“You owe me five malarkey,” Jay said as Kleo dropped from Dennis’s back. “I’ll collect later. Now go hide in the shadows and be safe.”

“Sure thing,” Kleo said, limping away. One of her legs was severely degraded. She didn’t let that stop her.

With Kleo off to the side and somewhat out of harm’s way, the boys stood straighter and focused on the first challenge. Three monsters started to wake up and observe the crawlers in return. Their presence must’ve woken the monsters up when they entered the first part of the dungeon boss territory, a vast alcove between two doors with wide open space. That took away the sneak attack option, but it wasn’t a big deal.

The dungeon crawlers were ready for a rumble.

[Identifying]: Gorilla Guard Action Figure Minibosses, Level 9–these three large-bodied, fully-articulated, plastic apes come with many problems for newbie crawlers. They can coordinate with each other intelligently, strike with a fearsome raw strength that’ll crush the least resilient of you in one blow, and they can take hits and avoid hits in equal measure. You can’t monkey around with these guys!

“I beg to differ,” Jay said. “I got the [Monkey Boon].”

Jay drew a single goblin sword and shot forward, leaving his party behind to do what they must.

This was something they’d discussed on the way here. If Jay felt the whim to go or stay, they’d used that as a battle indicator to strategize around. With Jay forward, that meant they needed to select their shots wisely.

It also meant Jay was free to go wild. He yipped and howled before breaking into song, letting Linkin Park set the mood for him. The overgrown gorilla toys howled and beat their chests as if to drown out his song and intimidate him.

Their attempts to chicken him out failed.

One gorilla charged Jay directly. A fist the size of Jay’s chest slammed down. A simple step to his left cleared the first danger but led Jay to the next. The gorilla whipped his arm around like a heavy tree branch and tried to spin to win on Jay. The [Freak] vaulted like a flying squirrel over the gorilla’s arm.

Without looking, Jay tapped on [Dance Floor Relativity].

He reversed directions, slipping away from a gorilla hug waiting for him. The second monster gaped as Jay fell back on the first monster, his feet tracing a neon purple light through the air.

He landed [Grav Kick] flush on the creature’s face, taking it by surprise since it didn’t expect Jay’s physic-breaking return. Bang!

Grav Kick leveled up to 6!

Jay flipped out of the grasping reach of the second gorilla jumping after him. He returned to normal gravity, touched down, and darted to the side with a split second to spare.

The third gorilla slammed down with both arms where Jay had been. The hammering blow shook the floor, but the tremor was hard pressed to disturb Jay’s balance while he used [Moonwalker].

The second and third gorilla shouldered aside the one Jay had landed [Grav Kick] on. They were plenty angry with the [Freak]. Tunnel vision caught them, blocking their awareness of the danger rearing up like a serpent in the bush.

Or a laser striking with rifle-like accuracy.

The air snapped, crackled, and popped as a juiced-up Star Shot skewered the leg of the monster that suffered Jay’s [Grav Kick].

The [Mage’s] victim hollered in pain. Its fellow dungeon monsters skidded to a stop, caught between the need to help and the lust to destroy.

Jay pounced on that moment like a hungry dog presented with steak. He flipped through the air, ignited his feet in glowy purple magic, and kicked the second gorilla in the back of the head.

The blast pushed Jay into the air, hovering slightly over the third gorilla.

Their eyes met. Jay saw it double down on destroying him.

Jay shifted gravity’s direction again and fell away from a reaching hand. When he landed, the third gorilla was on top of him almost a second later. It forced Jay to use [Dance Floor Relativity] again and again, dropping away to avoid the gorilla’s pounces, slams, and furious attacks. He kept it occupied until a well-timed Solid Stars from Mike fouled up the gorilla’s latest attempt to crush and pummel Jay.

“And that’s my cue to be a team player again,” Jay said between huffs.

He ran back to his party. The gorilla chased at full speed at first. Then it slowed down and started to look around.

One of its fellow monsters was dead. It was a chopped, burnt, and melted shell of its former self. This was the vicious ending of the first gorilla Jay struck with [Grav Kick].

Dennis and Frank were wearing down the second gorilla that got stomped on by Jay’s magic at that very moment. A series of [Surging Strikes] and [Double Swings] between both Level 7 [Fighters] enforced their will on the Level 9 miniboss. Mike’s standard Star Shots sealed the deal on its oncoming death.

The last gorilla leaped into the fray.

“Now, Mike!” Jay shouted, jumping into the air to latch onto the gorilla’s back.

“[Mana Hype]!” Mike cast.

Jay’s [Dance Floor Relativity] broke through the gorilla’s magical defense right before impact. The creature screeched as it slowed at the apex of its reversed rise, stopping a few feet from Frank’s head. Then it and Jay hurtled down into the air, draining a combination of Jay’s mana and Mike’s. The mana cost was especially brutal since Jay hadn’t set this one up with [Grav Kick’s] magic defense reduction.

They didn’t go up far, but the subsequent fall under regular gravity was higher than the monster was built for.

It slammed down hard, breaking one of its legs.

Jay floated down, his head burning while set on by disorientation from drawing close to his magic limits.

He settled onto a knee as the monster hobbled toward him.

Jay reached into his knapsack. As he rummaged around, he frowned.

“I just realized something. I missed a chance to hit one of you with my super kick combo,” Jay said. “Damn, that would’ve been badass if I’d gone with that instead.”

The gorilla raised its fist.

Jay absorbed a mana crystal and dodged aside.

The gorilla crawled around to chase him. It didn’t have to go far.

Jay flew back to revisit the monster, his feet streaking bright neon purple behind the heels. He landed a [Grav Kick] enhanced by [One Heavy Step] and [Dance Floor Relativity]. He felt a big chunk of mana disappear in one burst of explosive gravitational magic that illuminated the nearby area with bright purple light.

One Heavy Step leveled up from 2 to 5!

Grav Kick leveled up to 7!

Jay backflipped to the ground and stuck the landing slightly off-balanced. He cursed under his breath and reached into his knapsack for a Stamina crystal. Like a breath of adrenaline wiping away his weariness, the crystal refueled his physical energy. Jay smiled eagerly and sprinted forward, stumbling for a few steps because of his Agility penalization from [One Heavy Step]. Once that passed, he rushed into another clash with the traumatized gorilla.

He juked around a laboriously slow punch and sliced up, down, and across the monster’s exposed arm.

The gorilla reared back with a cry, displaying its easy-to-reach belly.

Jay left his goblin marks like he was drawing a tic-tac-toe grid and playing against himself. The X’s were just about to win before Jay dove out of the way of a double-arm slam. With its back exposed, Jay carved into the creature’s spine, applying consistent damage.

Desperation and fear pushed the monster to jump off one leg and aim for a backward elbow slam. A pretty badass move from a monster, honestly. Too bad it was fighting a disruptive [Freak].

Before it reached the apex of its rise, Mike interjected with another [Mana Hype] for the [Freak].

Jay joined the gorilla in the air with a pat on its back and a change in gravity. They got to fall a good distance higher this time around. The monster barely survived the drop under true gravity, shattering its other leg and snapping an arm at the elbow joint.

Dance Floor Relativity leveled up to 9!

Jay floated back down using the dregs of his remaining mana.

Moonwalker leveled up to 8!

“Wanna finish it?” Jay asked Mike.

The [Mage] huffed tiredly. “You have no idea how much mana I had to lend you for both of those fall-damage maneuvers. On top of laying DPS on all three gorillas.”

“So, is that a no?”

“We’re finished on our end if you need help!” Dennis yelled from near the corpse of the second gorilla.

Mike used a mana crystal. He exploded the gorilla’s defenseless head with a Star Shot laser.

Your party has slain 3 Gorilla Guard Action Figure Minibosses, Level 9!

Congrats! Lesser Freak leveled up to 7! +8 Free AP acquired.

“Leveled up?” Mike asked Jay.

“Yup. You?”

Mike nodded, smiling. The two high-fived. They reunited with the [Fighters] and retraced their steps to pick up Kleo. When they returned to the middle of the alcove chamber, the minibosses had melted and exposed their loot.

Your party has looted 3 Jungle Gym Keys, 9 Basic Smart Polymer Chunks, 3 Basic Ape Monster Cores, 3 Basic Pumping Iron Pills, 53 Multiverse Iron Coins.

“Hm, no, crystals for recovery,” Mike noted.

“My former master wouldn’t want to give that away while you’re here,” Kleo said weakly.

“Can we get twenty minutes?” Frank asked her. “For those who need to crystal up and wait out the chance of getting sick.”

“Okay,” she answered.

Dennis shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe the next challenge won’t be a fight. The keys got to be for something puzzle-related, right? Like the second solo room.”

“Don’t,” Kleo said. “It’s not safe if you’re not all good.”

“I have to agree with her,” Frank said.

“Are you kidding?” Dennis growled. “She’s freaking dying, bro! We have to push!”

“I agree,” Jay said, “with Frank, who agrees with Kleo.”

Dennis removed his helmet to show his shock. Then he started to redden around the neck and face.

“It’s gonna be okay, you big galoot,” Kleo said. “I still have time. Trust. Me.”

Dennis hesitated, then he deflated a bit.

“Come, rest,” Mike said, grabbing Dennis by the arm. It would be ridiculously hard for the [Mage] to budge Dennis, but the Superjock let Mike lead him to a dry, undamaged spot for a sit-down.

Frank eyed Jay warily.

“We’re still on time,” the [Freak] said.

“Based on Kleo or on something you’re sensing alone?”

“Both, obviously,” Jay said. “It’s all gonna fall in place, like a great round of Tetris. It’ll be perfect and imperfect all at once. That will make it beautiful for an end that is a beginning.”

“What are you talking about, Luckrun?” Frank asked. “Are you even hearing yourself right now?”

Jay frowned, feeling a little befuddled. His mind felt like it snapped back to normal after taking a trip somewhere that bent him out of sorts. It felt like he’d been gone for a long time, but it should have been just a second or two. Hell, why had he gone away in the first place?

“I think I am going mad,” Jay said. “The closer we get to the center of it, the more it’ll affect me.”

“Do you believe yourself to be a danger?” Frank asked.

“No, but I think you’ll have to trust me more than you ever should,” Jay said. “I’m sorry. I haven’t been right in the head even before getting this [Class]. I am a weirdo and–”

Frank held up his hand. “Not now. Especially not here. Save it for when we can grab beers in friendly territory. Okay?”

Jay smiled, feeling a new potential bromance route opening up. But this one was a little precarious, so he tried to play it cool.

“Uh, yeah, sure.”

Frank shook his head. “Freaking dork.”

Jay laughed.

Kleo fell over suddenly, which killed Jay’s good cheer. He helped her up as her missing leg slowly recombined. A few strands of material remained to help her stand and walk.

“I’m okay, Master,” Kleo said, losing one of her eyes and a part of her cheek. Permanently. “Do I still look pretty?”

“I thought I picked you to make me tea and sandwiches?” Jay joked.

“Jerk!” She laughed hoarsely.

“There are consequences when you owe me some serious malarkey,” Jay said.

Kleo laughed harder. It almost sounded painful, even if she enjoyed herself to the fullest.

Jay forced himself to smile as if everything was okay.

The twenty minutes couldn’t end any sooner, but he made good use of it. He kept Kleo distracted. He pumped +3 AP to Agility and +5 AP to Perception.

Then rest time ended. The party picked up and entered the next challenge section.