Lee was in a bad mood after his restless attempts at sleeping and resisted the urge to tap his fingers on the table as he listened to the people arguing around him. He had awoken repeatedly from dreams of death, darkness, and pain.

Luckily, he was not limited to only this room and could easily observe the entire Fort from where he sat. An ability that he abused ruthlessly to escape from the situation and watch Bradley’s efforts to expand the Fort.

Efforts that primarily involved pushing the walls into a larger and more circular ring around the former apartment complex turned Fort. It would also place Three further from the wall and closer to the center, which was fine with Lee. Three wasn't strong enough to Claim the entire wall before anyway, and Lee had some ideas for expanding the original apartment building into... something more.

Fortunately, Three had responded to Lee’s request to withdraw itself from the old wall, making the entire thing possible since Bradley couldn’t do shit to the walls once Three claimed them. That same ability to withdraw and then reclaim was what he was counting on to grow Three's original structure.

The very recent population boom had forced the expansion, especially since Lee didn't want his building to be overrun by the newcomers. The Skirathian had departed on their mission and returned less than a day later with hundreds of people in tow. Only a handful of them collared while the remainder had just been cowed by fear of their own or another's death.

They were all weak, and Lee was… unhappy with their leadership. One of whom was sitting at the table and bitching about being rescued. The Skirathian had removed all the subverted collars from the Humans by force, since the freshly created one's always started at zero charge. At least the ones not subverted directly by Lee's collar…

The Humans took offense to that. They also didn't want to fight for the right to wear a freedom collar… be required to contribute… or do any fucking thing!

Lee dropped that thought and continued watching Bradley, who had already created a few relatively simple buildings to house some of the new people and would be able to make even more once he finished expanding the wall. Unfortunately, the larger wall meant that Three would be able to claim even less of it…

Lee was still trying to decide how to resolve the issue, but he had some ideas. His preferred vision would require him to create some Runes, and he was still tweaking the RuneScape.

Lee was reasonably confident that he could do a much better job using the Master level Runes like he had with the collar, but was also sure that the cost would be prohibitive. Lee and Stanley were both a rank higher than they had been, so it shouldn't be quite as lethal, but by how much exactly, he wasn't sure. The more restricting factor was Stanley's inability to hide the Source if Lee did anything at all on his end.

Lee sighed and put his feet on the table as he leaned back and looked up at the sky above the courtyard. His attention returned inside Three, and he focused on Alejandro as the man tried to explain something to one of the newly arrived idiots. Alejandro's Core was readily visible to Lee's [Mana Mind] as he watched the flow of Mana through and around the cracked orb. He was still reluctant to start messing with the man's body, but he could also see the damage that Maria had been stitching up regularly. The stitches didn't heal it, they only held things together to prevent more damage, and Lee wanted to solve that problem first.

He needed Alejandro to be able to recover or heal from any mistakes that might occur once he started trying to do more, and he had an idea for that as well, which also required Runes…

"We will not agree to that!" one of the men at the table exclaimed, "I demand the return of…"

"What's your name?" Lee interrupted, finally fed up, "and why are you even at this meeting if you don't want to see reason?" He hadn't been paying enough attention earlier and couldn't remember the man's name.

"Flynn Parker. And I will not back down from…"

"Then leave," Lee interrupted him again, "get the fuck out of my Fort."

The man seemed confused as he glanced around the table and then back to Lee. "You can't just dictate demands and expect compliance. The will of the people…"

"The people are free," Lee stated, "free to go whenever they please. I know some will chafe at being told what to do, but that is why they can leave. I am not imprisoning anyone here."

"But…"

"But what!? You want to be protected? Want to be safe? And yet you try to dictate terms to me? You think you can demand anything from the ones who bleed and die to keep you free while you cower in the dirt!? I can just put you out of your misery right…" Lee was standing by then and screaming at the man when Alejandro put a hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, brother. You don't need to kill anyone," Alejandro said calmly.

Lee took a deep breath. "I wasn't actually going…" He looked at the terrified man suspended and frozen in the air.

Lee dropped him, and the man fell onto his ass. He was shaking and sweating profusely as he stared wide-eyed up at Lee.

Saira rocked back in her chair, her own bare and dirty feet on the table as she grinned at Lee. She winked when he met her gaze. May sat on the other side and only raised an eyebrow at him. The other people at the table all looked ready to run for their lives… aside from maybe Mathew, here representing the Alchemists, who only looked a bit nervous.

"Should I add them to the fields?" Saira asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"Please don't make this more difficult," Alejandro said to her after Lee sat back down and as he went to help the fallen man to his feet. Saira's laughter was like chiming bells as she rocked back and forth.

"As for you," Alejandro said to the still terrified Flynn, "watch your tone with the Commander. I know you are used to things running a certain way in your old Fort, but here the Commander's word is law. Also, try to remember that he created those collars that you insist belong to you."

"This is still the United States…"

"No, it isn't," Lee glared at the man, and he shut his mouth. "This is my Fort, my…" Lee took another deep breath while he closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he was more in control. "This isn't my Fort. It belongs to the people who have fought to keep it standing in my absence, but now I'm back, and I will not let this place fall due to cowards or traitors!" Lee was screaming again when he finished.

"You're insane…" the man whispered, still sweating. "You can't let a madman lead…"

A man stomped from behind Lee, where he had been standing at one of the doors, and strode right up to the whiny bitch. "How many times have you died, Flynn?"

"W… what?" Flynn stammered.

"How. Many. Times?"

"I… I never…"

"I've died over ten times," the newcomer said as he loomed over the other man, "granted most of the early ones were my fault, but it takes a special kind of person to keep coming back for more after the first time."

Flynn looked equal parts confused and scared as the other man loomed above him, talking about death.

"All my guards must die at least once, then come back and request another just to join up." He turned to Lee and saluted with a fist to his chest. "Sir, requesting permission to use my collar to administer the Guard Test to Flynn Parker."

Major Greene was the Guards' leader, nominated to his position from and by the other guards. Lee didn't know him very well, having only been introduced this morning, but he liked him already. He would also need to learn more about the 'Guards' and their methods because he hadn't heard about the whole dying to join bit Greene mentioned. A method that… actually made some sense. What better way to find out if someone could handle the collar's features than by testing it?

He also knew that the man was bluffing, mostly. Not about the test but about giving up his collar. The collars were too valuable to risk on a newcomer who might get teleported god knows where depending on what they considered a safe place. The teleport had a range limit, mainly based on the charge, but it was a very long range and still too risky.

"You… you can't do this!" Flynn was standing and backing away until he bumped into the two guards who had moved up to stand silently behind him.

"Major Greene, please stop…" Alejandro said, shaking his head.

"My apologies, Mayor. But this is a Guard matter, and the decision rests with the Commander."

The Guards even had a uniform of sorts. Mostly the standard issue gear that May and others like her were pumping out, but they each wore a red cloth wrapped around their necks that completely hid the collar underneath. Lee didn't know the significance, but he would ask later. Greene had only officially gained his position yesterday. Still, it had been a nearly unanimous decision, and from what Lee had heard, he had been a strong force of inspiration among the guards during the recent siege.

"No, Major," Lee finally said, "I won't risk losing a collar." It turned out that May could not build replacement collars. Something to do with the slave collars themselves or the concepts Lee had imbued into his own [Absolute Freedom]. Whatever it was, they could only gain new freedom collars by converting slave collars. For now…

"Yes, Sir." Greene saluted again and turned to Flynn. "Your application has been denied."

"But I… I didn't…"

"Guards!" Greene yelled at his men with a fist to the chest, "tell this man what we are!"

Both men shouted back in what looked like a standard response. "We are the shield of blood that drowns our enemies!"

"What does the Guard do?"

"We Fight! We Die! We Fight Again!" they chanted.

"Return when you are ready to die," Greene said to Flynn, then waved to the two men holding him. They released him and Flynn ran away as soon as the guards let go, his fear a nice change from the arrogance before.

"As you were!" Greene dismissed the guards, and they returned to their positions at the doors into the courtyard.

Lee watched them go feeling a disturbing amount of fanaticism from all three of them. Especially when they looked his way while leaving… It was disconcerting, yet at the same time, it was far better than the useless dregs that were the majority. So he inclined his head in thanks when they met his eyes and felt their Souls rise in response. "If they want to follow, I will lead."

Alejandro sighed. "That is not going to help, Greene."

"It's not like he would have actually died," Saira protested while laughing. She was freshly promoted to C-rank and reveled in the power it provided. Maria was next up for promotion and not far off. Getting the healers ranked up was the priority for now, but with the armies no longer besieging the Fort, more people were venturing out to pursue their own personal growth.

"Major," Lee said to Greene before he walked back to his own post, "I appreciate everything you are doing for our Fort and our people, but I want you to understand that Alejandro speaks with my authority. If he gives you an order, then you will obey as if it came from me. If you have a problem, obey and ask me later. Understood?"

"Yes, Sir." Greene saluted him and turned to Alejandro, "Sir."

Lee nodded and turned to the others. "As for you all… Why did I need to be bothered with this? We already decided on the rules, just tell them to obey or get out."

Alejandro ducked his head. "Sorry, Commander…" Lee pointed at him threateningly and Alejandro relented. "Sorry, Lee. I agree with the plan, but…" He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I will see the rules obeyed but I'd like to try a softer approach when it might work better than the hammer. Obviously Flynn did not appreciate the gesture…"

Lee sighed, but nodded. "If that is what you think is best, then okay. I trust you, Alejandro." He turned to the others and met their gazes. "You as well. The whole point of this council is for any or all of you to help me keep this place standing. So don't be afraid to tell me if I'm fucking up. I can't do this alone."

There were serious looks all around, along with a few nods, until Saira broke the silence, "I mean it's only your first day… so relax." She stood up and stretched lithely, her movements drawing every male gaze in the room, and doing so intentionally if her Soul was any indication. She winked at Lee and strode toward the door. "I'm guessing we're finished? Gotta get back to the kids."

Lee tore his eyes away and saw more than a few awkward glances as the others did the same. Alejandro wasn't among them, being too busy grinning at Lee. "Ah, to be young and single. Right, brother?"

Lee just shook his head and stood. "I meant what I said about you being in charge, Alejandro. If anyone gives you shit…"

"It's fine," Alejandro held up a hand, "Many of our warriors remember me at their side on the walls. As for the newbies…" He looked at Lee hopefully.

"I'll find a solution… Brother."

Alejandro smiled. "I know, and even though my children grow stronger everyday… I still want to…"

Lee patted the man on the shoulder and turned to go. "I've gotta go do…" He didn't really have much to do at the moment. Rune crafting was out until Stanley found a way to shield himself, and that was his whole thing… But he could still on Rune theory in the Storage. Also… he could see Gabriel in the garage putting Runes on weapons. "I'm a terrible teacher." He had abandoned his Apprentice for six months after all. Though, not by choice.

Lee headed that way while Alejandro sat back down to continue the meeting with the people still waiting. Probably to talk about the new taxes, which had already been mostly decided and would be announced to the entire Fort soon, with different requirements for the various positions within the Fort. The taxes intentionally incentivized people to go out and hunt through Lairs for Cores, with no taxes on whatever you could collect, not that they could enforce something like that anyway. No, the real way to earn a cut of the profits was through equipment and, even more so, the collars.

If someone wanted a collar for their Lair hunt, they had to pay for it. If they wanted more than the standard shield and spear, then pay up. If they wanted special food, they either pay for or hunt the meat and pay the cook to prepare it.

Alternatively, the guards paid no taxes and were instead paid by the Fort for every day that their duties prevented them from hunting for themselves.

The final, and most contentious point, was if you didn’t want to do anything but still wanted to be sheltered and fed.

That was no longer an option in the Fort. Everyone had to contribute. Not immediately, they weren't monsters, people would get time to settle in. Of course, most people had already or would soon find a way to help or find someone to apprentice to if their Class was too useless, but there would always be some idiots out there…

One detail that had already gone out was that anyone in possession of a collar of Freedom who wasn’t in the Guard, going out with the hunters, or various other jobs that basically all amounted to people that either defended the walls or went outside them, had to give up the collar. This had resulted in some complaints and protests, but not that many, with the loudest being the newest residents that had the gall to complain after being literally rescued from slavery!

As he walked, Lee fiddled with the silver ring they'd taken off the corpse of the bluehead leader. He once again sent the barest trickle of Mana into the ring and felt the Mana expand into an extradimensional space that was neither here nor inside the ring, but rather… somewhere else. The magical space was only about the size of a car trunk, and it was empty but for a thin wand. His Mana touched the wand, and with a thought, it appeared in his hand. Lee looked at the notification.

[Wand of Searing Flame](UnCommon)

Charge 0%

Launch a Blast of Searing Flame from the tip of the wand.

Intensity and Duration dependent on Supplied Mana Charge.

Lee's Liquid Mana was incompatible with the wand, which didn't really matter, considering how much weaker it was than his own Mana Beam. It would be much more useful for someone that was lacking a viable attack Skill. It was interesting, though, especially if they could find someone capable of creating similar items. Something like that would significantly increase the Fort's magical potential.

It also reminded him of his own poorly performing creations in the same vein. Of course, the magic that made the wand work was not Runic and, thereby, utterly incomprehensible to Lee.

The much more interesting item was the ring and its pocket dimension storage.

[Lesser Storage Ring](UnCommon)

Store Non-Living Items in a One Square Meter Pocket Dimension Outside of Time and Space.

Small Mana cost to Store and Retrieve Items Within.

The enchantment was also useless for Lee, but it did give him some ideas… as for the item itself, it would probably go to one of the food retrieval or Lair clearing teams. The small space wasn't going to be very useful for carrying meat back, but it would let a team bring more potions or supplies for those larger Lairs.

Nothing else noteworthy had been stored in the item. A few potions and some clothes that didn't fit anyone.

"Gabriel," Lee said after the young man finished drawing a simple RuneScape on a sword, "how's it going down here?" He was impressed at the speed and steady hand shown by Gabriel, better than Lee had ever been before he got the cheat skill that let him skip the actual drawing part.

Gabriel perked up immediately. "Lee! It's going… okay." His cheer faded as he looked back to what he'd been doing. "My Runes are too weak, so I have to put them back on the weapons after someone uses it. Nothing like yours…" He hung his head and Lee didn't even need to feel his Soul to understand how Gabriel was feeling.

"Gabe," Lee said, and sat down next to him, "Sorry for being a shit teacher and leaving you alone for so long." Gabriel opened his mouth but Lee kept talking. "Let me tell you what I learned six months ago…" and Lee told him everything he could remember about the creation of the collar, including how much more important the Soul was than he had originally thought. It was actually kind of fun and even a bit enlightening to go over everything in detail, especially since Lee was talking to literally the only person who even had a chance to understand what he was talking about.

When he finally finished, Gabriel twitched and stared off into space, before his eyes went wide. "I just gained five Class Levels!"

Your Apprentice has Reached Journeyman [Runic] and May now Graduate from his Apprenticeship. Accept Release of Apprentice (Gabriel Morales)? Y/N

Lee smiled and accepted. "That was easy!"

As the Progenitor of the Class [Creator Runic], You May Offer the Class Evolution to your Apprentice. Offer to Apprentice (Gabriel Morales)? Y/N

"Sure."

Gabriel's unfocused eyes went wider as he read his Notifications, but then he hesitated and looked at Lee with a worried expression. "Lee, um… would you be mad if I don't take your Class Evolution?"

"What? Of course not," Lee reassured him, but now he was curious. "Did you get a better one?"

"Um… I don't know if it's better… but I like… it… more." His voice trailed off as he spoke and he seemed extremely anxious about what he was saying.

Lee resisted the urge to chuckle and instead told him, "Gabriel, it's your Class. I won't be upset even if you find a completely different Class to learn. Just do what ever you want and don't worry about me." He smiled and then asked excitedly, "so, what'd you get?"

"It's called Runic Micro, and it looks like its focused more on smaller items instead of the big stuff like buildings!" Gabriel gushed. "I really like making those things too!" Then his eyes unfocused again and he swayed slightly. "Woah…"

Gabriel blinked a few times and then grabbed a knife without any Runes yet. He placed it on the floor and started drawing Runes on the cement next to it, his speed and precision noticeably improved from earlier. The RuneScape, once completed, was far too large for the small knife, but Gabriel simply touched one hand to the blade and the other to the RuneScape, and the entire thing shrank down while seeming to slide through his body before appearing on the knife.

"Damn," Lee said, impressed, "how many effects did you get in there?"

Gabriel was smiling proudly as he picked it up and held it out. "You tell me!"

Lee smiled and looked it over. "Let's see… this is for sharpness, and that is… to stop the sharpness when the power is too low, while this one protects the Runes even at low power… and… wow, this one recharges…"

Lee forgot about his bad mood as he sat there and brainstormed ideas with his former Apprentice. It was way better than meetings with idiots…

~~~~~~

Stanley

~~~~~~

"Can he understand us?" Daryl asked.

Stanley shook his head before remembering that Daryl couldn't see him inside the shell. "Not exactly," he said, "the closest thing I can compare it to is dreaming."

Stanley was listening to Adrian's Soul inside the egg and felt it stir when Daryl asked another question. "You said he could hear my voice?"

"Yea, there is a reaction when you talk, but I don't think he really understands the words." Stanley focused on the feelings coming from the egg just outside the shell but still within his Soul shield. "Still going with dreaming. But I say keep talking to him. He likes it if nothing else." They had also confirmed, with Stanley's help, that keeping the egg in the Source radiation was a good thing according to the Souls within. Why it was so, Stanley didn't know other than that they might just need higher ambient Mana to grow.

Zeke's golden aura also engulfed the egg, along with everyone else in the truck, as he trained further away. The young man practiced some martial arts movements that were a bit more difficult in the moving vehicle. Not that it deterred him.

Meanwhile, Stanley was participating in his own training with and against Zeke. Small metal balls, provided by Eve, were flying around the Purifier and striking at him and Walter. Zeke had his armor on and used every piece of metal he wore to protect himself from the projectiles. In contrast, Walter was currently building wooden furniture while effortlessly avoiding every attack.

There were a total of twelve balls swirling around them, but Stanley was working more on his fine control at the moment rather than power, so the damage was minimal to nonexistent. He was also using all four split minds while simultaneously keeping the Soul Shield up and meditating. This resulted in some of the projectiles being much weaker and more poorly aimed than the others.

Stanley was in the depths of his mental efforts when Eve turned onto a new road. He couldn't tell what direction they were going but based on the fact that they had been going south and she turned right… Stanley remembered something from his previous life as a truck driver.

"Eve, are we going to be able to cross rivers?" Stanley asked the spider on his shoulder.

"We'll need a bridge," Eve said after a long delay, "for now at least."

Stanley had noticed the occasional overpass or underpass that they passed along the way, and while many of the bridges had fallen, nearly as many still stood. So the odds of a bridge still crossing the Hudson were… okay? He decided to just worry about it when the time came and refocused on his practice.

Caffeine was curled up in his lap and taking advantage of the darkness within the shell to enjoy a nap. Stanley did his best to keep his hands still on the pug as his mind struggled with the chaotic whirlwind of projectiles. It was difficult…

Skill [Split Minds] Level Up.

…but totally worth it. He carried on for a time until Eve spoke up.

"I see a bridge ahead, Stanley. You see anything under the water?"

Stanley was grateful for the excuse to put the strenuous practice on hold, and he focused on his [Soul Awareness] while reaching ahead with his mind. Eve was slowing down as he found the water and pushed his mental touch into it. He had a bit more trouble 'seeing' anything underwater as the liquid muffled his touch, but he should at least notice anything significant or moving.

Stanley found nothing. "I don't sense… anything," he said, "no fish at all…" That was unusual these days, but maybe some predator had just moved through… other than that, the water felt… slightly thicker? That didn't make sense, and Stanley assumed it was probably something about the earth becoming C-rank since the last time he'd been in the water.

Stanley reached further up and down the river. Still nothing. His [Soul Awareness] felt nothing either, only an empty void of Souls.

"Structure looks sound…" Eve said as she continued driving forward.

Stanley could feel the additional tiny piece of her Soul flying around above the river and assumed that she was inspecting it with her drone. He gave it a feel as well and… realized that he didn't know what a bridge should feel like. "No gaping holes, so that's good, right?"

They bumped onto the bridge, and Stanley observed the bright little spark flitting about around the bridge. "It stands out so well against the absence…"

Stanley felt a chill as he finally noticed something odd. The river, now below him, held no Souls, and yet… it felt… hungry. "Eve, stop!" Stanley yelled, and not a moment too soon as he felt the water begin to rise upward below them.

"Back up!" Stanley screamed.

"Fuck!" Eve's voice was loud enough to be heard through the shell as well as from the spider. "Fuck fuck!" The truck slammed to a halt less than a quarter of the way across as she cursed, and then tires screeched as she floored it backward. "What the fuck is that!?"

He didn't know what exactly she was seeing, but out in the middle of the bridge, Stanley felt the rising water reach the bridge deck and surge over it. More and more water rose beneath them, climbing over the rails at first and then simply lifting the entire structure of concrete and steel as it swallowed up the bridge while racing toward them.

Stanley prepared to snatch up the truck and whisk them all out of reach but held off in astonishment when, rather than jackknifing as he'd expected, Eve only sped up her breakneck pace backward. The water stretched closer and closer to the nose of the truck, its surface feeling smooth and still despite the way it charged toward them.

Then tendrils stretched from that surface, reaching for the grill. Stanley pushed back against them with as much power as possible without waking the Source, and then Eve opened fire.

Energy beams lanced into the water and flash-boiled long trails through the liquid. Daryl joined her attack a heartbeat later, and the number of searing beams tripled. Their combined efforts destroyed the reaching tendrils, and Stanley felt something new from the mass charging straight at them. Instead of the faint feeling of hunger, he now sensed… annoyance.

The entire truck bounced violently as they left the last remaining slab of the bridge, the far end of which had been swallowed up and was being lifted higher. Stanley was once again ready to carry them away, but Eve managed to keep them going in the right direction. Only now he understood how. The trailer axles were turning rapidly back and forth as they bounced, each correction serving to steer them back onto course. "Damn, I would have loved having that back in the day…"

Unfortunately, the chasing water, or whatever the liquid was, did not seem to care that they had left the bridge and continued to follow them down the road. As it gathered more fluid into the mass, Stanley finally saw its Soul, barely. It was diffused and spread out, so much so that he hadn't even seen the glow of it before. Even now, the glow was barely visible in the dark backdrop of his [Soul Awareness], and yet it was growing brighter by the second. "Just how big is this thing?" he thought and then threw a chunk of concrete into the creature.

The projectile vanished from his senses, and Stanley threw more. They all sank in with barely a ripple, and he sent his mind in to find them. Stanley's mind tingled in a rather unpleasant way as he found the last chunk of concrete… right before it dissolved completely away, including the metal rebar inside it. "It's melting everything!"

"No shit, Sherlock!" Eve yelled back.

Stanley still didn't know what the others were seeing as he only had his mental touch and soul sense to follow the action, but despite his desire to get a look, he didn't leave the shell. Instead, he poured all of his attention into pushing back the reaching acid-like substance and giving the truck every last shred of speed that he could add. The pug in his Soul was stirring… but it never opened its eyes.

He was unprepared when the entire front of the liquid creature seemed to explode and failed to block every suddenly accelerated droplet. One of the drops managed to not only slip past his touch but also sailed far enough ahead to land on the truck's hood. Only it didn't land. The tiny drop punched straight through the hood and vanished inside right before Eve screamed in pain.

Stanley knew that pain… it was the feeling of one's Soul being destroyed…

The screeching and roaring of tires dimmed slightly, and the truck lurched, slowing momentarily before Eve stabbed a finger into and through the dash. Stanley didn't see what she did, his entire focus now on blocking any such attack from getting past him again, but the truck reaccelerated nonetheless.

The monster did try the same attack again, more than once, but Stanley didn't let it reach the truck. It almost hurt to touch the liquid, as if it was burning his mind, or as he realized once he'd tanked a few more explosions, his Psionic Energy. Fortunately, that was a trade Stanley was willing to make all day with his Source-fueled regen, and not one more drop got even close.

And then the surging tide of acidic… whatever began to recede. They pulled ahead bit by bit, and then it all stopped. The wall of liquid fell away from them at an astonishing speed, and Stanley thought he felt it start to pull back right before it left his range.

Eve was still cursing loudly and nonstop when, sometime later, they slid to a halt. She kept it going as the truck swerved wildly in a new direction and quickly got back up to speed.

Eventually, Eve slowed down, her cursing and the truck both. Stanley stayed where he was since he was reasonably sure that she only slowed because the batteries were low. He did speak into the fresh silence, however. "So that's new… or have any of you seen it before?"

"It's always fucking something," Eve said with a resigned air, the pain still radiating from her Soul.

"It is indeed, as you say, new, Sir."

Daryl nodded along with Walter's words and added, "how was it so freaking big?"

Caffeine whined, and Stanley opened the shell long enough to let him out. The pug visited each of the still adrenalized individuals, offering face licks and tail wags to everyone.

"It ate the bridge!" Zeke exclaimed, "and the trees! The dirt! How…" Caffeine jumped into his arms, and Zeke instinctively caught the pug giving it full access to his face. "Ah, Caff!"

Stanley kept his mind spread out as far as possible, just in case. "My bad, guys. I didn't notice its Soul fast enough. It was so faint and spread out… how bad's the damage, Eve?"

"Melted a fucking hole through the engine! How bad do you think!?" Then she groaned and sighed. "Lost two damn points in Soul when it destroyed the metal… and the one fucking time you don't use the Source."

"I was trying not…"

"It's not your fault, Stanley," Zeke piped up. "No one could have expected something like that."

Stanley didn't respond. This was all his fault, from them even being here to…

"Sorry, Stanley." Eve's voice was pained as she talked through the spider. "You did the right thing." It sounded like she might choke on the words…

Stanley smiled in the dark, but she still saw it. "Don't fucking smile, you bastard! I'll… I'll…"

"We'll get your Soul stronger, Eve. In fact, I have an idea of how to do that already." Stanley's smile turned bittersweet. "Remember how you guys used my nightmares to train that one time?"

"Oh god," Eve muttered, "not the nightmares again."

"I was thinking more along the lines of me attacking you with my Soul. Gently, of course." Stanley didn't know if sleeping would bring back the nightmares or if the rank-up had solved that problem. Which meant Eve might still get her wish.

Regardless, he would have to be careful with the plan, but he figured that it should be possible to achieve results this way. It was the same basic concept as pretty much all of their attributes, after all. For example, taking damage would raise Vitality, and as far as he knew, most attributes worked the same way.

That was also, technically speaking, how he raised his own Soul attribute. By forcing pressure onto it with [Soul Awareness] until it grew. Like flexing a muscle… but not precisely. It was hard to explain with words and more of a feeling or instinct.

"I want to try it!" Zeke stood before the shell, bouncing excitedly from foot to foot.

"Of course he would," Stanley thought, then said, "why not, I guess. Does anyone else want to join the experiment?"

"Of course I would want to!" Zeke exclaimed, "you know how hard it was to raise Soul without you around going craz… um, helping?"

Stanley only smiled before more people chimed in. "Princess and I will participate," Daryl said after sharing a look with the fox, and Walter agreed immediately afterward.

"Eve?" Stanley asked but already knew what her response would be.

"No." But then she surprised him by adding, "not while I'm driving. Later."

"Okay," Stanley took a deep breath and asked, "who has the highest Soul stat? and who is willing to maybe lose a point for science?" There was some hesitation at his words, so Stanley clarified. "I'm not sure exactly what I'm doing here, but I think it will work…"

They went around the room, and it turned out that Walter had the highest Soul stat. It was a surprise but made more sense as everyone hashed it out. Walter had spent the most time with Stanley, mostly while he was in Stasis, but that seemed to be the factor that fit best. Daryl had spent very little time in the Tower himself, always out hunting. Eve was the next highest, with her machines, and thereby some of her Soul always surrounding him and would have probably been the highest by far except for the fact that she and Zeke had both burned themselves with the Source during the Raid.

Stanley had them all move away from him toward where Adam was sitting at the far end. All except for Walter. The wolves were already lounging out of reach with Adam, and Stanley wasn't worried about Caffeine.

"How we looking outside, Eve?" Stanley asked before starting.

"Don't see shit. But who knows what that's worth…"

"I assume you're heading for the next bridge?" He saw her nod. "Just… give me a heads up before we get too close." She nodded again with a slight shiver.

"Tell me if anything is going wrong, Walter."

The man felt calm if just a bit anticipatory. "Of course, Sir. I am prepared."

Stanley pushed his Soul Shield out enough to engulf the butler and then started trying to do… something. As he'd said, he didn't really know what he was doing here. Stanley didn't want to just attack their Souls, something he was sure his [Mind Over All] was fully capable of, but instead only pressure them like he did to himself. So instead, Stanley leaned on Walter.

But no… that wasn't quite it either.

Stanley pushed at and with his Soul, pushing against his own shield in an attempt to thicken or concentrate the intensity.

Walter grunted, and Stanley stopped. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, Sir. I am able to continue, and I assure you that this is well within my tolerance."

Stanley continued. On the one hand, he was pushing his Soul against the other man in a manner that felt familiar, but on the other, he was using his own Soul in a new and experimental way. It brought back memories and not pleasant ones. He remembered the Undead monster cutting open his Soul. The horrific pain of fighting for his life against said monster…

Walter grunted again and, this time, fell to one knee before Stanley could pull back. Stanley felt Walter's emotions and realized that he had just projected some of the worst moments of his life onto the man, with as much effort as he could… "Walter, I'm sorry, I…"

"Nonsense, Sir." Walter stood up quickly, dusting off his knee as he did so, but not fast enough to dodge the pug's tongue lashing out against his face. "I just gained an additional point in my Soul," he said and then added, "Though, I must say it was quite intense."

Stanley chuckled weakly. "Yea… that was my bad. No other side effects?"

"I am well, Sir."

"Okay… whoever else wants…" Zeke jumped forward immediately, and Daryl followed. "You are welcome to participate if you want, Adam." Stanley made the offer just in case, but the young man didn’t respond.

Then Stanley repeated what he'd done before, this time without the memories, doing his best to keep his mind blank. Caffeine strolled among the others, occasionally standing up to paw at their legs and bringing smiles to the strained faces. But the smiles didn't last as sweat beaded on foreheads and hands clenched into fists. And yet, they still stood in the aura, none retreating or even wanting to.

It went on for minutes that seemed to stretch into hours. Until Walter took a step back out of Stanley's Soul aura. "Apologies, Sir. I think I might require a respite." Stanley saw his legs trembling.

Princess started growling at Stanley but didn't leave Daryl's side. Zeke's clenched hands shook as well, and Stanley saw wisps of golden light leaking through the shell into the darkness around him.

Honestly, it felt a bit like he was torturing them… So Stanley tried something different and went back to his memories. Only this time, he didn't remember the violence and trauma but rather the good times. Starting as far back as he could remember, which was basically that day in the mountains when this all started.

The easiest and first thing that came to mind was a curly tail wagging rapidly as Caffeine stared at Stanley's plate. Then Caffeine shoving his nose under the blankets until Stanley let him in to curl up between his legs. His brother's smile when they were reunited for what felt like the first time. Caffeine's joy at seeing Lee. Caffeine sprinting madly around with the zoomies. All in all, it was a lot of memories of Caffeine.

Then his memories caught up to more recent events. Caffeine saving him from a giant rat. Protecting him from Undead monstrosities. Stanley's joy and relief when he realized that Caffeine was okay after he'd feared for his life. Caffeine making friends with anything and everything. Caffeine playing with his friends.

There were other events mixed in there as well.

A night around the fire, everyone listening to a musician on his guitar and, for those brief moments, forgetting the horrors around them. The momentary peace in their Souls a soothing balm on his own.

Nate laughing cheerfully and wholeheartedly at something.

Eve smiling at her brother when she thought no one was watching.

Daryl and Adrian sharing a look that spoke volumes.

Walter's expressionless face watching Daryl while his Soul was bursting with pride and affection.

Finally, Stanley's own happiness upon seeing his brother in their Soul after he thought they had died…

His eyes were damp when he opened them, and Stanley could see the same on everyone else inside his aura, only these were not sad tears. Daryl had pulled Walter back in at some point, and even Adam was ducking in and out on the edge. He had ventured over when the wolves wandered in and started lounging around the shell, seemingly unbothered.

Caffeine was having a field day as he ran around excitedly.

Stanley stopped forcing his Soul on everyone, and they all collapsed in relief. He was too embarrassed to say anything after obviously sharing too much of his Soul with them.

Eve broke the silence. "What the fuck did you do to them?" She didn't sound angry, only curious.

Zeke laughed, tired but happy, as he sat on the floor. "I got two points out of that… but it was… intense? Thanks, Stanley!"

"Sure…" Stanley said quietly.

"Same," Daryl said, "but I feel… exhausted. It was simultaneously horrible and painful… but at the same time… wonderful!" He shook his head and fell back to lie on the floor. "I feel like I need a nap or something."

Caffeine was sprinting around the shell, and Stanley popped it open for a moment to let him inside. Caffeine spun in his lap and gave his face a good slobbering before Stanley had to pop the shell again to let him out.

"Thank you for sharing that," Walter said softly, "Sir." Stanley only nodded, knowing Walter could see him.

Then the truck started slowing down. "I have eyes on the bridge," Eve announced, and everyone scrambled to pull themselves back into a state of readiness.

Stanley pulled his shield in tight while stretching his senses to the limit, trying to spot anything that might be an anomaly, and couldn't reach the bridge. Eve was still moving them slowly forward, so Stanley focused on his Soul Awareness while he waited to get closer. All that accomplished was to make him extra aware of how worried everyone around him was feeling, as well as the fact that they were all still recovering from his bright idea of attacking them while an unknown monster was potentially hunting them.

"Don't worry," Zeke said, "we can still fight. We've all fought through much worse than this. We won then, and we'll win now."

Walter smiled very slightly and nodded. "As Master Zeke says, we shall prevail." Then he frowned. "Though, I must confess that I am unsure how to fight a creature such as that…"

"Eve and Daryl were hurting it," Zeke said, "right?"

"It felt annoyed," Stanley murmured, "I'm not sure if it was hurt. Hell, I'm not even sure how much of the creature we saw. Its Soul was so spread out that I can't even guess how big it might be."

"You think it was the whole river?" Eve asked from the front.

"I don't know…" Stanley thought about what he'd felt and sensed. "It was waiting for us but didn't want to go very far from the river… so it must need or want to stay in the water. Which means that its body is probably not the entire river."

"It didn't dissolve the bridge," Eve chimed back in, "not until it tried to eat us."

Stanley thought about that for a few moments and felt sick at the implications. "Was it waiting for anyone to cross, or just us… or maybe… just me?"

"Shit," Eve cursed quietly before yelling, "I fucking told you not to…"

"Eve," Zeke cut her off with a pleading tone, and she went back to muttering under her breath.

Finally, she said, "the bridge here is still standing, but… is the monster waiting for us? Do we just go for a mad dash over the bridge?"

"I could just fly us…"

"No!" Eve yelled, "what good is it to dodge this fucker if we all die in an Invasion immediately after!?" She took a deep breath and said more quietly, "I still can't believe we didn't all die when you were fucking around before…"

"I could fly myself over the river," Stanley suggested, "farther upstream to lead it away while you drive across…"

"Don't split the party," Zeke cut in, "plus we don't know what it's capable of yet… it might catch you."

"I have an idea," Daryl said, grinning, "we put a harness on Caffeine connected to the truck, and then Stanley throws a piece of meat over the river!" Princess seemed to be the most amused by the idea, but everyone chuckled, and even Walter cracked a smile. Meanwhile, Caffeine sat down attentively in front of Daryl at either the mention of his name or meat.

"That's almost a good idea," Eve finally said, "except for the fact that he would probably destroy the truck and kill us all."

"But more seriously, I might be able to do something," Daryl spoke up again and then waited for everyone's attention before continuing, "what if I send an illusion of us over the bridge and see what happens? No risk to us, and we might be able to see more of what it can do in the process."

"That's a great idea!" Zeke exclaimed.

"We don't know how it even sees," Eve complained, "what if it just ignores you and waits for us?"

"I can do it," Daryl stated, "I've been around Stanley enough that I think I can even add his… aura." Stanley felt something spread out from Daryl to encompass the truck. "What do you think?"

Stanley felt nothing other than that Daryl's power was doing… something.

Zeke, however, must have felt something else. "Woah!"

"Not bad," Eve said, "but needs more brooding and angst."

"Hey!"

Another pulse of power washed out from Daryl.

"Hah! Perfect!" Eve exclaimed, laughing, and Zeke joined in.

"I can do fake impressions of all of you," Daryl said into the laughter-filled truck, "but we'll need to get closer."

"It might not even be there," Stanley grumbled.

"You're the Soul spotter," Eve said, "check."

Stanley had been trying to check the whole time but was muffled by the Soul Shield. He had considered dialing it down, only to dismiss the idea a moment later. If whatever that thing was happened to be nearby… well, they didn't need to give it any more reasons to chase them. As for the river… "I need to fly up for a different angle."

Eve sighed but slowed to a stop anyway. "Be quick. The charge is still a bit lower than I like after… that."

"Better yet," Daryl said, "go slow, and I'll hide you. Just keep your, uh, Soul close."

Shortly after that, Stanley was hovering high in the sky with Caffeine in his lap, and the river stretching past to the west was unfortunately devoid of Souls… He said as much to the spider on his shoulder, and Eve's curses were much fainter in the blowing wind.

Below him, the road was empty, with no visible sign of the truck where he could feel the Souls of the others. "I never asked what he was hiding us with while we were moving…" Stanley also couldn't tell what Daryl was showing around him up here in the sky. "Eve," he said to the spider, "ask Daryl to create his illusion. I want to see how it looks from the outside."

Eve didn't respond, but moments later, a truck appeared adjacent to where Stanley could feel all of their Souls. It looked realistic to Stanley, but the Souls or auras that Daryl was projecting felt… weak. As for the one that was supposed to be him… "I don't feel like that, do I?"

"You do," Eve said, "now get back down here. We're going with operation ghost truck."

When he floated back through the door, Stanley's gaze fell on Adam. "Adam," Stanley looked away from him as he spoke and tried to keep his Soul as quiet as possible, "think you could pop us across the river?"

In the corner of his eye, Stanley saw Adam shaking his head. "What if me and Caff were not here? Could you move the truck then?"

Adam started to shake his head but paused and then moved the small box in his hands to the rim of the glass of water on the table. He tried to balance it on the edge as it swayed back and forth before falling into the water. The water seemed to drain into the small jewelry box, which was odd, but Stanley thought he understood what Adam was trying to say. "So, maybe."

"Don't bother, Adam," Eve said, "I really don't want to fall in the water or whatever that shit is."

Adam pulled the box from the mostly empty cup and then poured the water back into the cup, filling it up from the much smaller box.

Stanley smiled at the Magic display, especially since Lee had told him about the storage ring the alien had been wearing. He had a feeling that Adam would be able to create even better versions someday.

"Get us closer when you're ready, Eve." Daryl was sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Adrian and the shell. Stanley quickly got back into his spot before Eve could say anything, taking Caffeine with him to keep the pug out of trouble, and they started rolling forward.

As they moved, Stanley could hear tires crunching over the crumbling road, only not from beneath them. The sound was coming from the illusion that ran parallel to their path of travel. That was the only noise in the tense atmosphere of the truck.

Stanley pulled in his mental touch to only surround the truck, just in case and pulled his Soul all the way back in the hopes of not giving away their deception. It left some of his Mind open to mental attacks once again, but that was an acceptable risk with his split mind that would let him still function even under such an attack.

The void of Souls became more and more apparent as they approached, and Stanley was sure that the monster was in there. Though he supposed it was possible that the creature had just killed everything on its way through earlier. He also didn't feel the hunger from before…

"Close enough," Daryl whispered, "I'm going."

There was a screeching of tires and flying gravel as the illusion accelerated away toward the bridge, taking with it the slightly off-tune conglomeration of fake Souls that Daryl had created.

And then Stanley felt the hunger stir ahead. "It's here," he whispered, and Eve started backing up very slowly.

"Wait," Daryl gasped, his body shaking and sweat already building on his skin, "it's chasing the decoy!"

"And once it catches it and comes for us?" Eve hissed.

"Just wait," Daryl said and thrust his hands out as a pained expression grew on his face. Princess leaned into him, and Stanley felt something move from her to him. Mana, he guessed, having no idea how much the illusion cost to maintain, but assuming it was worse at a longer range.

Eve gasped in surprise but didn't say anything, and Stanley could feel Walter and Zeke sharing in the emotion. Only a few seconds later, Daryl and Princess both collapsed. Their Souls felt okay, if slightly strained, and Stanley guessed they had depleted their Mana.

"What happened?" Stanley whispered since, of course, he couldn't see anything.

"Hush," Eve whispered even more softly than before, "nobody move. Don't even breathe."

Stanley ground his teeth in frustration but did as she said. He even pulled his mental touch in further, just barely touching the entire truck. If that wave of death came for them, he would act, and Source cost be damned.

But nothing came into his range. Even the hungry feeling seemed to be receding… The rising horror from the still conscious people didn't help at all as he sat in the dark.

Eve eventually started rolling ever so slowly backward and whispered, "I think it bought it."

"How is it so big?" Zeke said, horror still thick in his Soul.

"Quiet," Eve said, "we need to get the fuck out of here before it comes back… or turns around."

"What happened?" Stanley asked in the barest whisper, wishing Eve had put a window in this damned shell.

It was quiet but for the faint sound of tires on the gravel beneath them as Eve kept creeping backward. Until finally, she whispered back, "Fucker was waiting for us. It chased the decoy, and Daryl made it look like we teleported past the ambush. It chased him over the hill on the other side… it's still chasing him."

Walter was crouched next to the shell as he propped a small pillow under Daryl's head and shifted Princess so that her head rested on his chest as he whispered, "it appears as if the entire river is draining to carve out a new tributary, Sir."

"It is still flowing, and we can see the riverbed," Zeke added.

Eve hissed at both of them to shut the fuck up and sped up her backward crawl slightly.

It was a long agonizing crawl until they stopped climbing up the hill and started descending the other side. Eve immediately picked up her speed, still going backward, and took them further and further away.

Finally, she spoke, "I say we make a break for the next bridge and cross the river before it figures out the ruse."

No one objected, and Stanley thought about what he remembered from his trucking days. "That's going to be the George Washington Bridge, isn't it?"

Eve nodded.

"Right outside Manhattan… I wonder if they got a big raid…"

"We'll find out," was all Eve said as she swerved onto the previous road and headed south once again.

The only good thing about the end of the world was that, hopefully, there wouldn't be any rush hour traffic.

…

There was traffic. Only it wasn't cars, but rather people on foot. There also wasn't enough of them to force a slow down. Daryl claimed that anyone outside would only see a cloud of dust racing past, and Eve had no problems firing near the few who looked like they wanted to square off with the mysterious dust.

They made great time on the relatively short distance and before long were looking at the next bridge.

More specifically, they were looking at the Fortress blocking off the bridge.

"You've got to be fucking kidding," Eve grumbled.

Stanley was already feeling through the structure while taking care to keep his Soul well away from anyone inside. It seemed to be working because no one had noticed them yet as far as he could see. He found the gate and was relatively certain that he could open it from here unless there was something he was missing. But first things first, Stanley reached past the Fortress to make sure the bridge was actually still standing behind it.

It was, and with another gate on the far side.

The upper bridge deck between the gates was relatively clear while it seemed that the lower deck was crammed full of housing and other buildings. An odd choice in living spaces, but Stanley could see the potential for better defense.

"Do we just blast through?" Stanley asked no one in particular. The many Souls he could sense didn't feel particularly hostile, but they didn't feel friendly either. He also wasn't sure if the structures might be a Lair, and if so, how strong they might be. Given the fact that they had crossed a tributary to get here, one still teeming with life, it just might be worth it to force their way past while they could.

"They might let us pass…" Zeke started.

"I'll burn down the door," Eve started driving forward.

"Eve!" Zeke protested.

"They shouldn't have blocked the fucking bridge!"

"Let me try," Daryl cut in.

Eve sighed but stopped advancing. "Just hurry it up."

Stanley felt something move from around the truck and resolve into a human figure walking up the road toward the huge gate. "Hello the gate!" a voice called from the illusion, "any chance I can cross…"

Arrows, spells, and what looked like large rocks, all rained down on the illusory human as soon as he was spotted.

"Fucking pricks!" Eve yelled. Zeke sighed as the truck surged forward and beams shot into the gate, burning holes through the wood.

"Eve, stop," Stanley said softly, and she ignored him. So Stanley shouted, "Eve, stop! It's too late."

That got her to stop as Stanley watched the Souls in the river vanish. Each one blinking out in small flashes of pain as they were devoured. Stanley pulled his mind all the way back to the truck while he told the others what he was seeing.

Eve started creeping backward and softly cursing as only seconds later, the Souls on the bridge began to also wink out. Only, they did not go quietly. Even Stanley flinched at the sensations.

"No!" Zeke gasped, "we have to help…"

"Stay the fuck inside!" Eve screamed, "Walter, don't let him out!"

"I need to…" Stanley started to open his shell and felt Eve pushing it back closed.

"We can't save them, we'd only die too," she said, and then the spider on Stanley's shoulder flickered with light before projecting an image onto the inside of the shell.

The image was distorted by the curved wall, but Stanley could see enough. More than enough, in truth.

It was an aerial shot from her drone, looking down at the bridge, and the thing that engulfed it. Pillars of water surrounded the supports and stretched all the way up to enclose the double-decker bridge. Even as he watched, it was already climbing the suspension towers, flowing up every single cable toward the sky.

Here and there inside the monster, small pockets of resistance stood against the flood. Bubbled shields and spheres of fire, ice, and other elemental effects, all held back the inevitable tide of destruction. And one by one, those points of light in the dark flickered out. Shields failed, Mana ran out, and the acid deluge consumed them all.

Zeke was crying in Walter's arms as the man refused to let him go. Eve was still rolling slowly backward down the road as the last Soul on the bridge went dark, leaving behind a faint impression of satisfaction… and disappointment? Caffeine tried to struggle free, likely to comfort Zeke, but Stanley didn't let him go. No matter how powerful Caffeine was, he would not let him dive into a river of acid. "I could have saved them though," Stanley thought calmly, while holding the pug in his arms, "if I had acted…"

"They would have all died with us when the Invasion came down," Eve said quietly. "Besides, they attacked us for no reason! They got what they deserved!"

"They weren't all assholes," Stanley thought, still surprisingly calm despite the horror happening outside. He knew there had been children on the bridge, families probably just doing their best to survive in this harsh world.

"We're hidden, right Daryl?" Eve whispered while ignoring Stanley, her Soul betraying the fact that he had spoken his thoughts out loud.

"As best I can," Daryl hissed back, "just keep it slow! I can't do anything about the vibrations."

Stanley stopped worrying about the dead and focused on his [Soul Awareness]. "It's in the other river as well," he whispered. "We're trapped on this island."

"Like hell we are!"

The former freeway they were backing down was sunken and even ran beneath some buildings in tunnels which were surprisingly still standing. They had just backed underneath the first building when a trickle of liquid left the bridge ahead, spilling almost tentatively over the road and directly toward them.

"Shit." The trailer tires turned and Eve started backing up a ramp toward the city streets higher above them.

Everyone was silent and tense as the liquid trickled further and further in what looked like an exploratory expedition down the road. Then it spilled into the slight indent of their tire tracks and stopped. A heartbeat later, motion resumed, only now it ran much faster and directly down the tracks toward them.

"Fuck!" Eve slammed a foot down and the tires screeched as they surged up the ramp. The monster sped up as well, and Stanley saw the suspension towers reappear as the liquid almost rained down to join the pursuit.

The trailer careened and almost tipped over as it led the way in a sharp turn at the top of the ramp. Eve followed with the cab, once again in a backward race with the monster.

The drone overhead kept pace, giving Stanley a birds eye view of everything. He watched the literal river of death that consumed everything in its path as it pursued. Trees fell and vanished beneath the surface, and the entire fronts of buildings were scoured away when they entered the narrower streets.

Eve kept them going in a straight line until a pile of rubble blocked the street. She blasted it a few times on approach but the pile was far too deep and she was forced to swerve onto a different street. This allowed the river to gain ground and she turned her guns on it in an attempt to delay or drive it back. Daryl joined in and enough of the liquid was boiled away by the beams to keep it from touching the truck. Stanley did his part in deflecting the droplets that were launched as they pulled further ahead once again.

They were heading deeper into Manhattan, an island, and Stanley told Eve to check that it wasn't coming after them from another direction. The feed on the drone turned up and around, taking in much of the island from its height, and revealing something ominous.

Stanley knew what Central Park should look like, not from visiting, but he'd seen enough pictures and satellite views, and it shouldn't look like this.

Tree's towered higher than any skyscraper ever had on this island. They loomed above the entire city around them and seemed to drape over, and across the buildings in a jungle of massive vines.

As if on cue, a Notification appeared.

You have Entered a Lair [Kingdom of the Orb Weaver].

Stanley read the message, and got a sinking feeling. "Were those vines? Or webs?"

Eve must have been projecting the video to them as well, because Stanley felt it when they saw what he had. "Oh shit," Daryl half-whispered, and then yelled, "Eve!"

"It doesn't fucking matter!" She yelled back, "I'll take spiders over getting fucking melted!"

Then the acid monster crossed through where the Notification had popped up… and the world Pulsed. The charging river seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, swirling and churning in place, and then continued the pursuit at a breakneck pace.

Meanwhile, Stanley felt a Soul take notice. He could feel a lot of Souls, all around them and in greater numbers than he had ever seen, but one in particular stood out. Far away and much deeper into the city was a monstrous presence. And its attention had been drawn.

It was the origin of that pulse, and Stanley was pretty damn sure it was a fucking B-rank! The pulse of power washed over them, and in its wake, an army followed. "We've got incoming!" Stanley said, as calmly as possible through his increasingly strained meditation.

The camera feed spun once again toward the gargantuan trees, and the cloud of shapes that was swirling out along the webs.

Eve accelerated toward the new threat. "Get ready to hide us, Daryl," was all she said.

"Hide us! How?"

"We're a rock," Eve said, "a cold, uninteresting rock. Nothing to eat, nothing to gain." Then the spiders were above and raining down around them. "Now!" Eve yelled, and swerved slightly. "Hold on!"

"Oh shit." Stanley instinctively cradled Caffeine against his chest and poured his focus into meditation as he chanted, "It's okay if I get hurt! It's okay if I get hurt!" The last thing any of them needed now was for him to reveal the Source to the monster deeper into the city.

He was very sure by now that the acid creature must know about the Source. It was the only thing that explained its aggressive tenacity in pursuing them. If a B-rank joined the hunt...

Then they plowed into a building trailer first.

Stanley felt Eve's Soul flare up throughout the entire frame of the truck and trailer an instant before they hit, and then all of his attention was on keeping his Soul shield up as he was thrown from the shell. He slowed himself as much as he dared, but it wasn't going to be enough...

Walter came to the rescue, and Stanley was caught before he slammed into the crumpling rear of the trailer. Everyone was caught by the butler, and he held them all in place against the forces at work until the awful racket died down.

Stanley was looking up at the ceiling, and the spider on his shoulder was still projecting the aerial view, only now up onto the slightly crumpled roof. It showed the absolute swarm of spiders raining down outside the building. They landed on every street, roof, and tree, with many falling directly into the acid river. Stanley felt their Souls die as countless bodies were dissolved almost instantly, but even more followed behind the dying, and the stronger ones did not fall in. Instead, they changed direction to land on adjacent buildings, even as magic flew from them and towards the invader.

Some of the spider's attacks seemed to accomplish little, but others blew holes in the charging river of acid. More and more spells flew as the horde blotted out the sun above. And yet the river pushed through, greedy for its prize that had finally stopped fleeing.

Eve thrust her hands toward the approaching tide and metal flowed from the truck around her to fill the gap they had left in the building. The wave crashed against her wall, and was turned back even as Eve spasmed in a silent scream.

Stanley saw the silvery wall collapse and flow back to the truck, but it had delayed the monster long enough. An avalanche of magic rained down over the acid river, and obliterated it. More spiders died or were maimed in the splashes and puddles left behind, but even more of them charged on toward the now retreating stream. That was all Stanley got to see before the camera feed spun wildly. There was a flash of hairy legs and too many eyes, and it went dark.

Eve was crawling into the trailer when the feed died, and she bit down on her hand to keep from screaming as agony bloomed in her Soul. Blood spilled from where her teeth dug in and Stanley could see silver metal revealed under the flesh.

Zeke ran to her and she snatched his glowing hand by the wrist before he could touch her. She shook her head violently but without sound as she held a finger to her bloody mouth in a warning to be quiet. The click and thump of too many feet on the roof belied her point less than a heartbeat later.

Everyone froze as spiders crawled all over the truck. Daryl was sweating and Stanley was using his hand and Mind to try to hold Caffeine's mouth shut. "Please don't woof," Stanley begged silently. Even one sound right now might be too many.

His mind was pulled in very close, but Stanley could still feel the Souls all around. He did hold out some hope for Eve's plan, because the Souls he felt were not… smart. These were just beasts… or bugs… arachnids, some were strong, some weak, but none were clever. They had come looking for threats and intruders, and they had found one and driven it away. Even now many of them were pursuing the acid creature further away.

The ones nearby crawled all over the crashed truck and partially destroyed building but didn't seem to be looking for anything in particular. A few even attacked and killed their fellows when they got too close or bumped into each other. Or at least Stanley assumed as much from their Souls.

Then one by one, they wandered away.

Hours, or minutes later, Eve nodded to Zeke. His hand glowed softly and she closed her eyes as some, but not all of, the pain faded.

Daryl dropped to sit next to the egg and held his head in his hands while Princess licked his face. Adam was petting both wolves, neither of whom seemed very concerned.

"Nice work," Stanley said, "Eve, Daryl, and you too Walter. Thanks for catching me."

Walter nodded. "Of course, Sir."

"I can't believe that worked," Daryl groaned.

Eve sat up and spat blood onto the floor. "Enough whining, you pansy ass bitches. We've got shit to do."

Daryl groaned again, and replied, "what are we supposed to do against that shit!?"

"You," Eve pointed at him, "and you," she pointed at Zeke, "are going to go hunt spiders for Cores."

"What!?"

Eve ignored Daryl's outburst and looked at Stanley. "You… are going to help me increase my Soul attribute." Stanley nodded and she continued, "I'm going to need a lot more…" Her gaze slid back toward the cab and a small smile tugged at her mouth. "It's time for my baby to learn to fly."