Two men stood back to back in the wooded clearing. Both had large bushy beards and were dressed in makeshift armor combining metal plates with animal furs.

"Dude, you see these Wolves? There's gotta be like ten of em! Think we can take that many?" one of the men said without looking toward the other.

"Bro, they came out of the wilds! No way do we wanna mess with em!" They both held massive clubs studded with jagged bits of metal.

"Dude, should we run for it? I don't see any of them over there." More wolves were emerging from the shadows under the trees all around them, except for one direction.

"Bro, nah, that will make them want to chase us! It's like an instinct." One wolf stepped ahead of the others and showed its teeth in a snarl.

"So we play dead?"

"Bro, they aren't bears! No, I think we're supposed to shit our pants… or something like that." The wolf growled louder, and another stepped forward next to it.

"Dude!"

"Yea, Bro, I saw it in a document movie!"

"No, Dude, it's not that!"

"Trust me, Bro."

"Dude, I already took a shit this morning! I can't go again!"

"Aw man, me too, Bro! What do we do?" The wolves were getting closer as the two men took tiny steps away, still back to back.

"Dude, I'll charge the Wolves, and you run the other way."

"Bro, they'll kill you!"

"You would do the same for me, Dude, and there's a whole world out there waiting for you!"

"No, Bro, I can't…"

"It's the only way!"

"But, Bro, you are my world."

"Dude… but you're my world!"

The wolves kept slowly advancing as if daring the two men to start running.

"Bro… then I guess we have no choice. One more epic battle of the Bros!"

"Dude… wait, is that a pug?"

"Bro… wait, what?" He glanced past the other man and saw a small black pug trotting out of the trees.

"Dude, it is a pug!"

"No way, Bro, I bet it's an alien with a mouth full of tentacles!"

"Dude, but I love pugs!" The man crouched down and held out a hand, "Here puppy!"

"Bro, it's gotta be a trap!"

"It's too cute, Dude. I gotta pet it!" The pug sniffed his outstretched hand and then stepped closer. "Were you running from the big bad wolf too, little guy?" He scratched the dog's ear and ran a hand down its back. "Oh, Dude! He's so soft!"

The small pug started sniffing and nosing at a pouch on the man's belt. "You hungry, little Dude?" He dug into the bag and pulled out some dried meat. The pug sat down and wagged his tail while licking his lips. "Here you go!" He fed little pieces of meat to the dog one after another.

"Bro, look at the size of that one!" The other man's voice finally pulled the crouching man's attention away from the pug. He looked up, and his hand stopped stroking the shiny black fur.

"Dude…" All of the wolves had stopped advancing and were sitting or lying down. He only noticed the four furry tree trunks when they moved, and then his eyes ran all the way up to the enormous mouth looming above the clearing. "Dude…" The gargantuan wolf sat down with an earthshaking thud and looked around above the treetops, seemingly ignoring them.

"Bro, I think we scared them! They don't wanna fight the Bros!"

A wolf howled in the distance, and every head turned in that direction.

"They are waiting for their buddies! We should…" The pug tilted his head back and howled a small awoo… then vanished in a blast of sound and wind.

The two men managed to keep their feet by holding onto each other until the storm of swirling debris finally settled. When they looked around, all of the wolves were gone. They both stared at each other.

"Bro…"

"Dude…"

"That pug is the Beast Lord?"

"Nah, Bro. Jamie said it was a giant monster. It had to be the big wolf!"

"Dude, that pug runs with some hardcore Bros!"

"Bro, check out that Buff!"

"Nice, Dude! Hey, look, it says we are Friends!" He looked morosely at the other man. "Dude, we really misjudged those wolves… they just wanted to be friends with us!"

"I know, Bro… but hey! With this Buff, I bet we could beat one of those ice samand… salamad… Lizards!"

"Yeah, Dude!" He high-fived the other man and then smiled wider at him. "Julie's been dying to get more of that meat, hasn't she?"

"Bro… she has!" He smiled and added, "I bet her sister would like it too."

"Hell yeah, Dude! Let's get some!" They both dashed off through the trees, and neither noticed the black wolf in the shadows as it rolled its eyes and vanished into the darkness.

~~~~~~~

Caffeine

~~~~~~~

They were nice Not Dearest Humans, and they shared snacks with Caffeine. It wasn't Chicken… and they weren't Dearest Human…

Quick Bite howled about Angry Trees, and Caffeine howled back.

Usually, trees did not do anything scarier than lunge toward you when the wind blew. But Caffeine had always suspected the tree stumps, and he had been right to worry. These trees didn't just lunge when it was windy. They would walk after you even if you ran away!

Caffeine always enjoyed playing Chase the Stick, but now the sticks chased him! It was almost fun… but Caffeine liked it better when Dearest Human would throw the Stick and then Chase him around… "Dearest Human…"

The moving sticks didn't want to play. They were angry and wanted to hurt his Friends. So Caffeine chewed on them until they stopped moving. But it just wasn't the same without Dearest Human chasing him…

After the sticks were all chewed, his friends helped him find all the glowy rocks to eat. They were good dogs, just like Caffeine! He was sure Dearest Human would tell them that… if he was here. Caffeine looked toward where he knew Dearest Human was… "Wake up, Dearest Human… come back. I miss you…"

Caffeine stopped whining when Cunning Fang bumped his nose with hers. "He will wake up in time, Beast Lord. Now eat your rocks…" she dropped another rock onto the pile of rocks, and Caffeine gobbled them up.

The rocks didn't taste good without Dearest Human here. They didn't taste like anything. But they did give him a good feeling in his belly. Not a full belly feeling, like after dinner when it was cuddling nap time… but a go outside and play chase with Dearest Human forever, feeling. "Dearest Human…"

Caffeine really wanted Dearest Human to wake up, even though he wasn't sleeping… Dearest Human was always warm and snuggly, even when sleeping, but now he wasn't. It felt like Dearest Human was almost not there. He would only sit. There were no belly rubs or snuggle naps… only sit and be almost not there. It was terrible… So Caffeine sent the 'go outside and play chase forever' feeling to Dearest Human. "Come chase with me, Dearest Human!"

The world dimmed, and Caffeine felt very tired. Dearest Human did not come play. Caffeine sat down to rest his suddenly very tired legs and howled softly. "Please come back!" Then he had to lie down. Maybe a nap would be good… maybe he could play one more time with Dearest Human while in the sleeping place… Caffeine sent so many happy play feelings to Dearest Human, and he still didn't wake up…

"Beast Lord," Cunning Fang huffed in his face and dropped another glowing rock, but Caffeine was too tired to remind her that his name was Caff Caffeine. A name Dearest Human had given him. The best name…

"Rest now, Beast Lord," Cunning Fang woofed, then laid down and snuggled with him. She was a good dog and always helped keep everyone warm for nap time. A little nap was okay. It would be sad to be too tired when Dearest Human came back…

~~~~~~~~~~~

Cunning Fang

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Foolish pup," Night Shadow huffed as he sat next to her, "he refuses to learn."

"Don't be too hard on him," Cunning Fang told her mate as the Beast Lord started twitching and whimpering in his sleep, "he worries for his Human."

"Can his Human even be saved?" Night Shadow asked, very quietly, "we have been doing this for a long time."

Cunning Fang thought about it. The Beast Lord's Human was a strange one, wielding power beyond what she had thought possible and very nearly destroying himself. "I do not know," she said quietly, "but the Beast Lord believes it possible, and I will run with him so long as he still hunts."

Night Shadow yawned and stood up, "Agreed, for now. I will go scout with Quick Bite. Something smells off…" He vanished into his own shadow and was gone.

Cunning Fang watched the small beast snuggling into her side as he whimpered for his human. All around her were her family and pack. Her pups had grown so much alongside the Beast Lord, and they had also gathered new blood from outside the dead lands once the wall fell. Together the pack was thriving in the wider world, roaming where they pleased and fearing nothing. Even without the Beast Lord at their flanks, they would run free. With him, no threat could stop them. The Beast Lord felt very strongly about protecting his Friends, his best quality, in her opinion. "You would make a fine wolf, Beast Lord."

She did try to keep away from the Humans that were scattered about in the lands they roamed. They were too unpredictable, and she didn't trust them. The Beast Lord was too trusting… though she supposed that he could afford to be when none could match him. Nevertheless, they still encountered the odd Human or Human Dwelling, like the two earlier. They had been substantial dangers to some in her pack, but rather than remove the threat, she had attempted to simply send them on their way before the Beast Lord arrived. Unfortunately, they had been too stupid to take the offered escape route. Fortunately for them, they had been kind to the Beast Lord, and she hadn't had to go back and eliminate them.

Quick Bite returned later to report that he'd found another group of the rock creatures. Something they would avoid engaging until the Beast Lord was awake. Wolves were not meant to fight rocks, but the Beast Lord, however, didn't seem to care and would chew on them anyways.

Night Shadow emerged from under a tree and sprinted to her. "A large pack of something I have not seen before is approaching. I suspect they heard the Howl and now come for him," he glanced at the still sleeping pug on the last bit. "I do not know their strength…" Then he howled for the pack to gather.

They were all assembled and waiting when the enemies emerged from the trees. "Come out, Beast Lord!" a strange creature roared. It stood larger than her at the shoulder but had six legs instead of four and a row of thorns along its back. It wore no fur and reminded her of the small lizards the pups would hunt when they got bored. "I am here to Claim the Title!"

The Beast Lord whimpered and twitched against her side as he slept on despite the roaring. It had been a long run this time… she would suggest heading back to check on his Human when he awoke. That always cheered him up, though his inevitable disappointment in finding his Human unchanged always left everyone in a bad mood…

"Where is it?" the beast roared again while looking at the gathered wolves, "none of you are the Beast Lord, but I can smell it!" Caffeine whimpered again, and the lizard locked onto the sound. "That pathetic thing…" It stepped forward, and its own pack advanced with it.

The wolves tensed around her, but Cunning Fang remained where she was lying. This one was dangerous but not enough to require her direct action. Instead, she would allow some of the younger ones to deal with it. Plus, she was hesitant to wake the Beast Lord…

"That can't be the…" the interloper cut off mid-growl as a large striped paw blasted it across the clearing and through a tree.

"You dare to challenge the Beast Lord with so little strength?" the large cat drawled as it faded into sight, standing where the newcomer had been moments before. "Pathetic."

The pack of foreign beasts all stepped back as the cat advanced on their leader. It scrambled to its feet and roared at the cat, "attacking from hiding like a true coward…"

The cat was suddenly in front of the beast, and another paw slapped it back across the clearing. "You sound like prey," the cat, or Jungle King, as he insisted on being called, said while stalking casually after his victim. "Mewling, weak prey, trying to act tough and hope the predators will run away."

"I don't fear you!" the newcomer roared, and glowing light spread through the thorns on its back.

"Very well," Jungle King sat down and sniffed at his paw, "prove it." His tail flicked in annoyance as the enemy charged. They collided, and the great cat slapped the lizard again. Only this time, he used his claws…

The clearing was silent when the blood and meat finally stopped dripping from the trees. Silent but for the large cat calmly licking his paw clean. Then he looked at the rest of the lizard's pack, and they broke, scattering into the trees with whimpers and yelps of defeat.

Her own pack stayed vigilant, as they did not trust this Jungle King, but Cunning Fang knew that he would not dare to threaten them and for the same reason that she would not truly fight with him. They were all Friends of the Beast Lord. A title that was more than any of them had expected when the simple dog had offered it up to them so freely.

[Friend of the Beast Lord]

A Rare Title that is often impossible to obtain and even harder to keep.

The Beast Lord has Freely shared some of his Power with you. The Power is Yours for so long as the Beast Lord Lives and Considers you a Friend.

The Title hadn't shown up immediately. It had taken some time. The why of which she did not understand, but the day it appeared had changed things for her and her pack. The most significant change was new Evolution paths that had opened for all of them, and that was a power that would never be lost. Power that would pass down from parent to cub and ensure the survival of her offspring. For that alone, Cunning Fang would see this hunt of the Beast Lord's to its end, and she hoped he was right about his Human coming back one day.

The pack relaxed marginally around her as the cat continued to ignore them, content to clean his paw. Or at least that was the image that the proud cat wished to portray. This Title may indeed have been difficult to obtain from one such as Jungle King or the one he had just slain, but the Beast Lord did not care for Power. He did not demand respect or fear from his underlings. In fact, he did not even have underlings. All Caffeine wanted… was Friends.

It might be a weakness on his part to give up power so freely, but she had to admit that it had not cost him yet. All of his Friends had shown up to assist in the Corruption war. Some had come partly because they understood the risk of the Humans losing to the Corrupted ones. Others, she suspected, had only fought because they didn't want to risk losing the Title.

Jungle King finished his cleaning and rose to his feet, padding menacingly towards her. Cunning Fang ignored his posturing. She knew that it irritated the cat greatly that it couldn't simply kill them all. Not that it would have an easy fight or even be guaranteed to survive, let alone win. But if it attacked them and lost the Title, she and her pack would rip him apart, and he hated that. Yet here he was, following them around regardless.

"Dogs," the cat coughed mockingly.

"Cat," Cunning Fang yawned and lay her head beside the still sleeping Beast Lord, closing her eyes and ignoring him again. She could practically hear his tail lashing angrily at the air and couldn't help but add, "if you wait for the Beast Lord to wake, I am sure that he would enjoy playing Chase with you."

She knew that the cat was still afraid of the Beast Lord, their first meeting had left its mark on him, and he had never gotten over it. This wasn't the first challenger that he had killed. It was as if he had to protect his pride by insisting that if he couldn't defeat the Beast Lord, then obviously, no other would be capable either. Not that he was wrong so far…

The cat vanished to wherever it was that he went, and the pack rested in the peaceful clearing while snacking on the lizards that hadn't run fast enough or far enough.

Then the Beast Lord snapped awake, his head pointing intently into the distance. A heartbeat later and he was gone.

Cunning Fang stood, but her mate barked, "Rest the pack. I will bring him back when he is ready. Or fetch the pack if necessary," he added. It wasn't unusual for the Beast Lord to go running at the slightest disturbance, after all. She stretched as he faded into shadows, then grabbed a meaty bone to chew on and lay back down. It would do the pack well to rest.

~~~~~~

Eve

~~~~~~

"You better fucking keep him safe!" Eve glared at the trio around her brother in the large room.

"Thanks for the escort, Eve," Zeke smiled at her, "but I'm not helpless, you know."

Eve ignored him, her eyes locked onto his guards. "Yes, Ma'am!" They all nodded quickly but wouldn't meet her gaze, and for a good reason. Yesterday they'd let some freak attack her brother when he was on healing duty! Zeke had handled it, obviously, but he shouldn't have had to.

"Let's get started," Zeke said, and one of the guards went to the large door at the other end of the room.

He opened the door and revealed a crowd waiting outside. "One at a time, please."

Eve watched the line form up as what looked like a backpack unfolded into a metallic spider and climbed off her. It scrambled quickly across the floor and up a wall before settling into a corner near the ceiling. The shiny lenses of its camera eyes covered the entire room and twin barrels extended out from its back. If anyone tried to start shit again, she wouldn't hesitate to drill a hole through their head. "Fuck them, and fuck their whiny excuses, don't fucking touch my brother!"

A few people in the growing line watched it warily, but most had seen her creations before, if not quite so overtly threatening. If Zeke would just make the people come to the Tower… Eve stomped out the doors, passing along the line of wounded people here for the healing that only Zeke could provide. Most of them had missing limbs ranging from an eye or finger to arms and legs. Some had to be carried by their friends… But many were simply stopping in after a night excursion or just getting back into top shape before heading out for the day.

Despite the massive influx of humanity after the Undead were Defeated, healers were still in short supply. Especially after the loss of Adrian… The few they did have were not capable of regrowing body parts. They could reattach a limb if it was readily available, but that was hard to do when a monster had just swallowed someone's arm. Daryl could copy Zeke and lighten his workload, which was weird as fuck, but he wasn't good around people lately…

The line was long today and stretched all the way out of the building. A bad sign that so many people were getting injured… but also a good sign that so many people were fighting to get stronger despite the risks. Zeke was going to be busy for a while, but he should have had some help… "That lazy fucking Apprentice!"

Zeke had two apprentices, and one of them was a lot like her brother. Hard-working, caring, a bit too selfless… the other was a lazy piece of shit that only wanted to be in the spotlight. The first had taken night shift duty in case of an emergency, but the second was supposed to be helping during the day. Eve would have sent a spider to wake the bastard up, but she didn't know where he slept… "I can fix that." She dropped a tiny spider off her leg, and it skittered out of sight to wait for the Apprentice.

Eve emerged from the building and into a bustling city. New Boston. "Such an original name…" Nate's city. The population had grown far too much for the old Tower, and Nate had set up in the old downtown area, at least what was left of it. The Dungeon Key had helped with that. A final reward for surviving the Raid…

Walter had declined the option of becoming the new city's leader, and Daryl was too worried about getting stronger to care. It was just as well. The Tower was much more peaceful now, situated on the outskirts instead of being the center of things. Much easier to focus on her creations without a bunch of morons running around and bothering her. Unfortunately, that meant Zeke had to travel a few blocks into the city for his healing duties.

Still, he should be perfectly safe here. Nate ran a tight city, and she hadn't seen a whisper of the idiot that attacked Zeke before. He had either been banished or killed, and Eve hoped it was the latter. No point in keeping that kind of whack job around to potentially try again. Though if he did show up again, everyone would probably help kill him… attacking the only person who could fix people up good as new was an unpopular move these days.

Luckily the healing center was just within her range, so Eve could keep an eye on Zeke while she worked on her own projects. Namely weapons and ways to make them more deadly. And smaller… Eve had ideas about how to best use her power, and nano-machines were at the top of the list. Giant gun-toting spiders were all well and good, but swarms of microscopic machines sounded even better. If she could figure out how to actually make them useful…

Her latest round of musing was interrupted when she finally laid eyes on the creature waiting outside the Tower. She'd already seen it through her cameras, the entire place was under constant surveillance, but her eyes, namely her Soul-Bonded Metal eye, saw the truth. It wasn't human, even though it had the appearance of one.

Many heavy-duty guns were trained on the thing when she stopped before it. Some even charged with the excess Source she was absorbing around Stanley. Nothing would survive a shot from one of those, not even the gun that fired it… also it would leave a powerful signature behind that, while it scared off some of the monsters, it drew in the stronger ones instead.

"What are you?" Eve didn't beat around the bush, her arm up and light glowing through the skin of her palm as she prepared the blaster hidden within the metal limb. A thin layer of the same metal already covered her body and grew thicker every second.

"Ah," the creature didn't move other than to smile slightly before the smiling face dissolved into a horrifying visage. Gray skin led to large inky black eyes above a quivering mass of tentacles where the lower half of its face should have been. "I mean you no harm," it said, somehow… The rest of its body didn't change, that she could tell. Everything but the face was covered in simple loose robes as it stood still.

Eve wasn't too surprised at seeing an alien here. They had turned out to be somewhat common outside the Raid Dungeon and came in a wide variety of hostile, friendly, indifferent, and wary. A lot like humans in many ways. She hadn't seen this specific variety before, though. Of course, there was always a chance that a weird-looking creature was simply a former human that had taken an extreme evolution option… but the real problem was that she couldn't get any kind of reading on the creature's power level. Either it was pathetically weak, which she doubted, or it had a way to hide its power, something she hadn't known was possible.

"Why are you here?" Eve asked without moving any closer. She could see Walter watching from the nearest doorway, but he wouldn't be any help while they were outside. There were a few other people still living in the Tower but none that could rival her own or Walter's power. Adam might be around, she never knew with him, and he would probably be able to buy her time if things turned ugly. Of course, if it came to violence, then Nate would notice and be here in seconds, especially if she fired one of the Source cannons…

"I am here on behalf of my Master," the creature said, tentacles quivering on its face but making no other motions.

"What master, and what for?" She had a bad feeling about this.

"It is about the one you have tried to hide inside."

"You take one step toward him, and I'll fry the shit out of you!" Eve stepped forward, the flesh in her palm splitting apart with a tinge of pain as the glowing barrel protruded out, and several of her giant spiders moved to get better firing angles.

"My apologies," the creature said, "I am not here to fight, only to deliver a message and a warning."

Eve paused her advance and then started moving to the side to get between the creature and the Tower. "Spit it out then!"

"Of course, ahem," it made a sound as if clearing its throat, though she could see no mouth on it. "My Master wishes to see that man survive, and in light of that, I have come here."

"What's the fucking message then?" Eve didn't stop moving until she was a step inside the doorway, Walter's Domain an extra layer of security around her.

"The Human should consider traveling more. One shouldn't settle down until they find the perfect spot."

"What, that's it?" Eve glared at it. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Ah," the creature's voice seemed unbothered by her anger, "that is the message. I am afraid my Master must keep it vague, or else the System will see it as interference. It does not like that."

"Who is your fucking Master, and why is he or she sending messages?"

"My Master is… I cannot give you a name… ah, did the Human ever mention seeing a message from someone?"

"No, he…" Eve stopped talking, suddenly remembering Stanley telling them his life story that day on the porch. She had been a bit distracted at the time, and a lot had happened since… but there had been mention of a Message from a… Reviewer? "He did," she said cautiously.

"Excellent! That is my Master. He expressed a desire that someone might come here and comment on the joys of travel. So here I am."

Eve was still confused. "Joy of travel? And why can't you give me a name?"

"My Master's name would ring like a great bell to some who might be listening, and it would draw undesirable attention to this world that is already making so much noise."

"What?" Eve wanted to shoot the thing just for acting like a cryptic jackass… but she didn't. Something felt off here. "Why can't I feel your power?"

"Please do not attack me," it said, and that was the only warning Eve got before a tsunami of dreadful power loomed before her, bearing down to sweep her away… and then it was gone. "Fear not…"

"How many fucking humans did you kill to get here?" Eve was gasping for air and heard Walter mutter something unprofessional behind her. The Undead Raid Leaders hadn't felt even close to that strong… it was impossible! Did it slaughter an entire State just to…

"I have killed nothing on this world," it replied in the same calm tone, "I arrived using a [...] Key." Eve frowned at the strange static that drowned out one of the words, and the creature twitched as well. "It seems that your world has not received one of those yet… my apologies. But as I said, you need not fear me, for should I unleash my power, even in self-defense, I would be very harshly punished."

Eve just watched it as she tried to calm down. She could see a spark of light growing brighter in the distance as Nate charged across the sky. Not that he would be able to help if this alien was lying about being able to use its power… and a faint howl reached her ears.

A black pug appeared next to the alien right before the outside world vanished in a storm of swirling debris. Nothing more than a light breeze made it through the doorway, and Eve's hair swirled gently as she waited nervously for the dust to settle. Caffeine was the strongest thing she had seen, ever, and she wasn't sure if even he could fight against the power she'd just felt…

When she could see again, Nate stood opposite Caffeine as the pug sniffed at the seemingly unbothered creature's robes. It was looking down at the small dog, and its face tentacles were wiggling rather energetically… "My Master told me about you!" It reached a limb out from the robes, and Eve saw too many fingers and ones that looked far too similar to what was on its face… "Don't worry, Beast, I mean your Human no harm," it said as Caffeine sniffed at the proffered… hand.

The pug didn't seem entirely sure what to think of the alien as he backed up and then trotted inside the building past Eve—likely going to check on Stanley.

The alien turned to Nate and bowed forward slightly. "City Lord, greetings."

"How did you know that I'm the City Lord?" Nate asked, then glanced at Eve and back to the creature, "and why are you here?"

It repeated the same useless message about traveling. "As for how I know you are the City Lord. Do you know the Skill […]?" It flinched at the static once again. "Not yet, I see… but you will understand in time." It turned slightly as if to leave and said, "you have received the message…" and then paused as if waiting for something.

Nate was quiet as he stared at the creature for long moments. "You are saying that our… friend shouldn't stay in one place?"

The alien didn't respond, just stood there as if waiting for something.

"Is it not safe here? Is that what you are getting at? Or is something or someone looking for him…" Nate trailed off and glanced again at Eve before looking up toward the Tower, where Stanley still sat ever since the battle.

"It was a nice visit," the alien said, "seeing this new world, meeting new friends. A large risk for one like myself, and little reward to be gained… but I could visit again in the future… when the risk is diminished." It turned and started walking away. "Farewell."

"Wait," Eve called after it, "what was the warning?"

"It is about the one you have Tried to hide inside," was all it said as its face shifted to look human once again.

"Fucking useless cryptic bullshit!" Eve spat, but Nate shook his head.

"I think I got it," he said, and Eve turned her glare on him, but he was looking up at the Tower. "Stanley isn't hidden well enough, and people… or alien monsters like that one will come looking for him." He met her gaze. "But they will have a harder time finding him if he is on the move."

"How the fuck are we supposed to move him when he is fucking frozen in place?"

Walter cleared his throat behind her. "Ahem. Pardon me, Miss, but I may have a solution for that…" He trailed off as both Eve and Nate jerked their heads in the direction the creature had gone.

Eve had, of course, put some tiny spiders on the thing to keep an eye on it. But they had abruptly fallen to the ground, and the creature was gone. The spiders were all undamaged… even the ones that had gotten tangled up in the robes. "God damn it!"

"We'll figure something out," Nate said, turning back to them, "I think it was saying that we still have time. Probably something to do with Earth's Rank…"

"Fuck." Eve started pacing as she checked the feed from Zeke's and Stanley's positions. All clear. However, the shadowy wolf was with Caffeine next to Stanley. Then his shadow swallowed the pug, and Stanley was alone again. "Transport…" Eve stopped pacing and turned to Nate, who was tapping his chin, lost in his own thoughts. "Alright, 'Lord' Nate, I'm going to need some extra shit."

Nate rolled his eyes at her emphasis on the Lord but nodded. "Say the word."

Eve told him what she needed. She didn't like the idea of being next to the massive target that was Stanley. Especially when it was a big enough deal to draw attention from some alien strong enough for that insanely powerful creature to be calling Master… But it didn't matter.

Stanley had given her brother back to her by granting him the Source Tether and saving him from the Corruption Shard. Hell, he had saved both of their lives more than once before that and did so despite all the shit she had given him. So now she would do whatever was necessary to protect him until he woke up. She owed him that much, at the very least.

A small part of her mind also noted that staying next to the most powerful human she'd ever seen, and his dog that was even more powerful, was probably the safest place to be in this world… just a small cynical part though.