“Tinnie, get back.”

The Fairy returned with a displeased expression on her pretty face and perched herself on my left shoulder, not reaching the end of the tunnel. Another half-hour was spent on tiresome skirmishes, and we finally reached it — the next hall. At first glance it was no different from the previous one; the same diffused yellowish light softened the twilight, and it had the same chest in its center.

We didn’t enter at once; I decided to take a breather and sat down a few steps away from the entrance. Destroying a dozen Head-Eye nests, each one with eight, level 14 occupants, takes a lot out of a man. Despite still having stamina, I was ready to topple over from exhaustion. I knew that an organism exhausted to the limit needed food, but I no longer felt hunger. But thirst was driving me crazy. My lips were chipped, my tongue felt like a grater each time it’d touch the roof of my mouth, and the skin on my face had tightened, as if sunburned. Meanwhile the system rewarded me with a few more endurance points, but this didn’t console the anger and despair that were gnawing at my soul. If this hall was no different from the first, then the “heart” wasn’t here, which meant this was not the end of our adventure.

“Fury, come here,” I ordered the Direcat that was, together with Tinnie who was hovering next to her, cautiously studying the hall, without stepping over the invisible line that separated it from the tunnel. My throat was sore and my voice sounded hoarse. My pets had grown noticeably smarter and it made me happy; I didn’t have to worry anymore. “Rest while you have the opportunity. Tinnie, same goes for you.”

Noticing my gloomy mood, Fury turned away and obediently approached me, treading softly and almost silently. She lay down beside me and leaned on me. I pat her neck, and she sniffed dismissively; a fighter doesn’t need such tenderness. I somehow felt calmer when I was around her, as if she was sucking the negative energy out of me. Maybe that was Spiritual Link at work. Before the wording changed, its description said something about “stimulating positive emotions”. Perhaps it alone was keeping us from completely losing heart. During our last “hallway” run, Fury had grown significantly and was now about three and a half feet at the withers, and weighed, perhaps, no less than I did. She was now level six, after all. Her stats had risen substantially and she accumulated six skill points. Looking at her and Tinnie, I felt warm around my heart. The Fairy and I also had something to be proud of. She had long reached level 8 and was confidently approaching level 9, while I had less than a quarter left till level 13.

However, Fury had suffered a lot as well. Her skin was dotted with bald spots on the places where the acid managed to hit her. The burns had already healed, but fur didn’t grow as quickly. She was now much stronger than her childish version, but since the way she moved had also changed, she was now having a hard time dodging. Our best bet was her strength and high damage rate. I had already invested a couple of skill points into Mortal Sting and Burst Attack and unlocked their rank 2. The remaining points I decided to save up for Metamorph as I had a sneaking suspicion that this one might be crucial for surviving this ordeal. Mortal Sting hadn’t yet been tested as we were saving it for an extreme case, and Burst Attack, which was learned at level 3, greatly helped Fury preserve her skin. It was a shame that we couldn’t use it more often as it required quite a bit of energy. Fury had already lost a couple of pounds during the half-hour run, and her ribs were now visible. Also, her continued growth drained her energy, tiring out the body too quickly. We were, again, having issues with feeding her. Honestly, I was afraid to face another Demon, as the previous one had almost broken my back. Of course, my assistants had become much stronger; however, the mobs had grown in levels and power, and the increasing fatigue will inevitably lead to errors. I was afraid to tempt fate once again.

I hadn’t yet used up my saved up stats. Right now I had four and a half dozen free points — the reward for gaining two levels and unlocking Soulcatcher’s rank 3. Surviving the lair wasn’t becoming any easier and it was time to get things done. There were no noticeable problems with HP or energy and their recovery rates, and my damage output was decent as well... It remained to deal with intelligence and dexterity. Intelligence seemed a more complicated stat to deal with as it increased both magic damage and magic based crits. I hadn’t yet noticed it affect my ability to think faster, but I was certain that the two were connected; it was no wonder that it got increased as a reward for improving cunning, which was, in turn, connected to inventiveness. I was therefore tempted to invest in intelligence and see where that takes me. However, I was already lacking in dexterity; I missed more often or failed to dodge. Sure, this could’ve been attributed to fatigue, but... In general, I needed to make a decision.

And yet, I got distracted, further delaying the inevitable. I wanted to check if there really was a bonus for every third and subsequent ranks. Only two abilities were close to reaching rank 3, everything else that had reached rank 2 did so recently and this still had a long way to go till rank 3.

Two-handed Weapons (sword)

Rank 2 (161/200; 4/5 SP)

Searing Flash

Rank 2 (97/200; 2/5 SP)

It was clear that I would achieve what I wanted with Two-handed way before with Flash; all that remained was to land two hundred strikes on living targets. I could spend a skill point to level Two-handed even faster, I had enough in the reserve to do so. On one hand, that’d be a waste of a skill point, but on the other, 25 stat points could come in handy... Tempting, so tempting...

The light in the tunnel flashed, and I felt the familiar, unpleasant feeling of invisible fingers gripping my throat. The hourglass image reappeared, but half of the sand had already poured into the bottom compartment somehow. Realizing what this might mean made me sweat. The timer didn’t refer to a specific room, but to the entire den! Judging by the speed with which the grains fell, I had... How much? An hour or two left?!

I jumped up, quickly checking my equipment and weapons. Tinnie flew off my shoulder. Pale and horror stricken, I beckoned her with my finger.

“Tinnie, remember what happened last time? No more surprises. We tiptoe by. No chests. No Imps.”

She folded her arms and puffed her cheeks. She was being stubborn so I had to be more severe.

“I said — we’ll do without it! Otherwise, your little butt will be slapped hard...”

Hearing the familiar, ominous rustling and crackling behind my back, I swore, but didn’t look back. It was clear that the lair no longer wanted to give us a break, the burrow would grow faster and faster with every passing minute.

“Forward!”

We rushed through the hall, aiming for the opening on the other side.

The plan failed.

We had to overcome only a dozen more steps, but the passage got shut, instantly covered by a blanket no different in color and texture from the surrounding walls. Halting, I turned around, and raised my sword.

Tinnie, damn you!

A single moment of distraction and the Fairy disappeared from my sight. She was now standing on the chest, the culprit behind the triggered trap and a slave to her nature, pretending that she had nothing to do with it. She was simply unable to pass up a chance to miss some loot.

Followed by the sound of paper being torn, six opponents jumped out holes in the wall and into the hall.

Imp Bully

Level 15

HP: 550

Creature of Chaos

Horns, hooves, tails and fireballs — the whole package! This time I didn’t wait to see how things would turn out and immediately used Soulcatcher on the nearest creature on my left. Without looking at it, I rushed to the right, ordering Fury to attack my next target.

Flying over the colliding fireballs in the same manner, Tinnie hung in the air and sent me a bird’s eye view image of the battlefield so that nothing could sneak up on me. Time was of the essence; the fight had to be finished as quickly as possible, with minimal losses. I had to try to get them to gather in one place so that Tinnie could bewitch them with Enchantress and so that I could finish them off before they woke up.

One of the Imps laughed mockingly. But instead of rushing forward, as the one in the first hall did, it quickly waved its clawed paw and threw something at me. An intuitive jump to the side came a second too late, and a blow to my shins knocked me onto the ground. Having landed on my face, I pushed off with my hands and, already rolling away, saw the Imp leap behind me, and wave its paw, grinning malevolently with a mouthful of small, sharp fangs. Nearing my face, the claws flashed with a red glow...

“Burst Attack!”

Fury flew over me as if carried by a gust of deadly wind. The Imp disappeared with a desperate screech, carried away by a furious onslaught. Before getting up I had to cut the bola that had bound my legs. Fury had already raced over to her next target, and all I could do was finish off the creature that was twitching in agony, black liquid gushing from its torn throat. All of the other Imps turned their attention to Fury, which turned the battlefield into a hellish landscape. Before my eyes, another Imp flew to the center of the hall, slammed its head against the chest and froze, stunned. The next flew up into the air like a rocket; I managed to get close enough to hit it with Uniq. I shook the lifeless body off the blade.

Unable to keep up with Fury’s speed, the two whirling bolas hit the wall behind her, showering her with debris. The fight felt completely different now that my little helper had turned from a helpless kitten into a mighty warrior; the Imps no longer looked like formidable opponents.

But I relaxed too early.

The fifth Imp turned out to be quicker than its fellows, or maybe it just adapted to the situation. Its bola reached its target and Fury tumbled over. Snarling indignantly, she tried to leap up, but fell back on her side. Her front paws were tightly tied and the two Imps that still remained on their hooves ran toward her, triumphantly waving their clawed paws.

You wish!

Upon my order, Tinnie released her pollen over the Imps. And just in time, too, as they were about to chop Fury into tiny little pieces.

Synergy effect has been interrupted. Energy required...

Later! As soon as the creatures froze, enchanted, the Uniq finished them off and the enemies’ heads rolled across the floor. I instantly found myself near the Direcat, but she had already shook off the bola and jumped up on all fours, furious and ready to continue the fight. But there was no one to fight with. When I looked around, the last Imp, having recovered from the knockdown, jumped up and ran for its life. Its blurred figure disappeared in the, now open, exit. I know from past experiences that a fleeing enemy, in most cases, ran to get help.

“Fury, get it!”

Picking up a trophy bolo and fastening it to the belt, I rushed after the enemy, hoping to get it before Soulcatcher’s backlash reached me.

Rushing ahead of me, fast as the wind, Fury plunged into the tunnel first. When I flew in after her, the Imp had been taken care of. Fury caught it some twenty steps from the entrance, knocked it off its hooves and bit its neck with her powerful jaws, crushing the spine and reaching level 6. I approached her and stopped nearby. She was breathing heavily, flanks swelling and fur bristling. Her mouth opened in a grin, and bloodlust slowly subsided from her eyes. What a beauty! But I would rather admire her later, as dull tiredness enveloped my whole body, taking away any desire to move, speak, or think unless needed.

Of course, the den wasn’t about to let us rest — the Imp had managed to do his dirty work and the soil under the soles of my boots began to tremble familiarly. The guard smelled us. Normally, one should run into the hall and deal with the enemy there as it was more spacious, but I had no strength left in me for another race. When the Demon appeared in the twilight of the tunnel, I gave the command:

“Burst Attack!”

Dodging to the side, Fury pushed off the wall with all fours, and charged at the Demon from the side. She was two times smaller than the enemy, but her mass and strength were enough to knock down even such a powerful creature. However, the Demon’s neck was much thicker than that of an Imp. Fury’s fangs ripped the skin and sank deep into the muscles, without slowing it down at all. Foul blood gushed out of the wound, the Demon jerked upward, throwing off the Direcat as if it were an annoying bug, and turned around, clearly intending to bite the brazen cat’s head off...

I stepped forth with the intention to get closer. I moved like a robot with neither fear nor rage in my step, but with a single desire burning in my soul — to remove the obstacle standing between me and freedom. Half-crouching, I sharply straightened myself up and, with all the remaining strength, thrust the blade straight into the wide open, monstrous mouth. Piercing the palate, the blade reached the brain. Hitting a vulnerable spot activated Assassin’s Gambit, and the Demon collapsed onto the floor. The heavy carcass pulled the blade stuck in its bones and muscles, and I had to let go of it to stay on my feet. However, I still lost my balance and landed on my ass.

Fury fell on the floor beside me; flames of rage died out and were replaced with exhaustion.

Congratulations!

You have reached level 13!

Current XP: 470/66,430

You are exhausted. You require rest and food.

Synergy effect has been interrupted. Energy required...

I know, damn it! The pets had 40 out of 100 stamina, and mine was even worse. I couldn’t see myself, but I was sure that I looked like a corpse. We sat there, breathing heavily and looking at each other, regaining strength, but not feeling the slightest influx of it as there was nowhere to get any. After using Enchantress, Tinnie was as exhausted as we were. She landed on my left shoulder. Spiritual Link, which she had to constantly maintain, took a lot out of her.