"Well, that sucked," Jack complained as Bob helped pull him to his feet.

"Be glad it wasn't about eight inches higher," Mike advised, giving a meaningful nod to the pair of severed legs still on the ground.

Jack nodded. "I'd rather not go through that ever again."

In their haste, the team had picked up an additional pack of monsters. Wayna and Eli had moved to the rear of the group to engage them, and things had been alright until a third pack had come in from the side.

Jack had done his best, but between the overlapping auras of sixty monsters and trying to tank thirty of them himself, the fight had gotten out of control, and he'd been knocked down. At that point, a pair of the Emators had grabbed his legs and torn them off. They'd tried to do the same to his arms and head, but he'd been turtled, his head and torso covered by the two shields he fought with.

Harv had entombed him in stone, pulling him out of the fight, at which point Jake had stomped in, soaking the hits until Wayna and Eli had finished the pack in the rear, pivoting to take over.

It was a testament to Erick's stacking effect over time Anima Blast that Jack had lived until the fight was over.

"I couldn't use any of my skills," Jack said as his armor began to reform over his new, naked legs. "I tried, but it felt like my veins were on fire."

"Matrix damage," Bob explained. "The energy can't flow through your matrix when part of the matrix is missing or damaged, so it pools and creates back pressure. Hurts like hell and dramatically increases the cost of any skills or spells."

"You would know," Harv agreed.

"How's that?" Jack asked as he stood on his toes, then started to walk around, testing his new legs.

"Bob's matrix was horribly damaged when he got blown up," Eli said. "When he arrived on Thayland, the System rebuilt him from whatever it could recover and didn't do a great job of it. Then he made it worse by leveling up a lot and casting ritual magic. What did you end up at? Over ninety percent of your matrix was damaged?"

Bob nodded grimly, his expression dark. "Yeah, those last few weeks before I summoned Amber weren't pleasant."

"I sometimes forget you went through some shit before we met," Jack smiled.

"I got better," Bob replied.

"You sure did," Jessica interjected with a brilliant smile.

"We need to slow down," Erick announced. "I know we're on the clock, but as badly as that went, it could have gone even worse."

"As much as I love getting all my stacks, I have to agree," Bailli added. "I can fly, so I was able to get out of the way, but if they had come in from the other side, Dave would have been swamped, and we aren't Beacons."

Bob checked the quest.

New Quest!

Jupryal has been overrun by monsters! The Urlinad have retreated to the storm shelters, praying to their gods to save them. Unfortunately, their gods are not real, but the monsters are. It falls on you to save them.

Kill the Monsters, 17,790/80,468

Locate the Storm Shelters, 19/82

Protect the Urlinad.

"We're almost a quarter of the way there," Bob muttered. "Wayna, can you run back and check the mark on the aqueduct?"

Wayna didn't respond, instead twisting into the form of a hawk as she launched herself into the air with powerful wingbeats, rushing back the way they'd come.

"I hate that we're losing time, but you're right, we need to slow it down," Bob agreed. "While we can take on two packs, it takes longer than if we engaged each one."

"It's the roaming," Dave sighed. "If they were just staying in one place, we could avoid picking up any extras, but they're not, they're wandering around."

"They're looking for the Urlinad to snack on," Amanda leaned on Auruffra, the massive wolf having sprawled out next to her after the fight.

Wayna flared her wings as she returned, twisting as she shifted back.

"Less than two inches," she reported happily.

Bob nodded.

It wasn't possible to tell how much time they'd lost, but they'd pushed hard to make it up. It looked like the water was rising about an inch each hour in the aqueducts.

Jack had speculated that once it had risen two feet, the blocks that had sealed off the domes wouldn't be able to hold up to the pressure.

They'd done for almost twelve thousand monsters in three and a half hours, which put them ahead of the curve. He hoped.

"Last pack, straight ahead," Bob announced wearily as he looked up from the screen on his armband.

"Stars and stones," Bailli whispered.

"Amen," Mike agreed.

Bob summoned Jake and sent him ahead of the group, surrounded by all eight of his swarms.

The sad truth was that Jake functioned better as an initial damage sponge and distraction. Using him as bait allowed the mosquitoes to desiccate a few Emators and for the team to position themselves for the fight.

Despite their exhaustion, the group fought flawlessly, with Jack and Mike tanking hits like they were nothing while Eli and Wayna peeled, all four of them having any wounds healed by a steady stream of effect over time Anima Blast spells. Auruffra and Rexy helped Wayna and Eli, respectively, while Dave and Bailli burned down target after target.

They'd been fighting for over twenty hours, and while they were beyond tired, practice had made perfect.

The last monster was obliterated by Bailli's grossly overpowered Lightning Blast.

Quest Updated!

Jupryal has been overrun by monsters! The Urlinad have retreated to the storm shelters, praying to their gods to save them. Unfortunately, their gods are not real, but the monsters are. It falls on you to save them.

Kill the monsters, 80,468/80,468. Complete

Locate the Storm Shelters, 82/82. Complete

Protect the Urlinad.

"You were right," Bob sighed.

"Of course I was," Amanda replied smugly. "The System is going to make you explain yourself over and over again to an ever increasingly large number of Aliens."

"It would be nice if it didn't do that," Bob grumbled.

"At least the tornados stopped," Dave offered.

That had been a relief. Around the twelve-hour mark, the winds had lessened, and the tornados had stopped, although the rain had continued.

"Let's go pop the corks on these shelters," Bob said, shuffling into a jog.

The nearest one was only two blocks away, and Bob soon found himself looking at the huge stone block that blocked the entrance.

He sighed, mentally preparing himself for the oncoming social interaction.

"Can you make that disappear?" He asked Harv.

Harv didn't reply, but less than a minute later, the block disappeared.

Water rushed into the space, and startled shouts emerged, followed shortly by a horde of Urlinad.

A large Urlinad, wearing leather armor and wielding a very sharp-looking spear, was the first to emerge. He spotted the group on the edge of the aqueduct and leaped up onto the street, brandishing his spear.

"What are you?" He demanded. "Did you remove the door?"

"I'm Bob, and yes, we did. It doesn't look like the rain is going to stop, and it would have broken into your shelters in another hour or so."

"Better we wait under the water than face the monsters," the Urlinad retorted, his eyes scanning the area.

"We killed all the monsters," Bob assured him. "Also, what do you mean 'wait under the water?'"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Bob, these are my friends," he gestured. "We've killed all the monsters, but things are still a little complicated. Could I have your name?"

"Julda," the Urlinad replied, keeping a careful watch on the group while a steady stream of Urlinad flowed out of the shelter.

"It's nice to meet you, Julda," Bob said. We have a lot to talk about, but we've been fighting the monsters for over twenty hours, and we really need some rest. Do you mind meeting us back here in about eight hours and getting the rest of the city out of the shelters?"

It turned out that Julda had minded.

The big Urlinad was deeply suspicious of Bob and his friends. Trying to explain that he had a high priestess in his inventory but that Julda would need to go through the magic portal to meet her had gone hilariously badly.

He'd only agreed after one of his subordinates had volunteered to go in, and had come back out reporting that there really was a high priestess on the other side of the portal.

Bob had set up a hammock in his living room, unable to dislodge Monroe and Laura from his bed, and told Lara to poke him if Julda wanted out. He'd cast a set of persistent effect elemental spells around his hammock, alleviating the sauna-like conditions that the Urlinad had created by turning on his shower at the highest heat setting and leaving the bathroom door open, and lay down for a nap.

He was awoken far sooner than he'd hoped.

A massive paw was gently tapping his face.

He knew this because he cracked an eye open and saw nothing but a toe tuft.

"Hey, buddy," Bob mumbled.

Monroe patted his face again.

"Alright, okay, I'm getting up," Bob said through a yawn. He rotated and swung his legs out of the hammock.

Monroe let out a plaintive meow.

Hungry-sun-play.

Bob reached out and dug his fingers into the big cat's cheeks.

"I've been neglecting a kitty cat, haven't I?" He commiserated.

"How could I ignore a kitty when kitty is everything that is soft, and good, and pure," Bob moved his fingers just behind Monroe's ears, scratching that itchy spot that the huge Maine-coon could never quite reach himself.

Monroe engaged his purr motor, the rumbling sound filling the room.

"How about we go get a kitty some breakfast," Bob said, standing up.

Monroe licked his chops at the sound of one of his favorite words.

"Kitty so hungry" Bob agreed. "How could I starve a kitty cat like that? I should be ashamed."

He opened the door to find Julda and Gualla talking quietly while Lara was helping Laura draw on a tablet of paper.

"Don't mind us," Bob covered his mouth as he yawned and stepped around the table to head into the kitchen. "Just getting Monroe some breakfast, then taking him outside for a bit."

Laura perked up. "Can I go outside?" She asked hopefully.

"Probably not," Bob replied with a sigh. "It took us a long time to clear this Dungeon, and I don't know when the monsters from the other Dungeons are likely to show up."

"But you're taking Monroe outside!" Laura complained.

"Monroe is not only tier seven but also level forty-two," Bob replied. "He's not only the most handsome of all kitties, but he can also kill any monster on the planet."

Monroe nudged his shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

"And as you can see, he's also very insistent on being fed," Bob said as he continued into the kitchen.

"What do you think, buddy, should we kick it old school?" Bob asked. "Omelettes?"

Monroe sprawled up against the door between the kitchen and the dining room.

"Omelettes it is, then." Bob turned on the stove and pulled a skillet onto the burner.

"Bob, can you come out?" Gualla called through the door as Bob was contemplating just how many eggs had gone into making a sufficiently sized omelet for Monroe.

To be fair, his had been almost as large.

He looked at Monroe, who hadn't really moved from his position blocking the door, and considered the near herculean effort it would take to get the super-sized floofer to move, then called it a miss.

Bob dropped through a portal at his feet, appearing on the street in front of the aqueduct. He took a moment to appreciate the fact that it wasn't raining any longer and that the sun was shining in a mostly clear sky before dropping through another portal and falling into his living room.

Gualla might have looked surprised as he emerged from what she likely perceived as the wrong door, but he wasn't quite up to speed on reading Urlinad facial expressions.

"How are things going?" Bob asked.

"We have explained the current state of affairs to Julda as best we were able," Gualda replied.

"Thank you," Julda said stiffly, "for the aid you've given our people."

"Adventurers Guild, happy to help," Bob replied.

"I need to speak to the council," Julda continued. "Could you put me back in Jupryal?"

"Sure," Bob nodded agreeably, opening a portal in front of the door to the kitchen.

"Can I go?" Laura asked as stood up and edged closer to the portal.

"It won't let you, although it is safe on the other side," Bob explained.

Upon hearing the word 'safe,' Laura darted through the portal.

Bob opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he sighed.

"Okay, well, apparently, you three can go out into the Dungeon, you just can't do so while there are still monsters." He frowned. "Or maybe when the quest is still active," he muttered.

"Everybody through the portal," he ordered.

Lara was already going through the portal, chasing her daughter, while Julda and Gualla followed at a more sedate pace.

With his inventory empty, save for Monroe, who was sleeping off a breakfast coma, Bob took the opportunity to turn off his shower and then adjust the climate controls for the space. It would be much more efficient to make the Urlinad comfortable that way.

He then followed his guests through the portal.

Lara was being pulled down the street by an excited Laura while Gualla was leaning up against the railing that separated the street from the aqueduct.

"Another perfect example of my not knowing everything," Bob said.

"You could simply be pretending not to know," Gualla countered. "The Lord of Blight is known to have cunning second only to Kessen."

"Please don't spread that kind of thing around," Bob asked. "I've got enough problems."

"According to Julda, there are over eighty thousand people in this city," Gualla said. "If the System is to believed, you saved them all."

"We," Bob corrected. "We saved them all." He paused. "Also, Julda said something about them waiting in the water when I expressed our natural concern that they might drown."

"They could have waited under the water, but eventually, they would have had to leave, and the monsters would have gotten them."

"Ok, see, the part that I'm asking about is the waiting under the water bit. Can you breathe water?" Bob asked.

"Of course," Gualla replied. "Can't you?"