1

While the giant serpent thrashed and Damon looked impatiently up at her, Harper and Miguel searched for the safest way down. Finding a patch of vines near Ethan, the mages and healers climbed down to the valley floor.

Damon glared at them, visibly frustrated. “Pick up the pace,” he barked. “This thing can break free any moment!” The four members approached the snake. “Janna, get your lance out,” Harper said. “You’ll finish off the snake and receive its experience points.” Harper noticed that Brett was ready to protest. She glared at him. The male nurse closed his mouth and remained quiet.

Janna grimaced at Harper. “I don’t know if I can do it,” she said hesitantly.

“You can do it.”

Janna glanced at the team warily. “Do you guys have any advice?”

“Just strike it down the middle then back away. That thing is still spitting acid,” Damon instructed.

Sadness overwhelmed Janna. She loved animals and had almost chosen veterinary medicine instead. As a nurse, she was committed to helping the living, not killing.

The two orcs looked at her impatiently.

She peered up at the tip of her trilance. The weapon had a sharp point like a spear but also had double axe blades on either side. Janna gripped the trilance near the bottom of its shaft. She lifted it and tilted it back, then stumbled backward, outbalanced by the top-heavy weight of the blades. Landing hard on the ground, she dropped the weapon.

Jordan cursed under his breath.

Damon told her to try again.

Embarrassed, Janna got up from the dirt and gripped higher on the shaft. She lifted it and felt its weight pull her back again. This time, however, she pushed against the backward momentum and swung the blade forward. The axe slammed into the snake’s head, slicing a huge gash through the center of its forehead.

The monster squealed and hissed its low growl. Blood splattered from the cut, but the snake wasn’t dead yet.

“Again!” Damon ordered.

With tears gushing down her cheeks, Janna raised the blade and drove it into the giant’s head. She felt a hard vibration travel up the shaft as metal crunched against bone.

The Spitter squealed again. Its thrashing slowed but the snake was not dead.

Janna leaned back and swung the trilance a third time. The blade shattered the snake’s skull, puncturing its brain. The creature finally died. Janna dropped the weapon and tumbled to the dirt, sobbing uncontrollably.

Zack walked over and attempted to console her. He settled his hand on her shoulder. She twisted and clutched at him, crying into his lap. He felt out of his depth trying to comfort her, but he could feel her pain. As Jordan and Emma exchanged WTF glances, the Marine wrapped his right arm around her. “Janna, it’s okay,” he soothed, not knowing what to say. She kept weeping. He glanced up at the team and saw expressions of impatience. He gazed straight at Brett. After a moment, the male nurse hurried to them. “It’s okay, Janna,” Brett whispered.

Janna whipped her head around. “Is it?” she cried. “Is it, Brett?”

Brett looked uncertainly at Zack.

Janna pulled herself into a sitting position. Her face was red and wet. “This isn’t what I signed up for!” she shouted angrily. “I thought I would be healing you guys, not killing things!”

Zack and Brett glanced at each other, wondering what to say, but it was Harper who responded. “Janna, get a grip,” she said coldly, standing in front of the team. As the other members gaped at her, Harper went on. “You signed up like everyone else, didn’t you? And part of that is being a productive member of the team. You need to level up… to keep yourself safe… and to keep us safe.” Harper’s blue eyes glared at the nurse. “You had to kill that thing and I’m going to call on you to do it again, so you better be ready.”

Shocked and flustered, Janna gasped at Harper.

The mage stared back defiantly.

“Okay,” Janna muttered.

A dead silence hung amidst the team. “Enough,” Damon said. “Let’s get back to work.” The team dispersed. While Harper instructed the members about what to do next, Janna felt a deep sting from the mage’s rebuke. The sadness was still there, but now she was hurt, injured, betrayed. As she pulled herself together and got up from the soil, she repeated her declaration in the transfer room.

After these fourteen days, I am done, she thought.

2

Miguel and Harper walked to where Ethan had passed out. They squatted and were relieved to see his chest expanding and contracting. He was fast asleep. Miguel rocked his shoulder, and he rose slowly to consciousness. “Pull up your stats, Ethan,” he said. “We need to check how you’re doing.” A moment later they were studying his details.

Ethan

RACE: Valhallan Orc

CLASS: Warrior (Level 8)

STATUS: Level 2 Poisoned

HP: 164/186

HPR: 2.48/s

MP: 19

MPR: .52/s

STRENGTH: 78

CONSTITUTION: 124

DEXTERITY: 29

INTELLIGENCE: 24

WISDOM: 26

ENDURANCE: 22

XP: 192

ATTRIBUTE POINTS: 0

The two mages glanced at each other, surprised to see his HP so high, considering he was still poisoned. “It must be his regen rate,” Miguel said. “Ethan, do you remember how many hit points per second the poison subtracted from you?”

The orc shook his head.

“He has the leg wound, too,” Harper said. She called Janna over, who had gained control over herself, but still glared at Harper. Janna had to cast Auntie Dote twice before the poison was neutralized. She then directed Basic Heal at the orc’s leg wound. They watched as Ethan’s hit points rose quickly, buoyed by his high HPR.

Harper wanted to use the opportunity to demonstrate the importance of leveling up, but she knew Janna needed space right now, especially from her.

3

The two mages asked everyone to toggle their notifications back on. Four members of the party had obtained experience points during the battle with the snakes. Emma was the biggest recipient, killing sixteen of the brood for 320 XP, which added to her 176 XP, gave her a total of 496 XP. The increase boosted her from level 8 to 20. On top of her regular base stat increases, the level-up granted her a pool of 48 attribute points to use. With her strength and dexterity stats already over 100, Harper and Miguel agreed that she should divide the points evenly across constitution, intelligence, and wisdom.

Angie was next with thirteen kills, which gave her 260 XP and moved her up to 326 XP. She jumped from level 3 to 14. She had 52 attribute points to invest, including the points she collected from the squirrels earlier that day. The mages asked her to drop 18, 18, and 16 into constitution, intelligence, and wisdom, respectively.

Janna received 198 points from the giant snake kill, bumping her to level 8. She had 28 attribute points, which Harper asked her to max on her constitution stat in order to raise her HP. Although she didn’t say as much, Harper knew the last thing the team needed was to lose the nurse. And with Janna’s reaction to killing the snake, she wasn’t certain when the nurse would kill again.

Ethan got bumped a level from the one snake he killed, going from 192 XP to 212. Harper asked him to drop his 4 attribute points into dexterity.

Finally, Harper got into the act and placed her 12 squirrel points into her constitution stat.

4

Miguel spent most of his time casting healing spells on Zack and himself while the rest of the team worked to get Ethan back to his feet. The big orc stood up but was limping from the aftereffects of the poison.

Epiphany clouds hovered throughout the valley, and they examined those next. The two mages approached the large cloud that rose from the giant serpent’s body. Once again, Harper needed to be carried by an orc. She had no desire to climb onto the snake’s impaled skull. Blood had gathered around its head, but the carcass was also secreting acid onto the valley floor. Damon piggy-backed her and walked wide-legged over the dead snake. The Spitter’s Epiphany cloud was the largest one they had seen yet, almost three feet in diameter. She reached her hand into it.

Congratulations, Harper! You have found an Epiphany that contains the spell: Acid Reflux. Regurgitate acid toward your foes and watch them get a burning sensation in their chest! Ranked advanced and available to all classes, so tell all your friends. Acid Reflux will cost you 7 MP, and has a cooldown rate of 5 seconds and a range of 45 meters. Watch what you eat or you’ll get Acid Reflux!

Still perched on Damon’s shoulders, Harper turned to the team and smiled. “It’s not DPS, but we finally have a good offensive spell.” The teammates cheered. Another message appeared in her vision.

Congratulations, Harper! You have found an Epiphany that contains the spell: Poison Sphere. A movable orb of level-2 poison which can affect many enemies at one time! Ranked advanced and available to all classes, so tell all your friends. Poison Sphere will cost you 1 MP per second, and has a cooldown rate of 10 seconds and a range of 45 meters. Extend your sphere of influence with Poison Sphere!

She peered at the group, who were cheering the first spell, and winked. “Uh, make that two offensive spells.” The team roared. Still on Damon’s shoulders, Harper equipped her sword and dipped it into the cloud.

Congratulations, Harper! You have upgraded your Baselard to level 4 poisonous! Tell your enemies, “Have a drink of poison and stay sick for a while!”

Harper got back down, reminding the team to upgrade their weapons when it was their turn. The group was delighted about the offensive spells, notably the orcs and the healers, who didn’t have long-range weapons.

Next, they investigated the small snake epiphanies floating over the battleground. Those clouds contained the Auntie Dote spell, so the members who missed the goblin attack were able to acquire those spells. Harper and Miguel took a few minutes to attempt combinations with the new spells but were disappointed with the results. Harper found the lone combo, a mix of Firefly and Acid Reflux, which gave the members a new spell.

Brilliant, Harper! You have discovered: Acid Fly, an angry firefly that will hover to your enemies and drip acid onto them! Ranked advanced and available to all classes who possess Firefly and Acid Reflux, so tell all your friends. Acid Fly has a cost of .75 MP per second, a cooldown rate of 12 seconds, and a range of 40 meters. Harper, watch out for the acid rain with Acid Fly!

The team walked to the monster’s lair next, searching for loot. The snake had created an arch of dead trees twenty feet deep. It was like stepping into another cave. Inside the closed space, it was hot, dark, and claustrophobic. Miguel asked Emma to light Fire Glow. They realized there was no loot to be had, but discovered something disturbing.

Pressed against the walls of the lair were several chunks of human hair. They walked closer and Brett inspected the remains, separating the slimed and matted follicles. He saw blonde, red, and brown hair within the mass. He got up and wiped the slime from his fingers. “It is definitely human hair and I would say we’re looking at the remains of five different people, at least,” he said soberly.

The members groaned.

“There was a dead human up on the ridge where I fell, too,” Zack added.

Brett gestured at the strips of hair. “It’s the only substance snakes can’t digest,” he continued, “along with chitin, stuff like claws and fingernails.” He faced the brothers. “Guys, what color is your father’s hair?”

“White,” Ethan answered apprehensively.

Brett smiled. “There’s no white hair in there.” The brothers glanced at each other and exhaled. Before leaving the lair, they found a large nest of eggs. Damon was about to destroy them when Harper stopped him. She said it was better to let them hatch. If they encountered the snakes again, the team would be at a higher level and would defeat them easily.

“The XP might come in handy,” she finished. They were reluctant, but Harper was adamant as she escorted them out of the wooden lair.

5

By the time they wandered back to the middle of the valley, Ethan’s frozen leg was more mobile. But they realized they had a new problem. The rest of the team scaled up the north side of the valley, but the orcs were too heavy to climb to the ledge. The embankment was composed mostly of dirt and sand, so the orcs lost their grip and slid down every time.

Damon and Zack returned to the snake’s lair to retrieve a long tree. They tilted the large trunk against the top edge of the cliff. Damon started climbing the tree. Halfway up, the dead tree disintegrated under his weight, dropping him back onto the valley floor.

They peered toward the eastern and western sides of the valley, looking for an easier spot to climb. The valley stretched as far as their eyes could see, but didn’t change in elevation. They realized they could no longer see the borders of the realm; the territory had fanned out, just like they were told.

Angie came up with the solution. She remembered the effect a charged Fire Bullet had earlier that morning and suggested they bring down a healthy tree. “Then we can just push it over the ledge,” she concluded.

The two mages spent the next fifteen minutes blowing holes through the base of the thickest tree near the cliff. They fired at the side of the tree facing the valley. Eventually, the enormous tree toppled over, landing at the foot of the valley.

The orcs pushed it firmly into the sand just underneath the cliff. They had Ethan climb up first because he was the biggest and heaviest orc. As he crawled on all fours up the tree, the two orcs stood on opposite sides, ready to catch him if he slipped.

Ethan reached the top with no problems. Damon went up next and walked straight to Angie, sweeping her up off the ground. “Well done, Angel,” he said, kissing her. “Both how you defended Ethan and the tree.” While the team members hooted disgustedly and grumbled about public displays of affection, Angie leaned into Damon and extended their kiss.

Unnoticed below them, Zack backed twenty feet from the tree that bridged the valley.

The members turned away from the kissing couple and returned their focus to the valley. Seeing he had the team’s attention, Zack sprinted for the tree, racing up its trunk. As he reached the top, he vaulted into the air with his arms outstretched. “I’m King of the Realm,” he shouted as he high-fived the branches thirty feet from the ground. He soared over the team, touching down onto a soft section of grass. He spun around to take in the team’s reactions.

While half of the group made vomiting gestures, Janna smiled for the first time since they entered the valley.

Zack was pleased.

“You idiot,” Damon growled, “you could’ve hurt yourself.”

Zack shrugged. “Eh. Janna would’ve healed me.”

Janna snorted.