Rhen readied his crescent blades and pulled in a long breath to calm his nerves. Level bosses were always a pain, even if it was just level one. Rhen crept to the edge of the boss room and peeked one eye around the corner.

The boss was a massive undulating blob of metallic goo, with massive crystals the size of Rhen anchored into the walls and across the floor. The center of it rippled and the grinding chimes sounded again as a new miniature version of it blooped into existence. Rhen’s eyes unfocused as he took in the size of the thing. There was no way Aki had enough water to solidify it, and so their easy-mode routine was now completely moot.

“What do you see?”

“Huge boss popping out the smaller ones. We’re going to need to get creative.”

“If we focus on one area at a time, our previous tactics may yet work.”

Rhen thought of how long the level had taken them, and if they’d used their abilities enough to increase their anima cap and give them more room to add syntials. Did they have time to return to the tower and come back stronger? Rhen remembered they’d need to walk back, and who knew how much transport back here would cost.

No, they needed to stay and finish this.

Rhen nodded, breathing deeply to psych himself up. “Okay. Let’s kick some ass and steal some anima.”

“I haven’t been able to identify any features on these crystal beings, let alone a posterior, but I agree with your sentiment.”

“Way to buzzkill.”

Rhen charged around the corner with weapons raised in attack; water rises with the moon. He leapt over the first blocky crystal and came down with a heavy punch. The being screeched, shaking the entire cavern. Rhen laid into the gemstone appendage again until it shattered, dropping him to the floor and scattering pieces around the room.

Warm, liquified crystal wrapped around his foot and solidified to the ground. Rhen yanked hard, but the trap held fast. A glowing block of shattered quartz sailed through the air and Rhen deflected it.

“Watch your feet!”

“Not applicable,” Aki replied, easily slipping his water out of the crystal root. He moved around Rhen, then blasted the ground below him with a jet of water. The rock cooled and Rhen mashed the sharp tip of his blade into it, shattering it.

Another block whipped through the air, this time at Aki, which sailed harmlessly through the belly of his water body. Rhen didn’t want to think what would’ve happened if that rock had been a foot higher.

Apparently, Aki was very aware of that possibility too, and fell back. Rhen charged forward, landing a strike here, and a deflection there, keeping his feet moving. Every time he broke up a new boulder, it liquified, some of it returning to the center and some trying desperately to keep Rhen still.

Rhen shattered another block and inside was some of the metallic liquid. It splashed against his chest, burning everywhere he wasn’t covered by leather jerkin. Rhen yelped and spun around to Aki, who shot a blast of water against him and enveloped the silver liquid. He turned and splattered the bit of monster against the back wall. Once the shiny goop was separated from the whole, it cracked and turned to ash.

“Change tactic?” Rhen asked.

“Agreed.”

Rhen smashed another crystal down to the gooy center. Aki ripped it from its broken husk and slapped it against the ground at Rhen’s feet. Rhen pulled the anima from the blackened powder, then dashed back in to antagonize the creature.

His heart pounded, and his lungs burned, but this at least was a way forward. There was so much monster left, and his stamina was waning, but with victory within reach he knew he could hold out.

Slowly, they chipped away at the massive monster, until there was only a corner of it left, and ash puddles all around the room. Aki’s body was down to half its previous size, and Rhen was near collapse, but they almost had that ga brezet!

The center mass of reflective liquid pulsed and rippled, sending bone trembling vibrations out in all directions. Cracks appeared in the ceiling above Rhen, leaking orange lava. Rhen jumped back as more boulders dropped from above and leaky, magma fissures opened.

The liquid rock drained onto the monster, heating it, feeding it.

“Not good.”

“Change tactics again?” Aki asked.

“To what?”

The center pool of goop-creature burbled. It was as if a thousand pounds of energy were being compressed under the glowing hot surface of the monster. Rhen’s gut clenched, and he reacted on the feeling alone, dropping to the ground.

“Down!”

Aki squished himself against the ground not a second too soon, as hot, metal spikes shot out all over the room. They imbedded in the walls, sucking up the rock into a shield around their cores.

“Extra bad,” Aki said, his fins fluttering.

Rhen readied his weapons in trembling hands. He was at the brink of exhaustion, surrounded by twenty burning crystal creatures. The first one opened its outer shell, firing a burst of molten metal at Rhen. Icy energy ran down his arms and he instinctively lifted his blades to deflect. A splash of water intercepted the shot, capturing the searing metal mid flight.

Rhen dodged around the spike, then launched himself at the rumbling rocks. He bashed his blades into the sides, shattering both pieces of protective shield and dropping the creature to the ground. He soaked up what anima he could, but the next two crystals were already on him.

Aki caught another spear aimed at Rhen and deflected it into the wall. Rhen dodged a third and fourth, then fell back a step. They were being herded toward the lava flow still pouring from the ceiling.

“Ideas?” Rhen asked, trying to keep his composure despite the impending doom. What if Ferra had bet on them? Would she be right in the next few moments?

“I splash my ecosystem over the lava, you carry me out.”

That didn’t even sound like a surviving strategy, let alone a winning one. Rhen dodged another two shots, getting a counter punch in that landed feebly against the creature’s shield. Aki caught one spear, but a second punched through into Rhen’s shoulder. He growled through the pain, dodging belatedly as his arm fell to his side.

Their backs were against the fire. Aki’s body was down to a few feet of water, several puddles left behind in the rush. Rhen stumbled, dropping to a knee as his back seared from the heat. He dropped his gaze, staring at his scratched crescent blades.

Was this the end?

He broke his promise.

Another shot ripped across Rhen’s cheek. His blood sizzled but then, grew cold. Icy numbness surged through his injured arm, renewing his strength. Rhen stood, his body numb, mind detached. He could hardly feel himself move, but watched like a memory as he leapt forward, black anima pouring down his arms and into his blades.

Rhen slashed at the closest monster, cutting it clean in half. He spun around a projectile, water flows around the rock, twisting his blades this way and that as he cut them down in single swipes. The final crystal went down in a puff of smoke, and Rhen pulled the anima straight through his blade into his chest.

The frosty power turned to a throbbing ach, and whatever had come over him, ended. Rhen dropped to the floor, depleted. Aki collected his puddles and slowly made his way next to Rhen.

“What ability was that?”

Rhen didn’t have the energy to speak, but he didn’t know.

“That’s concerning. Was it your blades, or you?”

Again, Rhen didn’t know. Both, perhaps.

“We will need to visit the library.”

Rhen nodded weakly, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the room was dim, only small pockets of lava still glowing. He sat up and looked around. Both pick axes were next to him, and one water bottle, mostly drained.

Overcome by his burning throat, Rhen greedily gulped down the rest. He sighed with relief. He wanted about five more gallons, but that would do for now.

Aki strode into the room with both packs over each shoulder. “You’re awake.”

“I am,” Rhen replied, his voice husky. “What happened?”

“You slept for nearly six hours. I mined for a time while I monitored your health. When I was certain you wouldn’t die, I left and found a nearby bazaar.” He set the packs down and pulled out another bottle full of water, handing it to Rhen.

Rhen accepted gratefully and took three long drinks. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You saved us, somehow, and deserved to rest. I discovered what this is for, too,” Aki said, holding up the little box with the buttons that Rhen couldn’t identify before. “It will allow us to turn this level into a base, control room layouts, create a barracks, crafting stations, and an anima mirror.”

“Wait, did you sleep?”

“I did for approximately an hour in two minutes intervals. It was a good reprieve from mining.”

“You only need an hour of sleep, broken up in two-minute segments? And you say you’re not magical?”

Aki’s fins fluttered. “It is a wonder you sapiens even survived evolution with a sleep cycle so long.”

“Diggin’ on me wasn’t enough, you have to diss my whole species now?”

“Was it a better or worse joke?”

Rhen laughed. “Both.”

“I got you these,” Aki said, pulling a pair of leather-soled boots from the bag of infinity. “I’m not entirely sure if I made a good trade for them, but I knew you needed adequate foot coverings with how often you were tripping.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Rhen peeled the burnt cloth from his sweaty feet and tossed them into a lava pit.

“Hey, we live here,” Aki admonished.

“The fire will clean it up.”

The old boots went up in flames and Rhen strapped on the new ones.

Aki pulled the little box with buttons from the bag next. “We have two of these.”

Rhen looked around at the low ceilinged, low water, high heat room. “But do we really want to make this level one of our bases?”

Aki hummed with amusement. “My worry, too. I also went up to the next level—just for a moment. It’s much more hospitable, and much more inhabited.”

“Define inhabited. Kavga?”

“And uninfected monsters as well.”

Rhen nodded. “A food source, possibly crafting materials, too. If we can hold out a little longer on making a base, I think that would be better in the long run.”

“Yes.” Aki’s fins fluttered faster. “Oh also, also, the level has a power limit of its own. Too many objects and layout changes will attract Kavga. I learned at the market there is a strategy to allowing them to retake levels, replenishing ores in the walls as they traverse the planes of the realms.” Aki was getting excited about his discoveries—so was Rhen. There was so much to learn.

“That’s great, but we need to get to the top of this tower first before we talk about resource strategies.”

Aki settled, his movements slowing. “Yes. True.”

“Thanks for boots, by the way. My feet were about medium well. Should we get back to the tower and use the anima mirror before going up to the next level?”

“The library, too. We should investigate your sudden burst of power and subsequent unconsciousness. Perhaps it is some racial trait all your people exhibit.”

Rhen’s stomach groaned. “And while were reading up, we can hit the dining hall… Wherever it is.”

“But before all that, the showers, or we won’t be able to attract a compatible pair…”

“You can smell me?”

“No. You’re so pungent I can taste you.”

Rhen moved to take a whiff of his armpit, sending a lance of pain through his shoulder. He inspected the spot to find the tear the crystal creature had caused with its projectiles. It was tender, but the bleeding had stopped. He knew what to do for that when they got back to the guild tower.

Rhen’s eyes started watering at the stench wafting from under his arm. “Yep. Showers first.”