin golden swords flashed into his hands. "Where is it?" He started stalking after the pug again, who was now taking bites from a shrimp-like creature. "If you are letting a dog eat my Cores…" He stopped when he saw the half-eaten human corpse of the man Stanley had felt dying before. "Hah," the man snorted and kicked at the corpse. "Looks like Jeremy decided to take the easy way out and have his wife pay in his place."

There was a visceral reaction through the crowd at his statement, fear, disgust, and most predominantly, hatred. "They hate him…" Stanley mused, "but fear him too much to kill him? Or is that armor of his so overpowering…" Stanley Moved behind the man when he continued towards Caffeine. "If you touch my dog I will kill you," Stanley stated calmly.

The man yelled and spun, lashing out with his twin swords, and missed when Stanley simply stepped back. "Who are you?!"

Stanley ignored the weakling. "He is pathetic… the armor must be very durable if they haven't killed him yet." He looked at the wide-eyed people around them. "You all hate this man, so why haven't you killed him?" He stepped to the side and the golden swords whiffed past him again. The reactions to his question were almost identical amounts of horror and dread. "So they tried before…"

Caffeine whined and ran inside the building. Stanley heard screams from inside and then nothing… then a Growl that shook the earth with its rumble. Everyone stumbled and cried out, well, almost everyone.

The man in the gold armor stiffened up and froze in place.

Stanley noticed that detail with the same calm detachment. "Caffeine just declared you a Not Friend… and he loves everybody. That means…" The man unfroze and started yelling something as energy flared on his blades. Stanley didn't care what he was saying or what he was doing.

Cut

There was actually some resistance from the man's armor, but not enough to save him. Blood sprayed and the two halves of the man fell wetly to the ground, the golden armor vanishing instantly upon his death.

Stanley waited calmly in the silence until the Core appeared. He plucked it up just when Caffeine's whine grew loud enough to be heard outside. It triggered the frozen crowd into action and most of them sprinted for the building, others slumped to the ground and stared at the body. "You… you killed him." one man said, disbelieving. "Who are you?" another asked. "Are you from the Government? Did you come to save us?"

"I did…?" Stanley frowned. That couldn't be right, why would he come to save these weaklings? "I guess they could be used as fodder if nothing else, or…"

[Still Mind of the Psionic Beast] Deactivated.

Skill Level Up. [Still Mind of the Psionic Beast]

"Ah… thanks, Caff. I was getting a bit…" His eyes landed on the bisected man. "I killed a human… again… no, just another monster." He wasn't sure if it mattered anymore. "Caffeine must have been pissed…" Stanley didn't want to go inside, he didn't need to see whatever nightmare material was in there. He could feel too much already. A lot of the despair and hopelessness was lifting, shifting into fresh hope and relief, though still tainted with disbelief. But far too many of the Souls were still… not good.

Stanley looked at the Core in his hand. "Get everyone outside, we're leaving." He had been ignoring those Souls while in Still Mind, and hadn't recognized them for what they were from a distance. He'd just thought that the distant fear was the usual reaction of people fighting for their lives… and it was, just not against the monsters. "The monsters just eat you. I hate humans." Stanley settled into [Soul Meditation] before he could start losing his shit. He was just starting to calm down, when…

You Do Not Hold Full Dominion over your Twin-Soul. All Involved Parties must Agree.

"Sure."

New Skill Gained. [Soul Reinforcement(Initiate I)](Epic)(Passive)

"That sounds good…" Stanley looked at the Skill hoping for more.

The Soul of a Runic is of Vital Importance. Push your Limits and Grow Stronger.

Does not Increase Soul Attribute but instead Increases the Strength of what is Already There, Allowing the Runic to do More with Less.

"So his Class is Runic?" Unfortunately he couldn't get the name in the description to tell him more, but he did feel a strange sensation from his Soul for a moment, a kind of strain…

Skill Level Up. [Soul Reinforcement]

"Hah! Keep it up Lee!" The strain came back again and Stanley assumed that Lee was doing something to train their new Skill. He liked it! It was a nice surprise bonus from his brother. "We will get stronger."

But for the here and now… There were more than a few children and a lot of women inside the building… almost all of the women were pregnant… "I really hope that is just because everyone was finding comfort with their loved ones in some life affirming activities…" Though the armored man's comment about 'pay'... He waited there as terrified people slowly gathered outside, but they were taking too long…

Cut

You have Attacked a Sentient Lair! All Residents have been Notified.

The building shook as a horizontal line appeared halfway up the side of the structure. Stanley tried to lift the top free but it only groaned and rattled. "I am stronger than you, you fucking building!"

CUT

You have Destroyed a Sentient Lair!

Stone shattered and voices screamed as the top half of the building lifted up and flew into the ocean with a roaring splash. Stanley flew up above and got to work. Walls were torn down, a few chains cut, makeshift cages or jail cells ripped open. "Why… why… Why!" He lifted everyone out, setting them on a platform of his Will. Another application of focus and he blocked light from passing through the flat surface of the barrier.

A lot of the screaming and yelling died down after that as the people huddled together. Stanley headed back for the soldiers at a steady but less terrifying pace than usual.

They were waiting for him this time and fanned out in front of the previously unnoticed door when they saw him coming. The soldiers moved like trained professionals and it looked decidedly strange to Stanley, like watching something that he'd only ever seen in a movie. But it was all unnecessary theatre, the few monstrous sea creatures that had crept in for a free meal while he was gone, fled on his return. Stanley let them go, he was afraid to start the killing, afraid that he wouldn't be able to stop for a while. "Get on," he didn't quite growl, "we're leaving."

Their leader, or commanding officer, chose not to argue this time. He shouted orders and they all climbed aboard. The man barely started looking over the civilians and then shouted for the medic. Stanley let them work while he re-gathered the dropped Cores, surprisingly it didn't look like any had been grabbed by the soldiers while he was gone. When he'd got the last of them and everyone was loaded, Stanley carried them all into the sky.

He flew relatively slowly on the way back, no need to terrify them too much, plus he wanted to be ready and rested… just in case.

The Leader of the soldiers eventually walked over to where Stanley was sitting at the edge of his platform. "I'm First Lieutenant Havers, United States Marine…" Stanley stopped listening, he didn't feel like chatting, instead he just focused on flying and making sure his platform held solid.

Eventually the man gave up on a conversation and sat down next to Stanley with a sigh. He was quiet for a while, as the city grew larger in the distance. One of his subordinates came over and reported quietly on the civilian's conditions. Then it was quiet again.

Stanley finally spoke, "Did you see any Undead out there?" He felt surprise from the man, followed by suspicion and then only confused worry.

"No," the Lieutenant said slowly, "is that really a thing now?" Stanley could tell that he didn't want to believe it.

"We've gotten a lot of foreign and domestic enemies here Mr Marine… almost everyone died while you were hiding in your little bunkers," Stanley said bitterly.

Havers bristled and almost yelled as he growled, "I lost five good Marines on the first day!"

"Then why are you all still so Fucking Weak?!" Stanley did yell. "You must have seen the damn Cores!"

"Yes," Havers growled, "and we have been fighting a non-stop war against those creatures since then. They never stopped coming! Every time we stepped outside that door we either lost someone or had them badly wounded and put out of the fight!" He took a deep breath and Stanley felt him regaining control. "We lost our only boat before we knew what was happening and…" He deflated. "I truly wish that we could have done more." He glanced back at the civilians. "I appreciate you getting us out of there… Tell me, has it really gone to shit out here?"

"Sorry..." Stanley regretted his outburst, it wasn't their fault. They at least, had actually been fighting, and dying… "And yes, things are… not good." Stanley told him what he knew, including how few humans were left inside the Dungeon.

He stopped the info dump when he felt a familiar Soul in the distance, and diverted their course slightly. "I should check on her. Especially with that Swarm there…"

A couple minutes later Stanley was looking down at Kira's group below. They had just exited a Lair and a Swarm of… something, was closing in on them. Then voices became audible as Stanley dropped closer.

"We have to run!" Amanda was yelling, "I don't have enough Mana for that!"

"Timers are getting low," Sven said, "we need to get back for healing!"

Arnold was pulling on Kira's arm, trying to pull her back. "Let's go Kira!"

"Run if you want!" Kira yanked her arm free. "I'll kill them myself!" She charged and a dozen blood spears followed. Her friends screamed and cried out for her to stop but the girl refused to listen as she ran away.

"She's lost it…" Stanley thought, as he watched the tide of spears launch into and through the front ranks of the swarm. Dozens of monsters died instantly and Lieutenant Havers gasped beside him at the sight of her slaughter.

"Stanley!" Sven shouted, as they finally noticed his descending platform and saw him looking over the side. "Her shield timers are down to ten minutes…"

Stanley held up a hand and waved behind himself as he set his cargo down. "Watch over them, I'll handle it."

"Thanks!" Sven's voice almost cracked and Amanda nodded silently with tears in her eyes. They were all distraught about their friend as they moved closer to the people Stanley had dropped. The Marines were already fanned out around the crowd, guns raised but holding their fire as they shouted back and forth.

Stanley flew slowly after Kira, his mind reaching out over the Swarm around her. The monsters reminded him of the giant rats, but either they had crossbred with something else or something had gone horribly wrong with them. He found the Leader of the Swarm and it immediately tried to flee. "Smart… but too late."

Cut

The cohesion of the mob vanished with the death of their leader and Stanley killed half of the creatures, not really trying, before the rest escaped. Kira tried to chase them, but her deathly pale form couldn't handle anymore and she could only stagger weakly after them as they fled. "She wants to die…" he thought sadly. It was a little too reminiscent of himself in a different Lair not so long ago.

She whirled on him slowly, and angrily. "I don't need your help!" Her Soul was in turmoil as she lifted her wooden spear up, pointing at him.

"Does she think I will kill her if she attacks me? Is my reputation that bad?" He could see the dregs of her power as a red glow rising in the spear. "I am not that merciful… but I will help."

Sleep

Kira staggered as her rage and despair flickered like a candle in the wind, but she resisted it and the flame roared higher. "You…"

SLEEP

Her exhausted and trembling mind lost the fight against Stanley's overpowering Will. Her eyelids fluttered and she collapsed. He caught her and floated both of them back to her companions.

Caffeine whined softly when he saw them but didn't move from where he was pinned underneath some of the children. Stanley lifted everyone back up and onto a new platform as he handed Kira off to her friends.

Arnold took the spear and stood protectively over the others as they held her limp form on their laps. "Thank you," Arnold said, his gratitude bright beneath his own worries. The man felt as exhausted as the others but remained standing, shield at the ready.

Stanley nodded and took them all toward the Tower. It would be a new home for most of them but was also a place of painful memory for others.

The sun was still only halfway across the sky but it felt like too much had happened. "I can grab a bit of meditation before I go out with the others," Stanley promised himself. "This was nothing." After all, there were so many Cores waiting to be collected out there.

It was going to be another long day...