“You really don’t see that?” asked Zeke, staring off into the distance.

Standing next to him on the balcony, Abby used her hand to shade her eyes as she followed his gaze. After a few seconds, she said, “All I see is more sand. Sorry. Maybe it’s just a mirage.”

Zeke sighed, then turned away. It had been almost a month since they’d defeated the raptor amalgam, and in that time, they hadn’t encountered anything more exciting than a family of sand crabs. And even those hadn’t been nearly so threatening as that first encounter, leaving Zeke and his companions with nothing to do but trudge toward their destination. However, two days past, Zeke had seen something strange in the distance. A shimmer in the air that he couldn’t quite describe.

“Maybe I’m going crazy,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes. Even sheltered by the tower, there seemed no escape from the ubiquitous sand. “But I know there’s something over there.”

“And you still want to go check it out,” she reasoned.

He shrugged. “Yeah,” was his response. “I know it’s the wrong way, but it feels like there’s something pulling me in that direction.”

“Is this like the vale?” she asked. “You know, where we…uh…where we met Aja?”

Zeke took a moment to think about it, then shook his head. “No,” he said. “This is different. That was like someone screaming in my ear, but this…it’s just…I don’t know. Like a whisper, maybe. From across the room.”

“That’s not a lot to go on,” she stated.

Zeke didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he just nodded and turned his attention back to the shimmer which had occupied his thoughts for the past couple of days. If he had been alone, he’d have already set out in that direction. But he had everyone else to think about. Where he went, they had to go as well. He couldn’t just make unilateral decisions. Nor could he just leave them behind. The tower would want to fade away when he got more than a few miles away; he could maintain it, but the longer he tried, the harder it became. And it became exponentially more difficult the further away he traveled. Eventually, it would overwhelm him, the tower would de-summon, and his friends would be stranded in the middle of a desert without water or any other supplies.

He gripped the balcony’s stone railing hard enough that, if it weren’t magically enhanced, it would have crumbled to dust. As it was, it remained firm, and his knuckles went white with the effort.

Abby reached up and ran her hand down the center of his back. “It’s okay,” she said. “If you want to go check it out, we can go check it out. Nobody’s going to argue with you.”

“Even if you think it’s a bad idea?” he asked, hanging his head.

“Even then,” she stated. “Like it or not, we’re following your lead.”

“But why?” he asked. “I don’t think I’m stupid or anything, but I know I’m not as smart as you or Tucker. Maybe even Talia. I’m definitely a lot more ignorant. Half the time, I feel like I’m just running from one crisis to another. I’ve been here for a while, now. Two years in the caves, more than a year topside – and I still can’t wrap my head around most of this stuff. I don’t know what to expect around each corner. I don’t know how I’m supposed to lead anyone when I don’t have enough –”

“Stop it,” she said, reaching up and turning him around. Putting one hand on either of his shoulders, she looked him in the eye. “You’re spiraling. Nobody really knows what to expect from this world. Every day, people find new things. The important part is that we adjust as well as we can.”

“I’m not really the adjusting type,” he said.

“Really? In three years or so, you’ve gone from a normal guy to one of the most powerful people in this world,” she said. “Maybe one in a few-hundred thousand ever make it to level twenty, and even those don’t have the kind of combat experience you do. They all play it safe. But you? You’re always going after something bigger and badder. It’s dangerous, sure. Very. But it’s also rewarding. And as long we stick together, I believe in us.”

Zeke was taken aback by her statement of support, not just because of the content, but because of the vehemence with which she’d said it. For some time now, Zeke had been a little uneasy with his de facto leadership role. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to be in charge; rather, the issue stemmed from the nagging feeling that he didn’t deserve it. That if he embraced it, he would inevitably lead his friends down the wrong path. And in a world where death lurked around every corner, that was a risk he didn’t know if he wanted to take.

Or maybe he just didn’t want the responsibility thrust upon him. After all, both Abby and Tucker were older, wiser, and more experienced than him, right? Even Talia knew more about the world.

“Do I get a choice, here?” Zeke asked.

“Not really,” Abby said. “And it’s not because of us, either. Every time something happens, you take charge. May as well just make it official, right? Structure is important. We all need to know our roles. It just makes everything easier.”

Zeke couldn’t really argue with that logic. And even if he wanted to, he had to acknowledge that, in a crisis, he almost always took the lead – usually by charging right at the threat. To his surprise, his friends routinely followed, even if they disagreed.

“You’re probably right.”

Abby snaked her arm around his waist, saying, “I usually am. So – do you want to go investigate this shimmer only you can see? Or do we keep heading toward Jariq? It’s your call.”

“And what if it’s nothing?” he asked. “Or something we can’t handle?”

Zeke was far more worried about the latter. He knew precisely how close they’d come to annihilation against the raptor amalgam. A few more seconds, and he would have been crushed to death in the thing’s throat. That it had worked out was irrelevant. The encounter had shown Zeke just how little space there was between success and defeat. Life and death. And he had no real clue what else was out there waiting on them. His ignorance could easily lead them into the nest of a monarch-tier monster.

“If it’s nothing, we lose a few days,” Abby said. “If it’s something hostile, we’ll figure it out. That’s all we can do.”

“I don’t like those choices.”

“Doesn’t matter what we like,” she said. “Even if we keep going toward Jariq, there’s no guarantee we won’t run into something just as dangerous as that giant bird-dinosaur, right? This way, at least we’re on our guard.” She stepped closer, adding, “And I know you, Ezekiel Blackwood. You’re no more capable of leaving that shimmer unexplored than you can quit breathing.”

“Oh?” Zeke asked. “You know me so well, huh?”

“I’ve got a good measure of you.”

“And? What’s your verdict?” he asked, looking down on her with a slight smirk. It was so easy to forget his problems when she was so close.

“Rough around the edges,” she said, reaching up and lacing her fingers behind his neck. “Terrible fighting technique. Way too quick to leave your feet. And –”

“This isn’t quite as complimentary as I expected,” he admitted.

“You’re also loyal,” she went on. “Stronger than anyone I’ve ever known. More persistent, too. More than anything, though, you’re a good person. Or at least you want to be.” She quirked a small smile before standing on her tiptoes and extending her neck. Before her lips met his, she whispered, “Not too hard on the eyes, either.”

Then, they kissed, and for a moment, Zeke forgot his worries. The reprieve didn’t last long, but it was still very welcome. When they broke away, he said, “Thanks. Sometimes, I need to be reminded I’m not alone.”

“You won’t ever be alone again,” she promised, laying her head against his chest. For a few minutes, they stood on the balcony, enjoying one another’s company as Zeke stared off into the distance. Try as he might to focus on the moment, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from that beguiling shimmer.

Finally, he said, “We need to investigate.”

“Kind of expected that.”

“Really?” Zeke asked. “Am I that transparent?”

Abby smiled again, saying, “You’re not a subtle man.” She gestured to the horizon, continuing, “You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t want to see whatever’s out there.”

That much was true. In the old world, he’d never been particularly adventurous. But since being reborn, he’d become incapable of resisting the wanderlust that consistently drove him to investigate what lay on the next horizon. Part of that was the overwhelming drive to advance, to grow his power so he could claw his way into the next plane, but there was also simple curiosity there as well. After all, he’d already seen so many wondrous things – many of which had tried to kill him – and he could only imagine what he might see going forward. That sense of discovery was almost as addictive as gaining levels and amassing power.

“Alright, then,” he said, pulling away. “Let’s gather everyone up and go see what’s out there.”

With that, the tower’s inhabitants erupted into motion. Anything truly important was kept in Zeke’s spatial storage, but everyone had their own little rituals to perform. Abby changed clothes. Talia meditated. Tucker brewed a few last-minute potions. And Pudge tried to destroy a giant crab leg that had become his favorite toy. For his part, Zeke summoned his armor, which still hadn’t recovered from their three-week war against the fire ants. It was melted in places, and it definitely couldn’t hold up to a vigorous assault, but it was still better than nothing. When he got to Jariq, he’d have to replace it. The shield had fared better, recovering most of its former shape and durability. Voromir, his mace, remained wholly unaffected by the punishment he’d put it through.

Finally, after a half-hour, they gathered at the tower’s base. Zeke told them all that he planned to investigate the shimmer, and to his surprise, got no complaints. So, after stowing his shield and mace back in his spatial storage, he dismissed the tower, and the group strode toward the enigmatic shimmer on the horizon.

As they trekked through the desert, Abby and Talia scouted their route; no one wanted to stumble upon a surprise, and the pair were the stealthiest of the group. Pudge disagreed, but he relented when Zeke insisted he stay behind, framing it in such a way as to imply that he and Tucker needed the bear’s protection. That assuaged Pudge’s ego.

“Sometimes, I wonder how far that’s going to go,” Tucker mentioned, looking at Pudge, who’d pounced on a horned rabbit. The small monster was only level ten, so it posed little danger. However, Pudge was still a bear, and despite his obvious intelligence and power, he still had the instincts of a wild animal. The rabbit never stood a chance.

“What do you mean?” Zeke asked.

“You have to know that Pudge is a lot smarter than your average bear, right?” Tucker stated, adjusting his vest. He had a few vials in the various pockets, and it bulged with ingredients. If he needed to, he could whip up a rudimentary potion in only a few seconds.

“Should’ve named him Yogi, then,” Zeke said.

“Ha, ha,” was Tucker’s dry response. “I’m serious, though. That bear is only going to get smarter. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up Monarch-tier. If that happens…well, let’s just say nobody’s going to mess with you after that.”

Zeke didn’t really believe that. There was always someone who was willing to take a risk for potential gain. He was living proof of that. Still, Zeke didn’t dispute the alchemist’s claim. Instead, he pivoted to a related subject, asking, “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. I inspected Micayne back when we fought, and he had an M next to his name, the same as what Abby described with the thunderbird.”

“Yeah. He’s a monarch,” Tucker stated.

“But he’s not a monster, right? He’s a person,” Zeke said.

“Person is stretching it,” Tucker explained. “He used to be, sure. But at this point? He’s crossed a threshold, and that designation proves he’s a monster, now. An intelligent monster, sure, but whatever humanity was in him has long since been discarded. Remember that if you ever face him again.”

Zeke thought about it for a few moments before asking, “If a human can become a monster, can a monster become a person?”

Tucker scratched his short beard before saying, “I have no idea. Never really thought about it before, honestly. But I guess. I’m not sure what kind of process it would take, but I guess it would go both ways. Why? Know a monster you want to nominate for the transformation?”

Zeke shrugged. “No, not really,” he said. “Just an idle thought, I guess. There’s so much about this world I don’t know. I always feel like I’m playing catch-up.”

“God, I miss ketchup,” Tucker said. “For whatever reason, they can’t get it right in this world. Barbecue sauce either. There’s always something that’s just a little bit off. It’s either too sweet. Or too salty. Or too much spice. I guess it just goes to show you that even though things look similar here, it’s not the same world.”

“That’s kind of my point. I keep stumbling into dangerous situations that I think I could avoid if I just knew more,” Zeke complained. “I just want – wait, what’s that?”

Tucker followed Zeke’s gaze to a spot just below the horizon. There were two figures running their way. One was clearly Abby, but the other was definitely not Talia. This figure was at least Abby’s height, a little thinner than Talia, and, like the undead girl, dressed all in black. However, the cut was different enough that, even at a distance, there was no mistaking that it was someone else – especially when Zeke saw the dull glint of metal at the figure’s ankles and wrists.

“Looks to me like Abby found something,” Tucker said. “Let’s go check it out.”

Zeke nodded, then took off at a jog. In the old world, jogging in full armor would have been exhausting, but Zeke didn’t even notice the extra weight. As they closed in on Abby and the other figure, Zeke saw Talia flanking them about a hundred yards to their left. Clearly, she didn’t trust this new arrival.

Finally, as Zeke and Tucker – with the alchemist already breathing hard from the combined exertion and the overwhelming heat of the desert – reached the other pair, Zeke summoned his mace and shield. At some point, Tucker had produced one of his grenades as well.

“Who’s this?” Zeke asked, pulling to a stop. The figure had resolved itself into the shape of a man, and a ragged one at that. His black clothing might have once been expensive and was obviously well-crafted, but it had clearly seen better days. Not only was it torn and shredded so thoroughly that it was beyond repair, but it was also stained with blood. The man’s face was similarly stained, though Zeke could tell that the blood didn’t belong to him.

“My name is Carlos Alfaro,” he said. “And with the authority of the Crystal Spiders, I ask for your help.”

Zeke let out a sigh. “Wrong answer, friend,” he said, hefting his mace. Without hesitation, he brought it down with the full weight of his strength, fully intent on caving the man’s skull in.