fs-test

by Hankton

just a test of app playback

2. fp

Chapter 181

Once more, Tom was woken by someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes, expecting to see Keikain's rough visage. Instead, it was Everlyn with a warm but uncertain smile.

He looked up groggily.

"Porridge?"

She handed him a plate filled with a chunky gruel that steamed slightly. It smelt divine, salty, meaty along with the hint of strong herbs. Rosemary perhaps. Physically, it was, well, calling it porridge was stretching the bounds of the words' meaning. With an internal shrug, he dug his fork in and there was only a small amount of actual grain included. Barely enough to keep the pieces of meat together. He took a bite. "Stew?"

"Breakfast stew." Everlyn agreed with the humour leaving her. "It's what I called it too… The chef," she lowered her voice. "Insisted otherwise." She shot Keikain a look of distaste.

"You need to let it go, Evie."

"It pisses me off how he's trying to ingrain himself with us."

"It's better than him doing nothing."

"And letting him do the cooking?" she shuddered. "They're murderers. They've already poisoned the food once to send everyone to sleep."

"The contract protects us."

Everlyn shook her head. "There are always loopholes."

"Not magical contracts. Especially ones that function off intent."

She did not look convinced. "But I have it under control." She drew up her sleeve to show a bracelet.

Tainted Food Detector.

This device can identify if a meal will have a harmful effect. Works up to and including Tier 4 poisons and enchantments.

Useable twice per day.

"That's," he started to argue and then stopped himself. He had been intending to launch into a lecture about proprietary and trust and then realised the stupidity of the position. They hadn't earned any of that. If only his head wasn't already fuzzy.

With a thought, he used Caffeine Jolt.

Everlyn had no reason to trust them. Even he who had seen both Keikain's and Sven's mindset was only confident they wouldn't be betrayed based on the contract they had all agreed to. "Probably sensible."

"It is… and don't tell anyone but I'm pretty sure Rahmat and Harry have similar solutions. They both seem to prey before eating." She winked. "Rahmat may be religious but… He seems extra devoted recently."

"Good." Tom glanced over to where Keikain was cleaning his cooking gear. His brain had clearly been scrambled for the last few days. They should never have allowed one of the murderers to take over the food supply.

With the caffeine flowing through his system and no forced True Dreaming event last night, his mind felt clearer than it had been recently. He was too willing to trust; he decided. It was a character flaw that extended to other people, skills and spells and even stuff he knew he might make mistakes in like creating a watertight contract. Curiously, he felt out the contract they had signed and focused on the clauses for the killers. The primary clause was a binding not to hurt another. It was absolute in its intent and include direct or indirect harm. There were additional provisos built into the structure. One that specified that they couldn't use detrimental spells another halted physical blows, even those in self-defence were blocked unless an impartial old world jury would find that the other person was attacking them beyond reasonable doubt. Then and only then could they respond and were still restricted to using reasonable force. Killing the other was never reasonable on the first attempt.

The structures in place seemed solid.

Food Poisoning, he pondered that possibility and checked the clauses. He couldn't see anyway that it could be slipped through. He looked back up at Everlyn apologetically and knew he had to say something. "You're right. I didn't even think… I've been out of it."

"I know," she agreed gently.

He ate another forkful. The breakfast stew tasted absolutely amazing. "Naming conventions aside, he knows what he is doing."

Everlyn chuckled. "I don't believe he is actually good, but he is definitely industrious and that along with attention to detail can compensate for talent. But he's relying on his inputs rather than his abilities and he is running out of higher tier ingredients. Only the physically weak are getting the buffs today."

"What are they eating?"

"Much the same as us from looks and smell. I think they've got different grains and meats. It's also ten times longer to make the special stuff."

Tom grunted at that. It was sort of interesting, but he didn't really care and had no genuine desire to become a chef. Then a thought occurred to him. "When do we head out?"

She rolled her eyes. "As per tradition, when you're finished."

"I'm like the kid who sleeps and then takes ages to put his socks and shoes on aren't I?"

She laughed, and for the first time that morning the skittishness and uncertainty had faded away from her eyes. "You're the problem kid, are you?"

"Yep." Tom said, pretending to be proud.

She ruffled his hair gently. "You're not Tom. This won't make you a burden, and we'll give you the extra sleep if you need it."

"Thanks. There's something aboutTrue Dreaming that makes me struggle."

"Everyone's noticed. But no one wants you to stop. I think everyone understands how important that skill is. Especially if running into the dragon is inevitable."

"I know. I just wish I could use it more often. Every night is too much. Maybe once I get a few levels in the skills Michael recommended I'll get there. But for now. I can't do it. There's so much I need to find out. More about the dragon, whether there are going to be allies in the tutorial we can recruit." He shrugged. "I might discover nothing useful, but I want to try."

"It's all sensible. But Tom… Don't over do it. We require you to be you. I need you to be you."

Tom grunted in response and then kept scooping the food into his mouth. Keikain had successfully installed into all of them the urgency of their travel.

They set off right at the point of dawn.

It was too early.

Their progress was slow, too non-existent, and he was sure they were going to rouse the local wildlife.

"Stop looking so tense." Everlyn ordered next to him. "Jingyi will signal if there's anything for us to worry about, and then we'll bunker down until it's safe."

She was staying close.

It was a break from the usual pattern where both Jingyi and her ranged further out to guide them around the larger threats. The current lighting being barely enough to see things had changed the approach. Everlyn had to be there to let them avoid ambushes that later in the day they could spot themselves.

The precaution was proved unnecessary, and nothing attacked them. The sun rose fully and they could move silently once more. The landscape evened out somewhat and without the broken ground their progress sped up. Tom was conscious of his dream the previous night and tried to get close to Sven, but the other man avoided the attempts.

A shrill whistle cut through the low-level noise of the whipping mountain breeze.

They all responded with the deadly competency of survivors of thousands of battles. They might be individuals, and not used to a scout providing the warning signal on their behalf, but they still all reacted instantly. The formation that had descended into friends walking with friends broke apart as healers and the squishier mage types went centrally while Tom, Sven and Thor spread out to meet whatever threat the scouts had identified.

"Right over there." Michael said, grimly. Tom glanced quickly and saw that he was pointing at the slope of the small but steep hill. They had become a feature of the landscape. A terrain aspect which was alien to Earth sensibilities because geography, erosion, tectonic forces or biology were incapable of producing those shapes, but there was nothing surprising about them after the tutorial. Existentia was different because it drew from who knew how many universes. The 'hills' if that was what they were, filled the area. There was as much flat land as there were hills, so it was simple to avoid the strange protrusions which were closer to a cone like a pyramid than a natural formation. A hundred metres high and a similar distance wide. If they were more closely packed, the valleys between the sides would have been a pain to navigate, but spread out as they were there was plenty of non-hilly ground to plot their course through.

Tom's eyes went up the slope and spotted what the healer had identified. The monsters had just appeared over and around the point of the hill. They ignored the steepness and snatched bites of the green, purple grass as they moved. He studied them. Physically, they were small creatures that would almost come up to his waist, maybe a little lower, like the top of his thigh. The size of a large but not giant dog.

They had what Tom had termed the conjoined twin body shape. They were symmetrical, with two heads and no clear back or front sides. This version had four legs, a face on either side of the main body, and then a prehensile monkey tail coming out from the other two ends. Compared to a terrestrial earth animal like a cow, the head was replaced with a tail and the face had moved to be in the centre of each side where the rib cage was. Basically, if you looked at them from directly in front or behind, you would think you were staring at the back end of a normal-looking goat like creature with a weird tail. When you studied them from alternative angles, you would see the head in the middle of the legs and maybe imagine you were fighting some sort of crab or spider with fur. That was, until you saw the other side and understood the weirdness.

Tom was privately thankful for the tutorial. The first time he had seen this body type he had frozen up.

"Goats." Everlyn's voice came clear to them through her party communication skill. "Well, if you squint… a form of them, anyway. There's no running. Jingyi and I are in position for ranged support. They are ranked twelve, but there's about a hundred of them and potentially more…"

"Not important." Jingyi interrupted.

"True. As I was saying, when they fight, they'll try to hit you with their hooves or entangle you with their tails and then, if they see an opportunity, they will try to bite a chunk out of you. In some ways they're sort of like piranhas so be careful. They are not beyond launching almost suicidal attacks if they think they can get a piece of you."

"We hear you Everlyn." Michael said.

Tom was already moving to take point in front of the others. Mentally, he was debating whether to use his meteorites, but the goat herd had taken the option from him by closing the distance so that they were no longer in optimal range. It was one of the primary weaknesses of the spell that he could only effectively use them if the target was at least a hundred and preferably two hundred metres away. "Any vulnerabilities?"

"No! I would have said it at the start if there were."

"Sorry. I know you would have. I was just making sure."

"I know. Better to be safe than sorry." They could almost hear the eye roll that went with the snapped response.

Two rocks settled in his hands and he started making a Lightning Ball with a focus on it, delivering more electricity damage than physical. With this many creatures swarming, Tom knew it was better to delay a large group instead of eliminating a couple of them. The risk of being overwhelmed in the first few moments was a genuine concern.

"Sven and Thor defend the others." Tom ordered even as he jogged forward to get space between him and the rapidly approaching herd. They were not charging yet, but they were still eating up the distance separating the two groups.

They would however charge. Tom had seen enough of these types of monsters to see that type of response would occur. While he was not a group tactician, it was pretty clear he would be best served breaking the herd of monsters when they rushed the team. With his tier five dodge skill, it was unlikely creatures of the same rank as him could touch him, even if they came with overwhelming numbers.

Hurt him badly, he corrected in his mind when he remembered the provisions around the Black Dodge' inherited restrictions. He was definitely getting bruises out of the coming confrontation.

The herd milled forward, moving in a chaotic manner with almost as many goats facing away from them as towards and then one of the leading goats spotted them.

It hesitated, bleated…

Then it was like that transformed the entire herd. Every single goat orientated to face their way and then they as one stampeded toward them. Tom glanced back to find that he was thirty-five metres clear of the others. The goats were almost closer to him than his allies.

Companions who would weather the storm, Tom decided after a single glance. Keikain had already built defensive walls. It was the correct tactical choice and if Tom hadn't possessed his powerful dodge skill; it was what he would have done himself. Find shelter if it was nearby, otherwise create it fresh.

While the deadliness of the herd had not changed at all, it had also been almost fully mitigated. The goats, from what he could see and reading between the lines of Everlyn's assessment lacked the individual lethality of many of the monsters in Existentia. They were a swarming threat and provided you did not get overwhelmed by their numbers they should be easy enough to wipe out.

The structure might be normal stone, but with an Earth mage supporting it, Tom doubted the goats could break through it and if they couldn't attack from all sides eventually, they would be ground away to nothing. His approach was more primal. He would engage the swarm head on and destroy it. More risky, but substantially faster.

Tom reached the spot he had picked for his stand. It was an area of flat stone with regular up thrusts of rocks spread every couple of metres. Theoretically, it was almost perfect for him. There was space to dodge, including opportunities to flip near one of the rocks and then kick off it without his feet having to actually touch the ground. That would provide an extra degree of freedom in movement and reduce his chance of being defeated even more.

He waited only an instant and then they were less than forty metres from him. His mind quickly calculated angles and likely outcomes. The monsters were moving too quickly and the way they moved across the landscape demonstrated their extraordinary agility. Aiming the rocks was pointless as they would dodge them. He passively searched for a different option and then twinged on an idea. They were moving like water in a fast-moving, shallow, rocky stream which resulted in the water splitting around the stones. The terrain funnelled them as they avoided unseen hazards. There were spots free of goats and others where they ran shoulder to shoulder packed like sardines. At the base of the hill, they came together in a thick mass and then were jumping over some sort of crack in the landscape.

Throw Rock.

The magical enhanced throw was on the way before his mind even fully processed the why and the second rock coming up to his ear to follow it.

The first rock smashed into the massed goats. It was almost impossible to miss, and it splattered into a goat with an ever so satisfying thud and the spray of a thick, orange mucus that had to be their version of blood.

Throw Rock.

Tom frowned. The goats had to possess some type of hive mind communication because less than half a second after the first rock hit. The pattern of movement changed. That laziness that had caused them to clump up in spots vanished.

They spread out.

Jumps stopped being purely functional as some goats leapt artificially high in the air like you would do to avoid a ranged attack. Some galloped higher than usual, others moved artificially low to the ground and his rock instead of pulverizing a head deflected off the top of a goat's head that was lower than any heads had been a few moments before. It continued on and thumped into another, but once more it was not a direct hit and some of the speed had already been lost in the first deflection.

There was no spray of orange.

Both goat's fell and there was a moment of chaos as they tripped their neighbours and others landed on top of the sudden pile. Five more of them went down, but none permanently and none for more than an instant. Compared to his hopes it was a failure.

With a sigh. He abandoned his rocks. If the missiles weren't going to get clean kills, then they weren't mana effective. The monsters kept coming and were twenty metres away from him and bunched together to his right.

Once more battle trance had him acting without conscious control. His pre-prepared Lightning Ball was shooting at the choke point before the opportunity had fully registered. It exploded right above the mass of goats. The sparks of electricity arcing out to hit dozens of the monsters.

They spasmed and fell, and the entire line collapsed. Tom then had no more time for strategic thought.

With his spear in his hand, he braced to meet the charge.

Arrows flew.

Everlyn from the side and Jingyi almost from behind the goat pack. He had probably been trailing them and only raised the alarm when it became a hundred percent clear they weren't going to deviate away from the collision cause.

The first goat didn't bother with anything fancy. It was running straight at him. It had bulged one of its eyes on either side out to allow it to see in front of itself and it launched itself at him with a tail leading coiling like a whip.

Tom shifted to the side.

Fate was created around him, and he poked with his spear. There was no massive thrust or glowing power infused strike to ensure penetration just a quick slash. This was a fight of speed and dexterity and he couldn't afford his weapon to get caught even if he did have a replacement one. His spear tip cut a shallow gash on the creature's leg.

Another hundred such strikes and it would be dead, he thought ruefully. But until he had a better understanding of the enemy's anatomy and range of movement, he would not risk losing his spear. Plus, the longer it went the more fate would bend the entire battlefield in his favour.

Everything was slowed for him. Multiple goats were about to leap on top of him. The flanks were bending around to attack him from the side and his mind flicked through strategies. What to do? How much fate to invest? He needed more information. The critical question was whether this species' fate would be primarily directed to offensive or defensive purposes because the answer to that would shape how the long the fight was going to last and whether he would need his own fate to survive it.

Chapter 182 |

Chapter 182 |

Chapter 182

Tom was standing in the middle of the stampede. The vanguard of them, a singular goat, had gone past him and he had drawn first blood by inflicting a minor cut on its legs but the next wave was upon him. Two of the goats split up and struck from each side. Their hooves flashed, and he spotted a gap and rolled under the sudden air bound opponents. His spear vanished seamlessly into his spatial storage so it wouldn't get in the way.

Then he was rising, and he saw the goat's head clearly for the first time on a third goat, which was charging into the space left by the two he had dodged.

The face had bulbous eyes that could expand out on two inch long stalks to let it look both in front and behind it simultaneously. Each of the eyes, as he had already noted when it combined with the other face gave the monster full stereo vision around itself. Then, set directly between the two eyes there was a hole the size of his fist. It didn't resemble a human ear, but it was close enough that its purpose was unmistakable. Then beneath those features was a mouth that ran across the entire torso just above the row of legs. It was half a metre long and currently fully open and ready to bite off his head.

Rows of serrated teeth like a shark dripped saliva.

Tom was not intimidated. His eyes were wide as he monitored fate fluctuations around him. Each of the monsters had just under twenty fate but from what he could tell nothing had been released. Mentally, he checked himself. His feet were firmly planted on the ground with rock underneath. His body crouched down and was ready to explode with power.

Instincts guided his action. Empty hands abruptly felt the welcoming weight of his weapon. The mouth was still heading toward him, but far enough away that he could evade it without too much trouble.

But science…

And murder…

And his training leaving him perfectly positioned.

A nice conflation of events.

He thrust forward with a touch of Power Strike, sharpening the tip. Even as he did so, he sprang backwards. His eyes were wide open, the dust of the creatures' charge making them sting, but he needed to see with his full senses what was happening.

Fate left the goat.

One point, maybe two. It interacted with his weapon. Tom felt a thrill of excitement and growing anticipation. The purpose of the fate was not clear yet. Would it be limiting his attack? Or take a more aggressive path to trap his spear in that mouth.

The spear cut into the roof mouth for a few centimetres and then skid off the cartilage rather than finding a gap to plunge through.

He yanked the weapon clear just as the teeth slammed shut.

The fate had protected the monster from injury. It was not proof. After all, the mouth might be armoured, but Tom privately doubted that explanation. Out of all the multitude of monsters he had killed, only a handful had armour there. His spear being stopped by limited protection was the first evidence of a defensive fate bias, which was the best possible outcome for him.

His strike was a long way from a mortal blow, but the goat froze, and then screamed out its pain to the wider world. Tom found his balance and then focused. His Spark domain stretched around him and he was surprised to find that somehow the monsters had collectively managed to block themselves from approaching him. The goat whose mouth he had scratched was responsible. It had frozen instead of continuing on and that meant that the gaps that should have been present for other goats to use to close with him had not eventuated.

Nothing was threatening him.

A goat had leapt over the pile up and was exposed.

With the precious half a second of time, he targeted the gap where a leg joined the body. Experience had taught him that there were often key arteries in that location. Blood had to reach the muscles, after all.

The tip of his spear glowed blue and ten fate was actively spent on the attack. All the goat's fate left its body to protect itself. It was too late for it. He was already in an advantageous position and his own fate had become active first. The two sources of fate clashed, the goat's larger cloud against his more concentrated one. There was an annihilation reaction, and all was left was him and his thrusting weapon. The spear point bit deep and he drove it forward and then yanked it out.

There was a spray of orange.

A flood of blood that showed no signs of stopping and represented a death blow.

It was an extraordinary stroke of luck to have found a weakness so quickly, and the attack had also proved the point he was trying to make. He was almost positive that the goats used their fate purely defensively. If he leant into a battle of attrition, he could win this fight without wasting anymore of his fate.

The pocket of stillness vanished, and he was forced to roll forward to avoid flashing hooves. Every time his feet hit the ground he had to dodge to evade another attack. Goats were all around him and now that he knew their weak points and had the mana, lightning spears flashed into existence to plunge into the leg joint whenever the goat flexed and opened it up.

His attacks rarely landed perfectly. There were no more beautiful fountains of orange that meant certain death, but each strike did its job and left the goat depleted or nearly depleted of fate and vulnerable to the next engagement.

He ducked under some swinging hooves and landed upon an upthrust of rock. He flopped down the side and Earth Manipulation infused the rock he was on and caused four spikes to shoot out from the top of it.

Three of the incoming goats were promptly impaled, though only the one he had tagged earlier suffered a fatal wound.

Tom was already dodging away. He appreciated how his advanced dodge skill was working. Fate was bubbling up and the massive speed boost it gave was welcome. That component of the Skilllet him dance almost like he was a god through the mass of monsters that in raw attributes should have been quicker than him. He was still getting hit. The Black Dodge origin forced that outcome. A series of glancing blows that probably should have broken bones, but protected by his skill they left only minor bruises. The important thing was that he had avoided being bitten, and he was like a wind elemental, twisting and spinning through the herd of braying monsters and clashing teeth at speeds that should have been impossible.

As he weaved in and out of the creatures, hooves attempted to bash him out of existence. Gaping mouths attempted to cut him in half and the swinging tails tried to sneakily trip him up. He avoided them all and each time his mana regenerated to full a pulse of Touch Heal resulted in him being as good as new for the next partial dodge.

His domain registered a hurtling body from behind. Without hesitation, he dived forward. The sound of scrambling from the left gave a warning about approaching bodies. He twisted and spun to the side. A goat went flying past.

Another tried to blindside him. He fell and positioned a hand to throw him back to his feet. The goat flashed overhead, its teeth snapping shut on empty air. He was right next to one of the upthrust of rocks. Earth Manipulation took control of it and the goats having either forgotten or not seen the last time he was in that position leapt at him.

Six of them pounced.

Five spikes exploded out from the rock and all of them scored likely mortal wounds on their targets. Tom didn't wait to assess. He rolled under them to escape and another quick thrust of his spear opened up an artery on the sixth and sent more orange mucus like blood spurting.

He stood for a moment. He was in a battle lull.

No monsters were coming to kill him.

He quickly checked on his allies.

They were defending the small stone hut that Keikain had raised. Harry was down on his hands and knees scribbling away just in front of the entrance while Thor, Keikain, and Sven defended him. Jingyi had stopped firing arrows and when he glanced in that direction, Tom saw a group of ten goats had gone to corner the scout and he was fighting a skirmishing retreat from them. Everlyn had also been targeted, but only six had split off to investigate her and she had taken them all out before they reached her and was back to shooting arrows through the goats in the main herd.

Then, like it never existed. The brief area of calm that had formed around Tom vanished. Multiple goats charged him. Once more he ducked, weaved and then rolled to the side. Every time he did so, more fate was released. It was like an avalanche. Goats collided with each other, another broke a leg as its foot was caught in a crack.

Instinctively, his hand deflected an incoming hoof. He hardly felt it and his palm was not even scratched even though the hoof had several razor-sharp edges to it. He had timed the strike perfectly to hit the flat part rather than the sharp spots.

Not once when he dodged did his feet slip on a loose piece of gravel or the slimy blood. Visually, the firm footing hazards were everywhere, as demonstrated by the goats who specialised in agility tumbling all over the place.

The impact of his new skill was decisive. As he ducked and weaved amongst the goats, he saw the monster's fate spilling out to counter his retaliatory strikes. Even though collectively the goat's were expending far more fate than what he was generating, he was winning. All of his was pre-emptive while the emergency fate bursts at the last minute was incredibly wasteful.

Tom kept going with his new Skillshaping the battlefield. It did more than keep him safe. He also often found himself positioned for the perfect counter-attack. An opportunity he always took only to have the emergency fate release of the goat result in its leg twitching, which resulted in his stab being wide.

Tom could have got upset at the unfairness of it all, but they were only doing what he usually did. Though their last-minute release meant they functioned with terrible efficiency. Eventually, their fate would be exhausted and his would not be because of the continual creation that his skill was generated.

When that tipping point came, instead of his blows only scratching the enemies, they all became deadly.

He stabbed, and there was a fountain of orange.

A goat nearby completely lost its feet and smacked flat against the ground. One of Everlyn's arrows flashed overhead, missing it.

Tom came out of a roll. He successfully avoided one of the razor sharp hooves and he stood right above the prone goat.

He thrust his spear down and pulled it out to a flood of blood.

Tom moved on.

In some ways, it was a combined kill even though he had landed the only blow in the fight. Everlyn's arrow, despite not touching it had exhausted the animal's fate.

A mouth closed on his pants and failed to penetrate, but the goat was latched onto his leg. He could feel the constriction of the creature's teeth through the armour. It was not something he could tolerate. He couldn't afford his mobility to be compromised against this particular type of enemy.

Without hesitation he spent twenty fate.

Two large rocks appeared in his hands, and he launched them down at the body, gripping his leg.

Throw rock was engaged, and the rocks sped up far beyond his capacity to throw them.

The beast gripping his leg was obliterated.

Yet, even as the rocks tore through the animal, its mouth remain latched and he was yanked off his feet, a victim of the power of his own spell.

He tumbled next to an outcrop of rocks and stared down. A large part of the now very dead goat remained attached to him. With a thought and a moment of concentration, the rock that he leaned against sprouted over a dozen metre and a half long spikes.

There were squeals of pain as the monsters that have seen him as vulnerable crashed into the sudden lethal obstacle.

Tom ignored them. His fingers pried open the goat's mouth and pushed it off him. His pants unsurprisingly remained undamaged even if underneath them he was suffering deep bruises courtesy of the powerful bite. It was like a crocodile with their incredible jaw strength had bitten him.

There was the sound of splintering stone as the too thin stone spikes broke. His protection vanished, and he was open to attacks from multiple angles. He rolled forward and then by hardened battle instinct swayed to the side and then in the other direction his hands snapping out this time. He struck and knocked a hoof that had been trying to kick his chest wide. Then he instinctively formed his hand into a karate chop that slammed the base of a tail that was just about to wrap around his leg. It's spasmed under the force of his blow. Then he was back flipping away as his spear materialised to take advantage of a gap. More orange sprayed.

There was a creaking behind him and when he looked five, massive spikes of stone had risen and caught all the goats that have been attacking his back.

Tom shot a quick glance towards the hut, and Keikain gave him a wave.

Then Tom sprung back into action. For the next ten minutes, he continued with the same ineffectual dance, landing numerous blows but only opening up slight cuts on the beasts. Then the force of the fate that he'd been continuingly expelling to survive started to overwhelm his opponents.

There was no specific change, but suddenly when he stabbed he got an artery. When he dodged, the goats were more likely to collide with each other. He saw one mouth snap shut. Just missing his knee and catching the tail of a secondary goat. That happened not just once, but four times in the span of a minute. Every time his spear lashed out it punched into one of the many vulnerable spots he had mapped and left sprouting orange behind it.

Then he was done.

Tom stood almost thirty metres away from the shelter, panting to recover his breath. Everywhere nearby was covered in wet orange. Tom slid down onto his haunches and struggled to control his breathing and hold the spear straight up.

They were done! They were victorious. Tom considered his new evolved Skill and tested what he thought about it.

Effective for sure, and it had been a fun road test. He looked around at the hundreds of dead goats. They were his rank and if he had of been alone here, he would have won. He chuckled to himself. When he had come into Existentia, he had been expecting to go slow and be weaker than everyone else around him.

Now he could fight off hundreds of monsters of his own rank and his build was far from finished. After all, he had experience to spend and couldn't

Chapter 183 |

wait to get a battle teleport skill.

Chapter 183 |

Chapter 183

Tom shut his eyes and breathed in deeply. The area smelt of copper and wet dog, though it was a muskier version than the Earth one. He took another deep breath, sucking in the thick air. His heart rate was dropping and the magical properties of Existentia were already restoring him to his uninjured baseline. His physical recovery enhanced beyond Earth normal, just like in the Tutorial.

With a sigh, he opened his eyes and walked over towards the small hut. Picking a complex route as he did so to avoid stepping on the dead goats. He had to deviate in multiple spots and occasionally leap over some piled corpses to get to them. The hut had been dismantled by Keikain the moment the battle had been finished. Tom smiled when he caught sight of them. Thor and Sven were very much like him and appeared to have been doused in chunky orange paint.

Out of the others, Harry was the only one who had direct signs of combat. His entire back was painted probably from the goats dying while he crouched down and wrote out his rituals. His front also had orange patches on it and the fact he was cleaning his weapon implied he had also been active in the more physical parts of the fight.

Slowly, Tom picked his way towards the others. "That was fun."

"If you say so." Michael said. "I think the real question to ask is how much of each corpse should we be processing?" He waved at the heaps of dead creatures.

Tom glanced around. The bodies seemed to fill the landscape. It felt like far more than what had been contained in that first herd. "How's there so many?"

"A second, then third pack descended mid-battle." Michael explained. "There are literally hundreds of them. Processed completely. They're worth five hundred each."

Sven made a point of stalking around the man, studying him. "Next time instead of researching loot maybe participate a little more. You're spotless."

"I'm a healer."

"And I'm a support ritualist."

Michael raised his spear. While the blade at the end shone metallically, the wood directly underneath was wet with an orange tinge. "I fought."

"How many?" Sven asked.

"Maybe ten."

"Yep," Clare agreed with a laugh. "He was ninjaing kills all battle. He would only ever step forward to put down the crippled ones."

"I had a slight rank discrepancy to cross." Michael complained. "It wasn't like I wasn't trying. I just wasn't fast enough to hit the undamaged ones."

"For christ sakes," Keikain snapped. "How long will the butchering take?"

"To maximise credits," Michael paused. "About ten minutes."

"We're not talking total are we?"

The healer shook his head.

"Per corpse?"

There was a nod.

"Absolutely not." The earth mage snarled. "That's the rest of the day. It's too long. Other options?!"

"A quick job that nets three hundred, maybe two minutes each."

Keikain paused thoughtfully. His eyes measuring the extent of the task. "That's a hundred thousand credits… Over an hour's work… Nope. We need it shorter."

"An hour won't make it difference." Clare told him and she went over to the nearest corpse. "Eyes right." She started cutting out the eyes.

"Eyes, heart, and hooves." Michael said cheerfully, and then he too started to work.

Tom was surprised. After getting most of his payments including interest for the teleporter he had over a hundred fifty thousand credits left and the lure of ten thousand or so credits from these creatures was not that much but apparently the others were more credit starved than he was.

With an annoyed sigh, Keikain joined Clare in cutting up the corpses. Only Sven did not immediately drop to his hands and knees to help. They stood there next to each other, watching the efforts of the rest of their teams.

"That was fun." Tom said.

"Yep, this is how I expected Existentia to go. Me and some new mates fighting monsters all over the place."

"I'm sorry it didn't work out that way for you."

Sven waved the comment aside. "That's not on you."

Tom noticed the look he sent the other two of his bloodline… If looks could kill… and Tom guessed that in Existentia they very well could. That glare coming from the wrong person would literally have made Clare and Keikain explode. It contained such unconstrained fury that it made Tom shiver slightly, having observed it. Knowing more of the history now and he had a few days ago. Tom understood why. Sven felt like Clare had bullied him into making a poor decision.

The two scouts had set up on overwatch. Each on nearby hill tops to ensure that nothing could sneak up on them. Their long noisy battle could attract further attention not to mention the smell of blood that something might catch a whiff of.

Tom joined the workers. The faster they finished the sooner they could leave the area and avoid the risk the carnage represented. The eyes and hooves were relatively easy to hack off. The heart accessed from the stomach area was a more difficult proposition. He needed to put each goat onto its back. Cut into the centre of the stomach and then reach up at a forty-five degree angle in both directions to extract each of the hearts. Once butchered, they created piles of hooves, eyes and hearts and every five minutes whoever was fastest or needed the break the most would send the piles to the auction house.

It was finally done. They looked at each other. All of them were covered in orange.

"Everlyn, we need a river to wash." Michael sent across the communication link.

She laughed and then waved at them from the distant hill. "Yes… it certainly looks that way. Follow me. It's a slight detour."

"We don't have TIME!"

"Keikain," she interrupted immediately. "Stop being stupid. If you travel like you are, you're going to be attracting enemies from everywhere."

The earth mage shook like a dog and drops of orange splattered the ground in a circular area some over two metres from him. Despite the mess he made, it did very little to reduce the thick chunky blood covering him. "Fine."

The detour was short, and Everlyn led them to a fast-flowing stream. It was only a few inches deep and completely icy and the orange blood was sticky and difficult to clean, and Tom was shivering by the time he was finished having spent a lot of the time futilely laying in the flow to get access to sufficient water to wash himself clean.

"Hurry up."

"We're going as fast as we can." Michael reminded the earth mage tiredly. He was currently scrubbing Sven's back with some wet grass to scour away some of the blood they had been unable to extract.

Tom finished and with a flick of his mind was able to take items into his inventory and then equip them again. The stragglers in the washing stake, Sven and Thor were less lucky. They started their march while still putting on their armour. The countryside continued to become more hilly, and they pushed right to the final touch of daylight before Everlyn led them to a hole in the hill. The entrance was larger than the other ones and when he got inside, Tom discovered the cave itself was wider, taller, and longer than the other spots they had slept. There was sufficient space to have slept five times their number.

There was also a dark shadow was on the far wall, something that his senses told him was a narrow entrance that led deeper.

"This looks like it might connect to the underground." Michael complained.

"Almost everything around is." Everlyn told him. "We checked a handful of caves before this one and they were all the same."

"Dangerous choice." Michael told them. "Camping outside would have been safer."

Everlyn laughed. "We've got two earth mages, both of them with earth movement capabilities. They can seal the way down."

They put down their sleeping mats. Tom was annoyed. Three sleeping bags were on one side of the fireplace with the other seven all together on the other. Tom did not express his annoyance because he understood why. Everlyn fussed over him as the makeshift camp took shape and Toni started dinner.

Then Tom and Keikain worked together to cap off a five metre stretch of tunnel. Without them exploring, he couldn't tell, but a smooth tunnel leading down… Well, the educated guess was that it would definitely link to the underground.

If they weren't on the clock, it would be worth scouting to test its strength in this area. If you could find an area that was near your rank, underground exploration was definitely the best way to boost your strength. However, given their unique circumstances, they went with the smart choice and sealed it away so they wouldn't even be tempted.

Tom was exhausted by the time they finished and gratefully accepted the food that Toni offered. It was the same that everyone without a cursed blood line was eating. He was starving, so he ate it and it was hearty fare, though not as good as what Keikain seemed to produce.

He was completely drained, and waving off Everlyn he settled down to sleep. He knew he was supposed to be buying the teleport spell, but he didn't have the energy. As he settled down, he noticed Keikain was cooking for himself, Clare and Sven. He hoped that whatever the earth mage was doing would extend the time they had available.

Such was his exhaustion. He didn't even need to use any of his new tricks and he drifted off seamlessly.

Very much to his surprise Tom woke naturally with what must have been over eight hours of unbroken sleep. When he peeked by, opening his eyelids, it was still dark. With all of his senses, he assessed the place. There was no panicking. Others were still sleeping, and it was pretty clear that the first stirrings of the camp had woken him. Jingyi was standing soundlessly at the entrance, Everlyn was gone, Thor was awake and quietly oiling his armour. Keikain was getting the fireplace going to prepare to cook the morning meals. Given how long Keikain took to prepare meals with a buff, Tom knew it would be over half an hour before he was officially woken. While it was great that he was almost recovered Tom figured a few extra minute's sleep would help him tonight when he returned to more actively using his gifts. He triggered his new skill Instant Sleep.

The world went black. He was asleep dreaming, and then suddenly he was swept up by True Dreaming.

He knew by feel that he was seeing everything through Everlyn's senses. She was unconcerned and was in the midst of scouting the local area prior to the rest of them coming out. She loved this time of day. There was something about the pre-dawn stillness that appealed to her.

Her task was to scout the immediate surrounds of the cave and the first few minutes of their travel.

Tom's heart caught when her eyes skimmed over a hill that was over three kilometres away. The senses that he had available exceeded the ones she had. That was a simple fact about how the True Dreaming worked. It gave him 'the silent watcher' access to extra stuff. The senses he experienced were beyond what Everlyn had available. His versions were maximised for the purpose of the dream and noticeably sharper. For example, he was not sure her conscious mind could even see the hill that his awareness with the advantage of the improved senses had pinged on.

Panic flared through Tom even as Everlyn continued on unconcerned.

His eyes hadn't been deceiving him. His eidetic memory compared the hill between the first moment her eyes had flicked in its direction to the second.

There was no doubt.

It had grown in those ten seconds between the start and the vision and now. A hundred meter high hill growing by almost ten percent and flattening as well… The shape had changed.

Everlyn was unconcerned. Her heart beat perfectly steady and there was no adrenaline rushing through her system but there should have been.

Tom was just a passenger, but what he had seen was enough for him to panic.

It had grown.

Its shape had changed!

There was only so many explanations available.

His rising panic shattered the dream.

Tom snapped awake.

In his physical body, adrenaline rushed through him.

Everlyn had missed something! True Dreaming did not lie and did not bring trivial things to his attention.

That hill had been growing. This was not an opportunity. It was the opposite. They were in mortal danger.

Tom leapt to his feet.

"Keikain, back wall now," he screamed even as he ran over to the spot they had closed the previous day. Tom's magic flexed and he expended his mana pool, and the rock flowed as he undid the work they had done the previous night.

"Tom?" Keikain asked from where he was still cooking. "What do you mean?"

"Leave it! Breakfast doesn't matter! Get over here."

"Tom?" Michael questioned. "What are you doing. There might be monsters waiting behind the wall."

He recalled how that hill had grown and size and imagined what type of monster could do that. He was certain that his hunch was right. "Are you really arguing with a person with a tier nine prophecy skill. Keikain! Now!" He snarled.

The earth mage finally dropped what he was doing and hurried over. Toni hesitantly stepped in to ensure nothing burned.

"Well, no, I guess, maybe." Michael stuttered.

Keikain was next to him, funnelling his own magic. They punched a small gap through to the other room.

"What happened?" Harry asked. Everyone apart from Toni who was finishing off the cooking had retreated to be in position to fight anything that came through the new gap they were opening.

"You know the rock attack we saw out there… the spikes."

"Of course," Michael answered. "I pointed them out because they felt dangerous."

"I dreamt of that. Outside. Right now, Evie's eyes. Contact is imminent."

The silence was absolute. Tom saw the expressions on the faces around him and Michael did not hesitate. He pulled out two small rocks and proceeded to smash them together. "That will summon the others back."

Chapter 184

Together, they worked to remove the artificial plug they had placed to seal off the tunnel leading below. For safety, they first created a hole that was only as large as a soccer ball and once it was clear nothing was waiting for them they expanded the gap further. The stone they had shifted the night before responding more readily than the standard tunnel. It meant when the stone flowed away it left the original rock surface, so by the time they had finished they had reverted it to its original state.

Tom stepped back and wiped his forehead. The vision from True Dreaming remained vividly at the front of his mind… but doubt crept in, anyway. Opening this exit was dangerous, and he hoped he was not overreacting.

His gut told him that the risk that the giant monster outside represented was real. The certainty of his convictions was frightening. Was it possible to misinterpret a tier nine prophecy skill? He didn't know. The answer was probably yes, but surely not when he had this level of confidence… Plus he didn't want to say it out loud but the pieces of evidence linked to nicely. Something huge must have been throwing those earth spikes that Michael had made a fuss about, and True Dreaming did not lie. Whatever Everlyn had glimpsed was real even if she had not registered it. The only question in his mind was whether they had to hide in this cave or if they would be forced to flee into the underground. He hoped hiding would be sufficient, but he was opening the exit in case it wasn't. If what he had seen found them… Tom had no doubt that it could dig down unless they retreated far deeper.

If they stayed here, that thing would most likely be able to dig them out in minutes, if not seconds.

He alone faced the entrance to the cave exclusively having chosen to turn his back on the tunnel that led deeper. Tom was not at all surprised to note that he was the only one who had chosen that orientation. Everyone else remained facing what they perceived as the larger threat, excluding Toni who had chosen nothing as she was packing away the cooking gear and wrapping the food she had saved into waxed fabric to be eaten later.

Jingyi returned.

He slipped into the cave bow drawn, his eyes glancing back the way he had come as much as forward. The scout spotted them and relaxed slightly, but not fully. He kept the weapon at half draw and moved closer to the potential underground exit. An arrow was available to be shot at any moment. "Guys… What's happening?"

Tom cleared his throat. "I had a vision."

Jingyi looked at him and then straight down the tunnel. A few seconds passed/ "Are you going to share?"

"Let's wait for Evie."

"You can talk while we wait."

"Tom thinks the monster that threw those spikes is coming for us." Michael said quickly.

"Oh." Jingyi said, then lapsed into silence.

Tom watched the cave entrance, along with party chat. He was compulsively checking the interface and almost couldn't believe it when it showed as available. "Evie hurry!"

"Tom had a vision." Michael said over the party chat at almost the same time. "You need to get back."

"I'm going as fast as I can…" There was a pause as Everlyn clearly navigated some unseen danger. "What are we dealing with?"

"A giant monster."

"Really? I didn't notice anything."

"There is no time for debates." Tom ordered unwilling to compromise. "Get here faster."

"Rodger. One minute."

There was silence, and then she burst through the cave entrance. Her eyes were wide but there was no fear in them and she professionally swept the cave, assessing everything from potential threats to political situations. Apparently concluding everything was legitimate she jogged over to them. "Okay, I'm here. What's the alarm."

He sucked in a deep breath and launched into the spiel he had been composing for the last minute. Facts were the way to go. "True Dreaming just triggered. The vision was through Everlyn's eyes and, as you know, the ability can enhance the sapient senses. She didn't notice it, but a monster that is around the size of those hills is coming our way."

"Nope. I wouldn't miss something that large."

"It was three kilometres away and even with the enhanced senses I only noticed because the height of the hill changed between one glance and the next."

"The height of the hill?" She asked in disbelief.

"And shape. What ever it was is massive."

"I wouldn't have missed anything that significant." She repeated confidently.

"You might have," Keikain interrupted. "His skill is tier nine. Tom, how certain of this are you?"

"Definite. It was there and the fact that I dreamt about it means its relevant and a threat. I'm almost positive we're going to at a minimum have to hide in here for a while, most likely." He glanced significantly at the tunnel they had just opened. His instincts told him that they would be using it.

"Seriously, you think it's safer to retreat into the underground." Sven scoffed.

"You didn't see the size." Tom promised. "And not the actual underground, just that it'll be safer if we're a little further away from the surface."

"A delay's bad," Clare said. "We should make sure the threat is real before making decisions."

"An hour or two shouldn't matter and no we shouldn't make sure. Our best chance is that it hasn't seen us. We poke our noses out and it notices us… then that will be bad." Tom started to walk toward the descending tunnel.

Clare did not look convinced about Tom's arguments.

He glanced back at them. No one had moved. "Come on, for safety we just need to go a little deeper. It's a tier nine skill. That's not something to be ignored."

"Tom," Everlyn said seriously. "We need to balance the risks. We can't get closer…" She nodded at the tunnel they had just opened. "Without verification."

"I agree," Michael said. "Hiding in here is one thing. Descending further…"

"I'm going to check outside." Everlyn stated. "If it's that big I'll find it pretty quickly."

"Please trust me."

"I do." She looked torn glancing between the two exits. "But what you're planning is risky. Especially after we've used magic to remove the plug, the creatures down there probably noticed. We could be walking into an active monster that is rank sixty or even a hundred."

"You didn't see what I did."

"I sort of did." Everlyn interrupted with a self-deprecating laugh. "I'll check. Carefully. It will only take a few seconds."

"Vote." Tom tried desperately.

"Who votes I check?"

Every hand but Tom's and Sven's went up.

"Sorry Tom."

Internally, he cursed. He had hoped to get more support, but apparently fear of the underground triumphed over the implied risk of something being flagged by True Dreaming. "Those spikes looked like they could kill you before you even know they're coming."

"I'll be safe. Trust me Tom."

He bit his lips. Hating the fact that he couldn't stop her foolishness. Half of him wanted to keep going down the slope, but he didn't want to split the party and everyone else had already made up their minds.

Everlyn vanished, and his mind imagined what creature could have that silhouette. It would have to be massive… deadly… and hopefully completely lacking in perception.

There was the sound of crashing rock.

His heart leapt.

A thousand and one scenarios played out in his overactive imagination. Those earth spikes and what would happen if they actually hit a rank twelve human? Even if that person was using her powerups to become something more substantial.

It wouldn't help…

There would be a smear… It would…

Everlyn burst back into the cave. Her face reflected the terror that he was feeling and her eyes were fixated upon the potential entrance to the underground. Her body shape glowed with a strange light, and she was moving faster than she normally did. "Retreat." She yelled over party chat.

She was fleeing something and not a figment of Tom's imagination.

Everyone reacted.

Tom turned to face the right way. Lightning feet let him streak ahead, but he was still not the first one to reach the passage to the underground. Both Toni and Keikain made it in before him. Toni was in the lead having reacted when she heard the crash of rock above them. Keikain because he had been guarding the exit. Both were now running into its dubious safety.

Tom found himself right on their heels.

"Don't stop." Everlyn yelled behind them.

The initial path down was tight. He and Keikain had shifted sufficient rock for the bigger fighters amongst them to squeeze through, but not enough that it would be effortless. Even Tom had to shuffle half sideways because his shoulders were too broad, but while using a half crab shuffle, they went quickly. Everlyn's look of terror assured that.

After getting through the five metre plug, the tunnel opened up sufficiently to allow them to sprint down a natural appearing cave.

It plunged deeper into the earth in a slow spiral like a car ramp and in less than forty seconds they reached the spot where the tunnel went from a passage in the overground to become the underground proper. It had been closer than any of them had realised. On Tom's estimate, they were only thirty metres beneath the surface.

The primary change that told him that they had entered the underground was the fact there were seams of glowing fungus on the roof. The space beneath the surface, tunnels in the overground, never possessed that type of light. From his experience, those were usually darker than the true underground because if there were sufficient twists between a location and the sun, no natural light penetrated and the caves themselves rarely had anything to illuminate them directly. Not so the underground. It was almost always lit by something, fungus, crystals, larva, glowing worms, magic lights and anything else you could imagine. Every underground system he had ever been in created its own light. There was also a noticeable change in the atmosphere. It felt more vibrant.

They stepped hesitantly forward into the well lit tunnel and there was a metre wide patch of thick lush vegetation. Tom was not surprised when Keikain and Toni in front of him transitioned from a flat out sprint to a halt before stepping on any of the moss.

He remembered the monster he had glimpsed. How large it had to be to be visible as a landscape feature and then later, Everlyn's terror.

Thirty metres probably wasn't enough.

The tunnel, while not spacious, had widened slightly, so he dodged around them and kept running deeper. His spear was out and his lightning domain crackled as it surrounded him. He had dialed its power to full to give him extra warning. His senses working together to catch anything lying in ambush. Any movement within three metres of him would be instantly identified and then he would fight.

Tom jogged around another curve. They were getting deeper. Was forty metres down sufficient? Especially if ten metres were the underground proper? Or did he need more? Would fifty do it? The thoughts ran through his head, without answers.

He was sprinting into a not only unscouted section of the underground, but one that was for all intents and purpose unranked as well. The ridiculousness of that situation was not lost on him.

He activated Earth Senseand while the flood of information from the domain component of the skill still overwhelmed him, he needed the extra warning. Instinctively, he dialled it down to where would let him function, but not comfortably. Too much data assaulted him, but that was better than missing an enemy because his tools were too imprecise.

The underground entrance dropped another ten metres, and he found himself exiting onto a thoroughfare.

Giant monster chasing them or not, Tom stopped running and fell into a combat stance. The tunnel was sizeable, three metres high, four to six metres across, depending on where you stood, and it ran in what he guessed was an east-west direction. This tunnel probably ran for miles in mostly straight lines, but Tom couldn't verify that. The unique properties of the fungal created light made seeing further than fifty metres difficult.

The others were crowding behind him, so he stepped to the left to free up the entranceway. They followed him through with Sven taking the right side. Both of them instinctively staying close to the wall with each of them ready to unleash an attack. Everyone's weapons were drawn.

"Nothing in earth sense." Tom told them, grimly.

"Keep it down." Jingyi hissed.

Tom flinched, but did as instructed. They knew nothing about this area. The above ground had probably risen in rank to be around sixteen or seventeen. Down here, it could be anything, but certainly not lower.

They all knew that they might already have effectively committed suicide by braving these tunnels. After all, if they were unlucky, it would be a rank hundred area or something ridiculous like that. They could die before they even realised that they were under attack.

Everlyn was the last to get down. She had blood running down her side, probably from some shrapnel, because if one of the spikes had got her, the impact would be larger. She assessed the situation with a single look and put a hand to her lips. "We descend."

"We don't know what's—" Jingyi started.

"Shut up." She interrupted angrily. "Follow."

She went east and while she didn't sprint; it was not the slow cautious movements they expected to use in an unscouted area of the underground.

Tom's heart beat stronger. They knew it was incredibly dangerous to brave the underground. To do it this blasély…

She had to be rattled by what she had seen.

In an unknown underground space, the correct response was to assess the situation. Find out what monsters you faced before proceeding further.

Everlyn's wounds did not look healed. He could see the red patch spreading. Cursing himself for reacting slowly, he sped up and reached out a hand to touch her. Healing Tranquility instantly activated, and he was aware of the damage that had been done to her.

She had been cut by the shrapnel in three different spots, all of which were in the final stages of being healed. He could see traces of Everlyn's initial healing spell, which had since been overlayed with extra support from Clare and Michael.

He dropped his hands from his shoulder. There was nothing he could do. The dedicated healers with their ranged casting had got in first. Everlyn flashed him a grateful smile anyway, correctly interpreting his actions, even if he had not actually done anything. He fell into step behind her as she jogged down the tunnel.

"Are you sure this is a good idea." Sven whispered. "I mean should we slow down?"

There was an almighty crash behind them. The entire tunnel shook and out of the corner of his eyes he saw dust spill through the entrance to the thoroughfare tunnel they had used.

Tom remembered that hill and wondered if the monster that had cast that silhouette could dig into the underground. Next to him Everlyn had sped up, and… Tom glanced back.

That was dust that had been created. A cloud of debris tens of metres beneath the surface… There was no guessing required about the level of risk.

The clues were there.

It was coming.

Chapter 185

With more than one nervous look behind them, they sped up slightly. Not too much, of course. This was still an unknown, hostile environment.

There was a crash and a roar. It was like a sky scrapper had fallen down or maybe two stone elementals clashing together or maybe more apocalyptic. The sound of the earth dying, possibly, loud enough that even this far away it was almost sufficient to deafen him. He would hate to be closer for a variety of reasons.

Tom glanced back. Wind that didn't belong in the underground smacked into his face.

"By all the gods?" Thor cursed.

Tom ignored the man's his eyes were transfixed by what he could see. Right at the spot they had entered.

Penetrating into an actual thoroughfare of the underground was the glow of dawn.

His mouth went dry. His heart beat thundered in his ears, his fist clenched so hard on the shaft of his spear he expected it to crack.

This…

This was not normal. It was not the surface impacting on the peripheries, it was outside light reaching a core part of the underground.

His jaws ground together, and he could taste the sharp taste of copper. He futily tried to make his hands relaxed and failed. He shivered. He couldn't stop himself.

The power needed to…

Something had just….

Everlyn tugged hard on his hands. "Hurry."

He hadn't even realised he had frozen and he let himself be dragged forward while sending an anxious glance back at that light. The parts of him that had been shut down started up once more. Part of him hoped he would get to see the monster which had done it. They were at least twenty metres into the underground. That was a lot of nearly impenetrable rock to have dug up. In comparison, the thirty metres of surface stone, which the monster would have to have also dug through was meaningless.

There was another rumbling noise behind them, and terror filled him. He abandoned the desire to see and sprinted away.

Everlyn slowed sightly and then took a hard right. He followed instinctively and entered a narrow crack in the wall. The air did not smell stale, but he couldn't tell if this entrance would link through to another tunnel or if it would peter away to nothing. Everlyn obviously thought it was suitable as she forged forward. It was immediately apparent why she had chosen this risk. The crack, rather than travelling parallel to the surface like the east, west tunnel they had been in went mostly down.

Good, Tom thought. It was all his shuttering brain was able to manage. They had to get away as quickly as possible.

Tom's shoulders brushed against the sides and he had to duck his head regularly to avoid the shorter sections.

It all twisted, turned and descended and it felt like it could end at any moment. This was not a thoroughfare. It was also barely lit, which typecast it more certainly than anything else. It was either rarely used, a trap or new. It could be any of those, but the answer was probably the middle option. Everything in this world was the same. The only thing more scary than the monster facing you was the one right around the next corner.

Everlyn must have realised the danger because she suddenly froze and held up her hand.

"We wait." The words came clearly through to all of them via her party chat, but her power protected them from anything beyond hearing.

Once more, the sounds of the world ending came from above. The monster, whatever it was had dug further.

"What is it?" Sven whispered.

"I don't know." Everlyn answered."I only got a glimpse of it when I stuck my head out. It knew where we were and was perched on the next hill over. By the time my mind registered its existence… well, the rocks were already flying in my direction. I panicked, and I didn't get off an identification."

"It would have returned question marks, anyway."

"Maybe, Sven, Maybe" Everlyn replied neutrally. She, of course, had a massive amount of class points invested in identification. Most monsters would return something when examined by her skills. "But hopefully we'll never find out whether it would have worked, because I really don't want to see it again."

"It ripped into the underground." Michael pointed out. "If anything is a guaranteed question mark, then it is that."

"If you say so," Everlyn said tiredly.

"To dig into the underground…" The healer continued. "What would that need? Rank one hundred?"

"I don't know," Everlyn answered, with a trace of annoyance. "Random speculation won't help. What ever it was it's clear we can't fight it."

"You can say that again." Michael agreed.

"What I want to know." Harry declared.

"Shush." Jingyi snapped.

Harry bit his lip. He had spoken in a soft speaking voice but was unnecessarily loud in the circumstance. "What I want to know," he continued, this time in a whisper. "Is what the hell something that strong is doing traversing an area with a rank lower than twenty?"

Next to him. Everlyn shrugged. "Probably a sapient."

"That big?" Keikain asked.

"There's no limits on size." Everlyn answered. "Being big doesn't guarantee you're dumb, even if the evidence we have suggests otherwise…"

"Hey," Thor protested.

Everlyn chuckled quietly. He could feel her vibrating next to him. "I didn't mean it Thor, you know we love you. Tom, Keikain can you manipulate the local earth?"

Tom immediately checked. His mind reaching out with Earth Manipulation to test how vulnerable it was to control. "Barely." He answered. "I can move the rock, but with a massive hit in efficiency."

"So we're not currently in the underground?"

"I don't know," Keikain replied. "I know the accepted wisdom is Earth Manipulation won't work on the structural tunnels in the underground, but both mine and Tom's Earth affinity is sky high. It's probable our manipulation will work on the edges and possible in its centre as well. I'm not sure common wisdom applies to us."

"Let's bunker here. Keikain booby trap the tunnel from where we've come from. Get it ready to collapse. Tom…" Everlyn tapped the stone in front of her. "Do the same here."

There was another earthquake behind them. Tom could imagine lots of scenarios from the monster scraping deeper along the east, west tunnel to it doing strip mining to find them, but they had descended an additional hundred plus metres and an equal amount horizontally. Tom doubted it would be able to dig this far down, or at least that it would bother. Then even if it did, it would have to find them, which would take time and let them run further.

"Tom, make sure you don't panic and close it by accident. We still might need to…."

"I was thinking exactly the same thing, Evie." He checked, and she had switched him to a private channel. "We might need to keep fleeing."

Tom went to work, exercising his power. He felt out the roof in front of him identified cracks and slowly, despite the extra effort it took, he worked on those weaknesses. Expanded them. Adding extra damage to existing fault lines. Just wearing down the stability of the supports to where he could collapse it at a moment's thought.

The regular thunder of shifting earth above them halted. The creature had been digging regularly, but for some reason it was no longer doing so. Hopefully, it meant that the monster had moved on.

Ten minutes passed in silence.

Tom did not relax in the slightest. They could still be attacked from above or below even if the giant monster had stopped pursuing them.

The rich scent of their morning breakfast reached him. He almost growled in response.

"Relax Tom," Toni said over the chat. "Both scouts approved, and the food will help us function."

"Our body odour is a bigger concern." Jingyi told him. "I know we washed yesterday, but it was pretty superficial."

"Speak for yourself," Thor grumbled. "You weren't the one lying in the stream."

"Children," Michael reprimanded almost laughing as he did so. "We all hated that stream."

Tom's stomach grumbled, and they were in tight space. Everyone heard.

"See," Toni said knowledgeably. "Your stomach agrees."

His chat with Everlyn was externally switched to the private setting once more. "Tom. It was a worthwhile risk. Psychologically as much as physically. We need to be reminded the underground is not the boogieman."

"It is."

She chuckled silently.

"What?"

"Boogieman is a thing children imagine… A perceived threat that is not there. It's sort of what the underground is."

"No, the underground is not a figment of someone's imagination. It is real and demonstratably deadly."

"That's why I was laughing at myself, but it's also sort of true. It's an eco-system. It's not specifically out to get us. We can survive even under ranked… if we're lucky. It isn't as terrifying as everyone thinks. It's not the monster under the bed it's more a wolf pack in the local forest. Providing you are sensible, you can manage the risk."

"Unless you need to go through the forest."

"Even then," she shot back. "Timing, awareness, climbing trees. They can all help you get through."

"I guess. I didn't think… yeah you're right. We can do this."

There were sounds of eating and Tom kept watch with Everlyn next to him. A few minutes later he was handed some fabric that contained a thick luke warm meaty gruel from the breakfast Keikain had mostly cooked. He would have preferred that it had been left unopened, but when he ate his share, he had to admit even no longer hot, the quality meal improved his mood.

Another half an hour passed and after a brief conversation Jingyi went up to explore the way to the surface. Collectively, they had concluded that the safest course of action was to retreat to the surface and hope whatever monster had torn into the underground had left.

Jingyi returned almost immediately with his face white. "It's collapsed. Forty metres from the thoroughfare."

"The whole tunnel or just one roof fall?" Tom asked.

"What? I don't know? I'm a scout, not a goddamn geologist."

"Is it safe?"

"What do you mean? It's rock."

"I mean." Tom said patiently. "Is it safe for either myself or Keikain to go up to see if we can tunnel our way out?"

"Why not both?" Toni asked.

"I've set up a deadfall trap in case anything comes from below. One of us needs to be here to man it."

"There were no monsters." Jingyi replied… "It's sealed from the outside so… of course."

"We get it Jingyi," Michael interrupted. "But the question was valid. We need to communicate even if that means asking dumb questions. Tom and Keikain who is going?"

"Your sensing skills are more suited to this Tom," Keikain said after a moment. The earth mage squeezed forward and Tom could feel his magic probing the deadfall that he had created. "Nice work. I'll bring it down if anything comes."

"Okay, I'll check upstairs."

Tom pushed past in the other direction. It was tight. The crack through the rock they were following was barely big enough for one person to stand comfortably and that was despite the fact Everlyn had paused in one of the wider sections. He picked his way upwards, giving his upper body a workout as he pulled himself up the sections that he had dropped down without a thought when descending. All too soon, the passage came to a halt. A jumble of rocks greeted him. Some of them were as large as he was.

Tom understood Jingyi's concern. Without magic, it did not look passable. If you pulled the rocks out manually, the whole jumbled collection of stones could come loose and fall on you. Tom flexed his earth sense to the fullest amount possible to get a better read of what had happened. He could follow the pathway they had used. The floor and walls were mostly intact, but heavy stone had fallen from above to plug it. For the twenty-five metres, he could perceive the tunnel was full.

Tom frowned.

There was one more test. He flexed Earth Manipulation and almost groaned in despair. He had been hoping that the broken pieces of rock would have lost their sense of permanency, that they would behave like stone on the surface. Unfortunately, that was not the case. While his magic could safely dig through and excavate the tunnel, the task wouldn't be easy. A day at least to go through the rock he could sense and if the rest of the tunnel was blocked to the thoroughfare that would add a day. After that, it would depend what the creature had done to that passage. They might get to and discover they needed to mine another hundred meters to escape. It could take them over a week and maybe longer and that was if nothing opposed them, which, given the surroundings, was unlikely.

That type of mining activity would attract attention and with their low strength that was not what they wanted.

Then, even if they were successful and fought off the opportunistic monsters of the underground, they might still need to face the massive monster they had fled from. While it probably wouldn't wait for them, its loss of interest was not a certainty.

He returned to the others. "Best case is two to three days to get out. Worst is over a week." He didn't mention the last concern. They were smart and were well aware of that risk.

There were hisses from everyone.

"Down it is." Everlyn said lightly.

"It's the underground." Clare complained. "We don't even know what rank this area is."

"If it's too high, we'll tunnel out." Tom decided. "But we have to get a feel for how high ranked it is before we come to that decision." He turned to give Everlyn a pointed look.

She swallowed, then inclined her head. "I'll scout the way. I'm better placed than Jingyi."

No one said a thing as Everlyn departed.

Almost two minutes later, she returned. "It mostly flattens out, the air is fresh so I think it connects… but… it won't be for a while, so you might as well follow behind me. Try to keep about a hundred metres back."

"How can we judge that?" Thor asked.

"The party interface." Tom explained. "We want to remain right at the edge of its range."

"Correct." Everlyn said. Then took another deep breath. "I hate this. Bloody underground. Just so you know, I'll be going slowly."

She set off, and they followed. Tom was surprised to see that Toni walked with Sven. That was good. He needed all the support they could give him. It was slow progress and kilometres passed and despite the levelling off that Everlyn had mentioned the passage still mostly wound downwards. On Tom's estimate, they were hundreds of metres under the surface and going deeper.

Tom sent anxious glances towards the killers. They were saying nothing, but Keikain's eyes looked even more stressed than usual.

It was a boring, slow advance.

"Retreat a hundred."

The slight lack of discipline that had crept into their group vanished instantly. No one dragged their feet as they rushed to obey Everlyn. No elbows accidentally scraped against the rock wall.

They were in the goddamn underground, and their actions reflected that. They moved in near as perfect silence as they could. They rotated as a team and traced their way back. The walls expanded out briefly to be wide enough for them to be three across and while it was not the hundred meters Everlyn had ordered it was the better part of it and more importantly it was the best defensive spot they were going to find for a fair while.

"We'll fight here." Michael commanded.

They all agreed. There were no arguments. The only response he got was everyone taking the relevant positions around the spot they had chosen to defend. Tom took the left and Sven on the other side with Thor front and centre.

With melee fighters ringing the entrance, they had Toni and Jingyi on one side with Keikain and Rahmat on the other. Each positioned at the thirty-degree angle so they could shoot between Thor and the warrior on the flank. The two healers at the back line and Harry was putting down a mana recharge circle. Where they stood, two circles would encompass all the fighters.

Tom was privately impressed by how smoothly everyone had reacted. They may not be used to group tactics, but they all knew how to move to face a threat.

They settled into wait.

Tom raised to hand as he sensed movements on the edge of his sensing domain.

"Coming no tail." Everlyn whispered.

He relaxed. "We're just ahead. We stopped at the first defensible position."

The feet he was tracking slowed, and then Everlyn spoke out loud. "Coming through now."

"Acknowledged." Michael said immediately.

She squeezed through the crack and then assessed their battle positions. "Good choices."

"What are we facing?" Clare demanded.

"I have good and bad news. The rank of this area of the underground is only a little over twenty."

Everyone winced at that, though practically it was about the best they could have hoped for. They might only run into monsters, but fighting anything twice your rank was nearly impossible.

"That's not ideal." Michael pointed out quietly.

"No, it's genuinely bad." Clare said. "Not suicidal levels terrible, but that makes it worse. It means we're going to consider continuing."

"The good news is that we might not need to fight constantly. The eco system seems to be a circular one."

"What?" Tom said in surprise.

"It's circular in means…"

"I know what it means. You think we can…" Tom mimed walking with two fingers.

"Yes, I do."

"Gutsy," Michael said quietly in the shocked silence. "That'll take a lot of guts."

"And luck," Everlyn agreed. "It's fortunate we're stocked up on that."

Chapter 186

Michael cleared his throat. "You want me to run a prayer session?"

"That's batshit crazy," Clare interjected. "Weren't you listening? We're about to fight rank twenty monsters. We'll need all the fate we can get."

"The prayer session," Michael continued reasonably. "Will mean we won't be fighting monsters because it will enable us to evade them."

"Clare has a point." Tom said. "I don't think it's sensible to use all of our fate. Even with a fate shield, we're not sneaking through the underground without being noticed. There will be battles."

"If we time things right, we might manage it," Everlyn disagreed. "At least avoiding the strong ones. As I said it looks like a circular system. We just follow along behind them."

Jingyi looked at Everlyn, horrified. "Wait, are you suggesting we let some monsters pass and then follow them?"

Everlyn nodded. "Exactly that. We could probably do it without fate, if I'm being honest."

The others groaned when they comprehended exactly what she was planning. Tom was tempted to do the same, but restrained himself. She would not have suggested this if she didn't think it would work.

"Think about it, guys," she continued. "We'd only be at risk if the trailing pack abruptly speeds up or the one we are following doubles back. We can manage that risk by retreating into safe zones if our margins begin to erode."

"Safe zones?" Clare said in disbelief. "You can't be serious. I think you've got confused … this isn't a computer game."

"I'm sure Evie didn't mean official ones. Only safe-ish zones like this tunnel." Tom said.

"Or actual safe zones." Michael said. "They exist. I found a couple during my adventures in the tutorial."

Clare glowered at him. "So did I, but they were rare. And hidden. We'll never find them."

"You're correct," Everlyn stated, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "What Tom said is what I meant. I wasn't talking about official safe zones. They'll be regular off shoots like the one we're in or we can get creative and hide in the main thoroughfares behind some flora. I was thinking If Harry has the experience or auction credits, he can purchase a ritual of camouflage. Position ourselves somewhere they won't stampede over us and we'll be safe."

Harry shook his head. "Rituals by themselves aren't the answer, but they'll help and I don't need to buy anything. I already have two rituals we can use. One is a bread and butter type casting but the other… let's just say it's good. It's both stronger and faster to cast than the normal version but burns thousands of credits' worth of regents."

"See, Harry can protect us."

Clare threw her hands up in the air. "Everlyn, this is ridiculous. Is your plan really to find a big monster and then follow it for a while until we find somewhere to hide. Rest and sleep and then repeat. We'll be discovered for sure."

Everlyn nodded agreement. "That's the basics, but we can make it safer. The main party will travel in the bubble of space between two alpha monsters. Jingyi and I will work as forward and back scouts to keep track of the bookends. If the one in front stops or turns or the trailing one speeds up, we'll break a stone to let you know and you can either backtrack quickly or speed up and find a hiding spot to bunker down in. Then, even if the alpha beasts clash, we won't get caught between them."

Clare shook her head. "I can't believe you're actually suggesting…"

"Even if our hiding is not perfect," Everlyn interrupted calmly, "We can fight off rank twenty monsters… It won't be easy, but standard underground monsters." She shrugged. "Those we'll be able to deal with. Providing the travelling packs or boss monsters don't find us we'll be fine."

"There has to be a better plan than this," Clare said, sounding defeated. "I mean traversing a zone that is twice is your rank is suicide."

Clare was the only one actively against the idea. Tom focused on her. She seemed… "Wait, what do you have against the underground?"

She studied the tunnel floor. "Nothing."

"You almost died a few times down here, haven't you." Sven said suddenly. "You're scared."

"No!" Her eyes flashed. "I'm not scared. This is a rank twenty area we're under levelled."

Toni put a hand on Sven's shoulder to stop him from saying anything. "I'm with Clare. I agree that this is terrifying, but it's your deadline, not ours." Her eyes quickly flicked from Keikain to Clare and finished on Sven. "If that didn't exist I'm sure we wouldn't consider this. We would retreat to the surface even if it would waste a week." She shot a questioning look at Tom. "Right?"

"We would," Tom agreed immediately.

Clare hesitated and shot a look at Keikain.

The earth mage's face was grim.

Then she threw her hands up in the air. "Fine."

"We're decided." Michael declared brusquely. "Everyone needs to direct their fate to us being able to safely traverse the underground. Does that sound about right, Tom?"

Tom considered what Michael had said. The focus seemed too broad and not enough at the same time. It would only help them when they were moving for one. "And that we don't leave any traces for a monster to track us." Tom said out loud the moment his mind identified the core of what had been wrong with the healer's initial suggestion.

"I knew that. Just testing you." Michael said with a grin. "Everyone do it?"

Fate was released all around him. Tom did the same, contributing about a quarter of his pool to leave him half full. Not everything from the night before had regenerated yet.

Everlyn nodded and checked she had their attention. "Good. There's a better staging area about fifty metres from the main thoroughfare where you guys can wait until we get an opportunity."

Tom nervously cleared his throat. "I need to spend my experience."

"What? You haven't done that yet?"

"It's not that…"

Everlyn laughed. "I'm teasing. I know you've had no time, but you're right. Everyone needs to spend it now. We don't have the luxury to wait. However, do it in the staging area. It's a circular eco system, so I doubt a window will present itself straight away. After all, we want to travel with a gap of at least thirty minutes on each side."

They moved quickly to the wider cave that Everlyn had identified and the moment they were there Tom settled into his system room. He had to finish this because he didn't want to be responsible for them missing the opportunity.

He stood facing the wall. His mind focusing on his priorities. He wanted to purchase acrobatics, a taunting and the teleport skill with the rest going into levels.

"How much experience do I have?"

Experience: 192,198

Tom nodded at those numbers. Most of it was from defeating the wyvern, but they had also picked up small amounts since from their random encounters and another chunk from the goats and titles. Those gains, of course, were offset by the skills he had purchased to manage sleep issues.

First, he thought to himself. The easy purchases.

A description appeared on the wall.

Skill: Acrobatics – Tier 1

This skill marginally increases agility when attempting gymnastics, balance exercises and recovering after becoming unbalanced. Increasing levels improve the benefit. The skill will also impart a small amount of technical knowledge to facilitate extra body control.

Cost: 9000

It was as expensive as a tier one skill could be priced at. There was also no way that he was going to try to buy a higher tier version. This was the one that he had advanced in the tutorial and was the obvious one for him to buy. There was no reason to delay that purchase. While the agility benefits of the skill were low initially, every bit would help. The sooner he got it the faster he could develop his levels in it.

With a thought, he purchased the skill and as he expected, nothing at all changed. The first time he had bought it the flood of information had felt enormous even if the text said a small amount. Now nothing happened because he already knew it from his years of practise in the tutorial.

"Show abilities that will enrage and capture the attention of monsters."

A wall of names appeared.

Tom tisked in annoyance. He didn't need a tier nine skill that cost fifteen million to buy. While he had what felt like a fortune in experience. Tom knew it wasn't that much, and this was not a core skill, and he had no desire to sink a lot of experience into it. "Limit it to tier two or below." He ordered and then smiled. That would reduce the cost to no more than twenty thousand.

A new mass of skills appeared. There were still pages of them. Tom frowned and considered other lines of enquiry that could filter them. He guessed he should lean into his strengths. "Restrict to skills that leverage my lightning, earth, or healing proficiency."

The number of options reduced to less than a single page, but over forty remained. Tom skimmed them quickly. The healing varieties were useless and probably wouldn't actually help him keep monsters from attacking his companions.

"Sort by taunt effectiveness vs mana expenditure."

The forty potentials rearranged instantly. His eyes quickly scanned the list and the first twenty were all skills of dubious efficacy but zero mana expenditure. Giving his sorting criteria, it was obvious why they had jumped to the top.

"Apply a minimum requirement of being able to enrage ten creatures of rank twenty or above."

The forty options consolidated down into just six. "This is the problem with the experience shop. Too much choice." He smiled at himself and acknowledged the ridiculousness of the complaint. The more choices, the better he just needed to be smart enough to filter the mass to get what he wanted.

With only six options, he could review them and choose the best. His eyes fell on the first of the abilities presented.

Skill: Obnoxious Sparks (Tier 2)

When toggled on, this skill will zap all creatures within range, whether they are friend or foe. The spark will do little to no damage but will infuriate anything with an electric based nervous system and enrage them into attacking the user.

Skill starting proficiency is 18 because of Lightning Ball

At current levels, it is effective on monsters up to rank 23, has a range of one metre and will generate four sparks per second.

Threshold bonus 16–Double the number of sparks generated per second.

Cost: 20,000

The skill was superb admittedly with two significant issues that probably precluded him from buying them. The first was the chance of friendly fire. If he was next to an ally and he used this, then they would almost certainly attack him. It wasn't guaranteed, but under a strict reading of the description that is what would happen. His second concern was the low range of the skill.

Despite those drawbacks, it was useable. If he got a separation from his allies like he had done with the goats, he could force many creatures, over time, to fixate upon him. The problem was it was a situational skill. If he could physically intercept the enemies, then eight per second could be taunted. The question was what would happen if they were attacked from all sides or a line of monsters charged at them. He would only ever be able to enrage a few of them, and the rest would break around him to attack his weaker squishy friends.

It was not that it was bad it was just that Tom feared it wouldn't work for the situations where he needed it to do.

His eyes dropped to the next set of options.

Spell: Lightning Enrage (Tier 1)

This spell will release a deluge of sparks up to a range of three and a half meters and infuriate anything with an electric based nervous system.

Requires 20 mana per metre of range to trigger.

At current levels, it is effective on monsters up to rank 24.

Spell starting proficiency is 36 because of Lightning Ball

Threshold bonus 32–Can exclude allies from tanking ability.

Cost: 8,000

This spell was better in that it would let him enrage everything within a large area. It would cost seventy mana to release it at a full range at the start of the battle, but it could defend against the fringe cases where Obnoxious Sparks would fail.

It was definitely worth considering. His eyes flicked over the next three options and discarded them before his eyes landed on the final option.

Spell: Grit Storm (Tier 1)

This spell will create a cloud of fast moving grit that will lash out to target enemies within six metres of the caster. One random monster will be struck every second, and it has a fifty percent chance of enraging any monsters at rank twenty-two.

Spell starting proficiency is 64 because of Stone Golem.

Requires 64 mana to create a storm which will last for sixty seconds and strike out at a range of ten metres.

Threshold bonus 32–Will automatically target any enemies already enraged who are about to break free of the rage state.

Threshold bonus 64–Rank of creature affected improved.

Threshold bonus 128–Range increased by fifty percent. (Title: Stage Advancement (Earth))

Cost: 8,000

It was tempting to take this because of the extra threshold benefits it gave, but ultimately it was not as good. Lightning Enrage had the advantage of instant enraging power, while this could only enrage once monster per second.

He had to choose one of the lightning abilities.

Tom focused on only the first two and considered them both and weighed them against each other. Obnoxious Sparks granting the ability to force monsters to attack him for free was a massive bonus, but it had similar drawbacks to Grit Storm. Its ability to taunt a host of enemies in a wide area and stop them from attacking his squishy companions was lacking.

Plus, even though it shouldn't have mattered, the doubling of cost was a consideration.

"Purchase Lightning Enrage."

Information on how to apply the spell filled his brain. The threshold benefit to avoid allies was the only truly complicated component, but given his general control of Spark Tom was pretty sure that even without the specific threshold benefit he could have hacked the spell to get the same effect.

Two of his three tasks were done, and he focused on the most complex of them. It was the problem that he had been chewing on while travelling.

What teleport ability would be best to acquire?

He had identified two key skills, and both appeared on the wall immediately.

Skill: Battle teleport (tier 4)

This skill allows the user to teleport in any direction by exactly five centimetres every three seconds.

The entire body is affected and the base skill has no ability to adjust the positioning.

Levels will unlock extra flexibility.

Cost: 88,000

Spell: Blink (tier 4)

At the cost of a hundred and twenty-eight mana, the user can instantaneously move a distance of up to seven metres and make minor changes to spatial body positioning. Higher skills levels extend this distance, will lower mana cost and allow the user to change their orientation in space.

Cost: 105,000

Without his dodge ability, Battle Teleport was not something that Tom would have considered.

It had areas where it was extraordinary. A skill to teleport five centimetres every three seconds on face value was impressive. That sword that is about to slice off part of your head could be avoided in its entirety. That counterstrike after a miscalculation and now his fingers were about to be cut off… same thing. With a blink of skill, he would be beyond the counter's range.

It was an illusion and nowhere near as good as it sounded. Your posture, orientation, feet positioning and little things like your momentum all those couldn't be changed. All the skill did was move you five centimetres and was almost guaranteed to cost you your footing. Against a single opponent on a smooth hardwood floor, it would work perfectly. You could slip from one spot to another and your feet would still be on the ground after the teleport.

On uneven ground, that would never happen…

and if it was a free-for-all melee with multiple enemies…

The underlying data clarified you couldn't teleport into things. It didn't take many objects or enemies to be around you to stop the skill teleport working. If there were opponents within five centimetres of you… one up, left, right, back, and forward…. Five monsters or objects in your personal space then the skill wouldn't work at all.

At least the base version of it.

Even in a one vs one battle, if there was irregular ground the particulars of the skill would cause trouble. Once you teleported, a single foot would be on the ground and it was unlikely where it landed would be stable. It just wouldn't quite work. Avoid a killing blow… end up stuck in the air and be unable to do anything about the second retaliatory strike.

The base skill was too limiting to use. Tom could see uses, particularly if he was airborne. That ability to shift five centimetres in any direction would be invulnerable, but that wasn't his combat method. This skill in a sapient that flew… it would be unbelievable, but that wasn't Tom. He liked to keep his feet on the ground and that was where this failed.

The second option he looked at was the opposite of that. Blink had all the flexibility he could need. He would be able to blink and every time he would reappear with his feet placed properly. The problem, of course, was the obscene mana cost it took to use it.

The worst thing about these two skills was that they were the best that he could afford. There were a couple of high tier four options, which were better than these but still far from perfect. He could purchase them, but that would use all of his experience, which he didn't want to do. If he wanted one without baggage, he would need to buy tier five or even six, and that was firmly out of his price range.

Tom's fingers tapped on his thigh, and he recognised he was procrastinating. He also knew that he had already made his decision.

His new dodge skill would hopefully allow his teleport skill to improve rapidly and while Battle Teleport's base was shit, it wouldn't take much to turn it into a powerhouse. If the teleport didn't unbalance him, it was a deadly ability. If he could shape it more in terms of a movement to a new location instantly rather than lift and shift of his body then it would go from an occasional trump card to something that could be part of his battle repertoire.

Then later, if the teleport could add momentum or maybe shift the positions of his arms, the skill even if it remained restricted to five centimetres would be deadly.

"Buy battle teleport and invest everything else I have into the lightning tank class."

His full attribute sheet appeared for him to review.

Classes Level – Twenty Three

Lightning Tank: 14 (+5) - Expert

Elemental Summoner: 9 - Expert

Attributes

Strength: 110 (+15 Class, +3 Title: Strength Spring)

Vitality: 127 (+15 Class, +5 Title: Vitality font)

Agility: 97 (+10 Trait: Fates Agility)

Magic: 93

Fate: 164 (+10 Trait: Fates Agility, +5 Title: Competition Shaker (I))

Mana Pool: Magic * 2 = 186

Spells

Lightning–Affinity 83

Spark: 65 (+1) (Tier 0)

Lightning Spears (16) (Tier 3)

Lightning Ball: 18 (Tier 3)

Lightning Skin: 18 (Tier 2)

Lightning Enrage: 36 (Tier 1) New

Earth–Affinity 91 (+9)

Earth Manipulation 128 (Tier 0)

Throw Rock 65 (+ 1) (Tier1)

Stone Skin Partial 32 (Tier 2)

Remote Earth Manipulation 24 (Tier 3)

Stone Golem 16 (Tier 4)

Harnessed Meteorite 12 (Tier 4)

Earth Sense 16 (Tier 3)

Healing–Affinity 64

Touch Heal: 95 (Tier 0)

General

Summon Playful Wisp: 69 (+18 from class passives) (Tier 0)

Summon Lightning Elemental: 17 (+2 from class passives) (Tier 3)

Summoner: (23) (Tier 1)

General – Non Critical

Low Light Vision: 42 (Tier 0)

Clean Others: 5 (+1) (Tier 0)

Clean Teeth 7: (+2) (Tier 0)

Cut Hair: 3 (+1)(Tier 0)

Efficient Sleep: 1 (Tier 1) New

Instant Sleep: 1 (Tier 0) New

Precognition Support: 1 (Tier 2) New

Aura Mind Healing: 1 (Tier 1) New

Caffeine Jolt: 1 (Tier 0) New

Toxin Purge: 1 (Tier 1) New

Truncated Sleep: 1 (Tier 0) New

Instant Awareness: 1 (Tier 0) New

Skills

True Dreaming: 1 (tier 9) Evolved

Contract Binding: 1 (tier 5) New

Fate Weaponised Black Dodge: 3 (tier 5) Evolved

Battle Teleport: 1 (Tier 4) New

Acrobatics: 1 (tier 1) New

Pact Master: 23 (Tier 2)

Elemental Whisper: 38 (Tier 1)

Elastic Regenerating Skin: 19 (+1) (Tier 2)

Burst Cast: 62 (tier 0)

Plane Sense: 25 (tier 2)

Health Burn: 6 (Tier 3)

Mana burn: 3 (+ 1) (Tier 3)

Lightning Feet: 13 (+1) (Tier 3)

Lightning Dodge: 6 (Tier 4)

Strengthened Throwing arm: 6 (+3) (Tier 2)

Accurate Throw: 9 (+2) (Tier 1)

External Awareness: 1 (Tier 2)

Spear: 29 (tier 1)

Class Passive Skills

Class spell boost: 38

Lightning Tank Feet: 34 (+10 Class)

Traits

Free Class Slot, Epic Soul Space, Fates Agility, Child of Elements, Elemental Summoner Passives

Titles

Lightning Mystic, Friend of the Elementals, Strength Spring, Vitality Fount, Healing Sponge(III), Venom Resistance (V), Competition Shaker (I), Trial Dominator (II), Trial Speedster (IX), Expert Eight Double Advance Double Expert, Camouflage Piercing–Stone, Stage Advancement (Earth), Earth Friend, Stone Skin, Golem Master (II), Golem Prodigy, Evolution Master (new), Oracle Master (2) (new), Complete Conspiracy Discoverer (new), Sage of Earth (new), Unique Skill Creator (new)

Other

Soul Space: 24 slots (+5) and 0.54 (+.1) metres cubed

Experience: 6,198 (- 81,000 class purchase, -105,000 Spell and skill purchase)

Ranking Points: 2,934 (+1,095). Position on Ranking ladder: 1st

Tom assessed the changes. Five levels had gifted him with almost fifty attributes in the primary four and a further fifteen in fate. Which had taken him formally to the top of rank twelve. However, his tier five combat dodge with a starting level of three would be far better than any abilities his opponents would possess.

It was difficult to quantify, but he put his effective combat strength somewhere around rank twenty especially if he used his fate pool.

Hopefully, it was going to be sufficient for what was coming.

Chapter 187

With a sigh, he opened his eyes. His purchases should have filled him with excitement, but being forced into the underground had rattled him. It felt like his decisions had been driven by circumstances, rather than him having the time to make good decisions.

The rest of the party had reorganised. Sven stood guard at the exit that Jingyi and Everlyn had left through, while everyone else was relaxing. They had placed down the standard camp equipment for additional protection and stealth reasons. They were encased in a shield of silence, which was allowing a couple of quiet conversations to occur. Keikain chatting with Clare on one side of the room and Thor, Toni and Rahmat playing a game of dice on the other. Then Michael and Harry were resting against the cave wall next to the dice players even if they weren't involved in the game.

The split between the two groups remained as strong as ever.

Tom theatrically rolled his shoulders and let out a huge sigh.

Heads snapped around to check up on him.

He gave a small wave to the dice players and triggered his new ability.

The skill wrapped around him, and he felt it push him up and to the side. Not far, only five centimetres, but with his eyes open he captured the shift in perspective. Then the cave floor was no longer under his feet. It was expected, but his stomach still lurched as he dropped. It was only half a centimetre, and it was enough to relax the ankles, spread his toes and brace for the landing.

The whole thing went smoothly.

It still felt awkward. The sensation of shifting from one spot to another rattled him. He wasn't used to that disorientation that went with it, particularly what his sense of balance and touch was conveying. From being firmly on the ground to then falling.

He kicked the dust that covered the stone floor to let out some of his internal frustration. Maybe he should have waited till he could afford one that he knew would work. He had recognised the drawbacks of this one but gone ahead with it, anyway.

There was a slow clapping sound. He looked up to see that it was Keikain. "Congratulations. That is interesting."

Tom frowned and scrunched up his face. "No. It's far from perfect. I think it's intended for people who fly or float."Tom could easily imagine a flying sapient making devastating use of this ability. The problem for him was his balance and his connection to the ground. It was the shift from being supported to falling that was causing the problems. That was not an issue someone who could fly would have.

"Flying? That's not something your legend suggests you've mastered." Michael pointed out with a smile.

"No, it's not." Tom focused and teleported to the side. One foot was on the floor the other suspended over a depression. He almost tripped as gravity took over and his brain screamed that something wrong had happened. Acrobatics kicked in, and he was able to bend his toes down to avoid tipping to the side and toppling.

It was not a smooth recovery despite the fact had been deliberately testing that scenario. It was as bad as he had thought. Extensive practise would improve things, but the ability as it was would never be seamless.

Everyone, excluding Sven, was watching him in fascination.

Rahmat leapt to his feet with his spear in his hands. "How long between casts?"

"Three seconds."

The other man smiled and then the weapon in Rahmat's hand was suddenly thrusting for his centre of mass.

There had been no warning: Rahmat had struck without hesitation.

The other man was not going for the kill because Power Strike was not infusing his weapon. There was no telltale glow in the attack. Tom twisted and spun to the side with the speeding effect of black dodge kicking in.

He could let the spear land like Fate Weaponised Black Dodge demanded, or….

He used his new muscle, teleporting to the left and slightly up. His perspective changed instantly, and he found himself in the air a good two centimetres. The release of fate around him confirmed that Rahmat, despite it being training had been actively trying to hurt him.

But there was no follow up strike and Tom landed smoothly on the ground. The small drop making it trivial to adjust his stance and prevent any stumbles.

Rahmat nodded approvingly. "Again."

The spear flashed forward, and even though he was faster than the other man, he was also unarmed. Tom swayed to the side, but the Rahmat spear flickered like a snake, the second strike right at his heart. This time he teleported backwards, once more using the trick to leave himself in the air to smooth the landing.

Rahmat was a blur as he triggered some sort of skill to speed up his movements. Tom, still aloft could not kick off to dodge the surprise attack. Instinctively, his spear appeared in his hand and he parried his opponent's weapon. The parry succeeded, but Rahmat had not been thrusting horizontal instead he had been striking upwards and Tom was driven higher into the air.

A second and third strike came at him. Tom blocked with his weapon and discovered that his higher attributes were useless when his feet weren't on the ground. With Remote Earth Manipulation, he attempted to build a step but failed because the stone was part of the underground. Its permanency was too high for him to command it so casually.

A fourth blow slashed and Tom felt Fate Weaponised Black Dodge kick in. He twisted almost sideways in midair and the spear drew a line of blood along his forearm.

His foot hit the ground, and he pushed off. His spear snapped forward ready to counter the other man, but Rahmat had already pulled back.

A small smile appeared on his opponent's lips. "It's an interesting skill but exploitable if you're careless."

"Yes." Tom growled and sent his spear into his storage.

Rahmat smiled. "Again."

The spear poked and Tom dodged, unwilling to teleport and give up an advantage on the first strike. The weapon continued to probe. His dodge's extra speed unlocked, but not the full effect. If he did nothing Rahamat would score a minor blow, a slight cut or a bit of bruising at worse.

Tom teleported.

Rahmat tried to respond, but this time his teleport kept his pivot foot grounded. When Rahmat probed him, he was easily able to dodge and then for show parried a strike with his elbow.

Fate swirled around him. Even ludicrous attempts like parrying with something other than his spear were working.

Rahmat stepped back. "Better."

Two seconds later he launched another flurry of attacks.

Tom countered them and held the teleport back as long as possible. This time, he miscalculated and once more had to manifest his spear to protect himself against strikes that were so fast that to an untrained eye they would have been almost flickering from one spot to the other. And he had to do it all while in mid-air.

"You manifested your spear! I win." Rahmat smiled in triumph and launched more attacks. Tom teleported too far. Residual fate, his dodge skill or maybe acrobatics let him stay ahead of his opponent's frantic strikes.

His teleport came off cooldown and Tom used it instantly to create space and stabilise the situation.

The spearman smiled and pulled back. "We stop now. You're tailoring your movements to my weaknesses." The other man looked around and his eyes fell on Sven. "You need someone else to challenge you." He then went over to Sven with a firm hand and drew him into the protected area. There was an intense conversation and then Rahmat stepped out to keep watch while Sven faced him.

After that, every five minutes they would switch to keep the pressure up and stop Tom from learning their patterns as easily.

It was a strange form of sparing. When his teleport was on a cooldown and he wasn't unbalanced, they would pause the combat.

Then his opponent would unleash an explosive attack immediately after.

"Eat something, then move in five." Everlyn ordered abruptly over their communication link and interrupted their training.

Tom immediately stepped backwards and raised his hands to show that the practice was over.

Sven grinned happily. "That was fun."

"Thanks guys. It certainly helped me."

"You've gotten a lot better," Michael agreed. "Did you get any levels?"

Tom shook his head. "I'm not expecting anything for a while. It's a tier four skill after all. But that practise really assisted in ironing out some of the kinks."

"There's still much for you to do." Rahmat told him. "Currently you have it pigeonholed as a get out of jail dodge." The spearman shook his head. "It has far more potential than that… you need to learn how to apply it offensively."

"Yes, I definitely do. It's too powerful to neglect."

He ate the strip of spiced meat that Toni passed him as they waited to head down into the underground proper. It was chewy, moist with a pleasant after burn.

Anxious glances were shot towards the exit. The arrogance and ridiculousness of what they were planning was not lost on any of them. Time was up and Everlyn had left the communication range of her ability immediately. She had clearly doubled back with the explicit intention to get them moving and didn't have time for longer explanations. She would, Tom knew, shadow whatever monster they were following to make sure it did not turn back. The camp stones were gathered up, and they went down the tunnel.

After the first turn, it felt like they were getting closer to the underground proper. The glowing moss gave way to crystals and everything to Tom with his Low Light skill was as clear as day as opposed to the slight gloom that had been persistent in the room above.

"We're deep." Michael whispered after another turn. He pointed at the crystals, which were rapidly becoming more prominent.

"Of course," Toni answered dryly. "We've descended kilometres."

Tom shook his head at the healer. "Yes, we have, and we are deep. But you can't tell from that." He waved at the ceiling. "I've been kilometres underground and had moss be the only source of illumination and then right at the peripherals have found powerful crystal lighting like here."

"Agreed," Keikain stated effectively ending the argument.

They continued down the tunnel with Tom leading. About thirty metres in, it was like a switch was flicked. Everyone moved as silently as they could. The relatively wide tunnel narrowed and in the end he was squeezing through a tight gap and moving towards a brightly lit exit.

He reached the end and found the exit was ten metres up from the floor in an otherwise sheer cliff.

Tom looked out at the place he had entered.

This is the real underground. He thought to himself.

This was what he expected and as always it was inspiring. To call the space they had emerged into a tunnel or a cave did not do it justice. It was like the grand canyon with a roof. When he squinted up, five hundred metres above him, massive crystals decorated the ceiling, throwing off sufficient light, that you couldn't look at them directly. The far wall, even with the aid of Throw Rock was outside his range. It was maybe four hundred metres away. He looked left and right and could see over a kilometre in both directions and he was only limited because of the slight curve the canyon had. The width of the canyon increased in the distance. Practically, they had emerged in a narrow section.

Tom shook his head at that thought. This was not something that someone from Earth before the tutorial could even have imagined.

The reason Everlyn had been so confident of being able to stay ahead of the travelling threats was clear. The lines of sight you had were impressive. If a threat came up from behind, they would probably spot it early enough to find a place to hide.

"What's happening?" Keikain whispered impatiently.

"There's a drop." he answered.

He forced his eyes away from the sheer majesty of the view and focused on the local conditions. There was a variety of flora nearby. Mostly, it was a form of fungus or moss. The rock of the underground was a deterrent to many surface plants. Their roots just couldn't get purchase even if the light from the crystals supported photosynthesis. There was actually evidence of that below him. There were trees growing out of the remains of the occasional piles of jumbled rock. Mounds that sort of looked like. Tom stared upwards and now that he was looking for them, he could see the stalactites on the roof. Most of them were less than thirty metres long and some giant ones were over a hundred.

Tom studied the small hills with a newfound understanding. They were artificial in a way as they had been created by stalactite falling from above and then shattering, which gave the trees an opportunity to grow. Somewhere for their roots to gain purchase. Given that every one of the artificial hills that he could see was covered with thick growth they fell irregularly or potentially everything was a result of an aerial battle in the distant past.

Tom focused on the immediate area. As far as he could tell, there were no monsters waiting for them. Everlyn had left a rope for them to get down, but he ignored it. If there were dangerous camouflaged monsters in this space, it would be best to find out straight away.

"I'm going in loud." He jumped and triggered his tier three pants to increase his effective weight.

Crack.

The stone under his feet broke slightly.

His spear was in his hand, and his eyes looked around, expecting to be attacked. He could hear curses and the sounds of the others abseiling down the rope behind him.

There was a flicker of movement.

He tensed.

Then another to the right. This time, he caught sight of a monkey face connected to a multi-legged body. He flexed identification, and that glimpse was sufficient to pin the rank of the monster at eighteen. That was something they could fight.

There were more streaks of charging bodies. He was facing a small pack of the monsters and he sort of wished Everlyn was handy to do an identification and identify vulnerabilities, but he guessed he could find out the old-fashioned way.

He was already three metres clear of the wall courtesy of the initial jump, and he moved forward another two paces.

Some monsters hesitated, others sped up, Tom internally grimaced. They were coordinating. Their rhythms matched, and it was clear they were going to attack him simultaneously. Tom waited a moment for them to close, and then they were in range.

Lightning Enrage.

The sparks exploded from his body even as he dodged to the side. Part of him hoped that the bright lights would distract them, but it was clear that hope was in vain. The slowing aspect of black dodge immediately triggered.

Tom frowned. He had calculated that he could avoid damage in the initial charge. Apparently, the tyranny of the attribute difference meant that would not be the case. The signs of time dilation and the nature of his dodge skill made that pretty clear.

They flew past him on his right. A single one of them was closer than the others. Two paws were out, trying to rip him to bits.

His stomach burned.

There was sharp surface pain followed by a deep, dull throb. Then his momentum had him rolling away and clear, but he left a spray of blood behind him. Those claws had gone through him like his skin was butter.

He righted himself. Touch Heal flared and sucked away a staggering twenty mana. He would hate to have seen what the cost of been if his dodge skill hadn't reduced the damage.

The six monsters were already adjusting, having pulled to a stop just in front of the others. Tom knew without his taunting skills one or more would have kept going to attack the weaker people, but Lightning Enrage ensured they were only focused on him. Once more they came as a wave towards him, that strange coordination effectively meaning the fastest waited for the slowest. The monkey faces now they were screeching and showing off their sharp teeth were no longer quite as cute as they had been originally. There was something about lots of jagged teeth that stripped away any lingering cuteness factor.

Once more he threw himself to the side and felt Black Dodge trigger. Tom cursed mentally and triggered his teleport.

Briefly he was in the air, exposed. Most were past him, but some had slowed at the last moment. They were still a threat particularly if he couldn't manoeuvre.

He stabbed with his spear, catching one of them under the chin. It was moving too fast for him to land a clean blow, at least not this early in their contest, but the spear got a purchase on the bone under the creature's jaw, which was what he had actually been aiming for.

Tom wrenched with his full strength. Equal and opposite reaction. He sped up midair. His feet hit the ground, and he was rolling away to avoid more attacks.

Time slowed.

There was a flair of pain on his shoulder. His knee knocked into another one of the creatures knocking it sideways, and his spear smacked into teeth that were flashing for his neck.

He was up and spinning, ducking. A kick stopped his spin hard, and he rolled backward.

Time hadn't frozen, but was being slowed down. These things were activating his skill continuously.

To escape the coming attack, he triggered another teleport midway through the back roll. It pushed him straight up. By the time he landed, he had adjusted perfectly once more. He thrust forward with the spear and time was no longer slowing at all.

He caught it on the ribs, and there was some minor damage. Dark purple blood dripped.

The six monkeys were still leaping at him, but he could see the pattern they were using. That meant they were easy to avoid. He needed to wait till they were airborne before making an abrupt lateral movement. That would put him clear of their claws and buy time for his teleport to come off the cool down.

It stopped being an all-out brawl and descended into a dance. One that he was easily able to manage. The others were down and contributing to the fight from the outside.

His taunt skill kept them focusing ravenously upon him. They wanted to tear out his throat.

Another jump left, but because of a slight miscalculation he needed to teleport.

It wasn't a problem.

They came at him.

One that Sven hit spun to strike back.

Lightning Enrage triggered a spark, striking the monster, and it switched the focus back to Tom.

Another dodge. When he came out of it, one of the monsters was airborne and completely exposed.

He thrust upward with his spear glowing blue. He punched straight through the base of the throat and into the brain. A professional twist ensured the point did maximum damage before he tugged it out and then retreated with five pursuing him.

More dance moves, more well timed thrusts. An abrupt growth of rock had a spike go through the eye of the fourth. The fifth got ravaged by an invisible attack, presumably some sort of wind blade from Toni and then the last avoided Tom's striking spear but ran under a descending blow of Thor's hammer.

Tom immediately spun to face the wider underground to make sure nothing was coming to investigate the noise of their fight. "Anyone injured?"

"No, we're fine." Michael grumbled. "Was that totally necessary?"

Tom smiled innocently. "Yes. We now know we can match the basic environmental threats."

"No one cares about those," Clare reminded him. "They're not, what anyone fears about being in the underground."

Chapter 188

The healers and mages stepped forward to butcher the Monkey Crawlers' carcasses and prepare them for the auction house. The frontline fighters, meanwhile, spread out to keep watch in case extra enemies had been attracted to the fight. Their added vigilance probably wasn't required because the underground was a violent place. There were battles continually breaking out down here and curiosity killed off the monster lines attracted to the sound of combat, so to speak. Descending upon fights was not the recipe for a long existence. Sometimes fights would be between equals and then you could ambush the survivors, but usually these engagements were one sided and all you would achieve by checking them out would be to sacrifice your existence to bring additional morsels to the cave floor for which ever dominant creature had won.

Nevertheless, they assumed nothing, with their four melee fighters standing ready for anything that appeared. The remains of the creatures that had attacked were piled and sent through to the auction house.

The clean up had taken less than a minute.

"We go that way." Keikain said immediately and pointed in the same direction as the arrow Everlyn had constructed by drawing in one of the rare patches of dirt as opposed to the stone that was everywhere else.

The arrow was unnecessary. Tom within seconds had worked out which way the circular eco-system rotated and there were no circumstances where anyone who knew anything about the underground would wilfully travel against the flow.

It had been simple to deduce the patterns. Nearly everything travelled in the same direction. Luckily for his plans the arrow aligned with the team's needs. Travel far enough and they would reach the kingdoms they were setting out toward. Given how the canyon shifted and turned who knew whether it would sustain the direction they needed or if it would double back, but for now the simple path would get them closer to their destination.

Tom ignored Keikain and watched the birds, bats, and lizards for longer. Examining their movements and checking to see that there were no threats his assessment so far had failed to spot. The bulk of the animals were moving north-east like the arrow pointed. Not all of them, but ninety percent of them. It was clear even the insignificant base creatures down here were part of the migration.

"It's trippy," Sven said next to him. He pointed southwest, in the direction very few of the base monsters were moving toward. "If I think about heading that way it feels wrong."

"It's the fauna." Tom agreed. "The beasts," he corrected. "Everything heads that way, so subconsciously you want to follow, even the wind." He observed in surprise. He had expected that to go the other way of the migration because then predators could be permanently chasing the scent of their prey. Potentially, the driver in this place was not hunting but fear. You ran from the monsters you could smell coming up behind you.

"Everything?"

"Most," Tom said with a laugh and elbowing Sven. "They all need to move. Some defensive creatures might stay. Especially if they can create borrows in the walls, but even for them, that's risky. It doesn't matter if they are stronger than average, holding your ground here is dangerous. Eventually, a direct counter for their strengths and vulnerabilities will come around. In circular ecosystems, to stay still is to die."

"I know," Sven said. "I read extensively on the underground because it was fascinating."

"Most of us did." Michael agreed. "But how many of us spent time down here?"

"I was an earth mage." Keikain said quietly. "The underground countered my chief strength, so I declined quests to go down there."

"Me too," Thor said immediately. "Not the earth mage thing. I just disliked being underground."

"Same," Toni agreed.

"I'm five years." Clare shuddered. "I got trapped."

Everyone frowned at that.

"Tom, can you beat that?" Michael asked curiously. "In total, I reached… it was probably four years' down here."

He shrugged in response to the healer's question. "I don't know. It's not something I ever tracked. I spent most of my time outside, but quests brought me down here regularly. Could it have been five years?… Maybe. Rahmat?"

The spear wielder shook his head. "It wasn't for me. I like to feel the actual sun on my face."

"Wow, we actually have four newbies."Michael whistled appreciatively.

Tom was surprised by the revelation. He had sort of assumed that everyone had been in and out of the underground like he had. The idea of turning down a quest because you liked to feel the sun on your skin or you were claustrophobic felt alien to him.

"This…" Thor said quietly. "Is this normal?"

"What?" Tom asked.

Thor waved at what they could see.

"The size?" Tom clarified curiously.

The other man nodded.

"Yes, it is." Clare told him and shivered. "Come on, let's move. We need to…" She stopped talking, her face went red…

You could almost hear the unspoken words. We need to find some sacrifices…

"Keep going." She recovered. "We're on the clock."

The underground was better to hike through than the surface because there was both less broken terrain and less wild life to contend with. There were large sections of hard packed rock that were easier to walk through. To the surprise of the newbies all the experienced fighters led them away from the cliffs till they were walking through the centre.

It might be a circular eco-system, but ambush predators that lived in walls were a genuine threat.

They were able to march for almost an hour in relative safety. They went right down the middle, but their passage did not go unmarked. They were targeted by monsters three times. Twice by Monkey Crawler packs, one five strong and the other four. Those battles went how Tom expected. Now that they knew how to fight them, the contest was ridiculously easy. Tom would tank while the others would focus on burning down an enemy one at a time. Then, within a minute, they would start making mistakes and then the rest would be finished quickly.

The third battle was more troublesome though the chance of dying was paradoxically lower. It was a rank twenty territorial bird that took exception to them. It wasn't even a monster just an animal enraged by their trespass on some sort of unspoken rule. They were forced into a running battle, hoping to escape its attention. It never fully engaged. Instead, it chose to fly beyond the range they could knock it out of the sky and then every now and again launched magical feathers at them.

They were like homing missiles and contained a nasty spell payload. The wound would start rotting and poisonous lines would spread out from them. Michael's new abilities allowed him to heal each attack quickly, and his mana regeneration was more than enough to outpace the damage.

It was still annoying, and they were relieved when ten minutes later it gave up, with it having thrown almost twenty of the deadly projectiles at them. They had only successfully dodged two of them, with Tom being the reason both times. A perfectly timed teleport countered the homing nature of the attacks. It reminded Tom of the dragon and showed how teleports could counter such magic.

"Damn bird." Michael glared back to where it now rested on the tree, pretending it hadn't spent ten minutes annoying them.

"It was only rank twenty and we couldn't do a thing against it." Clare reminded them. "It wasn't even going all out to kill us. You can tell looking at it that if you were actually likely to hurt it, then it could launch like fifty of the feathers at you, all at once."

"Agreed, but if it went all out, then it would have left itself vulnerable to us killing it, so it just harassed us."

"Quiet Michael." Tom ordered, having spotted a change in behaviour. Something was off with the area ahead of them. The pattern of the critters spreading out had been changed. "Something's off."

"It's me." Everlyn said quietly and then she emerged from behind a rock on one of the hills fifty metres away. She waved. "The boars are catching up. We need to hide."

She immediately headed for the wall and the rest of them followed. It took them almost five minutes to reach the stone cliff face, and there was a small hole, barely large enough to fit, waiting there.

"It's safe." Everlyn waved her hands to encourage them to go through. "Sven first in case something has moved in since I scouted then the squishiest."

When it was Tom's turn, he discovered he needed to crawl almost ten metres before he emerged into an unofficial safe zone. It was barely large enough for them to sit comfortably in. There wasn't going to be sufficient room for them to sleep here, but for an hour it was manageable.

Everlyn had followed him. "I estimate you'll be waiting here for about forty minutes. The plan is to wait for the herd of boars to pass and let them get ten minutes ahead of us and then follow in their wake. Jingyi has already dropped back to track the Bat Gliders, which are following behind the boars."

"Bat Gliders?" Michael asked.

"Don't know. I was only told the name."

"How do you know so much?" Tom asked.

"Jingyi has a one-way communication artefact that can be used every half an hour to pass ten words." She shrugged."The latest message was. Fifteen, fast, ten, Bat Gliders, rank nineteen, thousand, forty-five."

"That makes no sense." Michael said.

"We have an agreed order of information. Boars are fifteen minutes away but moving fast and forty-five minutes behind them are a thousand, rank nineteen bat gliders."

"Oh, that makes more sense." Michael agreed.

"Providing the bat gliders don't speed up we'll be safe in the gap that separates the massive pack and flock. Now I need to do my job and monitor the boars."

Everlyn, with an apologetic smile left to keep watch on the migration of monsters through the canyon. Tom, by sitting right next to the crawling tunnel on sentry duty could maintain a link to her.

"Are you safe out there?"

Everlyn chuckled for a moment. "Mostly. There's so many places to hide and none of the creatures we've seen so far have high perception skills. Jingyi and I are almost untouchable, out here at least from my observations of the threats. For the rest of you…" she hesitated. "You'd be exposed for now. You know it's a pity if you committed to growing stronger here it would be nearly perfect. Hunt the base creatures and avoided the major wandering threats… We could do that safely. A week of battles and we'd catch up in ranks and get parity with the base monsters. Then, even if you screwed up and got attacked by one of the larger threats, you'd probably survive. Another week and we'd be able to take all but the strongest of the circulating boss type monsters. Three weeks and we'd leave here strong enough to face what is coming."

The unspoken accusation hung in the air between them, and Tom regretted the decision to recruit them. It had been impulsive and with their baggage they might not have been the best acquisition. Everlyn was right, they were currently a negative. If they had time to grind here their later fights would become easier. "Are you really okay with them?"

"With them no. Especially Sven."

"What Sven? He is the best of them. You know he almost committed suicide out of guilt."

"It doesn't improve things. He killed Gita, and he knew her and Jin. There is nothing that can wash away the stain on his soul. It might be okay to tell kids that saying sorry will make things better, but that lesson doesn't apply to adults. Something's can't be so easily fixed."

They stopped talking.

"You shouldn't have brought them into this."

"There were no good answers." Tom defended himself helplessly.

"Maybe, but welcoming them with open hands was a bad one."

"I didn't."

She laughed. "Admit it. You stuffed up."

"In hindsight, maybe."

"No hindsight should have been required. I warned you multiple times not to try this."

"Evie!"

"What!"

"You're being too judgemental."

"I told you what I needed, and you did nothing."

"What are you talking about?" He remembered the previous conversation. "I was exhausted."

"You don't get it. You're too…" She paused. "You're to you… blinkered, focused… whatever the right term is. I can't deal with it."

"Where does that leave us?" Tom finally asked the question that he knew needed to be aired. There was a long silence.

"Everlyn?"

"Yes. I'm here. I'm considering the best way to phrase things."

"That's…"

"Just give me a moment please, Tom. It's hard."

"You're breaking up with me."

"No." She hesitated. "I'm at fault here. I know I agreed. I know I didn't say no, but I can't stop myself from thinking about how wrong it is that you saved them."

"It's more than that Evie. These weren't from Legen's possy or the council. These were our friends."

"No, they weren't." She snapped back. "We were friends with their mask, their disguise, not with them. They are murdering scumbags."

"I don't think…"

"Why are you doing this? Why are you treating them like people."

"Because they are."

"People don't do what they did."

"It might be because I saw some of Keikain's thoughts."

"As I said, it's my fault but… us… I'm not saying it's over, but we need space from each other for a while."

"How long?" Tom asked with a pit forming in his stomach.

Her voice softened. "However long it takes."

"So it is a breakup."

"Not precisely. We're just going to take it slow for a while."

"What's that supposed to mean?"Tom felt like tearing his hair out. "I don't understand."

"I know." She said sadly. "And I'm being incredibly unfair to you, especially since I know what you have been through to get here, but I just can't…"

"Because? Because I did what was needed for humanity?"

"No, because you willingly overlooked a heinous crime, because doing so suited your aims."

"Evie, this is a silly thing to break up over."

"Tom, how many breakups have you been through?"

"I had three girlfriends."

"But did you break up with any of them. Was there any real emotion at the end?"

Tom shook his head, and then realised she couldn't see. "No."

"I like you Tom. I really do. But I need time to reconcile the person I was falling in love with the one that chats with murderers like they committed no crimes."

"They chose what they did because of Oracle answers."

"I know Tom." She was speaking far quieter now. "And that's the problem. Making the choice due to Oracle questions does not absolve them of guilt, and you don't seem to get that."

"No, I understand the problem."

"I do want to have a relationship with you. I enjoy spending time with you and the… umm… The private time was fantastic. But whenever I'm looking at you I'm seeing them. That's the problem. And it's a big one."

"This is bullshit."

"I know I'm sorry."

"And you think it's okay to break up when we're in the underground?"

"That's unfair Tom. You know this wasn't working."

"We're in the underground… couldn't you."

"No, there isn't a better time. There was always going to be something critical. I need space and I would prefer to have a conversation about it rather than ignoring the problems."

"So we're over."

"Yes."

"Fuck." Tom hit the ground beside him.

There was silence on the other end of the line. Tom glanced behind him, but no one was looking at him. They were all waiting patiently while he stood guard outside the camp stone protection so he could hear anyone if they got closer.

"Tom?"

"What!"

"Don't do anything stupid."

"Why would…" he stopped talking. It felt like his heart was being massaged by a monster. It wasn't as bad as when pinkwing died. "I've felt worse. I think I'll be fine."

There was a long silence. "I still care…"

"Don't," he interrupted harshly. "It won't help. You made your views clear and I'll respect your space."

There was silence after that. Another five minutes passed.

"Okay, Tom it's time."

He jumped slightly.

"I'm about to leave the range. The gliders are past now. You need to all follow in ten minutes."

"Rodger."

Chapter 189

The rest of the team must have sensed some of the conversation that had happened with Everlyn. None of them approached, giving him space, an obvious change in routine. It didn't matter. It should, but Tom found that it didn't. She had broken up with him, so it was over. The cause… the fact that when she saw him she saw the murderers? It was absolutely ridiculous… but he was experienced enough to recognise the why was irrelevant.

It was over.

She had promised to finish that with him, and she would. They would execute the plan, and what happened after that was insignificant. They would probably splinter and all go in separate directions but humanity would be better off.

Em and Billy would get their chance at a better life.

Ten minutes later everyone stirred and packed up the camp stones. It was a quick and efficient process and then with their camp dismantled they crawled through the crack with Tom taking the lead this time.

When he poked his head out, he could see the effect of the environmental impact of the Bat Gliders. Nearly every single base creature had vanished. Whether they were eaten or had fled or were hiding didn't really matter.

They were gone.

Next to him Michael pointed back the way they had come. In the distance, there was something that looked like slimes that was moving at a brisk walking pace. "We need to keep ahead of them."

"That's bullshit," Tom hissed, trying to swallow the hollowness inside him. "I liked the monkey crawlers and now they're replaced by stupid slimes. The whole place is broken. How can your critter level creatures have to migrate."

"Magic," Michael answered simply, and then patted him on the back. "I don't know what happened, but hang in there it will get better." With a sad smile, the healer turned away to heckle Harry who was the last to emerge. "Come on, speed up. No one wants to fight slimes."

In a tight group, they headed off. Trying to move as fast as possible to stay ahead of the base critters.

There were no monsters to challenge them, and they made excellent progress. Despite that, Everlyn intercepted them less than an hour and a half a later. "The gliders have stopped. They might even be back tracking. I think they're spoiling for a fight." She looked worried and guided them to another hidey hole. This one was inside the stalk of a giant mushroom.

The floor area was not sufficient for them to fit even if they all stood. The centre of the trunk had a gap that was a little less than two metres wide.

"There isn't enough room." Thor complained.

"Climb and then cut out your own space." She pointed to a little alcove that was about two metres up. "I did one earlier as a proof of concept."

"Lighter people go high." Michael said immediately. "Fatties like Thor stay closer to the ground."

"Fatty? No way… this is all muscle."

Tom tested the inside of the shaft. It was spongy and his fingers couldn't force their way in. He retrieved his daggers and pressed the sharp edge against the spongy surface. It cut with no difficulty. Using them, he could quickly scale up to and then past the bed that Everlyn had hacked out. She hadn't used any finesse. She had cut out the section from the wall without separating the piece completely from the main fungus mass. The result was that there was a space to lie down in the stalk's trunk and the leftover material stayed attached so that it didn't fall to fill the bottom area of their temporary home and fill that space up. Tom climbed another metre higher and hacked at the mushroom flesh, attempting to duplicate what Everlyn had done. Once he had carved a hole into the spongy material, it was pretty easy to expand the damage and then, with some tugging pop out the plug.

Like what Everlyn had done, the waste material remained attached to the rest of the fungus and a bed area large enough for him to lie in had been created. He flipped into the new space and wrinkled his nose. The sap or whatever was being secreted from the damaged areas smelt of fresh compost, mint and an unpleasant bitterness.

His face wrinkled at the taste. It was pungent and strong enough to get his saliva flowing. Just in case he used Touch Heal, but it found no hostile poisons within him. While it stunk, it wouldn't hurt him.

Below him Sven and Thor complained about the smell.

"Quiet." Michael snapped. He had just finished installing the camp stones. "These aren't working. The environment is limiting everything but the shields and base psychic deterrence. We need to go old school. Shut up, don't move and hope that the biological material." He thumped the mushroom wall in front of him. "Can shield us."

Tom felt his heart rate spike at that news. The flesh of the surrounding fungus should shield them from the senses of the predators that were likely to be outside, but having the camp stones fail to work as designed was an issue.

They were all survivors. They had all done this probably hundreds of times. Tom personally had camped inside dead monsters till a larger threat disappeared and those conditions were far worse than the slightly unpleasant smell the fungus was giving off. Beyond that, the actual surface he rested on was actually luxurious if you ignored its dampness.

Not one of them moved and none of them spoke.

While they waited for the outside to resolve itself Tom used the time to think about Everlyn. Yes, he enjoyed spending time with her, but was it really worth the hassle? She had blown up about nothing as far as he could tell. Decisions he made for the good of humanity surely did not reflect on him personally. She had kids! She was supposed to understand the task they faced. How would she feel if her kids were dumped on Existentia in groups of ten with no resources or contribution shop purchases to help them.

It was ridiculous. You did what you had to do to strengthen humanity in the competition. It was the imperative they all had. If she was going to be so flighty, maybe a break was for the best, so he could focus on the next steps.

His thoughts kept drifting. The murderers, Evie bullshit aside. They were an emerging problem. They needed sacrifices or they would go mad and being down in the underground with this stop start mode of travel was burning what little time Keikain had.

Despite the need for the group's focus of fate on survival, he was also compelled to keep them alive. It was in his contract and if he let the situation be shaped by chance, then Tom was sure they would end up dying. The chances of the group escaping the underground in the time the earth mage had left was almost zero. Unless luck went their way, they were in trouble and Tom was not convinced the wider team collectively had enough fate to influence the world that much and even if they did, they would not turn their fate to the distasteful task of conjuring a sacrifice for those with the cursed bloodlines. Keikain he was sure was already investing his fate in that direction. After all, the man prioritised his own survival over others. The question was whether more was necessary or whether it would be wasted.

The mushroom shivered.

Tom froze and was one hundred percent focused on his surroundings.

What was that? He thought. It was not a biological function of the fungus it was something external.

It happened again. The entire organism moving slightly before settling.

His spear appeared in his hands and he clutched it tightly. Common sense told him that the spear would not help in these cramped quarters, but it was comforting to have it on hand.

Another vibration went through the mushroom.

Realisation flooded through him. Steps! The timing was what you would expect from something heavy walking. He remembered Jurassic park, and the water moving with each step and the scientists' realisation.

This was scarier.

Something huge was out there. Nothing like the size of the monster he and Everlyn had seen on the surface but something bulky enough to be felt through the rock beneath him.

The mushroom rocked again. Whatever was causing the effect was closer. That movement had been the most intense yet.

Tom had to consciously not release fate. What they had already invested should protect them, but he was still worried about the monster brushing against their hiding spot. If that happened, it would collapse, and he doubted that they would remain hidden after that.

Another vibration occurred, and Tom calmed his reactions. That hadn't been as strong. Was the unseen monster moving away from them?

Now that he was thinking of the concept of giant monsters and their footsteps creating vibrations Tom could feel fainter examples. They were less intense, indicating a smaller animal or extra distance, but still very noticeable.

To distract from the rising fear because he knew that it only took one monster to break down the fungus they hid in he attempted to track the vibrations. Tom focused his mind on unravelling the details behind what he could sense. Another monster was approaching and, if anything was shaking their hiding spot more than the first. He attempted to ignore that, to focus beyond it, and could feel at least ten more individuals, but there might be more. If they were marching in unison, then his method would only pick up one and, or if they were further away, he wouldn't sense the movements at all. Tom tried to track individual creatures. There were at least ten, but he couldn't tell whether that was all of them or if there were thousands in total. The mushroom they were in was close to the cliffs, so if they moved exclusively through the centre or worse, the other side of the canyon, they would be completely hidden from him.

The movements reduced in intensity and soon the fungus stood quietly once more.

Five minutes passed.

"Good job staying still." Everlyn said to all of them. "The danger's past, but you want to wait ten minutes before following."

"They felt huge." Michael said. "What were they?"

"They are called Cauldron Stompers."

"That tells us exactly nothing."

Surprisingly Everlyn did not laugh even though she usually did when she teased like that. "No, it doesn't. They have four legs and a torso and head shaped a bit like a bowling ball complete with finger holes. Each of them is about ten metres high and they have to be made of iron or something super dense because they are leaving footprints on some of the softer rocks. Their rank ranges from twenty-three to twenty-six."

"Impressive." Michael responded.

"Not really. There were only twenty of them. As far as I'm concerned the Bat Gliders were the bigger threat."

"Did you say they left footprints in the stone?" Keikain asked abruptly.

There was a pause. "Yes, presumably the softer ones." Everlyn said flatly.

"That's impossible. There are no soft rocks in the underground."

"Sorry Mister Expert. Maybe it wasn't weight but a skill then. But it doesn't matter because we don't plan on fighting them."

"Sorry. I didn't mean too…" He stopped talking and an uneasy silence descended.

Michael cleared his throat. "Before we entered here, you said the Glider Bats had stopped and might be coming back."

"They fled when they saw the cauldron stompers. Apparently, in the game of rock paper scissors that happens down here the cauldron stompers beat the gliders." She was quiet for a moment. "How about that… the footprints are already fading. I guess you'll just have to trust me Keikain."

The earth mage wisely said nothing.

"Anyway, I have a job to do. The enemy Jingyi is watching is a type of kobold. Keep an eye behind you. He's worried about a smaller pack getting past him. Apparently, they are sneaky and Jingyi can't maintain a full line of sight. Follow me in five."

They did as instructed and piled out of the cramped quarters. It was nice to get out in the fresh air.

Despite what Everlyn had implied, they could all see the remnants of the footprints, though probably only because they were looking for it. Other signs of the stompers' passage were more obvious. One of the little hills created from the falling stalactites had been completely demolished. The stones hidden under the hill because they lacked the permanency of the rest of the rock still showed the footprints. They all gathered around it to examine it quickly. It was a circular hoofprint, but more oval than a horse.

"It's huge," Michael muttered.

"Well, we all felt how they were shaking the bedrock."

"I know Tom, but… I didn't expect their footprints to be this large. What is it. This is as big as a washing machine."

"Shopping trolley," Toni said. "It's the size of one of those Walmart shopping trolleys."

"It is too," Sven agreed. "It's so weird to be looking at a footprint crushed into solid rock and comparing it to suburban stuff on the old earth."

"It definitely is." Toni agreed. "Crazy."

Conscious that they had stopped to examine the evidence, they took off at a jog.

"Guys, slow down." Everlyn ordered over the party chat. They almost jumped in response.

Michael pulled his weapon out and stepped closer to the middle of the formation. "Any reason you're back in range of us instead of watching?"

"Come check for yourself." Ahead, she once more became visible this time on one of the large fungi that were the size of a two-story house. When they got over, she dropped a rope and Tom waved everyone else through. Only Keikain and Michael took the opportunity and he might have been imagining it, but Everlyn seemed almost disappointed that he had chosen to stay on the ground. Tom knew it was out of character, but found he didn't care.

"Have they stopped?" Michael asked immediately.

Tom didn't need to see to imagine what was happening. They had clearly caught up with the monsters they were following.

"No. They rest every twenty minutes."

"Oh… they're moving again." Michael blurted.

"Yeah, the rests are only for a couple of minutes. Still, we're almost too close. We want them to get further ahead before pursuing, so we'll wait here."

Eventually, Everlyn gave them the permission to start hiking once more. They continued on as a tight group, this time making no effort to push themselves to be faster because it was easy to recognise that a faster march just meant longer waits in between.

The canyon they were in barely altered as the hours passed. Different crystals shone in the sky and some areas had more light than others, which changed the flora distribution slightly. Darker swarths of landscape were dominated by the fungus species. That made sense to Tom. Beyond that, the overall the ambiance of the place hardly altered. There were still regular hills where the more terrestrial life forms they were used to were prevalent and then vast areas of flat hard rock, along with the occasional fungal forest.

Travelling in the monster's wake was easy. The native base creatures wisely chose not to emerge so close to an alpha threat, so despite walking for hours in the underground they didn't have to fight once. It was great for progress but terrible for their nerves, which went haywire. Over three hours down here, moving, without fighting a single creature caused everyone think that disaster was just around the corner.

"Funs over." Everlyn said over the party chat. "Head towards the pink plant."

Immediately, they all were glancing around and they saw what she was referring to. It was about two hundred metres away and close to the canyon's cliffs. In Tom's opinion, describing it as a plant was technically wrong. It looked like it was closer to a fungus, but he guessed in Existentia it could be anything, potentially it could even be part of an animal.

After they had crossed most of the distance, Everlyn dropped out of stealth. She waved them on and past the strange pink growth. Even only metres away from it, Tom still couldn't classify what it was. It was a series of pink tongues soaring into the air, each of them forty metres long and just wide enough for him to encircle with his arms. Whatever it was, it did not appear hostile, and the shiny skin was unreactive.

"It's inert," Everlyn explained, then she smacked one of the tongues with her bare hands. "Follow me. There is a hideout behind it."

Once they were past the strange plant, they were almost next to the cliffs. She squeezed through a narrow crack and when he followed, another layer of the cliff face was revealed. Without hesitation, she climbed the secondary face, heading straight for a crack in the surface about ten metres up. When Tom reached it, he was unsurprised to discover what had looked like a shallow depression from a distance was actually the opening to a tunnel. A large tunnel that descended deeper into the cliff face. He slipped inside, around the first bend that gave it the impression of being a dead end, and he discovered a wide cave. It wasn't a two person passage, but one of them could walk through it without worrying about the walls brushing their shoulders or their head smacking against the ceiling. It went for over fifty metres before opening up into a large room.

"We'll rest here." Everlyn declared.

"Why?" Keikain asked. "We were making amazing time."

"Because we've been on our feet for over sixteen hours." Everlyn snapped.

"So we can buy stuff from the auction house to allow us to keep going. It's a circular system. While the passage is easy, we should push through."

"That's not a call for you to make."

"Tom, can you support me? We need to get back out there and keep going. If we're lucky, this window of low resistance will continue for days. All we have to do is march behind them and we can escape without fighting."

"There is no window." Everlyn said, interrupting him. "The kobolds are catching up. Jingyi is staying ahead of them for now, but they seem determined to catch the stompers."

"Has Jingyi been spotted?" Tom asked immediately.

"I don't know, but assume he has. If we're lucky, they won't come for us and focus on the bigger prey…"

The unspoken but… hung in the air.

"We'll need defences then." Keikain suggested instantly.

They examined the surrounding areas to work out if there's anything to do in order to make it more defensible without burning too much mana. To be honest, the pathway out meant the enemy would already approach them through a choke hold.

"Fix the floor?" Keikain suggested. "Even it out? It's the only low-cost alternative I can see that will help us."

"Agreed."

The cave was relatively smooth, and it looked like it had been shaped over millions of years of runoff where the small amount of water had levelled everything down, followed by an equal period where it had been damp but not wet enough for run off. There was the start of stalagmites forming where water had been dripping down from above. These half formed geological features made the floor bumpy in places.

Keikain Tom decided not for the first time was scarily competent. He had a good eye for this sort of thing and he had obviously worked out that those lumps had lower permanency than the rest of the floor and could therefore be scrubbed away without exhausting them. He took one side while the other earth mage focused on the other and the pieces of stalagmites flowed almost as easily as surface rock did and he quickly filled the various depressions in the harder natural cave floor with the more malleable rock.

Within two minutes, it was done. A perfectly flat smooth that was like it had been sprayed with sand to enhance the grip. A lot of blood and guts would need to be spilled before they would lose traction.

"Jingyi?" Tom asked.

"There won't be any updates till he is in range of my chat feature."

"So once, it's already too late." Tom summarised.

Everlyn shrugged. "The floor changes will help, but can you do anything about the entrance? You know like what you did on the surface."

"It's the underground." Keikain said like that explained everything.

Everlyn looked at Tom like it was his job to translate. Their early conversation was still smarting.

He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Not without leaving us with low mana for the coming fight. The tunnel permanency down here is too strong for any major movements."

"But…" she tapped the ground.

Tom felt like rolling his eyes, but he managed to suppress the instinct. "The stalagmites are an add-on. They behave like surface rock and not underground stone." He was not sure if he kept the annoyance out of his tone. Everlyn lapsed into silence.

They settled into their battle position.

"Checking in. Checking in." Jingyi repeated through the team chat and by the tone of his voice he'd been saying it repeatedly since he got close to them.

"We hear you." Everlyn said immediately.

"I'm hot." They could all hear the fear in those two words and the unspoken question: do you need me to sacrifice myself?

It was good of the man to offer, and it was possibly the best outcome. Tom thought as he reasoned through the situation.

"Keep coming." Michael said encouragingly. "We've got a defensible position no traps to concern yourself with and we're not sacrificing someone in the first sticky situation."

"They're a minute or two behind me, but clearly tracking me."

Seventy seconds later, the scout appeared and quickly seeing the way they were arranged moved into his usual position. He was panting.

"What are we facing?" Michael asked immediately.

"A hunting party of thirty. Rank 18, bipedal with a support tail wielding faux weaponry. But they are definitely monsters."

Tom's earth since suddenly picked up on multiple hostels entering the range.

"Incoming. Thirty metres." He whispered soft enough not to alert the enemies, but using the party communication he was sure everyone would hear.

Chapter 190

Tom knew that constructing intricate plans when he knew nothing about the enemy was a waste of time. That didn't stop him.

His mind faithfully catalogued his options.

There was a five-metre straight section of tunnel that led into the cave they occupied. That could be turned into a killing field, and he had his usual supply of throwing rocks to utilise. When and if monsters filled that space, then he could imagine a single rock eliminating multiple enemies with fortunate ricochets. Unfortunately, Throw Rock was the only earth ability he could see that might be useful. There wasn't enough time to create a golem, but if he could then he could imagine Golly number three filling the passageway and delivering death. The rest of the earth abilities were useless. His manipulation skills were nerfed because of the permanency of the rock and Harnessed Meteorite needed long lines of sight and slow enemies to be effective. Here, the slight defensive boost it gave him was not worth the mana that he would need to invest to cast. Finally, Partial Stone Skin while a good ability would just impede his dodge skill. It was definitely in the category of only ever being used if he was sure something was about to kill him.

Healing was the same. With both Michael and Clare as dedicated healers, he would only use Touch Heal for emergency self-heals and even then, in most cases he might be better leaving it for the experts. As much as he loved Touch Heal, even he had to admit that Michael beat him handily across all aspects of healing and Clare would match and exceed him in spots.

Finally, there were his electricity skills. He was the tank, so Mana was going to need to be directed into Lightning Enrage. At a cost of seventy for maximum range, a sizeable chunk of his mana would be reserved for that. Lightning Spears and Ball were primarily damaged abilities and he would use them if opportunities presented themselves, but he doubted they would. Neither skill countered fast, small, agile monsters. That left Spark, and it was flexible enough to trouble a monster like a kobold, providing they were not resistant.

Tom smiled at that thought. Sparkwas the little spell that could. It could be applied like a scalpel to paralyse limbs or as an emergency blast to electrify everything around him.

Almost subconsciously, electricity crackled between his fingers. Then the firm shaft of the spear that Sonya had created for him appeared in his hand. As always, holding a weapon reassured him.

Through his Earth Sense, he felt monsters entering the range of his domain which he had stretched down the tunnel.

From the spots of pressure on the ground, he counted. "Seven incoming," he warned everyone else.

It was a manageable number with so few approaching he was confident they would not overwhelm him. Tom decided to tank the creatures and let his companions kill them. Hopefully, it would let them get a better understanding of their capabilities.

"I'm going to tank them."

They burst into view in a tangled mess. They were packed together almost to the point they were one creature and then they charged toward him.

Tom's brain correlated his Earth Sense information with visual and the moment they were all in range he cast Lightning Enrage. Sparksexploded from him and showered the incoming monsters. The lead one tanked six or seven of them but the sparks from the skill did not behave like electricity. Instead, they acted like they were alive with a mind of their own. They swarmed around the first kobold to target the creatures running in its shadow.

There was a crackling sound as the sparks dived in and fried each of the monsters' nervous systems. From the Spell description, each of those sparks and all of them had been hit by at least three would cause immense, agonising pain.

As one, they all hesitated.

The lead one came to a halt just out of range of a safe spear lunge. Tom considered attacking anyway, but a twinge of concern made him stop. The kobold's face that had been filled with general anger transformed to reflect sheer hatred and all of it directed at him. That didn't give him pause. It was a common enough skill amongst monsters. What set the alarm bells ringing was the way the muscles of all the kobolds were twitching.

They were about to explode forward and swarm him.

The lead kobold's eyes focused on him. It was an ugly creature that only came up to his waist. Mismatched yellow and brown scales covered its face and upper limbs before transitioning to dirty cream patchy fur on the lower legs. Its face was rat like through scaled and created a feeling of repulsion in Tom at a fundamental level. It was the sort of monster you expected to see wallowing happily in the sewers. It was holding an axe that had the same construction as prehistoric humans. A flint stone blade attached to a rough wooden stick by twisted vines. It appeared primitive, but Tom was not fooled. That weapon would cut him up just fine.

Its beady eyes glimmered with a mix of madness and animal cunning. Two eyes with an iris that was human like despite the head it was set in.

The instant passed.

They unleashed high-pitched squeals and leapt at him as one.

Tom reacted like he had rehearsed in his head. The moment they began moving again Spark pulsed and sent out a spreading net of electricity that hit the closest monster and the ones following it. It did not cause pain, but locked up their muscles and turned them into flying statues.

Fate was released by the kobolds en masse.

His perception of time slowed, and it took him a moment to understand that his dodge abilities were activating. Eyes wide, he searched for the culprit and noticed that the axe of the lead kobold was flying in an arc to cut off his foot. With the electricity locking up its limbs, it could not have actively thrown the weapon. Instead, it had slipped out of the convulsing hand and… ended up on an arc to hurt him… that was more than sufficient to identify the nature of the kobolds' natural fate use.

The flood of fate that had just occurred was them expelling all their fate to hurt him even at the cost of their own survival.

That was both good and bad news. It would make the fights shorter, but massively escalate the risk of serious injury and death.

He pulled his leg back to avoid the axe. The doubling of speed that he got without suffering a blow was enough to evade the free flying axe. The fight was not over, even with the majority of the opponents being paralyzed. Weapons were flying at him. Tom held his position and partially dodged a spear that was launched on a trajectory to hit him despite its owner being incapacitated. He swayed backwards to avoid a critical wound from it and felt a sting as the weapon cut a gash in his shoulder.

The monsters were coming at him in a wall of bodies caused by their initial leap. Tom triggered Power Strike and thrust his spear through the leading kobold. While he had targeted its chest, the primary reason for his actions was not to kill it. The moment the spear was in the creature he jerked upwards with all his strength. It might have been rank eighteen, but this was about physics and not attributes and the physics favoured him. His feet were grounded, and it was light. As planned, it went flying over his head and successfully knocked several other monsters away from him.

While they were unlikely to be paralysed for long given the recovery that their vitality would grant, Tom put them out of his mind. His companions would dispose of them quickly. The only remaining threat was the ones his Sparkhad not disabled.

Tom was conscious that he could trivialise the remaining fight by using Spark again, but he knew Jingyi had referenced a pack of thirty, with the prospect of a larger battle Tom was loath to waste mana. He focused on fighting the Kobold that was coming at him with hate radiating from it.

Its sword slashed.

Time immediately slowed down by a factor of a third. The damage was unavoidable, and the strike opened a cut on his bicep even as he avoided most of the blow. Then he was ducking another kobold with a sword. This time completely successfully, but there was nothing he could do against the seventh, which swung a hammer that, despite his best efforts struck his hip and sent him sliding over the ground.

His armour and his dodge skill did its job and the blow that should have cracked his hips only left a bruise. The three of them kept slavishly attacking him as Tom dodged backward having seen enough of their fighting style to avoid their strikes. His allies closed upon them. One was caught by a glowing hammer another got cut in half by a wind blade, with the last dissected by Sven's sword.

Tom glanced around and was not surprised to find the rest had already been butchered.

"Any chance you can use these?" Tom asked, glancing at Keikain.

The earth mage burst out laughing. "Of course not. They're monsters."

"Partially sapient," Tom hedged.

"Doesn't qualify them as sapient…" Keikain told him sadly.

"Yeah, I feared as much."

Curiously, Tom examined the entire battle scene to get a feel for who had contributed what. The archers had landed a couple of arrows even if by the looks of things they hadn't got any actual kills. Michael had dispatched one of the paralysed ones, Rahmat had taken out two of them. Only Harry hadn't got involved, but he would if he was needed. The ritualist had proven more than willing to get his hands dirty. Not that he wasn't active. Now that the battle was done he had already bent down to put the finishing touches on a second mana recharge ritual.

"Thirty right?" Tom asked. "So what? Twenty? Twenty-five more in the next wave?"

Jingyi nodded.

"They won't trickle in piecemeal?"

This time, there was a firm shake of his head. "It's lucky they split up this much."

"And only this group saw you?"

"Yes… But the hunting party will leave signs. Other Kobolds will follow them."

"What? Are the kobolds smart enough to notice a missing party?" Tom said sharply.

Jingyi raised his hands. "Not explicitly like in a human army, but instinctually… yes… they'll check it out."

Tom frowned. "Harry, can you install a camouflage ritual over the entrance once the next fight is done."

The ritualist nodded and made the classic sign of money.

Tom laughed at that. "You trying to extort me?"

Harry smiled. "No, but it's ten thousand credits. I can't fund more than one myself."

"We're still doing it and it's not on you. We'll all chip in."

"Definitely," Jingyi agreed immediately. "This hiding spot is compromised and we can't shift positions. If the main pack notices us." The scout shivered.

There was pressure at the far end of his domain. Then lots of pings as the second group of kobolds rushed forward. It was almost enough to give him a headache, and Tom instinctively put a hand on his temple. "Incoming. Over twenty."

With that many, they had to delay them getting into the cave proper as much as possible. The others had worked that out, too. Sven was right up at the cave entrance, and Thor was jogging over to join him. While the two of them might lack the attributes to compete with these creatures, they could fill up space, which would be useful, especially if Tom could force them to focus on him.

Then Tom remembered the nature of the monsters. They were a hundred percent offensive, and both the slashes on his bicep and shoulder were burning even though they should have been healing. He had a sinking feeling.

Healing Tranquillity kicked in and he noticed the weapons had inflicted some sort of magical poisonous damage. Touch Heal had already quarantined it and he strengthened those seals, but he was not looking forward to purging the magic. While it was slow acting, it felt thicker than the wasp venom ever had.

The kobolds were offensive orientated. These were not the goats where he could fight for ten minutes building up fate. The coming battle would be fast and furious and in the first few moments hundreds of fate would be unleashed with the sole purpose of killing him.

He was an idiot. They had no real defences. This was not the type of fight where they were best served by being on the defensive.

Twenty fate left his system as he focused on a need to maximise the damage and kills he could achieve in the first two seconds of the battle.

Three rocks appeared in his hand. There wouldn't be time to throw more.

The enemy burst around the corner and as the first one emerged he pulled back his arm muscles straining. The tier three stone fit perfectly in his hand, and he launched it, channelling as much power into it as possible.

Accuracy was not important, and he didn't even bother aiming. Instead, he focused on power trusting in his fate investment to make the difference and ensure the rock hit the enemy.

By the time the first rock left his hand, the leading kobold had crossed three of the five metres. Tom had fallen into a battle trance. He was hyperaware of every single one of the scaly rat face monsters that were rushing down the passage. Lightning Engage was fully formed and a slip in concentration would see it triggered. He launched the second stone and felt muscles on his arm twinge and complain at the force he was channelling through them and the rock flew wildly off course.

Clinically, he watched as the first rock collided with the closest kobold. Its snout crumpled even as the stone bounced sideways into the temple of the next monster in line. It was like there was a magnetic attraction between monster skulls and the stone. On his estimate, eight got hit and six went down, hopefully permanently. The second stone slammed into the roof. There was a rumble and chunks of the ceiling crashed down pinning and potentially killing more monsters.

It was chaotic. Kobolds were scampering along on four limbs with their noses on the ground. Others ran normally and some were running up the sides of the walls overtaking the creatures dying in the middle of the passage.

The third stone was in his hand and his internal alarms went off.

His dodge skill triggered, and he teleported to the side to avoid three weapons that were launched at him. Fate thrummed in the air and the small amount of defensive fate released by his dodge did nothing. Time slowed, but there were too many objects flying at him. He felt an axe clip his head, cutting off part of his ear. Tom threw the last rock with far less power than the first two.

He didn't have time to see what it achieved, but the devastation of the ceiling fall and his first rock was impressive but not absolute. Monsters still swarmed forward. Everlyn's magic arrows were flashing past him along with Jingyi's more mundane ones. He even spotted one of Rahmat's throwing spears, which had skewered three at once.

Tom realised he was not the only one who had applied fate to front load damage.

Almost fifteen of the creatures' bodies lay dead or dying in the narrow corridor, but there were still at least eight coming for them. Four on him, three targeting Sven and two going for Thor.

With a thought, he triggered Lightning Enrage. Nine attacking him was too much, but he had no choice. Against three kobolds, Sven, at best would last for seconds. Their offensive power and the attribute disparity was too much for there to be any other outcome.

Sparks exploded out of him. Swimming through the air and targeting the surrounding monsters. There was no collective shock from the creatures as the sparks dug into them like happened the first time. They were too enraged for that, but suddenly, nine of the little terrors were coming for him.

There was no time for thought.

Instinct took over, and he retreated.

There was movement out of the corner of his eye and he rolled backward instantly.

Something smacked against his leg, cracking bone despite the tier three armour. He weaved to the side, and a sword slashed open his cheek.

Touch heal, fixed the problems, even as a teleport let him avoid a spear thrust. His body twisted and showed flexibility that was analogous to dodging bullets in the matrix, but the agile, speedy kobolds were landing blows despite his movements.

The mathematics of it didn't quite work out. The base of his dodge skill provided him with a speed bonus of two, which more than closed the attribute gap. Then, when the bonus from the black dodge component kicked in, he should have been moving more than twice as fast as the kobolds. It didn't feel like the advertised benefits were working because he could not avoid the attacks. Part of the equation was the quantity massed against him and the other was that they seemed to coordinate in unusual ways. He would evade one blow and suddenly, once committed he would run into two strikes coming at him from his blind spot.

Jingyi would have told them all if the kobolds had a hive mind. That was a detail a scout would notice and not forget. The fact he hadn't mentioned anything like that meant that option didn't apply. The unnatural coordination therefore had only a single explanation. It was not training or animal instinct it was luck. Annoying painful luck that was causing the damage Tom was suffering to pile up. Tom, however didn't feel like he was at risk of dying, so he didn't counter it with his own.

A kick to the guts that he couldn't avoid sent him flying backwards. His spear let him push off the roof and change trajectory mid flight. An axe only partially parried with the flat of his palm buried itself in his shoulder.

As he fell, a hammer slammed down, but he was able to get his spear between it and his chest. He landed hard on the ground the momentum from the blow magnifying the force of the collision. Air was blown out of him, leaving him winded.

Time was slowing down too much, and he had lost track of too many of his enemies. The level of time dilation meant that he was about to get hurt. Wheezing for breath, he blindly teleported to the side.

A spear went through his shoulder.

That had almost gone through his heart.

He wondered what the others were doing. He would have expected them to have thinned the numbers by now. Kobolds were coming at him from all sides. He was injured, partially pinned to the ground… exposed.

Spark exploded around him like a bomb going off. The kobolds that had been descending upon him were knocked back. He saw Toni go down electricity sparking across her.

Tom knew he needed to keep moving. He launched himself up and sideways. The spear that had gone right through his shoulder luckily had not pierced the bedrock, because if it had… that was not something he wanted to think about. His vision was impaired by the blood dripping down from a cut above his eyes. There was a blur of movement and he dived to the floor and then screamed as the spear got caught on something.

Then he leapt blindly sideways.

Healing magic hit him.

He wiped the blood from his eyes and saw no immediate threat. He spun one hand clutching the spear in his shoulder to avoid it moving unexpectedly. There were no active enemies.

Everlyn was next to him, pumping him full of magic. "Tom, what were you thinking?"

The situation appeared to have been dealt with, but it had all happened so fast. Instinctively, he retreated until his back was against the wall. His eyes noting each of the dead kobolds. Keikain and Harry were stalking from one to the next and making sure each of them were dead.

Michael moved in and shifted Everlyn to the side. "Stop, you're over healing him and not addressing the poison."

She nodded and dropped her hands. She was breathing deeply, with concern etched across her face.

Michael moved, so that he was right in front of him, and forced eye contact, which broke Tom's line of sight with Everlyn.

"First Tom, we need to address the spear."

He sensed Everlyn moving away. "Keikain," she snapped. "Let the warriors do that. Start narrowing the god damn entrance. We can't afford them to break through like that. Jingyi take Harry to hide the front entry."

Michael crouched down, guiding him down, so he too was sitting on the floor.

"Tom, the spear. I suspect you can help."

Healing Tranquillity kicked in at Michael's prompting, and Tom assessed the damage. Everlyn's rushed healing and probably Michael's as well had already dealt with the many cuts that he had partially fixed during battle. The poison was still there, malignant, contained, but he sensed that would not last. It was the type of magical infection that would lay dormant till it thought it could overwhelm the person it had infected and then it would spread rapidly and, without outside assistance the person would die in minutes.

"The weapons left a…"

"Yes, they did." Michael interrupted. "I'm aware, and I'll be able to deal with it. So could you I suspect. But there's a triage order, so spear first."

Tom focused once more. Time stopped, and he shaped his internal tissue to move away from the spear. Then smoothed the bone it rested against so that it wouldn't snag, pinched off the nearby blood vessels to prevent bleeding when the wound was jostled. With everything prepared, he yanked it free. The weapon slipped out easily, and then he started mending the flesh.

"Not so quick. Leave me a way in."

Tom nodded and didn't finish the healing. He could feel Michael's magic and the poison that he had partitioned off was burned away.

"Ear, cheek, stomach, three cuts on the back." he told the other man as he felt each source of poison momentarily resist and then crumble to nothing under the healer's power. "Above the eye, multiple cuts on the arms."

"Did you actually dodge anything?"

Tom chuckled. "Their speed was a little overwhelming."

While Michael finished healing him, he studied the rest of the cave. Sven's armour had been torn apart around the stomach. The culprit was dead at his feet with the spell sword having stabbed the creature repeatedly.

Clare was currently tending to him.

Toni and Rahmat had both been taken down by his emergency Spark but they were up on their feet once more and confirming the kobolds were dead.

"That was horrible." Tom said, looking around at the dead bodies. They were rank eighteen, and they had cut him at least ten times in the very few seconds the fight had lasted. "I hate pure offence builds."

"They were dangerous little things." Sven agreed. "I can't believe you danced with nine of them simultaneously. The one that went after me almost killed me and it was missing an arm from the cave fall."

"I'm sorry the taunt spell missed it."

"No, it was good to do some proper fighting."

Michael who had finished with him when over Sven, presumably to burn away the poison there as well.

Tom walked over and sat in the ritual circle that Harry had put down. His mind raced. That fight had been eye opening.

Hopefully Harry's ritual would protect them, but if it didn't he was not sure how the coming fight would play out. Narrowing the entrance might not be enough. They were too fast and too agile if a hundred swarmed them. He was uncertain what that would look like.

Tom studied the cave, searching for inspiration. What strategies could be used to save them if a hundred attacked at once?

Chapter 191

Tom glanced around the cave. It was littered with the disgusting bodies of the kobolds. Their thick, dark blood covering the ground and despite the sense of revulsion they generated in him they were the most noticeable feature he spotted. The rest of it was plain and uninteresting. It was like a large round room with only the single entrance to it. Part of him had been hoping for an emergency exit that they could retreat down and defend, but the world was not that forgiving. High in the back corner was a small hole that at some point a stream had trickled through and eroded softer stone to form the larger space. That exit was too small for them to use and a tweak of Remote Earth Manipulation told him it remained mouse sized for the fifteen metres that his senses could stretch. There was nothing that could be shifted to help deal with a horde of kobolds. Their only hope was the entrance.

"Keikain? Can we seal it off."

The earth mage glanced over in annoyance. "Sure with conjured stuff we can do anything but with proper rock." He shook his head. "I'm not convinced that it can be narrowed significantly."

Tom took a moment to consider that option. Conjured rock was weaker than surface material, but enough of it could create a plug. His eyes studied the surrounding corpses. The kobolds clearly mimicked a tribal structure. This group had been a ragtag team of trackers and fighters. Their weapon layout and physique split them into the two types. There was even a higher ranked warrior, which had a necklace made of various teeth. There was definitely a faux hierarchy inserted into their makeup and that was visible even in a small hunting party. The main tribe if that was the right way to describe it would have other more senior roles. One of which would almost certainly be a magical role of some description, probably a shaman, but the type didn't matter. The wider tribe would have magic and given they functioned in the underground they would have a method of blasting through artificial barriers.

"I don't think that will work. They'll have counter magic."

"No shit." Keikain responded immediately. "I'm trying to see if there is something more permanent we can construct by shifting the walls."

Tom studied him for a moment. Keikain was carefully examining the entrance, searching for vulnerabilities. Tom's mana wasn't recovered yet, but they might have one chance to boost their defences. He left the ritual circle and jogged over to where the earth mage worked. His senses immediately delved into the surrounding rock.

The implacable sturdiness of the underground met his probe. Unyielding, unshifting and self repairing. Tom shivered even if they could move this stuff it would revert to its original configuration almost instantly. Unless they found flaws to exploit.

Tom remembered the rocks that fell from the roof and walked down the tunnel, stepping over the bodies while examining the ceiling. The results were disappointing. Rather than his lucky throw having revealed fault lines all it had done was trigger a partial cave in without creating any more structural issues. The remaining ceiling was a single fused piece of stone that would be absolutely hellish to work with. Even with Tom and Keikain working together he doubted they could force a collapse.

With that avenue closed, he swept the right wall and discovered a single fault line two-thirds of the way down the tunnel. Tom made a mental note of it and kept inspecting. He completed his sweep of the other wall and the floor. There were no other options. He retreated to the first flaw he had identified to explore its potential further and was not surprised to find Keikain standing next to it.

"It's not much." Keikain poked the wall. "There's some mass to work with. If we build up pressure, cut some of the rock, it will shift. But…" his forehead wrinkled at the results of the mental calculations that he was running. "At best we'll halve the width of the tunnel. Is that worth it?"

Tom hesitated. "It's all we've got."

"But strategically. I'm not sure it's a great option. It will reduce our line of sight. Instead of being able to track them for five metres you will only get visibility for three before they make it to the main room. They're not going to expose themselves when they don't have to."

Tom shrugged. He had already done the same calculations. That reduction in reaction time was not as impactful as halving the numbers that could flood through. "It will help." He assured Keikain. "You saw how that second group almost overwhelmed us. We need to reduce the deluge of bodies."

Tom stepped forward to start the process, but Keikain intercepted him. "You need to be ready to fight. I'll let you support, but you have to promise that you won't let your mana drop below eighty percent."

"That is very specific and arbitrary."

"You know what I mean. Maybe the number is ninety percent…" Keikain hesitated. "Everything I've observed tells me that you're a calculated risk taker and I'll let you set your own reserves, but the number, Tom… It's not fifty."

"Warning noted. You can trust me. I won't overextend."

Keikain relaxed. "Thank you." He then went to work.

Tom channelled his own power on the edges of the other mages powerful working. Moving a large slab of the underground was not the same as the terraforming they had done on the surface. There was no flowing rock from one point to another. Instead, they were basically convincing a large single piece of stone to voluntarily shift.

Keikain did that bit, growing the internal stresses in the rock to force it to move. Tom meanwhile cut the connections between the boulder they were attempting to shift and the rest of the surrounding stone.

His job done he retreated, and he watched Keikain take measured steps backwards. There was a deep rumble. The stone under Tom's feet trembled and the wall where they had been working bulged out and then it lurched forward and covered almost half of the tunnel.

"Close to perfect." Keikain congratulated himself in a self-satisfied tone.

"Can you do that from the other side?" Everlyn asked.

The earth mage lowered his head and wiped his forehead a look of disappointment on his face. "It's the underground. My powers are crippled. This was the only thing we could do."

She looked like she wanted to dispute the fact, to argue they had to achieve the impossible. Then Everlyn breathed in deeply, took control of her emotions and glanced at Tom for confirmation.

He shook his head. As much as he desired to do more, their hands were tied by their surroundings.

"Good job." She said with false brightness. She resumed placing the camp stones.

A minute later Jingyi and Harry returned with the ritualist waving a slightly glowing pink Crystal around. "This will tell us if we're discovered."

The crystal was placed in the centre of the room.

"Now what?" Michael asked.

"We wait." Everlyn answered simply. "All of us stay in this room. The camp stones should protect us, but try to stay quiet. There is a risk they'll find the trail of the hunting party, but with our precautions it's unlikely. Personally, I'm going to get some sleep."

"Sleep?" Keikain asked.

"There are two ways this plays out. The first is that the kobolds discover us and we'll fight, but…" she shrugged. "A group of thirty almost overwhelmed us and while you narrowing the tunnel will help it probably won't be enough. Second option is that they don't investigate or Harry's ritual holds. In that case, we're resting here for six hours."

"But once the kobolds go pass we can follow them, like we've followed the other monsters."

"Keikain we're resting." Everlyn snapped. "Jingyi and I both need it. We've been doing a lot more work than you guys and we're exhausted."

"Agreed." Michael stated firmly. "It's too dangerous to push with tired scouts."

"We can buy potions for the exhaustion. I can fund it."

"Keikain it's not that simple." Everlyn interrupted him with mounting frustration. "We'll see what happens, but the kobolds closing in on the cauldron stompers will throw the entire ecosystem out of whack. I don't know what that means, but it'll get ugly. The battles might keep going outside our cave for weeks."

The earth mage's face paled. "Weeks?"

"Hours, days." Everlyn clarified. "I don't know. No one knows, but for now we're sleeping and you can take first watch."

With jerky, angry motions, she unpacked her bedroll and set up on the left side of the cave where the fighting earlier hadn't reached and settled down to sleep.

Jingyi pulled his gear out in the same spot but separated by a good metre. But rather than immediately settling down he scoffed some rations. He looked a little guilty. "I know you feel we should keep pushing. But she's right. The underground has a way of causing people to push too hard. They get tired and then make mistakes. Surviving down here is as much about forcing yourself to get the rest you need as it is about skill." With a wave, he rolled over faced the wall and went to sleep.

Whether Jingyi could force himself to sleep like Everlyn could was a mystery. But the point they were making was clear enough.

Tom was used to existing with a headache caused by tiredness, but having the topic spoken about made it many times more oppressive. Falling asleep himself was suddenly a priority. There were no clean places for his bedroll, which weren't next to Everlyn. With a sigh, he got up and started moving bodies to clear a sleeping area. He could pick them up easily with one hand. They must have weighed less than twenty kilograms and he shifted them and piled them up against the back wall.

The others jumped into help and all the corpses were moved in minutes. It would be nice to be able to deal with the corpses more permanently but they couldn't bury them for obvious reasons, a funeral pyre was out because of both stealth and ventilation concerns and they didn't own any potions that could dissolve the bodies and nor would they waste credits on such a thing. Worse case, it would be a few days of living with the body's stench, which was a sacrifice they would all be happy to make to save the credits. Hopefully, that sacrifice wouldn't be needed. If everything went well, they would be out in six hours before the bodies started smelling.

Tom set up on the opposite side to where Evelyn was sleeping.

He fell asleep quickly and was swamped with relaxing dreams of him, weaving through ranks of kobolds avoiding their vicious strikes. It was peaceful.

He transitioned. The shift to a True Dream was like always abrupt and jarring.

He sat on the ledge looking down upon circular eight.

Tom as always in this situation assessed the body he was in. He got an impression of a small size. At least eight eyes, because the creature was focusing on multiple points at once. A glimpse of a hand revealed furred skin and an impression of great strength. It was a long drop from where it rested to the ground below, but the mind he was in was confident he could both survive it and the monsters that were tearing everything to bits below him.

The large tome next to him had been put aside. It was there to record the migrating parties' type and size and since the circular had broken scientifically noting numbers were pointless. More importantly, his personally funded and owned recording crystal was permanently capturing all the details of what was happening beneath him.

The signs of a break had been building for months and there were only so many locations where it might happen, so he had cashed in favours to be here. Ten days of boredom were more than he had hoped, but the chaos of the pattern breaking down was a thing of beauty.

He pulled out another of the cheap talismans and triggered and instantly his eyesight improved dramatically, allowing him to zoom in on the action and pick up on details in the far reaches of his peripherals. In the corner wedged against the wall, a single cauldron stomper still lived. It had lost two legs or else it would have tried to run and got butchered, but without locomotion it had crouched down and defended its position. Amongst all the chaos, nothing had been willing to make the concerted push to destroy it. The remnants of the other initial forces had also survived. There was a pocket of kobolds propped up by their core magic users and elites. They were far stronger than their raw numbers suggested and the bat gliders ruled the skies.

It was this unusual mix of dominant monsters that he wanted to study.

His current recording crystal was getting full, so he activated a second.

It was rare that he got a chance to witness the collision of forces and it hadn't started like he expected. The kobold's catching the cauldron stompers hadn't been a surprise and nor was the ease they had defeated them. That was a twelve percent likelihood in the academy's models, but the bat gliders coming back to prey on the suddenly available kobolds that had been a surprise.

No one predicted them and only the discredited paper by Eraatc Tonalong had even referenced that type of backtracking.

It was a fascinating discovery, and unlike Tonalong he had recorded proof.

And now that there were these small domains of resistance the flow of the circular would probably be broken for days. Each new in flood clashing with the creatures that were already entrenched… The newcomers each time would probably win against the exhausted broken remnants of the previous groups but by the time that happened the group behind them would catch up and the process would repeat endlessly.

It might even last for weeks… no that stretched the bounds of credibility, but if he was super lucky, the break would extend for a week. Historically, that was a five percent chance, but at worst he guessed he had another two days of this. Breaks that had gathered this much momentum almost never broke sooner.

It was a gold mine for his research.

The chaos would probably reign for days and he would happily record it.

Tom woke abruptly.

Chapter 192

Tom was wide awake. His heart was pounding as his mind transitioned from absorbing the information to processing it with the availability of his higher conscious cognitive functions. The implications of the vision were significant despite how short it had been. A lot could be inferred from those few moments and the context that had driven the alien's actions.

The first was that someone, a person that was part of a larger community had been assigned to watch and monitor the migration. It was a not a contingency they had planned for and they had not tried to conceal themselves. Happy with the ingenuity of managing the risk by monitoring the threats in front and behind them they had walked with nothing shielding them from observation. Apart from, Tom realised his title, which would stop many forms of divination magic but would do nothing against a physical observer, which was always the most likely outcome.

They had been stupid.

Tom wondered whether they had been noticed. He immediately considered the alien's position. Mentally, he tried to marry up what he had seen through the person's eyes and the geography of the area just before they had fled to this cave. The observation point had been placed to observe a sharp bend in the canyon, at least relative to everything else they had seen. Tom remembered where they had left the path. Where Everlyn had stopped them and sent them to the pink tongues.

Right there in his mind's eye he could see it. The canyon bending more than usual. They had been a kilometre from reaching the focus of the observations. If he then checked the range of the peripherals… He could determine whether the alien should have been able to spot them… The results were not good… Then he remembered the aliens' ability to focus on multiple spots at once.

"Damn it." He hissed and hit the ground.

They were definitely in range, but the scientist, and Tom was going to call it a scientist because that was what it was… if it had noticed them it had not considered them at all remarkable because they had not been worth even a moments consideration in its thoughts. If anything, they were a footnote in a book because the person had been far more focused on the fight evolving between the different packs of monsters. As for any other observation points along the route since they joined the migration, well, there was no doubt they would have been spotted.

Tom sat up his mind still racing. Michael, amongst others shot him a concerned glance but none of them said anything because they probably recognised his mood.

He chewed on his lip as he thought through it all. There was a confirmed sapient almost directly above them. He was a scientist who was interested in studying the breakdown of a circular eco system and had been assigned to monitor one called circular number eight. That was not the monitoring station designation it represented instead the eighth system.

Tom's mounting disquiet deepened. Whatever that race was they were not a small civilisation. This circular eight was massive. It was hard to estimate how large, but the average width of half a kilometre told him a lot. As for length? For these systems to work, they needed to be hundreds of kilometres long, if not thousands. That fact, combined with the breadth they had already witnessed meant it was huge with a biomass of monsters that was frankly scary. As for the sapient civilization. For it to have control, or at least have the drive to monitor eight of them, that was mind-boggling.

Tom figured they were probably dealing with hundreds of millions, if not billions, of sapients.

Logically, a sapient race in the underground was not too surprising when he thought about it. Sure, there had been none in the tutorial, which is why they were caught by surprise, but there had been no sapient races on the surface there either. A species making their home down here made sense. There was a lot of real estate and resources in the underground, so people would exploit that and the GODs pulling from multiple different universes would find underground races easily enough.

His eyes glanced at a clearly frustrated Keikain, thoughtfully. Tom's inner demons argued against each other vehemently. On one hand, an isolated sapient would be the perfect target for the cursed and was potentially reachable in the timelines that they needed. Then there were the more pertinent details of the choice. Moral dilemmas to consider. The target had been a scientist and obviously not a terror, so to sacrifice him was the same as murdering. There was no ethical argument to justify the action. Even worse was the fact that while the person might have been a civilian, when Tom had shared the mind the body had felt powerful enough to destroy them without really trying.

When he mentioned this dream, those with the cursed bloodline were going to have to be managed because he had seen enough of their psychic to know what their first response would be.

He wrinkled his nose. Something had been nagging at his subconscious since he had woken up, and that irritation was not dissipating. With more discerning eyes, he studied the cave to try to determine what was setting him off.

What was the clue he had missed?

First check was that everyone was accounted for.

Nope, he could see them all.

A game of dice involved the entire group, excluding the killers was in full swing. Sven was practising sword forms. Keikain was cooking but in a bored fashion with no sense of haste. He was even using the tiny fry pan Tom had gotten as a loot reward to create what looked like cookies. There were a pile of hundreds of them, and each must have taken five minutes plus to make.

What had a subconscious twinged on?

Nothing was out of the ordinary. Everyone was up and socialising, they were relaxed.

The clues coalesced together. That was the explanation. If he was a detective, he would have clicked his fingers to announce the significance of the lightbulb moment.

No one was sleeping!

The entire team was awake, and no one was agitating for them to hurry and leave. They must have independently confirmed what True Dreaming had shown him. They were stuck here for a bit.

"What's happening?" Tom asked.

"Dice." Michael said good-naturedly. "Thirteen hours, sleepy head that might be a record."

"Really?" Tom scratched behind his ear. He didn't feel like he'd been unconscious for that long. The True Dreaming episode had after all captured a moment only five or six hours after he fell asleep, but then again that skill did not report other sapients experience in real time. If the situation warranted, he might be shown a scene from months, years, or even centuries earlier.

"Yes, we're trapped in here." Michael glanced significantly at the crystal in the centre of the room. "We can't leave, so we figured we would let you get the sleep you need. It's a disaster zone out there."

"Continuous battles." Jingyi confirmed. "Basically, the kobolds fought the cauldron stompers, and that took over forty minutes, which meant the next wave of monsters ran into the remnants of the two forces. That created another huge fight, which was still going on when, fifty minutes later, a subsequent set of monsters arrived. They attacked and then before they finished…" the scout shrugged… "Well you get the idea. That pattern keeps repeating over and over again."

Tom nodded. "My source suggests it will take days to clear." He announced casually.

Keikain stopped cooking and pulled the fry pan away from the fire. "You had a dream. About what's happening out there? In real time?"

He noticed Everlyn glaring at him. If she could advise him, she would tell him not to say anything to the man.

"Yes. There is a single sapient observing the circular breakdown from the roof."

Keikain jumped on one foot in excitement. "Yes! That's our opportunity. Can you point out the exact spot?"

Tom shut his eyes and recalled what he had witnessed during True Dreaming. The position of the two nearby large light crystals was noticeable. One of them had been emitting a distinctive aqua glow and would allow him to triangulate the position accurately. "Yes, I can."

"Come, we have no time to waste."

"Wait." Jingyi said forcefully, jumping to his feet. "You can't go out. You'll break Harry's ritual and that's like committing suicide."

Keikain kept walking. "We have to. This is our chance."

"You'll die if you do this. Look." He pointed toward the pink crystal that was still in the centre of the room. It now had a ritual around it and Harry had moved from his spot in the dice circle to be next to the carefully scribed lines, which he was refreshing with his magic.

An image formed above the crystal. It was presumably the view from the entrance to the cave.

Tom's breath hitched in his throat.

Everything had changed.

That first fake cliff had been broken away and lay as rubble below. The pink tongues were mashed into pieces. He was not sure the strange plant would bounce back from so much damage. Beyond that, the landscape looked like mini gods had battled across it for days. The giant fungus had been torn down, the stalactite hills with their tenacious trees were all gone, the unbreakable underground stone had been cratered in places, courtesy sometime of massive physical blows and elsewhere because of intense magic. Tom saw more than one molten pool and other areas where the stone had just vanished like it had never been.

There were bodies of monsters everywhere.

It was an apocalyptical wasteland.

There seemed to be more dead corpses than the mind could comprehend like multiple large armies had clashed together and fought to the death. There were shapes that were the size of double story houses and others no bigger than a house cat. Most were dead, but hardly all of them. Danger still lurked amongst the carnage. There were more than two types of monsters left fighting the perpetual war in front of the cave. It was every species against each other, a battle to death for all of them.

They were using the massed bodies as cover.

It was crazy.

Praying mantis's taller than a human had just entered the battlefield. There were hundreds he could see from the rituals view and given its limitation that meant there were probably thousands of them in total. Arrayed against them at least in the majority were disk like animals that used magic to flit from one spot to another.

"Those disks," Jingyi said urgently, "Have won the last four battles."

"They're very dangerous." Harry said. "Their perception is off the chart. I've had to go out and reinforce the main camouflage twice since they have taken control."

"But there is a sapient. We need…"

"We understand Keikain." Jingyi said coldly. "And if I could let you go without risking the rest of us, Tom's views aside I would usher you out the door and then watch you die for your arrogance and not feel a moment of regret. But the simple fact is that if you leave, we'll be discovered. Maybe once the disks are gone, we're be able to do it. But currently no."

"It wasn't that type of vision either Keikain." Tom told him.

"Type of vision?"

"Yes. He was on the roof. That's five hundred metres of climbing. I'm not sure we'd be able to reach him."

"We'll find a way."

"Plus… he was a lone observer tasked with watching things far more dangerous than us. I doubt he's defenseless. He wasn't worried about that chaos." Tom waved at the crystal, or at least the image that had been displaying. "He found it interesting, and I got the impression that even if he got drawn into that fight, he was confident of surviving and not by hiding, either. But that is not what I meant. I didn't get a sense from True Dreaming that he was prey for you. This dream serves a different purpose."

"A sense?"

"Tom's skill helps him interpret," Michael started.

"I've been with you for days. I was around when you had those fucking conversations." Keikain yelled. "I know what you mean." He looked furious. "We can't afford days."

"I don't know what to say Keikain. I'm not saying it's days. I'm just reporting what intelligent alien that seems to have studied how these ecosystems work is predicting." Tom deliberately refrained from talking about the risk of it lasting a week.

"Just because the fight is ongoing doesn't mean we have to be stuck here."

Everlyn across the room rolled her eyes, Thor scoffed and even Harry, who was normally placid and unassuming, looked frustrated. This was clearly an argument that had already been litigated and Keikain had lost.

"We can sneak out and get past this block and have open territory for hundreds of miles. We could make great time and find another of these sapients who are not so powerful." Keikain looked hopeful that his new plan might sway them.

Michael shook his head and waved at the crystal, and the images that it had produced. "We've studied five waves. There's no way we're getting through there. We are too weak."

They kept up a debate about what their options were and for once it wasn't the three cursed bloodline line carriers arranged against the others. Instead, it was a fertile cross discussion between all of them. Admittedly, Everlyn and Thor made a point not to be included.

With nothing else to do. Tom focused on True Dreaming and regular naps and returned to probing for more details about the trial.

It was the end of his fourth sleep and like every other time he cracked his eyes opened and checked the atmosphere. Internally, he sighed. The same bored restlessness filled the cave along with the incessant stench of the rotting bodies. The battle raging outside their hiding spot clearly hadn't stopped at least this time the dreams had been more fruitful.

Hiding a smile, he sat up.

"This time?" Michael asked immediately even as Tom rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Tom recalled his dream. Yes, this time he had something interesting to share. Unlike the previous three dreams, which had been dedicated to unravelling the limitations of the dragon's breath weapon. This one had been new.

Michael smiled. "You've got something."

"A third race." Tom admitted with a smile.

Instantly, every eye was focused upon him, but to be honest he'd already had their full attention and even another story about the dragon would have been a welcome relief to them. Not a lot had happened over the last two and a half days to provide. After all, there was only so much amusement to be gained from watching each new wave of fantastical creature to crash into the wild battle on a screen that was only slightly bigger and arguably not better than the first smart phones that came out. And the movie being played… the outside world that the ritual reflected… the story being depicted lacked a hook, and had no interesting characters, kobolds aside. Monsters would die, but nothing changed. Groups of creatures had created unofficial alliances against the incoming monsters and the wide variety of skills brought to bear meant the newcomers were brutally destroyed. The only entertainment too most of them were his dreams… They had true meaning.

"Hey are the kobolds still in play."

"Yes, they are," Michael grumbled. "But you can't mention a third race and change the subject."

"Have they had any losses?"

"Tom." Everlyn said in a dangerous voice.

"And don't use her as an excuse to clam up." Michael warned him. Unfortunately, successfully predicting the ploy he was about to launch into. "No teasing, just spit it out."

Tom looked at Michael with wide, expectant eyes, imploring him to answer the question.

"Their ice mage got ripped in two, but the rest are intact."

"Was that so hard?"

"Tom, you're pushing everyone's patience."

"Shut up Everlyn." Sven snapped. "We want him to tell the story."

Tom couldn't help but smile at Sven's ridiculous expression. He couldn't stall in the face of that. "It's another terror race."

"A third terror race?" Toni sounded horrified.

Tom waved his hand to indicate uncertainty. "The dragons and this new one are definite. The other race, the ones whose champion was supposed to prepare to be positioned to kill everything if a dragon didn't go into his event trial. I'm not so sure that species can be classed as Terrors …" Tom hesitated. "I would say their sponsor GOD definitely wants them to fulfill that role, but potentially their honour will prevent them going down that path."

"Whatever. We and others will judge them on their actions." Michael declared, sounding boring. "What's the third race?"

Tom licked his lips and remembered the strangeness of the dream.

He had been in an individual. It had been capable on its own and had possessed its own thoughts and desires.

But the individual was more than that. Its existence extended beyond its own brain and soul. There was a connection to those near it, and the ability for that collective swarm of minds to influence its actions. A flow that went both ways as it was part of the collective thought pattern and more immediately because of its internal standing it could command the absolute obedience of those around it and they would be compelled to obey even if it sent them to death.

It was a weird communal overlay where control would swing in different directions, but because of its status the local mind cluster more served the individual whom Tom had been observing from than the other way around. It had been in control of that group.

Then there were the other connections that were maintained. They were more nebulous, but also in most ways far stronger. One was to its birth hive and then a second to the species as a whole even if on Existentia both of those links were greatly diminished. The competitor race had however got around that. They had created a newer Existentia constructed hive which served as the most powerful influence despite how new it was. That third connection felt wrong, but the species always put power first even over tradition.

Those links, unlike the local ones, were more than capable of wiping out all of its personality if his body and skills were needed for a specific purpose. There was a surprising acceptance of things. Ultimately, even though it was an individual the good of the species came first.

It, a deliberately genderless pronoun was used because ithad not gained enough respect to be offered the opportunity to choose a gender. It had been part of a hive and species' decisions that had stripped the personality from large groups to achieve the results needed. Sacrifice for the greater existence was how they got strong. It had done it and would accept if it was done back to it.

"Well?" Michael asked.

"A hive mind insect race." Tom said after a long pause. "Multiple layers of conscious thought starting at the individual then a collective intelligence constructed from the nearby insects, then the hive and finally the species. Each higher level having more say than the one before it."

"Level strengths, weaknesses." Michael prompted.

"Started stronger than humans, but only marginally. The primary trouble is that they are a terror race."

Michael chuckled. "You've already said that. Multiple times, I believe."

"That characteristic," Tom explained, choosing his words carefully. "Means they're growing fast. They kill everything they can, without remorse, concern or consideration of longer-term implications. Their link to the hive and others of their kind along with an ability to fly has let them clump up. They're now travelling in swarms of thousands. I didn't get much more detail than that. The individual I was in was young, but considered a champion. It, unlike most, because of its genetic gifts is almost predetermined to receive the opportunity to choose a sex. It had a unique trait to cause emotional pain in foes."

"Did this creature have a name?" Michael asked. "You saying it all the time is distracting."

"No, they only receive a name once they have a gender. As I was saying, its trait causes emotional pain." Tom paused. "It is completely useless against its own kind because they don't have those empathy centres…"

"Are you sure?" Toni asked.

Tom laughed. "Terror race remember. Yes, I'm sure. It definitely checked the limitation. It might not be good against its own species but against others…" Tom shook his head. "It's devastating. It comprehensively shut down sapients stronger than it and is somehow even effective against most monsters. I gleaned one other thing, and it's important. It and thirty others were split from their new hive of thousands into their own cluster. They were handpicked by the local hive collective, and I believe this is to target the competition trial. The champion whose mind I shared…" Tom looked at Michael significantly. "Believes the entire thirty will be accepted and their role is to act as insurance if the other GOD's plans fail."

"But that's unfair." Toni pointed out. "If we go into the trial, there will be ten of us. You said they're more powerful than us. Shouldn't their numbers be restricted rather than the system allowing three times the number through."

"Wait." Michael raised his hand to stop Toni from talking. "Is this certainty from your skill or from he who has not been named. Your Skill is backing it up isn't it."

"Yes, it is."

"That's not fair." Sven grumbled.

"The competition is balanced on a whole." Tom reminded them. "And that smaller level collective is considered a single organism, so they get more in."

"But they're not a single entity. They're deliberately bending the rules." Toni protested.

Tom shrugged. "It's troubling."

"We can't enter that trial." Michael concluded. "Too much is stacked against us."

Tom shook his head, and he knew the healer didn't really mean his definitive statement. The True Dreaming abilities brought a lot to the table, and the consistent dreams about this trial screamed an answer that was quite different from what Michael was stating. When the trial came, Tom sort of knew they would discover they had no choice but to enter it… even if the odds seemed insurmountable. That wasn't going to be enough for Michael. "I'm not happy about this either." Tom told Michael, capturing the healer's eye. "But I have an oracle question left. When we find the trial, I'll use it to confirm what we should be doing."

"We should all get input on that question."

Tom didn't like the suggestion at all, but knew it was reasonable. "Yes, we'll workshop the best phrasing together."

Chapter 193

Tom suffered through a barrage of questions about the third race, but there wasn't much more he could tell them. He had shared the champion's mind during a period of introspection, which was the only reason he had extracted the breadth of knowledge that he had. It had been at night, in a dark cave there and while it had worked through its thoughts on various issues, it hadn't opened its eyes ones. He received little in the way of tangible information about the species.

The interrogation broke down, and everyone fell back into their normal roles. They returned to their usual spots in their temporary shelter. Tom jumped to his feet and went through his standard fitness routine. Simple stuff starting with push-ups, sit-ups, squats and burpees before he transitioned into the various spear kata's he had learnt in the tutorial. An hour and a half later, with his legs trembling, he sunk down, ate a snack as he watched the team he had brought together.

They still were not bonding and he sort of wished he could get everyone drunk and solve the problem that way. That wasn't about to happen. The cursed were involved in a heated, secretive conversation. As always, they had their cloaking magic covering them and he only noticed when he forced his brain to focus on where they sat. Their body language was in its normal state. Sven, with his slightly defensive expression, Keikain cool and collected and Clare as she was during most of their private moments appeared visibly frustrated.

Tom didn't bother trying to read their lips. Experience had taught him it was a hopeless exercise.

Michael sat down next to him. "I bet this isn't going how you expected it to go?"

He chuckled darkly. "You could say that. I never intended for us to descend into the underground for one."

"Yep. That was a screwup, but who could have predicted a monster driving our team down here and now being pinned by other monsters battling. It's like the GODs conspired against us."

"If they did, there is nothing we can do but endure."

Michael slapped him on the back. "That's not the fighting spirit I expect from you."

"Oh, I'm just biding my time, but True Dreamingshowed that eventually I'll get my chance of revenge."

"You mean the whole glimpse of you fighting gods? Do you think that was real or a whimsical illusion created during skill integration?"

"It doesn't feel like it could be real." Tom admitted. "The gulf in power is unimaginable… Was…" Tom corrected. "Now I've had the vision I can imagine it perfectly well."

"Fever dreams." Michael agreed. "Are they are going to crack?" The healer's eyes were on the killers.

Tom sighed. "I don't know how they won't. The deadline they have is real."

"Yeah, Sven mentioned it."

"And there really hasn't been an opportunity to go after the sapient? No point while I slept that we couldn't have escaped this."

"Would you have supported that?"

Tom hesitated, then shrugged. "I might have let the three of them leave and attempt it on their own. I'm not sure I would risk the entire group."

"That was our consensus, too. But it's a moot point. We have a system to judge whether it is safe to sneak out. A danger rating, so to speak and if it drops below five, we can leave."

"Out of ten?"

The healer nodded.

"And let me guess it has never dropped below nine?"

"Close Tom." Michael leaned back against the wall. "There was a thirty-minute period when it fell to eight and then those sparrow things arrived and drove the risk straight up to ten. Harry had to rush out front and spend a shit load of auction credits to strengthen our protections. Eighty percent of what you gave him."

Tom whistled appreciatively. "Well, I'm glad he was holding them."

"Yes. But that's the other problem. Even if the threat drops, it doesn't mean that something else isn't about to come that will drive it up. If we had snuck out when it was eight…"

"Was that ever a realistic option."

"Everlyn theoretically could have, but she would have been discovered and died when those sparrows came. I hate this waiting."

"I don't mind it too much. The movies are interesting for a while," Tom nodded at the ritual that Harry maintained to let them see outside. He had boosted the size of the image displayed, turning it almost into a home theatre level display. "And when it gets repetitive… well that's when… well I just go and have a nap."

"The Skills I suggested."

"Helping… I reckon I've got it under control. I know when to push and when I need to have normal sleep."

"Great." Michael handed him a scrap of paper.

Tom picked it up and examined it. "What's this…" He read the line that had been printed. "A prayer? You've changed the words. Was the other one not working?"

Michael frowned. "Not as well as we needed it to. Too many things, while not breaking the ritual were fixating on the spot and forcing us to burn energy to stop them from getting through. This new wording should fix that problem and Harry felt the mana drain wasn't sustainable."

That didn't make a lot of sense to Tom. From what he could tell, the prayer had only recently been changed and the energy reserves were at full. If the threat was real, he would have expected them to be depleted. "I don't understand."

"Oh that," Michael waved the complaint away. "I asked the same things. Harry feels that the danger level is increasing. The high perception enemies have an advantage in these conditions."

Tom followed Michael's glance at the ritual image. There were sections of the landscape where the ambient magic had aspected. Areas filled with billowing poison or white fiery flames and other more exotic outcomes where the laws of physics no longer fully applied. "He didn't want any strain on the system because the sparrows were only a transitory threat, but now, he fears that something as perceptive as a sparrow might come along and instead of dying it would find a niche for itself and become a permanent menace."

"Fine. I'll use these new words from now on." Having memorised the prayer he went to hand it back but Michael shook to his head.

"Keep it. I wrote that one out especially for you."

On the broadcast image, a fresh wave of monsters was moving in. You could tell because the fighting stopped and all the survivors moved towards the welcoming cliffs. They moved from the centre so they wouldn't be the primary target of whatever new monster wave arrived.

Tom watched the instinctive cunning that let these diverse creatures achieve the truce to allow themselves to fold away like that. It was a rapid fire evolution. All the individuals or species that were unwilling to delay a fight based on the fear of something else approaching had long since died.

The images brought by the ritual had stilled. They watched quietly, and it was almost five minutes before the new monsters emerged. They came up the dead centre of the canyon. A party of five giant lizards. A clear family, a dad a mum and three juveniles. Unfortunately, the ritual was limited to the visual spectrum and did not let the magic frequencies go through. If it did, Tom knew they would absolutely glow with power. Five individuals, but really two if you discounted the children.

That was interesting. Each of those adults individually would be almost as deadly as that white gorilla had been, and it had nearly singly handily opened the blockage.

"This should be good." Michael muttered to himself. "It's been over a day since we've had a Titan. That half dog man thing."

"Gorilla." Tom snorted.

"Well, I can see why you would say that, but no. It was a far closer to a were-wolf than a gorilla. It didn't have the muscles."

"It doesn't matter, Michael," Tom interrupted. "Whatever it was died and there was only one of them, so I don't think it was breeding."

The lizards knew something was up. It would take a particularly moronic creature not to see the desolation and the mountains of corpses, but some of the more instinct based monsters ignored the signs. Not these creatures. They stopped.

The lead lizard raised its head. Just like it had in the dragon and wyvern, energy gathered in its throat. This was black and condensed. It breathed coughed and blobs of blackness burst out of its open mouth. Not one, but hundreds… they rained down on everything in front of the lizard from five metres out to two hundred. The black pellets guided by magic formed a perfect half circle.

Everything that had been too arrogant to retreat to the cliffs or to slow to recognise the need to flee died as those globules dropped upon them. Living or dead, it did not matter. Everything rotted and decayed. Flesh was the fastest, but the bone was not far behind. Within thirty seconds, the rock of the underground in an imperfect half circle around it was revealed. The mass of flesh that had rested upon it had vanished and been replaced by a thin black mist that swirled on top of the impenetrable rock. There was most likely a slight sound of hissing as the mist continued to attack the occasional piece of stubborn matter that hadn't given way immediately.

"Wow, that's impressive." Michael said.

Tom, if anything was unimpressed. It had been a flashy ability, but was probably not something it could use regularly. If the beast was smart, it would have kept it for later or used it as a smaller area of effect attack to preserve its magic. The grand gesture was wasteful.

Against the creatures arrayed against it and the subtle ways they applied their own powers now they had been forged in this monster crucible Tom was confident of the outcome. If they had been a dozen of the lizards, it would have been different, but there were only two. He watched the fight anyway.

The lizards advanced as a group slowly and cautiously.

The battle hardened mix of monsters would then strike hard and fast. The ones attacking were those that the lizard's advance had brought within the range of the big ability. The monsters left were not stupid. They had a good amount of cunning and could calculate who the advance had left exposed, and those creatures were the ones that attacked. A mixture of species with a range of abilities that complicated the lizard's capacity to counter. The first, second and third waved died, but the lizards suffered small wounds. On the fifth wave, the second largest juvenile drowned in a flood of pink fish. On the sixth, the mum lost one of her legs. Then during the seventh the smallest was crushed, and the dad had a nasty burn delivered to it shoulder.

By this stage, they had closed almost to the wall and would start to face stronger opponents. It was over Tom decided. The lizards would win the next few engagements, but they had already lost the war. They were being too cautious and moving too slowly. By the time they cleared a quarter of the forces massed against them, the next monster would come up its backside and they would be swept away.

Bored, he looked away and decided he had been awake long enough. While he could use his stimulus skills that Michael had encouraged him to buy in order to artificially boost himself, he could also just accept the need to sleep. He lied down and had a nap without forcing a vision.

It didn't help. Within moments of closing his eyes, True Dreaming kicked in.

Once more, he was looking down from the vantage point far above the bottom of the canyon where Tom knew his actual body hid.

This time, instead of watching the interactions in glee the mind he was in had several textbooks spread out in front of him and was scribbling notes down.

Instantly, Tom was able to comprehend what the point of the activity was. The scientist wanted to forecast when the breakdown of the circular migration would finish.

The mind kept focusing on the fundamentals. His eyes once more studied the numbers he had taken down earlier to drive his predictions. The key figures had been circled. The length of circular eight was two and a half thousand kilometres. That meant they were over six hundred boss type packs of monsters circulating. That was an estimate on the average distance between the groups, but he knew the estimation could be off by up to a hundred in either direction, but that didn't matter too much to his conclusions.

Other numbers were circled, which were probably relevant. Historically, antidotes on the number of boss packs consumed. It was a large percentage that almost always finished up at between twenty and thirty percent of total packs in the circular. The prevalent theory that, of course could not be easily tested explained it as that was how long the propagation of a sudden lack of pressure took to travel around and slow the incoming packs.

For circular eight, that meant somewhere between a hundred and twenty and two hundred monster packs had to die before the plug that had formed could be dislodged. In terms of time that was four to seven days, which was more than he hoped, but obvious when you did the mathematics. He didn't know why he hadn't done the calculations straight away.

Below him there was a shift as a new type of creature appeared. Hopefully, this would be one of the ones in his list as the last few had been random monsters which had come at the wrong time. It was hard to predict anything when the information he was working off was so old and out of date.

Decay Breath Lizards, he thought in excitement even as he referenced the key book. He had seen them before. The fat furry finger traced down the page and then the claw came out and jabbed on a line halfway down. Two adults and eight stage one juveniles. The person looked again. Two adults remained and three juveniles, but they were stage three now. The dates and times lined up.

Finally, the list was back on track.

"Fixed." The person muttered. "The order was screwed for a while. There must have been a mini break that hasn't been reflected in the reports yet, but providing the next monster is a Metal Stork then we're back on track." He was tempted to use a scry spell to find out immediately, but stopped himself. That was wasteful especially when it would only save forty minutes.

His finger went down almost fifty monster names before stopping on a circle. There was a sense of excitement from it. "If we're back on track, then there are still two full days before the next potential breakpoint. And practically the frost boulders only have about a forty percent chance of breaking the deadlock." His fingers tracked down another thirty names before coming to rest again. Once more on a circle. Then the finger traced down further. Over the next fifteen names were a further five circles. Tom understood that the symbol represented creatures they could break through the barrier that had been created. "Potentially finished in two, but almost definitely in three." The alien snapped the book closed in satisfaction. It had a timeline for the event and could stop worrying about it finishing prematurely.

The True Dream ended.

Chapter 194

The dream finished, and Tom allowed himself to wake up immediately after. It was a simple flex of his will and sleep vanished.

There was a shift of movement near him. "Tom?"

He looked up to see Thor looking at him with a quizzical expression.

"That was quick." Concern rippled across the larger man's face. "Nothing's wrong is it? What do we need…"

Tom held up a hand to forestall the rising panic. He was sure Thor was remembering the dream that had proceeded them having to fleeing into the underground. "We're not in danger."

Thor sighed in relief. "But… you were asleep for less than an hour. That's means…" He could see the cogs turning. "Did you discover something interesting?"

He nodded with a grin. "You could say that."

"Well?"

"Easy Thor, just collecting my thoughts here. How should I say this… umm… What's the best wording."

"Cut it out," Michael interjected.

Tom took a deep breath and switched his attention from his friends to Keikain. "Our friendly scientist has estimated that it'll be two to three days before it finishes naturally."

There were sharp intakes of breath across the room. He, of course, was watching Keikain as he needed to know how the earth mage would respond to the news. If anyone was going to explode, it was him.

The earth's mage face went white, one hand to his brow and another to his chest. "Two days? That's. We've already been here for three!"

"Unfortunately, yes." Tom answered. "The scientist is confident, and I saw the reasoning so I can explain why. The circular system is two and a half thousand kilometres long, which means it takes monsters twenty days to loop." Briefly Tom visualised what that meant. It was like an animal on a treadmill endlessly running. The distance they would travel over a year was extraordinary. Two and a half thousand kilometres was not quite coast to coast in America, but it wasn't far off. In a year, each of these packs of animal would travel an equivalent distance to crossing from one side of America to the other over ten times. The pace was… "Which is real fast when you think about it." Tom blurted out.

"Only on earth." Harry interjected. "Not here, not with the ranks we are talking about. Here it's just monster's strolling from one spot to another."

"Harry, Tom." Keikain said deliberately. "No one cares. Tom you were saying."

"Sorry. The rule of thumb is that between twenty and thirty percent of monsters need to die before a major break in a circular system stabilisers. In this case, that's between four and six days, but it depends on the right type of monster pack coming along. It needs to be strong enough to clear the congestion and then of the type that will keep migrating afterwards rather than staying around and feasting. Basically, there aren't too many creatures with those characteristics."

"We don't need the details." Keikain reminded him.

"Anyway, the scientist has an ordering of the monsters in the circular and can identify the key ones capable of breaking the deadlock. Those are the creatures that are two or three days away still."

"You sound certain."

"I am. The deadlock won't break for two days and even then, it is one monster, and it only has a slight chance of being successful. The day after, however, there are like ten monsters almost in a row that can clear it. It will definitely break then."

Keikain and the other killers looked at each other then back at Tom. "Was this scientist still by itself?"

Tom nodded. "Wait, what are you planning. We've already discussed…"

Keikain ignored him and once more exchange non-verbal communication with the other two. "Another three days is bad, but it could be good. We could make it work."

"I'm not sure," Sven said quietly. "It seems like our emergency solution is better. The risk of him being too strong remains."

"No." Keikain objected. "The emergency solution is not better. That was only if there was no other choice."

Sven shrugged. "Tom said it was a scientist. Even if we could, I wouldn't feel right."

"Stop." Keikain raised a hand. "Tom, can we still reach it?"

"He…" Tom corrected the other man absently. "He is still in the cave on the roof with an open entry. There were no new defences that I saw."

"So yes."

"But way too strong for you to fight."

"But it is by itself."

"His self," Tom corrected again. "But."

"Tom." Keikain said angrily. "We don't have the luxury of not taking risks."

"We're not doing it Kei." Clare interrupted quietly. "Look at Sven. He won't agree."

"But the alternative…"

"Is my call…" Sven insisted. "Not yours. We've decided that already."

An awkward silence deadened. With everyone looking between the three with the cursed bloodline. They all appeared like they wanted to kill each other. Not quite lovers having a quarrel but that sort of vibe.

Michael cleared his throat. "Tom, if you're not sleeping. Do you want to lose some credits." He waved the two dice he was holding. "It's fun and will take your mind off stuff and you can tell us why you're so confident, our friend…" The healer waved up in the right general direction. "Is so confident on timelines."

Michael's sole intention was to break the growing tension. If tom picked that up, then everyone else would have too. Personally, Tom was not interested in the game but he recognised why he should make an effort. Especially after Michael went out on a limb like that. He nodded got up and joined the circle. Everyone shuffled over to create an additional spot.

"We're playing craps," Michael told him cheerfully. "Do you know the rules?"

Tom shook his head.

Michael winked. "Perfect."

They tried to explain the rules, and he started playing without knowing them fully. It felt like they changed the rules mid game on him. Everyone else insisted there had been no cheating, but when he rolled a seven, he was refused a win.

"This is ridiculous." Tom threw his hands up in the air. "That was a winning roll last time."

"That was a first roll. This time you needed to roll a five before the seven." Harry explained.

"Nope, I don't get it."

They all laughed at him.

"Come on, don't be a sour looser." Michael ribbed. "We've all had bad runs and your luck will turn."

"No." Tom raised his hands to deny them. "I'm out. I'll watch. Learn the rules and maybe join later."

"Your loss. Who's rolling?" Michael asked.

Harry got the dice and the next round started.

He wasn't sure whether he had been told the wrong rules deliberately, misremembered or been outright deceived but the roll he had lost on had been a true loss. He had apparently suffered a run of bad luck. They weren't betting much on each hand, so he had only lost a hundred auction credits, but that was a lot more than anyone else was losing, and he hated losing. It smarted, but the pot wasn't large enough for them to actively cheat for, so he was probably just bad at dice and remembering rules.

Absently, he watched the game and understood where he'd gone wrong and why he thought the rules changed even when they didn't. Craps were more complicated than he had believed.

Their fun was not his. So after watching politely for ten minutes he left the game and retreated to the far side of the room where his bedroll was. It was still too early to sleep and just as he was wondering how best to entertain himself Sven came over and sat down next to him.

Tom examined the man and was pleased by what he could see. It was like a great weight had lifted off his shoulders. Sven now moved like he was internally comfortable instead of detesting everything about himself. That overlay of self-loathing that have been so obvious had faded somewhat. It was probably the result of Toni treating him so normally, and Tom had to admit it was a good change.

"Not the gambling type?" Sven asked.

"I don't like losing."

Sven barked out some laughter. "I think that is the perfect epithet on your tombstone. Suits you flawlessly. 'Here lies Tom. He didn't like to lose.'"

"Hopefully, there will be nicer words to go along with that."

"The saviour of humanity?"

Tom chuckled. "A man can dream."

"I think we all share the same vision."

In the dice game, Michael roared in triumph and pumped his fists.

"I stopped playing because I didn't enjoy losing either." Sven admitted. "It's rigged. I reckon Michael's secretly uses fate."

"He hasn't." Tom told Sven. "I've been observing carefully."

"He's not dumb enough to do that in front of you. If I wanted to cheat, I would do it when we're doing the prayers, to stop the creatures from seeing Harry's rituals. Ten points for safety and two to influence the gambling."

"Michael," Tom shook his head. "He doesn't seem the type."

"I suspect for him it would be an investment in team morale. He doesn't use it to enrich himself just on whoever he thinks needs the boost."

"I needed a pickup."

Sven laughed. "Tom. You do not." The smile abruptly vanished from Sven's face. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me. Getting involved in this group. You saved my life, man. I appreciate it."

Tom wrinkled his nose. "Nope. I did what…"

"What anyone would do?" Sven interrupted, raising a single eyebrow. "We both know that's a lie. I made an awful decision, and that has consequences and I'm happy to face them. It took a while, but you've helped me get through this, showed us a better path. I wanted to tell you that from now on I'm going to show backbone. Everything going forward will be my choice. I'm not being bullied or forced to do anything anymore. I swear."

"What are you talking about Sven?" Tom looked at the other man closely.

Sven smiled was a touch of sadness and also a fair bit of genuine emotion. He truly looked like he had successfully defeated the doubts that had been plaguing him.

"I'm just thankful for your understanding and support, and I wanted to express that to your face."

"Fine." Tom grumbled, feeling a little uncomfortable.

"I've wanted to do it for a few days. It's just that you're being sleeping the whole time. I haven't had a chance to chat."

Sven glanced at the pile of corpses, which now had insects buzzing around them. "I really enjoyed that fight. It's a pity there haven't been more of them."

"Yeah, I only feel like the real me when I fight, too."

"I know it's weird, isn't it. We're now back amongst humans, supposedly able to have a more normal life, but there's something about having the sword in your hand fighting something that will tear the flesh from your bones, which is more alluring than all the trappings of civilisation."

Tom grinned at that image. "I understand exactly what you mean."

They chatted for another hour and then Tom genuinely tired, excused himself.

He lay down and focused. It was time to find out more about the trial.

Because he was actively triggering True Dreaming to give a directed vision, it activated immediately.

It took him a moment to orientate on exactly what type of mind he was sharing. It did not seem to be someone that he had been in before … no that wasn't right. There was something with the way the person thought, every movement carefully choreographed, a focus on preventing falling. How the muscles felt in his skin, that constant pressure on the outside of the hip.

It was the person from the field of miniature trees once more.

Tom was surprised that it had taken as long as it had to place who it was. With Keikain, Everlyn, the dragon he had known straight away the second time he shared their past. This time, he got disorientated. He guessed it was related to being thrown into so many minds that they were beginning to overlap. The way they no longer felt distinct, except the dragon. Her existence was so alien to his own and burned with its own unique putrid arrogance there was no chance of misidentification with her.

But for other sapients, the more he used the skill the harder to differentiate them it was going to become. Especially those whose thought patterns were close to humans.

He considered that for a moment.

This person was not human.

There was no way the ponderous, balance focused thought patterns that Tom could feel it making could originate from a human.

There was a sharp pain on the person's knee which grounded Tom back into the present, the silent observer once more. He concentrated on getting the context of the current scene.

This time, the person was standing with people… well children and teenagers as there were no adults. They were crowded around him. The man's eyes skipped over them. There was an impression, the memory of lots of clever strikes on his ankles, then knees, then hips as they grew older.

A sense of quiet pride.

Deliberately not moving too quickly to risk hurting them he glanced around with a sense of indulgence ready for the pain and willing to welcome it. A face, strange to Tom's sensibilities, but classical beautiful to the mind he shared was peering up at him. There was a scar on the nose from when Flaga had first surprised him and caused him to lash out. She had proudly shown the cut to everyone for months, bragging about her success.

They were yelling at him, making demands… threatening him with harm.

Tom suddenly realised what he was witnessing. These were the person's children. They had gathered around him to press a point home and his vision had started mid discussion, so to speak.

What was the context? Tom wondered to himself, and focused on recent memories. They had come as an already formed crowd with not a single adult amongst them or nearby. All of his children. Both official acknowledged and non, not that he had ever differentiated even if everyone else did. Not all traditions were good especially if they impacted kids.

Flaga struck him with her nails, digging into his stomach and potentially drawing blood. A sense of pride went through him. That had to have been some type of powered Claw Strike, the mind decided with excitement. To have it at her age… it was incredible… She was a prodigy.

"You must do as they say." Flaga demanded.

It was the same line that all her kids had been saying, but he acknowledged her regally. Her blow deserved nothing less.

"Challenge everyone around and take their must preserve your life. For us." She clung to him, leaving her claws embedded slightly within him so that he could feel the continuous pain and be forced to acknowledge her. He did so with honest focus even if her pleading given the source did not deserve a verbal response.

There was a stinging pain on his ankle.

He looked down. Bludi was there with an enchanted finger dagger that the child should never have been allowed anywhere near. The religious nuts must have given it to him.

"Papa not die."

And fed him the right lines to say, the mind Tom was in thought contemptuously. This was all a setup. They had gathered his kids and set them upon him to try to force him to change his mind.

It was not right.

In fact, it was wrong. One did not interfere in family units, not for any excuse. The stubbornness and self belief of the mind he was experienced closed up. There was only a single response necessary as far as Tom's host was concerned.

"Honour demands otherwise."

"But you will die!" Flaga claimed with tears in her eyes.

"Then I'll die with my honour intact."

The dream ended.

It had been short sharp and to the point. This person was being shown to Tom for a reason. It had to be because he was a potential ally and when they met in the trial, Tom was determined to do everything he could do to recruit him. The more aid he could get to defeat the dragon and the insects the better.

With his mind made up and a small amount of amusement toward the family gathering he had witnessed Tom drifted off into both abstract and non-memorable dreams.

He woke feeling refreshed.

A long sleep then, he thought to himself as he assessed his mental state. That meant that he could push another True Dreaming vision when he slept next. It was the perfect use of time spent in the cave.

Tom stretched.

Then froze.

There was a noise.

The sound of someone sobbing. He snapped awake dreams of rough family gathering and new allies forgotten.

Chapter 195

It was definitely someone sobbing and not the innocent 'I've had three digits of my right hand crushed and it hurts,' type of crying. This was deep anguish that came from the inner soul. Tears of loss and regret.

Instantly, the last dredge of sleepiness vanished. His skill, Instant Awareness, kicked in and he was alert as he had ever been on earth.

Battle Awareness activated and with adrenaline pumping through him he slipped out of the bedroll into a crouched position. Years of practice meant that cloth used for warmth did not impede his movements as he flipped it out of the way. His feet were set firmly, and he was prepared to launch an offensive or defensive manoeuvre in any direction. His spear was a welcome presence in his hands and his eyes searched the cave for a threat.

Nothing blared out a warning by being out of place.

The pile of bodies remained untouched. The disgusting fluids the kobolds released as they rotted still pooled underneath them through Keikain's tinkering over the last two days had drained some of it away and prevented it from spreading.

It stunk even with the spell Thor had purchased that he used religiously to reduce the impact.

Without sufficient water to flush the liquid or loose earth to bury the corpses, there was only so much they could do and magic was limited against the sheer quantity of decay that was occurring.

Tom continued his methodical sweep of the area.

Toni was crying, with both Everlyn and Clare crouched down to comfort her. The other two girls were not alarmed and didn't have their weapons drawn.

What was happening? He wondered to himself.

"Easy there Tom." Michael said. The healer was on his feet, walking towards him having departed a grouping of Rahmat, Harry and Thor. There was no dice game in progress, instead they held mugs and they had been having a hushed conversation.

Toni was crying. Tom's mind kept coming back to that fact. The other women comforting her, the men excluding Keikain who was working had been near the main cave exit… getting drunk, Tom realised abruptly.

Tom's mind froze slightly as he interpreted the various details. The hard edges, the emotions, Keikain's deliberate isolation and Sven…

Sven was not here…

And Toni was crying.

Michael was two metres away, and Tom studied the healer's face. The eyes that looked back were blood shot.

"Sven?" Tom said quietly. Silence greeted his question. "Where's Sven?"

"Tom… I." The healer stopped talking.

Thoughts and possibilities rushed inside Tom's head. Alternatives, outcomes, timelines, cursed bloodline points they all spun within him, the earlier conversation with Sven, all of them throwing out options and fears. He shot a glance over to Keikain who appeared all too innocent.

Oh, no. Please no. the thought ripped through Tom as a potential explanation occurred to him. Only his chat with Sven yesterday and the True Dreaming visions stopped him from leaping up and confronting the earth mage, who was deliberately not looking in his direction.

Those visions,Tom told himself had been for a purpose. They had been for this instant and he would not let the warning of his Skill go to waste. He would not allow himself to over react.

Tom forced himself to look away from Keikain to Michael. He knew he was glaring unfairly at the healer, but couldn't bring himself to stop. "What happened? Tell me"

"He ran out of time."

There was a burst of crying from across the room, and Toni doubled over. Everlyn and Clare… both comforted the woman. Clare doing that made his blood boil further.

"He was going to go mad," Michael continued the explanation. "He explained his dwindling points and the fact that he would get stronger when he lost control and all of us together might not be strong enough to take him down. So he sacrificed himself before that happened."

Tom's mind was racing. While he had his suspicions there were too many gaps. "What about our camouflage ritual? I thought none of us could leave."

"That's correct. But an opportunity came up while you were sleeping. Low perception, geese like birds took over the whole place briefly. It was a chance to get him out. I wanted to wake you, but Sven insisted he'd already said goodbye to you and he didn't want you to lose the chance to gather intel that might help us survive. He was a grown man, and he made his choice, so we helped him leave during the limited window."

Michael stopped talking for a moment. "I know we should have woken you, but it was Sven's wish for us not to. It's sort of like giving a man on death's row a last meal. I couldn't deny him that final request."

Tom lowered his head. It didn't make sense. "And?"

"His stated plan was to fight through the immediate monster host and then find some sapients to sustain him and link up later." Michael shook his head. "We both know that's not what he planned. Even if he found sapients, he wouldn't sacrifice them. He went to die."

Keikain was still refusing to look in his direction, and Sven should have lasted longer than the other two. His visions had made that clear. Still, he could be wrong and leaping to conclusions, so he suppressed his emotions and concentrated on accumulating the facts. "Did you see him die? Did he fight valiantly."

"He did." Keikain interrupted suddenly. "But he didn't get far. The geese were rank twenty one after all."

Tom did not look away from Michael. "How did the monsters react to his presence?"

"I didn't see…"

"As you would expect." Keikain answered. "They swarmed him."

"Why is Keikain answering these questions?" Tom asked in a flat tone. While internally, he asked different questions. How had he done it? He guessed he was about to find out.

Michael looked slightly distressed. "Keikain's answering because he and Clare were the only ones who saw."

Tom's emotions froze. The clues were coming together to perfectly. He didn't want to push further and confirm it, but he couldn't help himself. "I don't understand."

"We wanted to keep you safe." Keikain interrupted. "Over the last week we realised how far you went out of your way to save us. We appreciated it and Sven having to leave was our fault, and we didn't want that to create a vulnerability. When it was obvious that Sven was going to need to sneak out before the event ended, well… sneak out if the monster composition provided a window, we collected our points and purchased an artefact that would allow us to extract him without exposing Harry's camouflage ritual. We weren't sure we could get back in, but it in short, the safety of the rest of you was more important than our individual lives, so we risked leaving."

Liar! Tom screamed the words in his head but said nothing out loud and let none of the emotions play across his face. Those visions he had about how long each of them had before going mad had to have had a point. If it wasn't to save Sven, then it was for a different reason, and he wouldn't allow his emotions to destroy an opportunity before he understood what he was supposed to be doing with the knowledge.

"But I don't understand." Tom said cruelly. He did. He knew exactly what had happened and why the only thing he wasn't sure about was how he was going to react. "I don't understand why you and Clare would be needed. Couldn't Sven have activated it himself?"

"No," Harry interrupted, his slight intoxication making him more expressive than usual. "The artefact they purchased required blood sacrifice from three people. Three people had to leave to use it."

"Why didn't you get something more suitable?" Tom pressed. "It seems unnecessary to put yourself and Clare in danger. You only needed to get one person out. This three person artefact seems stupid and a little overkill."

Keikain shrugged and looked embarrassed. Tom's opinion had already transitioned from a grudging admiration to a strong dislike over the last week, but the act that Keikain was clearly putting on right now really grated on him. The earth mage was undeniably competent and an asset to have around, but as a person he left a lot to be desired.

What he was witnessing… This performance, the false embarrassment, made Tom wonder if other parts of his assessment were wrong. If Keikain was that manipulative maybe his strong dislike was underselling the emotions he should be feeling.

How could someone switch off like that? And pretend… after they had done… Tom forced himself not to think about it directly and mentally reached out to check the contract. He needed to understand the restrictions placed on their ability to sacrifice others. They weren't allowed to kill humans that was guaranteed while the mission ran … but what he wanted to know was if there was a loophole.

A Sven sized one.

The contract appeared in his mind and he drilled in around the definition of human.

This was a magical contract. There was no ambiguity in the definitions. The exact meaning of each clause was apparent to everyone who the contract bound. In this case, human was what Tom considered a human to be.

He felt like vomiting. His stomach was a dull ache, and he swallowed bile.

His definition and no one else's.

Tom wished he could go back and slap his past self. Why?

Why hadn't he thought it through?

Why hadn't he taken more time to compose this clause?

What did a cursed bloodline do to someone's classification as human? That was the key question.

Especially a cursed bloodline that changed those it infected on a physiological level. Their muscles were different, their affinities as well and how they grew would be separate from the rest of the humanity. That on its own wouldn't make them non-human, but the cursed bloodline did not stop there. It also drove them to commit abhorrent acts. To kill people, to abandon their humanity to allow them to coexist with their new non-human instincts and needs.

It all coalesced down to a single question.

Under the contract was Sven human?

Tom almost cried such was his fury. There was a loophole, and he had assumed that because it was a magical contact a way around the intentions was impossible. He had been wrong. If Keikain and Clare considered themselves to no longer be human… then… There would be no contractual blowback if they killed the likewise non-human Sven.

Internally, he cursed his sloppiness. This was something he should have prevented. If he had contemplated this outcome, even for a second, he would have closed the exposure. It wasn't like the problem was a stretch. He had been aware of bloodlines and if a person had evolved to gain a dragon's bloodline Tom would still have deemed them human. Those people were protected. But if someone was cursed, turned into something else like a wretched vampire from folk law… then… It was all the stories from earth that had created this blind spot… because in the case of someone being turned into a vampire like from the movies then Tom wouldn't consider them to be human anymore and that was his mistake.

"We were just thinking about protecting everyone else," Keikain continued. He appeared to be genuinely sad despite Tom's near certainty that it was an act. "We searched the auction house, but there was next to nothing that would work. Initially, we were looking for a spell to let him slip out, some form of random teleport… but I consulted with Harry and we weren't sure about it. There was a risk the random teleport might get directed to travel through Harry's ritual and burst it. Then we saw the artefact, and it was perfect. If we used it, you guys would be a hundred percent safe."

"What was it?" Tom asked and directed the question to Harry who looked startled at being put under the microscope once more.

The ritualist scratched his beard. "It was really clever. An artefact that had a magic shell to bind at least eight active rituals. When triggered, they would activate in a cascade. The design was brilliant and something I'm definitely going to develop in a few years. I can see so many ways to weaponise rituals better using the technique."

"Topic," Tom said with a smile, amused at Harry being so easily distracted with the potential of a theoretical discussion.

"Oh yeah," Harry chuckled. "My curiosity sometimes."

Tom coughed.

Harry glanced away, embarrassed. "Anyway. As I was saying, the first of those rituals was a powerful localised temporal displacement. It stopped time for a period in a small area. That let them step outside the coverage of my ritual and revert it to its locked state safe from observation, because no time existed during that period. That allowed them to exit completely. Then the other rituals kicked in that laid extra protections on top of what my defences already did. For example, it created a fifty metre circle of invisibility and monster expelling psychic deterrence… but really subtle. A barrier that would persist for at least an hour and then when done it would dissipate in a way that would be unnoticeable and even if it was observed it would draw the attention of whatever was probing the disturbance to the far side of the circle. Basically pulling it as far away from my ritual as possible. It was an amazing piece of work. Perfect for slipping someone out and giving them a chance to get back safely as well."

Tailored, Tom thought to himself, it was too perfect to have been a random item. They must have purchased and configured it with experience as opposed to paying with the more readily accessible auction credits. "That was a lucky find. Seems miraculous it was on the auction house."

"Yes, it was," Keikain answered with a perfect even tempo. "Which is probably why we panic bought it when we saw it. That was stupid," Keikain scratched his head and if Tom didn't know better, he would have believed the body language the man was projecting. That he had made a foolish mistake that happened to work out in the end. "We should have checked with Harry that it would work before buying. Luckily, he confirmed it was compatible… But it could have been a huge waste of credits… absolutely dumb in hindsight. But we were lucky, and the purchase worked out. We had something that would guarantee all your safety and give us a good chance to retreat after Sven was gone as well."

"And why didn't you watch? I can't imagine that Toni wouldn't have wanted to see to get closure." The question was once more directed to Harry.

"Tom," Michael warningly. "You're being callous."

Tom frowned and glanced over at Toni. He guessed the hostility he was treating Sven's noble actions with could be misconstrued.

"It was a side effect of one of the rituals." Harry answered. "Just like it stopped others looking in it prevented us from staring out. Obfuscated everything in both directions. It's the normal way these things work."

Tom shut his eyes to hide the emotions that were roiling through him. Nothing here was coincidence or luck it was all planned.

"Sven was at peace with the decision." Michael told him carefully. "He didn't want to go after the scientist even if it would have brought him more time."

"I'm sure he was." Tom answered.

"Before going, he gave a heartfelt speech," Michael continued, sounding worried. He had clearly picked up that Tom was furious about something even if the healer could not work out what. He did not have the knowledge from Tom's True Dreaming and his mind probably wasn't suspicious enough anyway to imagine that the three killers had lied, deceived and manipulated the situation to engineer the outcome that had occurred. "and I know Keikain and Clare don't have the best reputation, but they didn't coerce Sven into this action. I made sure of it. I took him aside and gave him a private consult with Everlyn, guaranteeing our privacy. This was Sven's decision. It is what he wanted. He regretted not being able to do more for you and the rest of us, but he had run out of time and he felt this was the only choice he had left. The best of several terrible options." Michael patted Tom sympathetically on the shoulder.

"I can see by your expression that you disagree. But we had a window of opportunity and Sven insisted he take it, and he wanted to let you sleep."

"He gave a speech?"

"Yes, he told all of us about the countdown and how he's worse than everyone else. That detail surprised us, well everyone but Toni. She already knew."

When Tom glanced up, Keikain wasn't looking at him and nor was Clare.

Tom had a choice to make.

He could take his spear and skewer Keikain before the man could move. Finish him here and now. He might get contract blow back.

He would get contract blowback. Tom corrected the thought, but the act would deliver justice.

At what price? He asked himself.

A significant one.

They would be under-manned, he would be crippled in the underground, his mission might never get started, let alone finished.

But there would be justice.

The spear was firm in his hands. A welcome presence that said I don't have duplicity. I will serve.

It was a single leap and thrust. Keikain would be helpless and if he was quick, he could also get Clare before the backlash hit. He shifted his position, got his hips under him, straightened the line, tensed his left foot to ensure it had a full purchase on the rock floor. His eyes flickered, checking to see if anyone was opposing him.

No one was. One moment of violence and it would be over.

Chapter 196

Tom's muscled trembled, but he didn't spring to attack.

The only thing that stopped him from exploding into violence was that True Dreaming had effectively prepared him for this situation. His instincts screamed at him to bring vengeful justice upon Keikain. To punish him for sacrificing his friend, but those previous visions they acted like dirt being scattered on a smouldering fire. A safety valve that released just enough pressure for him to reign in his homicidal impulses.

True Dreams were sent to benefit him. If that warning just let him destroy Keikain earlier than otherwise, then where was his profit? The visions he had received let him understand the pressure Keikain had been under regarding his personal madness. That was fine, but they were not needed to uncover the deception. There was never a pathway where Tom would have failed to unravel Sven's fate. Pre-knowledge of bloodline point restrictions and the timing of the descent into insanity changed nothing.

Tom knew his own personality and he would not have let things lie. There was no reality where he wouldn't have investigated further. Only Clare and Keikain had been present when Sven sacrificed himself. Nope. Internally, he shook his head. That would have set off his bullshit metre at maximum intensity. He would have asked questions and Keikain would have been compelled by their contract to answer them. Failing that, True Dreaming would have revealed the truth of the matter in short order when he attempted to live the final moments of Sven's death to see what happened. This was a secret that was always going to be exposed. Tom was a hundred percent certain of that.

It was a simple deduction that the reason for those earlier visions had to be something else.

It was foam retardant thrown over the red hot flames of his fury. The pre-warning suppressed him and stopped him from acting.

Forcefully, Tom released the tight grip on his weapon. He stood and then, with an effort of will, forced the spear to vanish into spatial storage.

Yes, he could have claimed justice now, but he didn't have to. This was something he could do later and getting contract backlash down here would probably be the death of them all. Tom was comfortably the highest ranked of them and the only one who could fight the monsters in the circular eco system on a one-to-one basis. The rest of the group needed his abilities to escape the underground and after that they had a mission to fulfil.

Tom detested the situation, but lashing out with ill-considered violence was not the best option. Justice could be served cold, even if it took a few years to ferment.

Justice Tom promised himself would be served.

Keikain, despite his outward act looked concerned.

Tom smiled internally. The other man thought he was a mastermind, but he didn't know how close he had just come to dying in the cave. He was alive, not because of anything he had planned out, but because Tom willed it to continue to be so.

There would be no murder today, but the second question Tom had to ask himself was should he confess to everyone else. Explain the dreams and reveal the farce that Keikain and Clare's fake grief truly represented. Then they all would understand the anger the bubbled within Tom.

Something warned him away from that path. There was a certainty there that did not belong. A conviction that after a moment of self-reflection could only have arisen from True Dreaming. Those dreams along with being intended to stop him from murdering the bastard immediately were also there to stop him from sabotaging the other man's position within the group.

There was more to life than faux morality even if it was easy to settle for firm black and whites. There were shades of grey and sometimes evil ignored was a wiser course than evil purged. He had a higher responsibility and despite what Everlyn wanted, the right thing to do was not to indulge in ethics and self sabotaging moral gestures.

What would telling everyone about the remaining killer's newest transgression achieve?

Everlyn would become more broken. She would seek revenge and she wouldn't be the only one. Tom could see that when he glanced around. Toni was brawling her eyes out, thinking that her crush had died a hero, at least on some level. If she knew that she had been duped and Sven had instead been killed by the others, then what would she do?

How about Rahmat and Thor?

Tom already knew their views. What would this latest truth do?

He didn't need a master in psychology to know he sat upon a minefield.

The situation sucked, and there was a pit of despair in his stomach. He should have listened to Everlyn at the start. The allure of the bloodline, particularly once they got ten or twenty sacrifices under their belt and the accelerated fate use had seduced him.

He wanted that power working for humanity and had been willing to hold his nose.

Did this change anything?

Was what Keikain and Clare done even wrong?

They had a deadline. One of them was going to die, and all that changed was who. They had chosen themselves instead of leaving it to chance.

Was that evil?

Tom, if he thought about things logically saw why it all made sense. Sven wasn't a victim in the usual sense. It had been his plan.

And much as he still wanted to wring Keikain's neck Tom knew Sven had created this outcome. Yesterday Keikain had been pushing to attack the scientist to avoid the need for Sven to sacrifice himself. That had not been a mistake on the earth mages part. Keikain was competent. He would have known that such an attempt would have had a chance of success in the single digit percentages. Yet he had wanted to do that rather than sacrifice Sven. He had been willing to risk likely death to keep the three of them going.

Was Keikain truly wicked? Was he still a villain when you went beyond the obvious truths and assessed the entire situation?

Especially when you considered Sven's mental state. He had been truly distraught over what the bloodline had forced him to do. This sacrifice was an opportunity for the spellsword to escape the curse and boost humanity at the same time.

The messy inner motivations complicated everything. Yes, Clare and Keikain were misleading them all, but they weren't lying about the most important thing. Sven had chosen this course.

"What's up?" Michael patted his shoulder. "Tom? Your emotions… what's troubling you."

"I wish I'd been there to say goodbye."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Keikain sag in relief. For all the earth mages' evilness, he was very capable. He had noticed that Tom was reacting to more than Sven being missing. With Tom's True Dreamingskill, and the contract between them Keikain must recognise the risks. He would have to be terrified that Tom would choose to dig further and if he did, they would be exposed.

Not today, Tom told himself. For now, he would use them. Together they would do what they could to save humanity and then he would come down like an avalanche on top of the other man. Crush him, destroy him utterly and make him pay for this travesty of an outcome. Sven was the best person out of the three of them and he was dead as a result of Keikain prioritising his own life, potentially by deliberately escalating the feelings of guilt in the spell sword.

There would be justice, but now that he had calmed down it would have to wait till later.

"I wish we'd been able to find a suitable sapient in order to have avoided the situation completely."

Michael frowned at that. "A terror one."

"Exactly." Tom didn't smile. His eyes pinned the earth mage and wondered how much time he had. Had he extended the counter by days or weeks? He couldn't ask here because people would overhear, but once they were moving again, there would be an opportunity and Tom would ensure he got the details.

Toni continued to cry in the corner. Tom forced his eyes away and studied the ritual display that Harry had created. It looked like some eight-legged cat like monstrosity was the latest joinee, to the melee. They were the size of hippopotamus, however; they moved with all the savage grace of the terrestrial cats.

All that physical prowess, and they were still being butchered by the entrenched monsters.

It was boring, and he turned his attention away from that and went through his exercise forms.

Sven was dead, and he was doing nothing to stop it. He thrust savagely.

It felt like a betrayal.

"Tom."

He stopped mid spin and faced Rahmat.

"Would you like to spar?"

Tom hesitated for a moment worried that his fury might result him hitting the other man too hard. Then he decided that they had extra healers and he could trust himself not to kill. "I'll try not to hurt you too badly."

Rahmat laughed. "We have healers. Just avoid head blows."

"Agreed."

They clashed in a violent explosion of force. Tom focused on his form and making sure his higher attributes did not carry the fight. He forced himself to slow down. Dodge kicked in and out as Rahmat ran through his various skills to steal time and space away from him. It left a couple of minor scratches on him.

Harry, Thor and Michael all stood on the sidelines with their weapons drawn. They looked hopeful.

Tom grinned. "Fine, all at once. Don't hold back."

They attacked.

Suddenly, he was dodging in earnest. They knew about his teleport ability and sought to frustrate it by blocking the surrounding space. Time slowed down to the maximum amount. Tom mentally assessed the situation. They had him caged.

A thrown spear, two daggers and the primary weapons acting to stop a teleport while Thor's hammer swung at his midriff.

If his teleport let him twist his body slightly…

There was a click as something gave way, and the teleport occurred. He was used to his perception changing, but this time his body orientation shifted as well.

The hammer missed. He parried a spear strike and leapt back to create space. "Take that. That's a teleport level."

Everyone looked like he had two heads.

"Are you sure?" Michael asked. "It's tier four, and it's only been a few days."

Tom, with a blink was in his system room with the skill displayed up on the board.

Skill: Battle Teleport (1) (tier 4)

This skill allows the user to teleport in any direction by exactly five centimetres every three seconds.

The entire body is affected and the base skill provides a minimal capacity to adjust the positioning.

Levels will unlock extra flexibility.

He read the details and returned to the real world once more. "You're right, there has been no leveling and no sideways evolution."

"Okay," Michael said, with a confused expression.

"But the skill has changed."

"It's name?"

"No, the description has shifted slightly. It used to state explicitly that there was no ability to re-position, but now there is minimal capacity to do so."

"That doesn't seem particularly material." Michael said doubtfully.

"That's because you're not a fighter like us," Harry interrupted. "It's a game changer."

"It is." Tom admitted, giving Harry a wry glance. Harry was an academic at heart, but Tom remembered how he fought against the goats. While his natural inclinations made him better as a support person, Tom got the feeling that he had a warrior heart and was happiest when fighting. He obviously considered himself to be more of a fighter than Michael. "You guys had me pinned so that Thor's blow was going to hit, but I was able to turn my shoulders slightly when teleporting and slip into a gap that wouldn't otherwise be there."

"Also going to be vital during skirmishes." Harry pointed out. "Once you get used to it, you'll be able to teleport and not lose your footing."

"I'm well aware of that." Tom agreed. "Come on. Let's see if it makes a difference."

They attacked as one and given his proven ability to dodge they coordinated their strikes. Everyone but Harry went for space, which meant if he dodged he risked running into their blows. A teleport took him to the left and back. Thor's hammer swept through the air just missing his shoulder. Harry's spear flashed through the gap next to him.

Tom smiled as he immediately pivoted off both feet. The improved teleport having allowed both feet to remain pressed on the uneven ground. For once, he had not had to wait for gravity to give him a grip with one of his feet. With a smile, he threw himself into the routine. In the first engagement, he had been forced to counterattack to create space. This time, there was no need. All he did was dodge, parry the occasional attack and teleport as required.

They pulled back, gasping for breath.

"Verdict?" Michael asked.

"I think I can move about five percent of my mass to a new location… maybe ten percent if I push, but that gives me a longer cooldown."

"So basically you have to keep your general position each time." Harry said.

"Yes, but ten percent lets me turn my shoulders slightly, or extend a leg, or duck my head, or reposition a hand. In the heat of battle, they're pretty large changes not to mention that I'm moving five centimetres from where I was before."

"It must be nice being a Tom." Michael said dryly. "All these overpowered upgrades coming so easily."

"You weren't saying that when I was being stung by a thousand wasps."

They all laughed at that.

"No, you're right. I was happy being the protected healer then."

"Again?" Tom suggested.

"Jingyi, girls, any of you want to join in?" Michael asked with a grin.

Toni and the scout stood and came over.

"If you give me a spare spear?" Everlyn proposed holding out a hand.

"I don't think seven on one is fair."

"Don't worry about it Tom," Michael said, laughing. "You'll probably improve your teleport again."

Tom produced his second weapon and tossed it to Everlyn, and they all circled around him.

Then they attacked at once. Everlyn must have coordinated them all with her party chat.

Black Dodge kicked in immediately. Teleport saved him, but instantly they closed in again. They might not be used to group tactics, but they all knew how to fight, even Michael.

The attacks came impossibly quickly. He endured. Touch Heal flared constantly to heal the wounds they left. A hammer hit his shoulder and sent him crashing into the disgusting mess of kobolds. Thor laughed in glee, and Tom had to roll frantically to the side as multiple weapons thrust at him.

Fate crashed around him, a small tsunami. All of it was his own, as none of them were wasting fate on something as trivial as a spar. The fate affected the battlefield as the build up got converted into action.

Everlyn slipped on a smear of kobold juice despite her attributes. She tumbled to the ground right in front of him. He had the option of slamming the base of his spear into her face and knocking her out, but that was a step too far. Instead, he directed the blow at the last moment and gave her a stinger on her biceps. Thor crashed into Michael and Tom already leaning forward went with an impromptu forward roll and thrust his spear out to tangle Rahmat's feet, which sent him sprawling into Toni and Harry. As a trio, they toppled over.

He rolled under a pair of Jingyi knives and lashed out with a punch instinctively. The scout collapsed gasping for breath.

Tom stood in the middle cave. Everyone else in the bout was on the floor.

"Fuck, that fate build up is deadly when it goes off." Harry said from where he lay on the ground, panting.

"It's his black dodge." Everlyn said, picking herself up. "That thing effectively doubles or triples his attributes. The fate help is nothing against that raw boost in speed."

"I think it's the integrated teleport." Rahmat said. "I'm going to save for something similar. It totally changes the angles in the battle."

"It's all of it," Thor said. "His enemies are going to be in for a shock. If they don't overwhelm him immediately, they're going to be in for a terrible surprise, because you think you're winning, you see the blood and assume you're sapping his strength, but you're not. His healing keeps him at peak physical strength and the fate continually builds. The longer it goes the less chance you have and eventually…" Thor hit the rock under him. "Your environment betrays you and you fall when you shouldn't and then it is over."

Chapter 197

Tom smirked as everyone else started picking themselves up from the ground. In the end, the free fate he released with every dodge had been the difference. One on one or one versus seven it didn't matter once the fight had been going for more than a minute. "All bow before your great and mighty ruler." Tom quipped.

"You're not invulnerable," Everlyn told him quietly. "You're a cockroach that gains a level every time the enemy fails to kill you." She laughed. "At least on the battlefield, which makes you vulnerable. I've squished plenty of roaches on a first attempt."

"I know." He looked down at the ugly liquid sticking to his clothes and used his clean spell. It removed maybe a tenth of the accumulated gunk. It was going to take a while before he was cleansed. "The tyranny of rank still applies."

"And that dodge skill might be overpowered now, but when you are fighting in the big league and your ability doesn't have precognition…"

"I know, Everlyn. We all know my limitations, our vulnerability. Humans are weak. Eventually we won't be, but for the time being we need to accept our place in the world. If I go out there, I'll be overwhelmed and dead within a minute."

"I didn't mean it like that, Tom. I was just making sure you weren't getting ahead of yourself. Seven versus one might give someone the wrong impression. Let their ego get ahead of their skills."

"The kobolds reminded me of my place. A burst of early offensive fate is deadly to my build. Anything whose purpose is wanton slaughter is kryptonite to me at the moment."

"To all of us when they outrank us." Harry interjected.

Tom applied another clean, and it felt like it had made no impact. "I'm so sick of sitting here."

"We all are," Everlyn said. She looked sad and retreated to the girl's corner, which Clare had not moved from. Though Tom saw how Everlyn sat deliberately with her back to the other woman. She might have thawed slightly over Sven's death, but she was not friendly to them yet.

Rahmat settled next to him. "That was a good spar."

"It was."

"Would it be out of place if I asked you a question?"

"Depends on the question."

The warrior held a small trinket. It was a privacy bubble, there was a flash of magic, and it activated.

"Suspicious."

Rahmat shrugged. "I use it all the time. Everyone else is used to it."

Tom checked, and no one was paying them any attention and he guessed in these close quarters, being able to have a private conversation was treasured and the attempts respected. "So, what's your question?"

"The way you spoke when you realised Sven was gone… what was that about?"

Tom looked at the other man, alarmed, while trying to recall what he had said. "I wanted the full story."

"And if I asked if there was more, would you answer?"

Tom froze, not sure what to say. If he lied, would it be noticed?

Rahmat's lips curled up. "I see. No need to answer that then. I thought as much." He paused for a moment and Tom saw he was studying Keikain. "My understanding was that the contract you put in place provided assurance."

The other man had not been part of the process and so did not have access to the details like Tom, but with an effort of will he sent the contract across. As the owner, unlike everyone else, he had the flexibility to share it with third parties.

A full minute passed. Rahmat shifted uneasily. "Hm. I guess that wording gives me peace of mind. Your definition of what it means to be human."

"Yeah it was a mistake."

Rahmat quietly started to clean his main spear. "I wouldn't want to be either of those two, though. It's going to be a hard few years worrying the whole time that my only ally might turn against me at any moment."

"I don't care. They can rot in hell."

"You liked Sven more than the others?"

"Didn't you?"

"True," Rahmat snorted. "For what it's worth, I agree with you decision. The weight you've taken on is immense and I admire you for accepting it. I always felt you were more impulsive than that. This shows real maturity."

"I almost killed him when I realised."

"I'm glad you didn't."

"Now. I'm going to use him. If we need bait, he is it. If we need someone to clean the latrines with their own toothbrush, he's the man."

Rahmat chuckled. "How about her? How do you know she is not the ringleader?"

"Same deal." Tom said quietly. "I'm not going to differentiate between them."

They sat next to each other in silence not saying anything beyond the occasional comment about the evolving war happening outside the entrance that was displayed by the ritual. While they sat, Tom used Clean regularly and the putrid mess from landing in the kobolds vanished. The privacy screen faded, and he patted himself down.

He was clean.

Tom yawned extravagantly. He had research to do, so he left his spot next to Rahmat and laid down on his bedroll and focused on sleeping and finding out what the dragon's weaknesses were.

Promptly, Tom found himself in a True Dream.

He was occupying the mind of the dragon. He knew it instantly just by the complete an utter sense of superiority that filled every one of her movements and minor thoughts. However, something was off. The body felt different from the previous times. Tom was immediately on alert. Placing the person he was in, the place and time, was vital for interpreting the validity of these dreams. If something had changed, trying to figure out what that was, had to be his primary focus.

She was flying, and the landscape was one he had never seen before. It was some sort of hilly jungle, with lots of unpleasant purples and lilacs. The surroundings were not as important as what else he felt. While the mind had the same arrogance and disdain for everything else, it felt less sure of itself and the body it existed in seemed weaker. It would be incapable of fighting like it had in previous visions because the raw power was not present.

Young, Tom realised to his surprise. The older dragon was jaded. It saw everything through a smog of contempt, of boredom, but this version did not possess that overlay. It observed the surrounding universe with interest and a desire to learn.

She breathed in deeply and did a lazy flip in the air. There was a thrill of pleasure at the uninhibited movement and then she shot up high and on the far horizon she finally spotted her target.

Three of them.

All of them from the same brood.

Her teacher at the academy might be shielded by his position, but he's descendants certainly were not.

What was coming was not a fair fight. The trio were far stronger than she was, but they were naïve, protected, sheltered, stupid. They thought the world was honourable. That the rules of engagement, the trapping of civilisation applied even here, where there were no witnesses.

They were alone and living in their idealised bubble without understanding what life truly was. A few strong flaps of her wings and she glided down, putting herself on an intercept course. It was a slow, boring chase, but they were stronger, so she couldn't afford for them to get their guard up. She had to pretend to be harmless.

Eventually, she drew alongside them and concentrated on the impression she was projecting. She maintained the attitude. All of her lines were neutral. Her tail was carefree and sinuous through the air, not a single scale rising. They were all flat like they would be on a dragon doing a joy flight in a culled area. Nothing in her demeanour suggested battle readiness.

The three dragons, of course, had noted her long before she got within breath range let alone as close as she was now where a mistimed flap would cause a collision. They had not been subtle in their examination, almost rude… she could easily take offense and kill them for that.

Internally, she laughed even as she continued to draw closer.

All they picked up was what she had wanted them to see. The lighthearted casual movements that showed a dragon not on the hunt but enjoying a leisurely flight.

They matched her posture.

Well, not all three of them. She knew their names because she had researched her target. Zalcrocag remained partially on alert. Several scales had popped up in partial battle readiness. Maybe she had been recognised, the dragon thought. That would be gratifying, extremely pleasing if her reputation had spread this far.

Or potentially, Zalcrocag wasn't as naïve as the other two dragons. It didn't matter she would need to be struck first.

A lazy flap of her wings had a drift right over Zalcrocag's back. The younger dragon, admittedly only by a couple of seasons, was watching her and it was amusing to see additional scales began to lift up, even the fine flight ones on her wings used in battle manoeuvres were activating.

The other dragon was transitioning to battle readiness, but it was too late. Zalcrocag was perfectly positioned and there was no escape especially as she wasn't even thinking of protecting herself against a mortal blow. She might have realised that the fight was coming, but her opponent still thought that rules existed. She didn't comprehend that this fight could be to the death.

Before preparation could become action, a sharp feeling of glee went through the dragon's mind.

This was living.

To take a life.

To kill and know the other didn't understand. That was power. That thrill of polluting their final moments with confusion and the opportunity was….

Now.

She dived, dipping to close the three metres separating them and bringing the other dragon into range. She struck out with her primary arm, pumping energy through it to make it heavier and move it faster. There was no choice of targets. There was only one spot she could hit to kill a dragon quickly, so she aimed for it. The carotid joint, two-thirds down the neck, the one spot where the natural armour of the dragon was incomplete.

With a burst of pleasure, she felt and heard the crack as her claw connected. The neck depressed, the bone moved and she could imagine internally the artery being crushed.

Zalcrocag instinctively dived to avoid further attacks, but no more was necessary. Fifty seconds of life was all the other dragon had. That was enough time for her to realise that she was going to die and to try to fail to understand why.

It was glorious.

As she plunged down and away, Zalcrocag squawked in warning.

Daughter of a festering anus, the dragon he was in thought in annoyance. If the others listened, that alarm might make them fight harder. She might get hurt! Momentarily, her anger flared brighter, then her customary calmness reinstated itself. If they hurt her, she would get revenge on their sister broods.

However, that apparently was not going to be necessary because the other two targets were still in holiday mode.

A simple sweep of her wings repositioned herself above the middle dragon. She could see Zalcrocag had transitioned to full battle posture… too late, of course, to threaten her. But if they all tried to fight back, it could cause things to be interesting for a bit. But first, she had to seize the full advantage.

The same thrill washed through her. It was the best feeling ever.

Her claw lashed out, targeting the same spot on the new dragon. She felt the bone give way, the click as the artery got crushed.

The exquisite cry of alarm, despair and horror that the dragon released when it realised that it had been ambushed. He dived as well, not to re-position to attack like Zalcrocag but to escape… but it was too late for him.

He would, of course realise and come for her, but she only had to survive a minute of one versus three and then the other two would fall and she could take her time with the third. The task was done. Laughing in joy, she flew upwards, trusting her slightly larger size to give her the speed to stay out of reach of their grasping talons while she out lasted the dying ones. They would perish not knowing why they had been killed and even better, despite seeing her and having her so close they would fail to land a single blow in retaliation.

Their ancestors would turn in their graves in embarrassment.

It was delicious.

They would chase her, the first two would die. The last she would play with and mutilate extra personally, then she would dispose of the bodies. She would never take credit for this, but the professor would know and the stories would spread. Next time, he would bow to her and give her the full respect she deserved. Everyone would learn when dealing with her, too. Give the maximum and not the minimum that the protocols required.

Or she would use it as an excuse to have a bit of fun.

The dream ended and like he often did after sharing that mindset Tom felt like vomiting. There was context he picked up without active thoughts to explain it. The slight had been minor. The professor had given her the allegiance of a minor lord to a higher lord as opposed to a professor to a higher lord. Either was technically correct, and the difference was no more than half a second and a few inches of extra lowering.

It wasn't even a slight as such it was just that the professor had used his higher external station as a base for calculations rather than only the school version.

However, to her that had been a sufficient reason to murder three innocent and unaware younger dragons.

It was how the species worked but in another way not… Tom got the sense that she was extreme even amongst the bloodthirsty race.

Not that it mattered. That had not been the purpose of the dream. Tom now knew their weaknesses. A single blow to a spot two-thirds down the neck would crush an artery. Mentally, Tom made a point of remembering the exact moves the dragon had enacted before she had struck. He focused on the strength and angles and engraved the knowledge into his mind so it would never be forgotten. He now knew how to kill the dragon.

With a sense of triumph, he slipped into a more standard sleeping pattern.

Tom, when he awoke was not in the mood to talk to anyone. The first thing he saw was the others huddled around Keikain. They had been celebrating the fact that he had done something to deal with the corpses.

It made him angry, and he threw himself into training. Midway through, Rahmat had stood up and offered a spar, but Tom had waved him away. He didn't want to practice against people instead he was happy to train his new teleport skill and incorporate it into his every single movement, while he worked through his emotions and how he could start punishing Keikain and Clare without anyone noticing.

Three hours later he collapsed his legs like noodles and his arms feeling like jelly.

"Tom." Michael said, coming right up to him and touching him on the forehead. Magic flowed into him and the build-up of exhaustion that even his Touch Heal hadn't been able to push away vanished.

"My god you're pushing yourself. What happened? Was it a dream?"

"No, and I don't want to talk about it."

"This is about Sven isn't it."

"No, it's not. Not directly."

"I'm sorry we didn't wake you. It was Sven's last wish and I couldn't bring myself to do anything."

"I'm not blaming you. Michael." Tom kept his gays fixed firmly on ground and refused to look at the earth mage. Despite what he knew, he would not get Michael involved. Just like confessing the problem to Everlyn, confiding in the healer would cause issues.

If he was going to use them effectively, Tom needed the team to function as a collective. Rahmat knowing the truth was already a problem, and he didn't want to create anymore points of potential failure. Especially now the internal cohesion seemed to be improving. There was something about Sven dying to protect the group that seemed to have brought the killers back into the fold. It should have gone the other way, but Tom guessed if everyone thought the behaviour had been noble that would put a different spin on things. Even Everlyn appeared less hostile towards them, which was ridiculous. If he told her the truth, he knew she would kill Keikain and Clare with the risk of contract backlash or not.

That was why he had to bite his tongue and had channelled his fury into physical exercise rather than to risk exposing the killers and creating more friction.

"I don't want to sound needy, but it certainly feels like you are blaming us."

"Not your fault. Not any human's fault. It doesn't matter."

"So, it was a dream."

"No… not a dream… its just that Sven dying shook me."

"Are you sure it wasn't a dream because if it was we can discuss it."

"No! It wasn't a dream! Because the latest one worked. I finally know how to kill the dragon."

"Really? How?"

"That's great news," Harry said from across the room. "What's the weakness?"

Tom tapped his neck and then explained to them all the complexity of landing the killing blow. The need for it to come from the right angle and that the dragon would be aware of the risk and wouldn't willingly expose the spot.

"Sounds as complicated as blowing up the death Star."

"Well, Luke had the force. We have fate." Tom quipped. "Seems as plausible."

"Real life versus movie," Harry said.

"Well, that's true."

"Plus none of us are strong enough to do what you just recounted." Everlyn pointed out.

"I know…" Tom massaged his head. "I just have to have faith that a solution will present itself."

Everlyn shook her head angrily. "Faith? What's happened to you? Tom?"

"Not just faith. Before we go in. I'll use an Oracle question. I'm getting twice as many now and we won't be blind. If we can't win, we won't go."

"After that." Everlyn shoved a finger in Keikain's direction. "Do we really still trust the oracle questions?"

Tom thought for a moment about that question. Then looked at the killers. Remembered everything they had done.

"We can workshop a joint question," Michael suggested. "The oracle questions worked. It was just if you asked the wrong thing you would draw incorrect conclusions."

"We'll work shop them." Tom promised. He knew he was going into that portal, but at least this way they had a chance of surviving it and if he had to waste a question to get the others on board. Then he would even if he already knew what the answer was going to be.

Chapter 198

They stood awkwardly as a group. The unspoken acknowledgement that they would be going into a trial that rival GODs had set up as a death trap for them hung in the air. It felt crazy, but everyone of them had abused the oracle questions in the tutorial and they understood that sometimes faith was required.

"We'll workshop the question to make sure it's right," Michael said finally to break the silence. "And I guess we also need to work toward gaining the resources to purchase a teleport. What sort of question do you think we should do? Personal survival or best for humanity?"

Everyone was silent for a moment as they considered that.

Rahmat cleared his throat. "I know the right answer is humanity, but I don't want to enter a trial where I'm likely to die. Especially if attempting it is only a slight benefit."

"Only one question?" Michael quirked an eyebrow at Tom.

"Maybe two."

"I think we assume one," the healer concluded. "It's happening within two weeks? But probably sooner?"

"Yes."

"Then definitely only the one. That makes phrasing it tricky. I'm with Rahmat on this one. I don't want to be risking near certain death for a slight improvement in humanity's outcomes. Like if I have a fifty percent chance of dying, I want that risk to double or triple the ranking points our entire group contributes. If my death is almost certain, then I need the average ranking points to be increased a hundred times to be happy participating."

Rahmat shook his head to deny that statement. "I'm all for living, but that's extreme."

"Well, yes, and no. It's our lives and we can work on the wording, but for every likely unit of death I want compensation. If entering effectively doubles our average ranking point contributions, but we are guaranteed to die is that a good outcome?"

"Maybe." Tom admitted sadly. "It's why we're here."

"Not the point I was making, Tom. Same situation, but our chance of being wiped is only fifty percent instead of assured, then that's better. Our likelihood of surviving has to be part of the calculation."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something suitably convoluted." Tom said with a laugh.

"Me? No. We. We will," Michael corrected. "But it's an interesting philosophical debate isn't it."

"No," Tom said immediately.

"If the GODS told you that killing yourself right now would guarantee you ten percent more ranking points than living your life would you do it?" Michael continued unperturbed by the interruption.

It was amusing to see that no one seemed to be keen to engage in the conversation.

"I'm going to have a snack and do research," Tom said into the silence and he quickly exited from the group. He was surprised to see that Toni and Clare stayed with Michael to continue the discussion while everyone else broke up.

Rahmat set up a spar to face all challengers.

Tom was hungry, and he grabbed food from his inventory. It was the stew from the previous day and still piping hot. All the cooked meals were put into the inventory to both maintain them and also to preserve their taste. The air because of the kobolds was so smelly that it was almost physically heavy. Their first stew left in the open for half a day had been inedible when they had reheated it.

Since then, they had been more diligent in their use of their spatial storage.

All though…

Tom sniffed carefully and was surprised by how fresh the cave smelled. Keikain's earth magic had made the bodies disappeared and that with the little ritual that Harry was maintaining had allowed the air to freshen up once more.

Time passed quickly and then the monster the scientist had identified as having the potential to clear the bottleneck failed dismally. The fight was over and it was dead before Tom had even recognised that it was supposed to the be the one capable of clearing the entire space.

That was a disappointment for all of them. They were well and truly sick of doing nothing.

He continued solo training and then the next of the monsters that had been circled as having the attributes to break the deadlock arrived.

"This is it?" Tom called out in excitement. The light spar between Jingyi and Everlyn was immediately abandoned as everyone crowded around the ritual screen to watch. Even Keikain abandoned his experiments with the unyielding underground rock to join them.

The monster wave approaching comprised of insect like creatures called a Leaping Tygoid Insertor. Within what felt like moments but was probably closer to a minute, a massive swarm of them appeared in the non-contested area of the canyon that the new monster packs approached from. They moved forward like a flood of spiders. The tygoid had a multi-segmented body the size of a small bird that was held up by fourteen stick-like legs that were many times longer than its tiny torso. The result was a monster that would come up to his waist but was made up almost exclusively of the spindly limbs.

The mass of insects noticed the reception that was in front of them because they immediately spread out without slowing. Now, instead of being concentrated in the centre, they stretched from cliff to cliff.

As they got closer, they started leaping. The tiny bodies launched a handful of metres into the air, and then they fell down upon the monsters waiting for them. The existing beasts were battle hardened by days of strife and they reacted to the suicidal charge of the tygoid's violently. They went on the offensive, but the tygoids had a skill that allowed their legs at the last moment to fold away to almost nothing. The attempts to cripple the attackers by targeting the visible legs failed and those small, insignificant torsos smacked into the waiting monsters. Some landed on heads, legs, back, but it didn't matter. The tygoids immediately bit down and injected their payload and the monster they had landed on seized up like they were being struck with lightning. The tygoids legs reappeared, folding out from the nothing space they had disappeared into and then they sprang forward once more with a massive leap.

It was not a one sided battle.

Every one of the leggy creatures on the left side of the canyon got destroyed by the snail like mollusks that sprouted flames that made the bodies curl up, drop and then not move anymore apart from the occasional torso that was subject to the laws of Physics and blew apart in a puff of smoke like a presser cooker going off as the superheated gas inside it overwhelmed the carapace to escape. The mollusks were clearly a hard counter for the insects, but while they got butchered on that side the ones in the centre and right rushed through the enemies almost unimpeded. The trick with their legs disappearing taking them past scything limbs and chomping jaws and let them land and bite down before they leapt forward once more.

They were an unrelenting wave that was only broken in a couple of spots like what happened on the left. Occasionally they ran into a monster that countered their weird attack style, but the pockets of resistance that could do that were few. Fully half of the monsters that entered reached the other end. It was clear that if they chose to pause and continue the fight, excluding the mollusks and a couple of other groups that the tygoids would win. But they did not launch another attack or stop to eat instead they kept marching forward happy to leap frog the obstruction and maintain their cycle of the ecosystem.

The entire fight had taken less than ten minutes to occur.

In their cave, hidden on the side, they looked at each other in confusion. This was not how any of them had expected the first of these potential clearing battles to go.

"That was?" Harry shook his head. "Surprising?"

"It was good," Everlyn stated. "They've almost broken it. Look. They're fighting amongst themselves." She pointed.

The creatures that had been bitten had not died like they had originally thought. Instead, they had been stunned, and that was now wearing off. They were like zombies rising from the dead. Their steps were unsteady, but then becoming increasingly stable. There was something wrong with them and then, with unbridled fury they attacked the fellow monsters surrounding them.

"That's a dangerous ability," Jingyi commented.

"But it's not enough to clear the canyon." Michael said. "Those parasited bodies aren't strong enough to kill everything else left alive."

Tom agreed with the healer's assessment. The parasited bodies, as Michael described them were clearly not as strong as the unaffected bodies. They were still capable of killing an opponent but sort of on a five to one basis versus the one to one you would expect if they had returned at full strength.

The tygoids had however done a number to the creatures below. It was hard to calculate relativities, but it felt like over half the massed monsters had been destroyed. "The tygoids were the first of many potentials," Tom answered absently. "But they've definitely weakened the defences."

"Hate to be a downer, but that doesn't mean anything," Michael replied. "I've seen this happen before. A particular vicious fight that reduced the combat strength down there significantly. But then more packs come," Michael shrugged. "They do some damage and carve out their own territory. Then the next pack comes and repeats it and pretty quickly it's all jammed up again. A few hours after that, it's back to be being as strong as ever with a different mix of creatures."

"I know, but I was in the scientist's mind. He knew what he was doing. He was certain that the monsters coming through over the next ten hours will clear it."

"Ten?" Keikain complained.

"Fifteen monster packs… that's how long it will take to cycle. There is nothing we can do to speed it up, through its possible one of the earlier potentials might win and we get out sooner."

On the screen, another pack appeared. They were caterpillar type creatures that swam through the air. Tom nodded in satisfaction. It was only thirty-five minutes after the tygoids at least the time between the groups was not extending yet. The packs slowing down due to a lack of pressure were what would often clear the circulars when they clogged up. They were lucky they were not relying on that phenomenon because if they were they would probably be here for another couple of days.

A third, fourth and then fifth wave of monsters struck. The losses were significant on both sides, but the remaining monsters folded into the collective and the fighting strength of the area began to rise once more.

"What's that?" Harry said suddenly pointing at the very edge of the ritual. "That has to be the eldritch's. They're a candidate aren't they?

"They are," Tom agreed as he studied the approaching force. Their movement differed from most of the groups they had witnessed. The eldritch's maintained actual formations as they travelled keeping a perfect distance apart from each of their neighbours.

The main mass of each creature was the size of a human, with a dozen tentacles sprouting out from the top and bottom of their bodies, which they used to both move themselves and wield the chunks of stone loosely shaped like a giant blade that they carried. Each of the stone blades was held by four tentacles and each creature wielded between one and three of them. The creatures were a dark green colour, and each tentacle was a thickness of Tom's wrist and two to three metres long.

"They look…" Toni rubbed her eyes in this disbelief.

"Horrifying." Claire finished for her.

They had stopped with eerie precision in neat rows when they had noticed the crush of monsters ahead of them. It was like the mass of near identical creatures examined the situation in front of them and identified opportunities. There was a subtle reorganisation within the terrifying creature's ranks. Some shuffled forward others back. It all happened in a handful of seconds and afterwards they were distributed with the same precise distance between each of them.

"Bloody creeps." Rahmat said and made a cross on his chest.

The sinister creatures moved as one. They compressed themselves and positioned to fight unfortunately, on the far left-hand side of the canyon, which was the farthest monster position from their vantage point.

They couldn't see much, but the gap between each of the eldritch monsters closed, and they surged forward in a disciplined line with all the individuals moving exactly in rhythm with those around it. The synchronicity extended down to individual tentacles.

It lasted till they hit the monster lines and then, like every battle Tom had seen the struggle descended into chaos. There was bitter fighting for a couple of minutes, with the main visible display being those massive blade shaped stones rising up and descending.

Abruptly, for no apparent reason, the horrors retreated. With an instant, they were once more in perfect formation except the occasional eldritch, which carried one of their wounded.

They reassembled in their neat lines but this time seven of their number were left in the centre of the arrangement. They were the injured ones and all of them had lost tentacles, with one of the seven having lost every single tentacle, except for one which had been halved from its normal length.

There was another reshuffling, and then they surged forward again. They hit the same spot. Fought for a minute before they retreated.

More wounded were placed in the centre, but one of the monsters injured in the first skirmish stood and retook its place amongst the ranks. It was missing tentacles and carried only a single stone blade, but apart from that it looked as fighting fit as all the others.

"Fast healing," Harry commented. "If we fight them, we need to apply Tom protocol to them."

"Cockroach?" Toni asked amused.

Harry grinned and sent Tom a wink. "Exactly. Make sure when we squish them they stay dead."

There was something about the still ranks of tentacle monsters, which was deeply unsettling, and it did not only affect the ten of them watching through Harry's ritual. The monsters that were already waiting in the canyon sensed it too. They were restless. Unofficial ordering that had applied for days was breaking down. Groups on the front line were trying to push in deeper. Other sections shrank in on themselves, reducing the amount of territory they were defending to make their footprint smaller and their defensive lines more compressed.

The horrors surged forward and then abruptly sideways. A bunch of wolf like creatures fled from the surprise attack. Overwhelmed by fear, they turned their back on the eldritch horrors and fled straight into the remnants of the kobolds. The near humanoids never stood a chance against the savagery of the wolves and were torn apart in the unexpected melee.

The tentacled monsters were satisfied with their feint and did not follow the wolves. Instead, they retreated and fell into their perfect formations, but their ploy had done its job.

The disturbances spread.

A domino reaction occurred and pockets of fighting broke out amongst monsters across the entire field. Creatures that, while not being friendly with each other had been battle companions for days turned upon each other. Unwritten truces were thrown away in moments, and the instigators watched in perfect stillness.

The eldritch abominations observed the spreading chaos that was at such odds with how they held themselves. They had not weathered the skirmishes untouched. Almost a third of them were injured in the centre, but food and bodies from their first couple of attacks were passed towards them. The damaged horrors feasted on the supplied corpses, and the group stayed out of battle as the rest of the monsters tore themselves literally to bits.

The two-thirds of them that were still healthy launched another charge. This time, the enemy fought. Rock wolves stood their ground and were pounded into fragments, and then they kept rushing forward. The mollusks that had been so effective against the tygoids died their flames being redirected by some form of anti-magic shield that sprouted from every fifth eldritch in formation. Then, having been barely slowed by the first two opponents they crashed into the edge of the territory controlled by some sort of floating slime.

The slimes, rather than meeting the threat head on flew sideways closer to the canyon wall, abandoning their territory and fleeing. The eldritch ignored them and continued plowing forward in a straight line right at an artificial hill made of piled monster bodied which was being guarded by a type of hawk. The hawks took one look at the monsters coming their way and leapt into the air en masse leaving their home they had defended for twenty cycles without hesitation. They flew away to attack some goblinoids on the far side of the canyon.

The eldritchs inexplicably retreated.

Three different groups tried to move onto the high ground the hawks had left empty.

Once more an all out, war broke out. The horrors were back in their starting spot with about half injured in the centre of their defensive lines. But it was clear that the group was healing and if pushed most of them could already return to battle.

They waited.

Almost forty minutes had passed and then all the horrors including the injured started moving. They compacted tightly and pushed forward into the monster held territory marching toward the canyon walls. The established monsters got out of their way and nothing challenged them. In short order, they were packed closely but positioned tight against the cliffs and effectively sheltered behind a host of other different types of monsters.

"My god," Toni said. "They are too smart. They're going to let the next lot of creatures finish the fight for them."

No one bothered responding. It was clear from the manoeuvres they had seen that this was exactly what they planned.

Twenty minutes later, there was a thundering roar, and a troop of monkeys with triple tails appeared. They struck the ground with their tails as one and even over a kilometre away through the underground they could feel the vibrations from the blow.

Five times they repeated the thump and then squealing they charged forward into battle.

The carnage was absolute, but Tom mainly had eyes for the eldritch horrors. They held their position and when the monkeys got close and saw the massed forces ready to attack; they shifted their focus away from the tentacled monsters toward the easier victims on either side.

The monkey's kept fighting their numbers dwindling precariously, but they were still alive, and Tom estimated ninety percent of the monsters that had been there before the eldritch creatures had arrived were dead. The tactics deployed had been devastatingly efficient.

For the last couple of days, the raw combat strength of the gathered monsters had been equivalent to three or four circular packs of monsters. Effective combat prowess, of course, was far higher due to the mix of types and abilities, but all of that was now gone. The tygroid that had passed through without stopping had reduced that amassed power to maybe being comparable to two packs. That had built up slightly till the eldritch horrors had appeared.

The overall fighting strength was above one, but eighty percent of what remained was the eldritch abomination themselves. The rest of the forces were as good as gone.

The final monkeys were killed as they refused to back off and create a mini territory in the larger framework. The eldritch took that as an opportunity to act. They swept out with less than a dozen remaining injured. With the pack at full strength, they butchered their way across the canyon.

Monsters that have been entrenched for days turned tail and fled and then suddenly there was no resistance left.

"Will they stay?" Michael asked him.

"No, they won't." Tom pointed. Already the stragglers, the one's closest to the entry to what had been the killing zone for days… they were moving. The ones closest to that entrance were no longer looking for enemies to execute instead they were shuffling in a perfectly coordinated line to escape the immediate area.

Within five minutes, the creepy things were gone.

Tom, conditioned by what he had seen over the last few days had expected them to stop and eat, but that didn't happen. The eldritch had kept going, and the path was unclogged.

The only question remained was whether the next pack would stop to eat and restart the process.

The monsters following the monkey were some sort of snake and they saw the remnants of the battle and if anything they sped up to get through and away from the killing field, though they all saw how they dragged dead bodies along with them to presumably be consumed while moving.

Then the next pack did the same and two hours later the circular was working once more.

Chapter 199

Everlyn stood and walked over to where she had been sleeping. "Finally. We're free." She began to pack up her gear.

"The problem of that watcher, the scientist, hasn't disappeared." Tom said.

She paused where she was rolling up her bed. "Is he still there?"

"True dreaming hasn't shown me either way but," Tom shrugged helplessly. "I think we have to assume he is."

"We've discussed this already." Michael interrupted. "We don't have access to enough experience or credits to buy individuals skills to hide us from someone with the perception you mentioned. Especially in this environment and if they have a bird's-eye view."

"Apart from my ritual."

Silence deadened as Harry said that.

"And if we do that I can't stress to you all how inadequate the ritual is. It'll work to stop us from being directly observed, but it won't protect against any other senses. Smell, sound."

"I can muffle the sound." Everlyn said quietly.

"Dust we raise."

"We know Harry," Michael interrupted.

"It'll also leave a visible trail afterwards. I mean the temporal and spatial distortions the ritual leaves in the air will hang around for hours. The watcher will know something went through ten minutes after we're past. It'll paint a target on our back."

"We know, Harry," Michael said in annoyance. "We know the downsides, because you've made sure to remind us of them often."

"We're going to have to use it, anyway." Everlyn said. "It's our only chance. We are in a dynamic part of the underground. New monsters must emerge all the time. It's possible the ripples will be seen as one such creature. Better to leave that sort of wake than have the scientist observing and cataloguing us because," Everlyn plucked at her tunic. "If they observe us directly, they won't need to guess. They're know we're sapients."

"Or we wait a few days more," Tom suggested. "I might get some clues from True Dreaming to help."

"I thought you already tried that." Michael said immediately.

"I did, and it didn't work, but if he leaves, for example, I'm sure that will be shown to me."

"No, that's a terrible idea." Keikain said. "No more delays, especially for a maybe."

Tom's eyes narrowed. "How bad an idea is it?"

"Tom, let's just say I don't want to be in a position where I have to do what Sven did. I'm not going to go mad tomorrow or anything like that, but I don't have time to waste. We need to get moving. Find a sapient," Keikain grimaced at the glares he received. "I meant a terror race to supply sacrifices and to let us gain some breathing room."

"Fine, we'll do the ritual." Tom raised his hands in defeat. "And then we run like anything and hopefully discover a way to reach the surface."

Harry accepted the remaining credits and then disappeared into the auction house, with animation leaving his body. Two minutes later his lips became pink again, and a portal opened up in front of him. He shoved his hand in and yanked out several strange objects.

"The timing's painful." Harry told them. "Once I start the ritual, it will take me forty minutes to complete it, and then we're going to have to go. If we stop or hesitate, it will break… yes, it's bullshit." Harry said family catching Michael's eyeroll. "And yes, I know everyone knows this, but I don't want mistakes. This ritual is both spatial and temporal. If we physically cross the ground, we've already traversed its future instances will interfere with its past ones. We need to prevent that. We won't be forced in any specific direction, but we do have to keep travelling and not track back over our own path."

"We'll start it fifteen minutes before we expect the next pack." Everlyn said finally. "It's a guess, but that timing gives us the best chance of hitting a safe window. I think it's safer to target moving just behind something rather than running in front of it."

"What happens if the pack's late?" Keikain asked.

Everlyn shrugged. "Then we run for our lives. The alternative is to wait till the next pack starts before kicking off the ritual, but then if the next ones are early or at least on time we're going to have a pack up our bums, anyway. We need to hope that the regular cycle is kept."

"Fine," Keikain said. "If fifteen minutes is the safest slot, that's what we'll do."

Harry finished all the preparations that he could and then sat down, looking nervous.

"Five minutes." Jingyi said, sounding bored. The entire campsite had been packed away, and they all had packs on ready to move.

"Okay time," Jingyi said, giving Harry permission to start.

Harry began to cast his spell. This was a long ritual and while the ritualist worked Tom watched the screen to the outside. The next monster would be coming through soon, and he was curious to see what they would be chasing.

Minutes passed.

"Come over guys."

They went over to Harry. Now people were not looking at images displayed from outside with curiosity, instead it was with anxious gazes. They were leaving here in ten minutes and the monsters that they were hoping to follow had not appeared yet.

There was no stopping.

This was a single attempt thing. They no longer had the credits to re buy the regents. Completing the ritual and going was the only chance they had of avoiding the scientist above noting them and they all knew getting the attention of a civilisation as advanced as the one the scientists belonged to was a bad idea. Outcomes might range from nil to being killed, but it was the underground. They doubted any contact would be cordial.

"Link hands," Harry ordered.

Tom did as instructed the small blade in one of his hands ready to make the cuts when asked. For this stage of the casting, a physical link was all that was called for, but in a couple of minutes' time they would need to supplement with a blood one as well.

He was not the only one sneaking worried glances at the ritual screen.

Why hadn't the monsters turned up on time? Tom hated this situation. He detested the struggle for resources and…

Tom scowled when he caught sight of Keikain. How much experience had those bastards wasted to pull their con with Sven? If Keikain instead of being underhanded had spoken to them about sacrificing the other man, then they wouldn't have needed to spend all those credits on the ritual they had used to hide their evil deeds. If that had occurred, then they would have experience to buy an extra set of regents to restart the ritual later.

Their short-sightedness…

He stopped the internal rant before it got too far. That lack of trust, the requirement for that deception, had a hundred percent been required even if it was costing them now. It was painful. It cost them the chance to have multiple goes at the ritual, but he couldn't truly fault the killers. They had done what they did to survive.

"Blood link now." Harry ordered quietly.

Tom spun the dagger and created a cut on the meaty part near the thumb on both his hands. He actively prevented the wounds from healing and blood, ran down into his palm to mingle with a blood of Thor on one side and Rahmat on the other when he clasped their hands once more.

He immediately felt the tingle, and the magic infused in the ritual glowed around them. Energy spinning and twirling, and then it linked them. He could feel the spatial distortions thanks to his teleport skill. That ability reacted to what was happening and it let him perceive stuff that would have been invisible otherwise.

It was interesting and awe-inspiring, but more importantly Tom felt energy in the ritual mounting.

It was going to finish soon and the next monster pack…

There was still nothing on the ritual screen. It was twenty, maybe thirty minutes late, and they were committed to leaving even though the roaming boss level monster could appear at any moment.

At this point, it would be best if it didn't come. If it was outside the cave when it was time for them to emerge, this was all for nothing.

Tom felt the tug from the ritual as it demanded mana and he started channelling he's magic out. There was a minimum that they needed to meet for the spell to work, and that would suck them all almost completely dry.

Not only were they about to leave the cave and into the open, they were going to do it at a low point in their power.

Hopefully, they would get out ahead of it, and then there would be no problems. They would run in front of the monsters and even if it caught them well, by then they would have recharged their mana… but if it didn't. If it came just as they were leaving. He really didn't want to think about how screwed that would make them.

The spell finished with a crackle.

"Move." Harry ordered, and like they had discussed and rehearsed they ran towards the entrance.

Everlyn led the way, Jingyi in the rear and Harry in the middle.

"Keep your hands linked."

They knew it was not a hundred percent necessary. The ritual would sustain itself even if they dropped the connection, but maintaining the physical link meant the spell used less energy and so they would be protected for longer.

If they held hands the weird invisibility spell would persist almost twice as long as if they tried to run individually.

Also, if they ran individually they risked losing people from the rituals area of an effect all together. One slip where they got too far from Harry was all that it would take to permanently kick them out of the spell's protection.

It was a ritual that only the desperate would attempt to use.

It was challenging to navigate the tunnel while holding hands, but luckily excluding the spot that he and Keikain had popped out to narrow the entrance to fend off the kobolds it was spacious enough that they could do it successfully.

They reached the outside, and Jingyi was already tossing the piled ropes off the ledge. They had purchased these early in preparation and attached them with Keikain's growing ability to influence the underground rock.

"Oh god." Jingyi hissed ahead of them, freezing.

"Keep going." Harry yelled.

There was a pause and Jingyi jumped over the edge and they shuffled forward. Tom was holding two hands and Rahmat went first, slipping and folding himself around the rope so he could slide down using his elbows and knees to moderate the speed. Tom did the same and as he twisted he caught sight of what had caused Jingyi to hesitate.

The next pack had arrived. They were still distant, but for all intents and purposes it was going to be breathing down their backs.

Collectively, they squirmed down the cliffs. The major challenge was stopping himself from letting go of the other men's hands. He got rope burns on his elbows as he did his best to stop himself from dropping in free fall.

Thor slipped.

Tom tightened the rope around his arms and felt it slip anyway, cutting and burning.

The bigger man below jerked to a halt with a gasp of agony. Tom saw that the rope was wrapped hard across his biceps and Thor groaned in pain as his weight made it dig into him.

A healing spell from Clare hit all of them and closed the wounds even as they kept moving, knowing they had no time.

When he landed on the ground, while he was pulling himself free of the ropes, he tried to interpret the nature of the creatures that he had seen coming around the corner. If you squinted, and were particularly naïve, you might have interpreted them to be a pack of antelopes.

However, too many years spent in the tutorial told a more fundamental truth. They were in the underground and looking innocent screamed danger far more than monsters with two feet long teeth. Plus, the area they were in was rank twenty, which sort of put a rather high floor on how weak they could be.

In his brief glimpse, there was no tell of magic around them that he could interpolate into a likely magic type. They had appeared harmless. They weren't. They would either have deadly magic or failing that, mouths that could swallow a horse whole as they elongated beyond what the rules of physics could support.

There would be something horrific in their makeup.

The last of them got free of the ropes. Everlyn tugged on them so they fell down into a pile on the ground. She put the decay stone on top of the pile. In ten minutes' time, there would be nothing left.

There was no option to try to hide or retreat.

They had to get moving. The temporal and spatial ritual would protect them from being visually identified, but anything physically crossing their path with some level of tracking sensors would notice them and the trail left would only become more visible as time passed. For now, the main risks were a question of smell, latent heat and scruff marks in the dirt. The ritual did nothing to obscure these other ways they could be tracked. It was a cheap blunt instrument that defended them from one specific threat, which was an observation from above.

They set off at a slow jog as they rapidly discovered that running while linking hands was difficult. As slow as they were moving, it was enough. If the monsters behind them did not actively hunt them, then their pace should be sufficient to stay ahead of them.

"The situation is not good," Everlyn reported matter of fact through party chat. "The monsters that you probably all spotted when descending are called decay antelopes. They range in rank from nineteen to twenty-three and they're faster than us."

"Are you sure?" Jingyi asked.

"Absolutely certain, at least individually. The pack might travel slower, but they're going to notice signs of our passage. They have an excellent sense of smell and when they transition to hunting, they'll catch us."

"Can we block our scent?" Michael asked.

No, Tom thought to himself. Michael's ignorance sometimes surprised him. He was so grounded in some areas and obtuse in others. Masking your scent was difficult and took years of practice and high-level skills. No one in the competition could protect others yet.

"Jingyi and I, yes. The rest of you, no."

"Then they're going to find us." Michael stated definitely.

"Plan?" Tom asked.

"I wouldn't want to fight them head on," Everlyn said. "That decay magic will be almost impossible to dodge and I think Tom they'll overwhelm you too quickly for you to be able to delay them."

"If we can't fight, then it's run or hide?"

"We could try to hide, but if we take a side passage," Everlyn said. "And it's shallow or already has occupants. Then we'll be screwed."

"And I can't imagine we can outdistance them for long." Jingyi reasoned.

"Correct."

"If we catch the pack ahead of us." Jingyi suggested. "We might be able to survive on the peripheral of a pack battle. If they're fighting each other, we might stand a chance."

"That's suicide." Michael said.

"Everlyn it's the only option I can see working." Jingyi stated.

There was a pause. "Tom?" Everlyn asked.

"Can't run, can't hide means we fight. I've run packs stronger than myself into each other heaps of times in the tutorial. Sometimes it was the only way."

"I did the same." Harry confirmed.

"That's the plan then. Everyone drops hands. We need speed more than anything else." Everlyn said finally.

"Agreed." Jingyi declared. "Everyone else focus on running. Everlyn, do you think you can get ahead and draw the pack ahead of us back toward us."

"On it."

Tom dropped the hands he was holding and concentrated on running.

Chapter 200

The underground canyon was easy terrain to travel through. It was mostly flat with lots of bare rock to sprint across and very few areas that were clogged up with vegetation like you might find in a jungle.

The issue for Tom and his companions was simple.

They needed to go fast and couldn't afford a wrong turn because as forgiving as the area seemed it was still the underground. Benign paths would lead into dead ends. Positions originally shaped to support ambush predators and while those beasts had probably fled, making the paths non-dangerous, the threat was in how they would force them to backtrack. A delay that was potentially a death sentence in the circumstances they found themselves in.

They had to stay ahead of the decay antelopes.

Tom, with his extra attributes and Jingyi because of his supporting skills, focused on guiding them along the right paths.

He was running just ahead of the others and saw a split ahead. He went right, turning down a narrow path that wound between dead monster bodies and the broken pieces of what had once been giant fungus. Three steps and he stopped, skidding to a halt. The path kept going down before ending with a massive boulder blocking the way.

"Back," he yelled furiously, directing the main group onto the secondary turn and then he sprinted to overtake them so he could assess future splits in the same manner. With the restrictions of staying close to Harry, he could only explore a few steps down the side paths, but that second of extra warning saved time.

"Fate." Michael ordered with gasped breaths. "Support the vision."

Tom didn't hesitate. They had been using excess fate for days to smooth this integration, so despite how balanced on the edge of disaster this sprint felt, they would probably emerge undamaged but Michael was right. What they were trying was audacious, and anything they could do to help it along was important. Tom formed the image in his head. The two packs clashing and them surviving on the edges. Two-thirds of his fate burst out of him, and then he focused on the physical process of running hard. The less they left to chance, the better and getting as far away from the antelopes maximised their chances of engineering the clash of monster packs they needed to survive.

They were travelling down a slight slope. Ahead at the bottom, the surface colour changed to have a slight orange sheen. Tom sprinted ahead to test it before the others. He landed on a section with a slight orange tinge, not quite sure what to expect but ready for anything. It was like landing on a banana peel. "Slippery," Tom warned them before he paused until the labouring Clare and Thor were on either side of him and then continued forward in lockstep with the two of them.

The larger man put his foot down wrong and instead of finding a firm purchase like he was expecting, Thor's foot slipped.

"Ahh."

Tom got an arm under Thor's shoulders as the man flailed for balance. His Earth Manipulation flared to give his own feet extra purchase despite the slimy orange substance. The limited amount of surface dust and grit leapt to his command. It linked together and then reached out to hook his shoe, and it was like he was on solid ground once more.

Thor's weight almost jerked him off balance anyway, but his enhanced strength was enough. They stumbled but did not fall, and Tom was able to support Thor as he scrambled up a slight incline and out of the slimy section. There were a couple more slips but with Tom's firm grip around his waist Thor got out without losing momentum.

"A hunting party has our scent." Jingyi reported flatly. "Eight of them."

"Can we outrun them?" Michael gasped.

"Not a chance. We'll fight on top of the next hill."

Tom looked up at the spot that Jingyi was referring to. It was over a hundred metres away. "Will we make it?"

"Run," Jingyi answered grimly.

Everyone else put their heads down and sprinted. He did not have to focus as much as the others, as he was matching their pace going at only about two-thirds speed, and he quietly drifted to the back of the group while monitoring Harry as he did so.

Ten metres… that was how far he could afford to be separated from him.

Tom glanced up at the roof of the canyon and the distinct coloured light he knew marked where the scientist had his watch post. They were probably out of sight of him already, but Tom wouldn't bet his life savings on that. They could still see that aqua crystal, but the limited angles of the cave's view probably meant they were already out of the scientist's line of sight. But… If he could avoid being dropped from the rituals protection, he would.

They reached the base of the hill and started running upward and this time when he glanced back the small pack of antelopes chasing them were visible. They appeared to be deceptively weak. There were no demonic features; flames sprouting from the ears, or bright glowing eyes, or long claws that could shred someone.

Instead, they looked exactly like normal earth animals even down to the brown and white fawn colourings.

Yet Tom didn't doubt their deadliness for a moment. He remembered the description that Everlyn had shared. These monsters were decay antelopes, and she had worried about his ability to fight them, which was warning enough to take them seriously.

His team reached the top of the hill just as the enemy were at the bottom. Jingyi had judged the relative speeds accurately.

They were closer now, and they still looked ordinary but Tom wouldn't get sucked into a false sense of security by that.

The tutorial taught many lessons and cute being equated to being weak was not one of them.

He positioned himself ten metres in front of the rest of the group and wondered how this fight would play out. Would they morph into walking horrors or would they keep their innocent shape and have the fight become one of unseen magical energies.

Tom tensed.

The way all eight of the monsters focused their eyes on him confirmed their status.

Monsters, not animals. Those eyes were hungry.

He stood stoically his hands gripping the spear shaft as they gracefully jumped toward him. With their prey visible, they started to leap higher, moving with extraordinary grace. There was a juvenile giant fungus in the way. It was about Tom's height. An antelope sprang over it and cleared the top by over a metre with a leap that must have reached three metres at its apex. Antelopes on earth could carry out some majestic jumps, but that casual leap was far higher than an earth-based variety could manage.

Tom tore his eyes away from watching the spectacle and mentally rehearsed the coming skirmish. He would need to enrage them to ensure they focused on him and when dodging only do so up hill. Harry was the closest person behind him but he still needed to stay within that ten metres of him. If he rolled downhill, he would probably take himself out of the ritual's range.

The first antelope charged him. Tucking its head in and trying to barge into him.

He stepped back and to the side easily avoiding the telegraphed attack. He was expecting something to happen, for it to change direction mid leap or for physics to breakdown as some charging skill activated to allow it to follow him, but neither thing occurred. It continued on a Newtonian physics course.

Surprise did not slow Tom, and his spear was already spinning to intercept it. The tip struck hard into its belly and then skidded over the fur completely failing to find purchase. Tom categorised the latest development. The fur was armoured.

Then the others seven were around him with the new monsters choosing to try to kick him instead of the bizarre charge of the first.

Lightning Enrage exploded out of Tom's body. A deluge of sparks spitting out in all directions. He saw them dig into exposed noses eyes and wriggle their way inside the creatures through those weak areas. The sparks that hit the fur were deflected.

Internally, Tom cursed when he observed that behaviour. They were almost certainly invulnerable to lightning. There would be no using Spark to paralyse them long enough to kill them while they were prone on the ground.

Black dodge was not activating fully and Tom found it easy enough to sway to the side to avoid the kicks the antelopes aimed at him.

They weren't even trying to bite. There was no morphing of their body to reveal hidden claws, just dainty legs lashing out with what he knew would probably be devastating force if he let one hit him.

Then he felt it.

An unavoidable magical assault striking him from all sides as he effortlessly evaded the physical attacks.

His skin started to burn as the antelopes' aura assaulted him.

Then the tickling all over gave way to a full out assault.

Tom gasped.

It was like someone had poured boiling water all over him. Even the skin under his tier three pants felt like it was on fire.

Touch Heal activated and ten mana vanished instantly.

Alarm bells went off in Tom for the first time since the wasps had been stinging him to death. He didn't have the abilities to fight this and if it was going to take ten mana a second to fight… Tom did the calculations.

He did not have long. Because of Harry's ritual, his soul bound mana crystal only had a fifty mana reserve in it. His mana had refreshed during their run, but he had already spent nearly half of it on the fight alone. Seventy-five mana on Lightning Enrage then ten for healing and he would need that or perhaps even more every second going forward.

His magic reserves were a problem.

What should he do? The antelopes were jumping around him, trying to kick him, and Tom found it easy enough to dodge between them. Time abruptly slowed dramatically, and Tom figured he was about to get kicked from behind.

With a thought, he teleported to the left, and he guessed he had got it right because nothing hit him and time reverted to its normal speed.

More mana was drained from Touch Heal, and he turned it off. If his reserves were that tight, he couldn't afford blind healing. Everything needed to be directed, going forward to guarantee efficiency.

As for the fight, that had to be finished, fast.

An antelope was positioned perfectly in front of him. He knew it was the free fate from his dodge skill giving him a chance to counterattack, and he thrust hard while he reinforced his spear with Power Strike. It was a one fifth strength enhanced blow, but he needed it to be successful because with his mana issues Power Strike had to be his finisher because he didn't want to have to resort to Throw Rock.

Blood spurted from the gash he left on the monster's shoulder. Not a moral strike, but it would slow it.

He retreated back a further five metres. The rest of the party was matching his movements, presumably to stay out of range of the antelope's aura. They all looked fine, apart from Harry whose face was contorted in pain. That meant the antelopes' aura was attacking him. Tom could therefore conclude that the aura had an effective reach of at least ten metres, but one that faded to zero at fifteen.

Tom was not sure how the information would help them, but at least he knew it now.

One of the antelopes next to him landed on an Earth spike. Keikain must have put a lot of power into it as it went straight through the armoured fur. A second and third had gone down with arrows through their necks and another one had nasty lacerations covering its side, courtesy of Toni's air blades. Her power sufficed to wound it through the fur, but was not powerful enough to kill them quickly.

He threw himself to the ground as three antelopes leapt through the space he had been occupying. As they flew overhead, he saw the opportunity and stabbed up, empowering a half strength Power Strike.

The tip punched through the monster, and he embedded the spear a full foot into the creature. Then Tom winced as the weight of it almost wrestled the shaft from his fingers, but with a desperate twist he kept hold and extracted the weapon.

Time was slowing dramatically, and he teleported once more to avoid the hooves of the antelope that tried to stamp on him.

He involuntarily vomited, and he could taste the bile in his mouth.

He could no longer feel his skin and his insides were cramping.

Michael and Clare were both casting healing magic on him, but it hardly seemed to even slow the crippling weakness that was spreading from his skin inwards.

Keeping mana was one thing. Survival was more important and that meant he needed to finish this. He had to move quickly.

Throw Rock

The stone he had manifested from his storage slammed into the skull of an antelope about to land. It had no chance to evade it and the entire skull crumpled. Tom kept moving and as he spun he channelled the small amount of Power Strike he had left to thrust his spear through the eye of the last antelope standing.

He tried to smile, but his face didn't respond. The spear had penetrated to the brain. A clean kill. They were all dead.

Now they needed to keep running.

Tom turned the way they had been going. It was difficult to see, as his eyes weren't processing the light correctly.

He took a step. The leg wasn't listening. The world rock and the ground were suddenly flying at him.

His head slammed against the dirt. He was dry retching, with nothing coming out, and he wanted to curl over into a ball and disappear, but his stomach muscles were not responding. Strange energy filled him and something was not right. He gasped for solutions. Vomit laced saliva dribbled out of his mouth.

It felt like the magic within him was eating him alive, even his brain…

Wait…

He had magic…

The thought went through him with a jolt.

He had healing magic… what was he thinking.

Tom immediately initiated Healing Tranquillity.

Time slowed as the ability gave him clarity of thought. Clinically, he fell back onto routine to carry him and assessed the internal damage.

It was bad.

There was no simple way to explain what his senses were telling him. Large chunks of his muscles had been reduced to mush. His skin was no longer a single whole that provided a barrier against everything. There were sores all over it that in some places went all the way down to the bone. It was kind of like how he would imagine catastrophic radiation exposure would look like. In a non-magic world, he was dead, but in a non-magic world he guessed this wouldn't have occurred.

Even his brain…

Tom made a decision and directed what little of his healing he had available to protect his brain. It healed the damage and pushed back the rampaging energy, and Tom's thoughts cleared.

That fight must have lasted ten seconds, and it had been against only eight of them…. And this was the result.

They were massively out classed. Tom could remember what he had seen of the main herd. There had been hundreds of them, and potentially over a thousand.

If eight could do this…

There were shouts, and the others were gathered around him.

"We need the credits. Process them quickly while we get Tom on his feet." Jingyi ordered.

Tom attempted to move, to stand to demonstrate that he was not dependent on them but nothing happened. He could feel his mental facilities degrading again, so he focused internally on resisting the spreading damage.

"I've put it all on a snap auction." Harry reported.

"Best we could do." Jingyi said.

"I'm going to need longer to stabilise him." Michael reported.

"No time. We'll carry him," Jingyi ordered.

Tom felt himself being lifted up. He still focused on healing and could feel both Clare and Michael's magic hitting him. Michael was directly burning away the decay energy with Clare, using her magic to patch his physical body. Their magic was coming in spurts and starts, which told him that they too had exhausted their mana.

There was a jolt, and Tom vomited as his digestive systems briefly worked. He used his mana crystal to speed up the healing in his skull, which once more returned the clarity of thought. Tom knew if they were carrying him they would be slowed. None of them had high enough attributes to take a heavy load and not slow down.

Compared to the antelopes they were probably already moving too slow. He had to do something to change the situation if collectively they were going to survive. Tom internally abandoned his defensive healing and focus on what mattered.

He didn't need any specific part of him to be fixed, he just had to stop being a burden. He had to patch himself up well enough to run.

Once more Healing Tranquillity kicked in and Tom while his brain was fully intact concentrated on what was needed. One of his achilleas tendon had been worn through and he fused the two ends together. It was not back to pristine condition, but it would be sufficient to let him at least jog. His nerve network was broken in multiple spots and he fixed up the ones that linked his muscles together. Then his mind swept through the key muscle groups and he patched them from non-functional to good enough.

Theoretically, he could run, but human balance needed more than that. His ears popped as he rebuilt an ear-drum to give him back this equilibrium.

Then his eyes.

He had to see where he was going. The healing flowed into the eyes first. It allowed him to crack his eyelids open, then some regrowth of the optical receptors. They registered light, and he kept going till he could see vague shapes.

It was enough.

"Let me down," he whispered.

Surprisingly, they listened, or perhaps they too had realised that carrying him under the circumstances was not a valid option. He stumbled forward. His muscles worked as he had hoped.

Simple thoughts, he told himself.

One leg in front of the other… then repeat.

Every step hurt and he felt hands guiding him.

He pushed and tried to accelerate. He wasn't sure whether he was moving faster than them or holding them back. He slipped and fell and a few seconds later someone helped him up. He kept running.

A hand guided him to the side.

He tumbled and rolled down a hill.

That was fast and, when he assessed himself, damaging. With his hands, he forced the two bits of bones in his leg together and fused them with his mana. He was going to need hours to get back to peak physical fitness, but before that… survival.

He stumbled to his feet once more. He ran straight into someone who picked him up and pointed him in a new direction. He tried to say thanks, but the decay energy was still in him and his vocal cords weren't working. But that didn't matter. He sprinted forward.

Healing Tranquillity was in continuous use, patching each bit of him that failed. He knew how damaged he truly was. He almost certainly looked like a dead zombie stumbling along. The decay energy causing his flesh to slough off him at times.

Tom didn't care. Michael was continually healing him and removing the energy. He was getting better and by running himself the group could move faster.

Every step was a struggle, but his mind was clear and he went through the brief battle with the advanced pack by remembering every single action he had taken.

Tom had done everything right and been overwhelmed by the end, despite everything he had done. There was no doubt if they were going to fight these things again something would have to change and he suspected he knew what that was.

Before exploring the idea, he needed to get his speed back. Tom returned his focus to improving his muscles.

Chapter 201

Tom forced himself to put one foot in front of the other. His health was improving, he had corrected his eyesight, so he was no longer tripping as often or mistakenly veering off in the wrong direction. His legs were far from fixed and complained with every stride, but they were now working and let him keep pace with the others without requiring all of his concentration.

It let him focus on quality of life improvements.

First, he fully restored his eyes to their base functionality, including rebuilding the tear ducts.

Tom blinked and shivered in relief. The sensation of rubbing sandpaper over his eyeballs had not occurred. Then he focused on reducing some of the incessant pain that shot through him with every step and not by dulling the nerves. One by one he fixed the damage that was creating the most pain.

His body remained in a bad way, but at least he could now run without too much discomfort.

Not for the first time, Tom did a stock take of his body. The skeletal system was intact, but with numerous weaknesses. There were the consequences of his slap-hazard fusing of bones instead of proper healing. Those generated a dull ache with each step. Then there were the spots where he hadn't purged the impact of the antelope, yet. The bone there was softer than it should have been and often caused jolting pain. Muscular systems, including the tendons, were in the best shape. The majority of them were in prime working order, but after that it deteriorated significantly. Circulatory was a mixed bag with significant damage particularly to the lung. The digestive system was unfortunately a complete write off. His legs had open sores all over them. He had made the effort to heal the rest of his skin but had skipped the legs because he figured those wounds were protected by his tier three pants and if he had to compromise that was the best spot to do it.

He had fought in worse condition and nothing was pressing, so he would start rebuilding his magic reserves. With no other distractions, he studied his surroundings.

The entire team was spread out around him like an honour guard ready to protect him from any threats that might attack. Only Michael had stayed close and that was presumably to guide his steps because Tom could remember the hand tugging his elbows to redirect him when he had gone the wrong way. That and to allow the healer to continue to burn away the decay inside Tom's system. Something he was still doing.

Michael came from the school of efficiency that Tom liked to occupy. For the delicate energy work that he needed to carry out to purge the decay energy proximity trumped long range magic use, so Michael had made sure he was right next to his patient.

Tom glanced around again. Harry was on the right flank, Toni running ahead of them, Jingyi not in sight. They had abandoned the ten metre restriction in the quest for speed.

"You with us. Tom."

He tried to talk, and his throat seized up. It wasn't a surprise to him at all, so with a grimace he gave Michael a thumbs up.

"Good. I have bad news. Jingyi informed us a minute ago that another of those advanced hunting parties has got on trail. We might have as few as three minutes left as many as five."

Tom realised for this he needed to communicate easily. One mana went to his vocal cords. "Shit." He forced the words out. Healing Tranquillity triggered and with time almost completely halted he did another mental sweep of his body. There was nothing he could do to patch it before the next fight. Unless a divine miracle occurred, which is not something any of them could conjure, he was going into the next fight hurt.

Fortunately, there were combat improvements available. If they pushed, they could probably fix most of the muscular skeletal problems which would let him fight as normal. Unfortunately, the other issues would remain unsolved. Specifically, the sores on his legs and problems with his lungs would not get mended in time. Tom was hesitant about choosing combat proficiency over barrier protection, which fixing his skin and lungs would grant. But he suspected he had no choice. His spear work was needed to kill the high ranked monsters and if his muscles weren't working correctly, that would be beyond him. All he could do was hope that the open wounds wouldn't make him more susceptible to the decay aura.

"The good news is that there's only six of them." Michael told him.

"You guys need me to tank them don't you."

"Yes." Michael, answer bluntly. "We've done some research while running. But first." Michael shoved a stone across to him.

"What's this?"

"A spell. We bought it out of the profit from the other eight corpses. Use it."

Tom triggered it while running. The download of information was disappointing. All it contained were instructions on how to use what was effectively a new muscle to cast the spell, and it said nothing about what the magic actually did.

He stepped into his system room and the spell description was on the wall in front of him.

Spell: Decay Resistance - tier 0

Create a short-lived shield around the caster that reduces the impact of decay auras.

Cost: 20 mana. Duration 2 seconds.

Tom opened his eyes once more.

"It's shit tier," Michael told him. "But we're pretty sure the antelopes' aura is only tier two, so even shit tier should work. Theoretically, we calculated that it'll give you an eighty percent reduction in damage."

"Only eighty percent…" Tom groaned when he remembered how quickly the decay had hit him, and that had been when his skin was not pockmarked with existing wounds. "And it's a mana hog."

"We bought the best available. Second, we don't know how much experience you got from the antelopes, but there are a couple of decay protection Skills that you should buy."

Tom frowned. He hated being forced to purchase things for a single niche application. It was the best way to get over an immediate adversary, but long term you ended up weaker for it. "What are they?"

"You're going to hate them."

"Spit it out. I'm not an idiot. We need to survive the next skirmish."

"Good, I feared you would resist more." Michael said simply. "The best skill is Decay Conditioned. There are tier one, two and three options available. I doubt you will be able to afford the more powerful version, but if you can get the tier two, it will help you immensely. Failing that there is Decay Skin Barrier or Decay Airway Barrier. You can choose which of those are better."

Tom immediately retreated into the system room, trusting the strange magic of the place to keep him moving forward in a stumbling run and not cause him to immediately face plant.

Skill: Decay Conditioned–Tier 1

Greatly increases resistance to decay energies, but increases vulnerability to elemental and arcane energy fields.

Cost: 9000

The tier two version was underneath it and the description didn't change at all, but the cost was twenty thousand. The tier three was even more prohibitively expensive at fifty-four. The fact all three skills were at the maximum of the tier range told Tom that they were top level skills despite the significant downside it came with.

Skill: Decay skin barrier–Tier 1

Strengthens your skin to let it'd be a barrier against decay energy, but increases vulnerability to elemental attack types.

Cost: 7000

He left the system room. "They're really shit skills."

"Yes, and we're all going to need to buy them. That spell isn't good enough to protect you by itself."

"I know."

Tom shut his eyes once more and purchased the tier two skill Decay Conditioning. Nothing overt happened, but he felt like some of the decay energy that was still swirling inside him became more sluggish.

"Which one?"

"Decay conditioning tier two."

"If you're lucky, once it's a higher rank you'll be able to toggle it off and on."

"That's the best case," Tom agreed.

"I know it's shit," Michael apologised. "And outside fighting the antelopes it's not only useless it's actually a pure liability, but there's no…"

"I know," Tom interrupted. "We need to not die now and this will help that."

"Exactly."

"You said three to five?"

"One to three minutes now," Michael corrected.

"I need to regenerate my mana for the coming battle. Can you and Clare target your healing at combat readiness. Skeleton and muscles."

"Are you sure… you know other parts of you are almost technically dead at this point."

"Survive first," Tom said grimly.

"You're a masochist. Clare, did you hear that?"

The other healer nodded and Tom felt magic wrap around the bone in his leg that he had crudely fused earlier. He stumbled slightly as it rebroke, realigned and then healed properly.

One of the annoying aches that was occurring with every step was fixed.

They kept running. Ahead of them Jingyi appeared and when Tom glanced back, he saw that the next wave of antelopes had caught them.

He slowed to a stop, and the others ran past. He had regenerated a hundred and forty mana, which should be more than enough for the engagement.

The antelopes were charging towards him, and then his trusty spear was in his hand. It was still the one that Sonya had made for him. To be honest, it was a little weak for his current rank, but he was hoping with sufficient use it would evolve to match his growth. It was an outside chance, but until he got a better option, it was the best he had, anyway.

The monsters charged him and this time they were tightly packed.

Tom smiled.

That would save him mana.

Lightning Engage triggered but unlike previously he only used it at half strength. Sparks exploded around him and spread to only two metres in every direction rather than the usual three and a half, which almost halved the mana cost.

All six of the beasts were in range and the sparks dug into eyeballs and nostrils and the monster's eyes became even more enraged, if that was possible.

Hooves that he still didn't know whether they would hurt him lashed out.

He teleported forward to avoid them and destroy their timing. Black dodge did not trigger, and he manually used his new spell Decay Resistance to pump up his defences. Despite both the spell and skill acting in tandem, he could feel his skin tingling and the sores on his legs started burning.

Their aura was devastating in its strength.

He parried an errant hoof, and it was like hitting a wall, which told Tom how strong they were. He did not want to be kicked. Then he became a limbo dancer, swaying so far that his hair touched the ground.

An earth spike skewered one opponent. It caused another to slip as the impaled antelope knocked into it. Tom pushed himself back to standing. He was right over the top of the monster. A half strength Power Strike and the full weight of his thrust penetrated the defensive fur right into the heart and then he was pulling the weapon back.

Time slowed, and the teleport became available once more. He teleported forward and adjusted his hands as he did so. Instead of his spear being out of position he was able to launch another attack. This time he took out a throat and then was spinning and thrusting hard through an eye.

Two seconds had passed, and the pain suddenly intensified. With a mental curse, Tom triggered Decay Resistance again.

As he dodged the last uninjured antelope. An arrow struck it. It squealed and stumbled.

Tom found himself standing over it and thrust down to finish the fight.

Decay energy was still hitting, and he searched for the culprit.

Another earth spike split the skull open of the antelope he had ripped the throat out of. A second arrow smashed into one of the creatures that Jingyi had shot earlier. They had seen that the aura was still active and was trying to finish the fight.

Tom wasn't sure it was necessary, but he stabbed the last one that might be alive. His Power Strike capacity was almost exhausted and the thrust barely got through the armoured fur. But it got in, which was all that was required. He leant hard on it to drive it in further and then twisted savagely to do the maximum internal damage possible.

The power of decay aura vanished around him.

"That hurts." Tom groaned and collapsed on the ground. The fight had lasted four seconds and cost him eighty mana, which gave him a small treasure trove to fix the major issues that still affected him.

Healing Tranquillity let him delve into what had happened. The rampaging auras of decay, despite his spell and new skill had interacted with the energies within him. They had amplified each other to create empowered currents primarily focused around the areas that were already damaged.

That meant from a fighting sense he was barely impacted. The muscular and skeletal systems had been fixed almost completely between him and the healer's efforts prior to the battle. With no decay energy within them, the amplification of the aura had not occurred, which left them virtually untouched. The bleed in of decay from other areas were removed with only five mana.

The problem, of course, was the rest of the body. This was not the last time he would be facing these sorts of fights and from memory of running from similar herds of monsters Tom was confident they would probably engage with multiple smaller hunting parties before the main pack closed upon him. If there were ten or more antelopes, Tom knew he couldn't afford for the same chain reactions to occur, and he doubted he could purge all the wild energy inside him in time. That meant he needed a barrier to ensure his internal issues did not interact with external ones.

Skin, Tom decided. With his remaining mana, he would need to reinstate that. He didn't like leaving a circulatory system in its current state and the almost dead digestive systems needed to be addressed before he lost functionality from it and probably vitality at the same time.

However, those were for considerations when his life was not on the line. For now he had to fix his skin and as always Healing Tranquillitylet him perform a stock take of his body.

Tom frowned.

Every breach in the skin had a wider, deeper sore associated with it. The efficient way to fix those types of wounds was from the inside out, but his mana reserves were completely inadequate for that sort of approach.

Quietly, he played with one of the smaller sores. First, he grew the outer layer of skin, sealing the sore away, and then Tom saw the problem. These wounds were infected with decay energy. It was not the same as a bacterial infection in his old world, but it was close. Pus and mucus would be created and usually that would be drained out the open wound, effectively acting to push out the growing decay threat. If he sealed the sore like this, then that pus would fill the wound, go deeper and spread the infection.

His frown deepened.

An inner barrier of tissue grew to seal off the infected volume. It came naturally, which meant it was a standard part of the body's defence. In short order, there was a sealed off section containing simmering angry decay energy and dying flesh.

Tom examined what he had done and decided that while not ideal it was something he could work with. One by one he sealed away each of the open sores. A series of infected hard lumps of contained decay energy lay under a layer of skin that separated them from the outside world. It was a terrible solution and now if he was kicked in the leg those confined wells of concentrated decay energy would split open and spill their contents within him but the important thing is when he was next in the decay aura the evil energy inside him would be isolated and there would no amplification of potency.

He came out of his focused trance.

Michael was frowning at him. "Not the smartest medical thing I've seen you do?"

Tom snorted. "It's only a few abscesses. I can heal them over time."

"About thirty, by my count, but yes, your solution will buy us time."

There was a flash of light, and the quickly butchered corpses that had been laid out carefully on the ground vanished.

"Move," Jingyi ordered.

Tom started running and as he did so, he monitored what was happening in his body. The skill he had purchased was hard at work. He had purchased the skill Decay Conditioning, and it ran permanently in the background. With his body filled with foreign energy, the Skill was active in trying to flush it out. While it did not touch the abscesses, it fought against everything else in him. Even without Michael's involvement, the residuals would be purged in two, maybe three hours.

Tom glanced at Michael. "Fixing my skin sores this way might not have been the most technically sound approach, but I had no choice. The decay aura amplified the destructive potential of the energy already in me. I had my buffs up during that four seconds and I was still almost torn apart."

"I know, I saw."

"I would have been dead without the skill and spell to restrain it."

"I agree."

"We're all going to be exposed to that aura, and the problem is that the impact is exponential. Every second, the damage almost doubles."

"I saw."

"Everyone needs to buy Decay Conditioning."

Michael hesitated. "Yes… you're right… but we don't have the experience to spend."

"Jingyi," Tom called out. "Is there any chance of us getting experience on the way?"

"It'll slow us down and they'll catch us sooner."

Michael laughed darkly. "That doesn't matter. We have to risk it because if they close as we currently are everyone who doesn't have Decay Conditioning will die, anyway."

"I'll find us something."

"Jingyi," Tom said quietly. "Can you make sure Everlyn hears what we need to buy."

Chapter 202

Jingyi responded to the request by subtly angling them towards the walls. "Ambush predators are our only real chance of finding anything to fight… Everything else has been wiped out by the circular collapsing. In this sort of environment…if there's any, they'll be close to the cliff. Then hopefully they'll be hungry enough for us to lure them into a favourable encounter. Five days without food…" Jingyi frowned. "Might not be enough."

"It might be." Michael said. "We're ranked at a dismal average level of ten. That'll make us look like a tasty-looking morsel."

"True." Jingyi agreed.

The underground canyon that they are running through was transitioning through a climate change. It was subtle, but both the temperature and humidity had been steadily increasing. Tom wiped the sweat away not fooled at all by what was happening. He was sure that would be picking their way through volcanic flats soon.

Even here, which was presumably a long way from wherever the lava flows were, the shift in the environment had altered the mix of vegetation. There was a noticeable shift from surface type plants towards what you'd see on the floor of a giant forest. Moss, fungus, and vines that grew like parasites on the other growths were all around them. The atmosphere had become claustrophobic.

Harry tripped on a vine and Tom with a teleport could get in position to catch him before he fell. He pulled him up, and they kept running.

After ten minutes of near sprinting down gloomy corridors, Jingyi slowed to a halt. It was like they were walking along the bottom of a river with the banks formed by giant boulders each of them stretching the size of a small tree. Moss covered most of the exposed area, but they could see the solid rock underneath.

"We fight here." The scout said.

Tom groaned and looked both ways. They were standing at the narrowest point of the fake river bank. Lightning Enrage could stretch from one side to the other and the banks were steep enough that the antelopes wouldn't easily be able to leap around him by going up them.

It was a good place to fight.

"Tom, there are two hunting packs that have combined. You need to taunt all of them, but if he misses any, Keikain and Toni, your job is to stop the antelopes closing on the rest of that and failing that kill them as fast as possible. Are we clear. We need to keep as much healing for Tom as possible." The two ranged magic users both nodded acceptance. "Everyone, recover your breath."

They all shuffled back, and Tom moved forward to stand in the narrowest point available. His mana was fully recharged, and the extra mana he had regenerated over their mad dash had gone into healing the rest of him. Except for the abscesses and digestive system, he was near peak functionality.

"I guess it'll be interesting to see how the fight goes when I don't have holes in me."

No one answered him. He waited, and then suddenly the antelopes were bounding towards him. He spotted fifteen in total that told him that two packs had indeed combined. His battle trance calmed his nerves, and he held position till the first of them reached him and time slowed down.

Lightning Enrage exploded out from him in a torrent of sparks and at the same time he triggered his spell Decay Resistance.

The sparks went everywhere, filling the space between him and the walls with electricity. There was no way that anything could have avoided them.

Then he was caught amongst a frothing broth of flashing hooves and bouncing animals. He sent his spear to storage because there wasn't room to move it and it was interfering with his dodge abilities. Time had slowed to the limit as he twisted and weaved between the monsters, accepting the resulting blows to his upper body while avoiding anything that would hit his legs.

Throats were briefly there for him to stab, but he had no way to take advantage of them. His knives were sharp but without skills to enhance their use he wouldn't be able to pierce the fur, so instead he focused on his dodging and maintaining the protection of Decay Resistance.

Fate built up around him, helping to keep him ahead of the hooves, but the mass of creatures restricted him and meant that there was no opportunity to counter.

His skin tingled but had not deteriorated to the point of the agonising pain like what happened with the first encounter. They kicked him and he parried with elbows, knees and palms easily turning away the attempts of them trying to kill him.

There was a thundering crash to the side, but he was so busy avoiding the attacks and the antelopes were so close to him that he couldn't see what had caused it.

There was a crack as a hoof slammed into his thigh. An abscesses burst. The pain was almost paralyzing, but Black Dodge and the ongoing battle did not care. Time slowed further and his battle trance allowed him to ignore the throbbing pain that was like a burning brand in order to lean away from a secondary barrage of hooves.

Abruptly, there was the option to teleport. The press of monster bodies around him had lessoned and with a thought the spear was in his hand.

Time slowed.

He teleported to the side only needing to twist his neck slightly to make it work. It let him completely avoid another hoof aimed for his leg.

He started taking advantage of the multitude of opportunities that presented themselves. His spear kissed the arteries of the monster's necks. Then one tripped and while it was scrambling to get its balance, he thrust the spear through an open eye. He didn't go for extravagant blows like pushing the point straight through the antelope's ribs instead he tried to kill by hitting weak spots that would let him minimise his Power Strikeuse.

His mana bottomed out, and the tingling immediately intensified, but for Tom that changed nothing. He continued his systematic killing of the injured animals. With each death, the prickling decreased and it was down to almost non-existent. He looked around to understand what had happened.

They had won!

The contribution of his team members was obvious. Over a dozen arrows had been fired, and the two ranged magic casters had unleashed their own barrage of attacks. Keikain had caused a boulder on the edge of the path to split in half and convert itself into a rain of stone javelins thicker and longer than his spear. That single attack had taken out seven of the antelopes and now that the battle was over he remembered hearing it.

It had been what had shifted the fight back in their favour because after that he had gotten kills with his spear.

There was a twang, and an arrow embedded itself in the final antelope left alive. It died and the immediate cessation of tingling signified that they all were exterminated.

Tom winced as he relaxed and the built up pain smashed into him.

It was like he had been roasted alive. When he raised his arm, he could see the sores on it. The sort of welts you would expect to see after severe sunburn. By listening to his body's complaints, it was clear his arms were not the only spots afflicted. His stomach, legs, the soles of his feet they all burned. Every inch of his skin was covered with welts and it went beyond his skin too. His breathing was laboured because of the holes the decay aura had put into his lungs.

Everything hurt, and he half sunk to his knees before he could help himself.

It's superficial, he reminded himself. Once he regenerated a small amount of mana, he could fix this up quickly. The damage was nothing like what it had been after the first encounter.

Healing washed over him and all the blisters faded to leave unblemished skin. It magicked away even the residual pain.

Tom sighed despondently. This was another fight that had been too close for comfort. His mana had bottomed out and a few more seconds and the skin damage would have been extended inside his body. "These things are brutal."

"Stop complaining," Jingyi snapped. "If you are fit, process the bodies."

Tom shot him a glare but pulled out his butchering knives. The scout might have been rude, but he had a point. They needed to reach the pack that Everlyn was hunting down if they were going to beat the main herd. They couldn't afford to waste time because if the decay antelopes caught them… Tom shuddered even the memory of those burns was awful.

The others had experience processing the bodies, so he focused on duplicating the cuts Clare was making next to him. She was basically separating fur, meat, hooves, teeth, heart, and some weird black organ from the bones and entrails which were tossed aside. He matched her careful slices. Six of them were doing the butchering with Toni, Harry and Thor, acting in a support role to pile the useful components in the right location. He managed to process two, which was slower than the others, but it was his first time. Then, as he finished, there was a crackle of energy as everything they had gathered got sent to the auction house, and then Jingyi was off running again.

"That didn't go well," Tom said to Michael. "Thoughts?"

"When you can afford it, then upgrade your skill to tier three. I can't think of anything else working, apart from maybe artefacts…"

"Is that an option?"

"Everything is an option if you have the experience, but…"

"So no. These monsters are bullshit. Their aura's are too powerful."

"Of course they are, Tom. They have to be for something like them to survive down here."

Tom thought for a moment and then agreed with Michael's reasoning. Given the antelopes' lack of any decent battle modifications all they had was their aura. It was not like those kicks would do anything against most opponents. The aura had to be ridiculous just to let them live. "I still need to be able to survive it."

The healer shrugged. "Get the two barrier skills, that and levels are our only hope."

Tom checked his experience and was short. He would aim to get the tier three upgrade first and then grab the barrier skills if he had the funds to do so.

Ahead of Tom Jingyi had slowed to the stop. "What's happening?" he asked the scout, glancing back the way they had come anxiously. He couldn't see any antelopes, but the terrain was almost jungle like at this point, so that wasn't a surprise. "More antelopes?"

"No," Jingyi gestured at the area in front of them. "You wanted experience for the rest of us. This is it."

Tom pulled up next to him and frowned. There was a stretch of dirt a hundred metres wide and half a kilometre long where the jungle was gone. Instead, there were a series of suspicious mounds of earth each being slightly taller than he was. "What lives there?"

Jingyi cleared his throat and checked to make sure everyone was listening. "I haven't spotted one yet, but this looks like earth maggot territory. They're non migratory ambush predators and if they catch you by surprise, they're deadly. I'm hoping they see us as weak and are hungry enough to come out of their burrows. If they do… even with the rank discrepancy, we should be able to fight them. Importantly, the melee guys and healers can be part of the fight unlike against the antelopes. Also," Jingyi paused. "When we fight, they get the killing blows. Tom, Keikain and Toni you need to watch yourselves so you don't accidentally kill them. Now, everyone, this is the maggots' home and they're dangerous. You will need to walk exactly where I do because if they get the jump on you and land an ambush they'll kill you before we can do anything."

Jingyi jogged forward, and they followed in an obedient line. The dirt crunched under his feet and when he sunk his senses into it he could feel that it was broken up chunks of the underground. While it would respond to his magic, it would do so lethargically.

There was a crashing noise to his right, and Tom spun to face it.

A monster had propelled itself from the base of the one of the mounds and landed with a thump on packed dirt, two body lengths clear of the exit hole. It was focused on them and looked like a maggot, only a dark brown and over three metres long.

"Kill it." Jingyi yelled.

The creature opened its jaws, and they were large enough to swallow a human and lined with serrated teeth. It humped forward, moving fast but uncoordinated. It was clearly designed for that initial spring launched attack and or to borrow through the ground and out here on the surface it was vulnerable.

However, it was hungry and made straight for Harry.

Tom couldn't allow that. While they were here to get the other's experience, this was rank twenty, and he was the only one here with the skills to evade it. He charged it and then used Lightning Enrage from less than a metre away to grab its attention.

Its focus switched to him, but he was already backing away.

Time slowed down, and he was forced to teleport, but despite that the monster's lips smacked into his hip and sent him rolling clear.

Tom was on his feet leaning backwards as its mouth tried to swallow him whole as it lurched forward. It was cathartic to fight without his skin tingling.

The rest of the team was attacking the maggot from its sides and back, but it was a hundred percent focused on Tom.

"Watch the other mounds." Jingyi screamed at him.

The maggot launched another attack. He rolled backwards and avoided it.

Too easy, he thought.

He stepped forward and around it. The creature spun. He retreated and leapt backwards as its teeth slammed shut in front of his face.

This was great. He laughed as he danced away from it. Everyone else was hitting it with everything they could, sweat running down their face while he was in full control of the battle and light on his feet.

The edges of the maggot glowed white.

Tom's eyes widened and as time slowed, he threw himself backwards. He knew he had made a mistake and that he should have rolled to the side rather than retreating like he had, but now he had made the error. His only option was to outdistance the attack. Tom's spear was in his hand, held in front of him. It was longer than the creature's mouth was wide, so all he had to do was keep it in the right spot and it wouldn't be able to swallow him. Its jaws rotated, and Tom spun the spear. The slowed time of Black Dodge and the fate around him let him position the weapon perpendicular to the mouth slit and ensured it couldn't bite him.

The maggot slammed into the shaft and sent him flying backwards, its full momentum transferred to him, but he kept balance even as he was thrown airborne. He shouldn't have let himself be knocked in the air but despite that he would land on his feet able to continue the fight.

Next time, if it glowed white he would dodge to the side and avoid this situation. He had been slopping.

There was a blazing white light.

CRACK.

It sounded like the universe broke apart.

LIGHTNING encased him. It was all over him, and it was all that he could see. The world wrenched more violently than he had ever experienced. Energy crackled in his head, causing a splitting headache.

Then he felt himself falling.

Chapter 203

Tom was falling, and he was struggling to understand the why or how. Desperately, he blinked his eyes to restore his vision. It didn't help. The afterglow from that explosion of light had been burned into his retinas and blinded him.

He struck the ground hard, his foot striking first but at a bad angle that sent him sprawling forward. Coarse, rough dirt greeted him and he found his face smashing into it. His momentum was only partially absorbed by his flailing arms. Earth Manipulation instinctively reached out to seize control of the surface and it failed. The dirt was part of the underground and beyond his casual command.

Earth Maggots. He remembered what he had been doing. He had been fighting the earth maggot that had knocked him flying.

He couldn't see anything, but he could deduce more than enough.

Combat did not automatically stop when one of its participants took a hard knock. Instead, it only finished then if that person froze and let the other party…

The maggot was coming for him, Tom realised with horror. He was blinded and in mortal danger.

He threw himself randomly to the left and into a roll even as his Spark domain spread around him to combat his blindness. A big shape rushed through where he had been lying.

Tom stood and realised he had dropped his spear. He retrieved his second one from storage while all his senses focused on where he had felt the monster go past. He didn't understand what had happened to him.

Where had that massive noise come from? And the light and the world twisting?

He blinked. Some of the spots disappeared, giving him a small amount of vision. Healing Tranquillity told him that there was nothing physically wrong. He had been flashed blinded and would have to wait for it to clear.

But by what?

An ability? If so, why didn't he notice it?

By another enemy?

But the other bits…

Something came at him from behind. Tom didn't think he launched himself sideways and then triggered his teleport to increase his speed. His mind stretched, and he attempted to force it to take him further than usual and then instead of moving any part of him he tried to convert some of that potential motion into momentum to make him faster.

He wasn't sure any of it worked.

The spell activated.

Then he was further away.

It wasn't enough.

Something smacked into his legs and multiple abscesses burst. Tom screamed in pain. It felt like his entire limb had been torn off. He powered through the agony and stood gingerly on one leg with his head turning around to spot the enemies.

A maggot came at him, and he sidestepped it. His secondary spear parrying the mouth at the last moment and carrying him beyond its reach. Providing it didn't bite him or squash him these things had little in the way of offensive weapons.

He kept searching and spotted a second maggot coming.

There were two?

Tom swallowed heavily as he understood what had happened.

He had died… well not technically, but Lightning Dodge had been activated. That second maggot had landed a surprise attack on him and without that teleport, Tom knew he would be dead.

It chilled him through to the bone, but he would have to assess root causes later. He guessed he had been too casual… unthinking… maybe it was the aftereffects of the decay energy or the running or most likely his own arrogance.

Excuses didn't matter.

Anger flared through him. He had almost died.

The least damaged of the maggots was veering off and aiming for Rahmat.

No, he screamed in his head.

His arm went back, and he launched a piece of tier two rock. Throw rock activated as it left his hand and it accelerated to five times its initial speed. It slammed home into where he guessed the monster's nostrils should have been.

The target rocked back, and Tom smiled when he saw that he left a hole in its outer shell. Its attention focused a hundred percent back on him.

Both maggots consumed by fury rushed him, but like he had figured out earlier. They were terribly limited, and this time Tom was strategic in his movement. He dodged in a narrow circle, keeping the monsters close and more importantly staying away from any of the mounds of dirt that might contain further enemies.

While he taunted them to follow him, his companions attacked the higher ranked creatures with their limited attributes and skills. It was slow going, but brackish blood ran from the cuts they were creating and then the first maggot died.

It didn't change anything for Tom. Dodging two was just as easy as one, and he continued tracing his tight circle as they attacked their second enemy.

These weak things had almost killed him. Tom's fury at himself was absolute, but none of that emotion was allowed to impact his actions. Every step was precise, and he was ready to dodge in any direction. The second maggot went down faster than the first because everyone had learnt to target the joints between the segments as opposed to bashing blindly.

Jingyi looked at Tom with wide, incredulous eyes. He had obviously caught Tom's mistake. Then the scout shook his head. "We need to move. Their carcasses are almost worthless, so no point harvesting." They set off once more. "Tom," Jingyi said carefully. "You can't be that careless…"

"I know." Tom interrupted angrily. "I know. I screwed up."

They jogged in silence along the dirt winding between the mounds.

Tom checked his system space.

Skill: Lightning Dodge. (6) (Tier 4)

Life saving skill. Lightning is your friend and you will automatically be zapped to a nearby location to avoid an otherwise fatal blow. At higher skill levels, an active ability to use the short-term teleport during combat is enabled.

There was no doubt that was the skill that had saved him. Then, more hopeful than anything, he checked the description and status of his teleport spell, but nothing had changed. When he had tried to extend the range of the teleport, it had felt like something had given but if it had; the change was not material enough to change the teleports description.

Tom returned to the real world.

His mind kept going through those first few moments of the fight. Remembering how easy it was to stay in front of the maggot. Yes, they were reasonably fast, but nothing that he couldn't handle and then…

He shuddered.

How did someone of his experience make that sort of mistake?

People, it was the only explanation because there was no way he would have done that in the tutorial. Jingyi had even warned him mid battle of the danger. Not to mention he had seen the risk when the first one had emerged. It wasn't lost on Tom that it had been silent until it landed on the ground. Yet despite that foreknowledge, he had stuffed up and but for his special class it would have been fatal.

It had to be people; they were making him slip. He could abandon them, but then… could he do his self imposed quest by himself.

The answer was no he was better off with this team, but why then had he made that mistake?

Ahead of them, a maggot burst out of the ground. He watched it and was impressed with the speed it emerged with and the magic that enabled the strike to be completely silent.

It landed with a crash five metres short of them and before it could hump forward more than once. Tom was in its face and released Lightning Enrage from point blank range. This time, while he tanked it, he kept track of the nearby mounds. He was careful not to get within ten metres of them as he paced a narrow circle to let the others land their attacks more efficiently.

It died, and they ran. They eliminated five more of the earth maggots before they reached the end of the field.

Jingyi paused before entering the fungal jungle in front of them. "Everyone make your purchases. We're out of time."

He pointed the way they were going, and they could see monsters flapping above the vegetation. They were flying gracefully through the air and looked like giant stingrays. Then the scout pointed the other way to where the antelope herd had appeared. There must have been a thousand of them.

Tom licked his lips. He had known that this was the plan, but seeing those two forces converging on each other was humbling. They had ten minutes at most, then this area would become an apocalyptic battle field. Internally, he prayed that their plan of hiding to the side while the two stronger forces annihilated themselves would work, or at least if it went wrong something miraculous would occur to let them survive.

They were fleas against the power of these forces, and this was Existentia. Something would go wrong.

"Tom, buy your defences." Jingyi snapped at him.

Tom stepped into the system room to see what he could afford.

The maggots were lucrative, and he had sufficient experience to get everything he wanted. He purchased both the skin and lung barrier tier zero skills and then upgraded Decay Resistance. Because it was a straight upgrade, half the cost of the tier two purchase was refunded. It was the only reason he could afford it and the discount was nice, but on another level… it stung. Effectively renting the tier two version for twenty minutes had cost him ten thousand experience points. It was a lot but also Tom guessed worth it because it had saved his life as he might not have survived the second antelope skirmish without it.

He reappeared in a real world and glanced around to try to interpret how everyone else had gone.

"I got tier two resistance and both barrier skills." Michael called out.

The entire group rapidly yelled out their own gains. No one was surprised to discover that Harry and Thor had the least experienced to spend. Harry, because of his role and build robbed him of any strong offensive attacks and his rituals had been useless during the running skirmishes and Thor because his hammer was nearly useless against the earth maggots who had a natural resistance to blunt force damage.

"Auction credits?" Michael asked Thor immediately.

"Thirty thousand saved up."

"Spend it and split it between the two of you." Jingyi ordered.

The animation instantly left Thor's body as he hurried to query the auction house.

Tom glanced at the approaching threats and shook his head. Their current location was almost directly between the advancing forces. It felt like suicide to meet them in the open like this because he doubted earth maggots would slow the antelopes at all. "Should we move closer to the cliffs? Get somewhere a little more defensible?"

For once the scout hesitated, sending anxious glances toward what to Tom appeared to be pretty innocent rock walls. "Everlyn do we make our stand near the cliffs or where we are?" Jingyi asked through Everlyn's voice chat.

"Have you scouted the cliffs?" She asked immediately.

"No, I haven't."

There was a long pause.

"Then I don't know… pretty dangerous to get closer if that's the case. But…"

"We can't be caught in the open like this." Tom interrupted. "I gather you're worried about a third monster type getting involved, but if either of these forces hit us we're dead, anyway. Better to gamble on the cliffs."

"I've seen rank thirty monsters making a home on a canyon walls." Everlyn said.

"Doesn't matter." Tom snapped this time, letting he's annoyance shine through. "If we stay here we die. I'd rather take the chance."

"It's not that black and white…"

"And we have fate on the line." Tom said quietly.

"Not to protect us from cliff monsters."

He glared at the sky in exasperation. "Correct, but the more general purpose we invested it for will still protect us just not as efficiently."

"Everlyn! Stop. He's right," Jingyi interrupted to support his position. "We're going to have to risk it."

There was a pop and a crackle of energy as a loot portal appeared. Thor immediately stuck his hands in and pulled out a necklace and a ring. He tossed the ring to Harry and Tom got a glimpse as the ritualist shoved it on his finger.

Ring of aura protection - tier 2.

This ring will materially reduce the impacts of all tier 2 auras and below.

"That's a magnificent ring." Tom said, impressed.

"Yes, it was a bargain," Thor agreed. "My amulet is much less impressive. It's only for decay and gives me five minutes of protection per day, but given the circumstances…" The remainder was left unsaid, that long against the antelopes was almost an eternity.

"Let's reposition." A visibly nervous Jingyi turned and jogged toward the cliff face. His eyes didn't pause. They continued to flitter from spot to spot, searching for a threat that might or might not be present.

"Aim for the yellow boulder." Everlyn commanded over her telepathic ability.

The scout leading them did not directly respond to the order but shifted his trajectory. As they got closer, it was clear the landmark Everlyn had chosen was huge. It was the size of a three-story mansion and its shape would provide them with a small measure of protection from attacks originating from the cliffs proper. It would not stop a determined monster from reaching them, but it would at least ensure they were visible as they crossed the line from the standard grey to the sandstone yellow.

They arrived at its base.

"Wait here." Jingyi ordered. Then with a frown he ran up the boulder, moving with the aid of some skill so that he almost faded to nothing and Tom heard no noise. He efficiently angled toward crevices and checked them carefully before climbing to the top. "It's safe." The relief in his voice was palatable. "I hate the underground."

Now that the scout had proven the boulder didn't contain hidden monsters the rest of them started scrambling up to the obvious defensive point. Unlike the other spots that Jingyi had picked for their battles, there were no convenient choke points for Tom to hold. Instead, they climbed about a third of the way up and to the side where there was a section of rock that formed a natural platform that had eroded slightly into the main mass of the rock. When they looked up, there were steep walls and even a sort of roof caused by overhang.

It was far from perfect, but it provided a small measure of protection and given their lack of time to prepare Tom was thankful of Everlyn's eye.

They formed up into their battle formations. The healers and ranged stood at the back and then Tom, Rahmat and Thor at the front next to each other. They were ready to stop anything from passing.

Harry was already scribbling away to get his standard rituals down, and Keikain was on his hands and knees, his face almost kissing the yellow rock as he worked his magic into it. The earth mage had discovered that if he infused his power into the underground rock over time, then it would fall under his domain and allow him to use it nearly as easily as he did surface stone. Unfortunately, Tom did not seem to have the same capability as the more dedicated caster and when he attempted similar feats, he had failed.

Everlyn appeared her face red, and she was puffing heavily. She took up position behind them and then, as prepared as they were going to get Tom shifted his attention to the coming fight for survival.

He studied the enemy.

The boulder gave them a slight elevation relative to the rest of the canyon and they could see the two approaching forces.

The innocent-looking antelopes bounding along. The devastating aura apparently did not extend to plant life because nothing was dying around them and Tom knew how quickly even the probably decay resistance fungus would be destroyed if the monsters willed it.

Opposing them moving as often on top of what was effectively a fungus jungle as within it were the flapping forms of the stingray like beasts.

Number wise, the antelopes had a slight advantage, but they all knew those sorts of calculations were meaningless. The most important aspect was match up. If one countered the other than it would be a bloodbath, no matter what the relative strength on a neutral measuring suggested.

"What's going to happen?" Harry asked Everlyn.

"They'll fight. The flapping scorpoise are likely to win, but it will be close."

"But the decay field?"

"Is counted by the scorpoise… but likewise, the venom in their stingers won't kill an antelope. This will probably end up as a pretty nasty melee."

They could see eight advanced scouting parties from the antelopes and four from the scorpoise. They watched in interest as the first two groups clashed against each other.

There were three scorpoise versus seven antelopes and Tom guessed from how the wider battle was supposed to go that meant the antelopes had a slight advantage in the encounter. The stingray like creatures saw the monsters coming and immediately flew higher to establish the high ground and crimp their opponent's ability to attack them.

It failed.

The leading antelope jumped three metres to easily get above the first sting ray and then fell upon its back. Its hooves flashed. The first kick bounced off but a moment later the back legs targeted the same spot and this time they plunged through the srorpoise's skin and embedded themselves hoof deep into the other creature.

It was chaos as all the antelopes sprang to attack. They seemed to be able to time their movements to sprint off one scorpoise's back to launch a strike at another.

The stingers flashed.

Two missed, but one landed. The one that hit stabbed deep into an antelope in its haunches. It squealed, stumbled from where it was walking on its enemy and fell to crash to the ground. A moment later, it was up with a flesh wound, but no apparent lasting damage from the venom that Tom knew must have been injected. The description of it being an ugly melee was accurate.

The antelopes bashed the scorposie into submission while the scorpoise demonstrated three offensive abilities. The first was when one of the three enveloped a helpless antelope completely as its wings folded over and drew the antelope up to its chest. When it opened up the beast it had caught had been reduced to mush. Then there were the stingers which failed to get a clean kill and their final method of attacks was the hard edges at the far end of their wings. Which it used as a bashing tool.

It took a full minute for the fight to complete and afterwards there were three injured antelopes left standing.

Jingyi cleared his throat and pointed. "We have company."

Tom glanced toward where the scout had gestured. Three of the antelope hunting parties had apparently been tracking them and were just emerging from the earth maggot territory. They had combined into a single unit of around two dozen and were in the process of charging toward them.

Tom smiled. In some ways, this early challenge was good news. They were going to get a chance to test the effectiveness of their aura resistance. If their decay resistance failed against this small number, then they would have to find another way before the main pack reached them.

Maybe a ritual, Tom thought, glancing at Harry. He hoped not. It was bad enough they had all been forced to purchase these annoying skills. He didn't want to force Harry to spend even more of his limited experience on pointless knowledge.

Chapter 204

The antelopes closed on their position with the sort of pace that could easily give you nightmares. They were like cheetahs but faster.

Crack.

One of Everlyn's arrows flashed across the distance, separating them from the rapidly descending monsters. It slammed home into the chest of the leading antelope; it tumbled and fell.

How she had hit it with such accuracy at that range was a mystery, but Tom was not about to complain.

Crack, Twang.

Both Everlyn's and Jingyi's arrows arced out. Everlyn's flight course was almost flat while the scout was forced to use a parabolic arc, given how far the monsters were from them. Not that it affected his accuracy at all with his arrow slamming right into the nose of one of the monsters.

It was a great shot.

Three arrows, and that was how many antelopes had been downed. The deadliness of their skill was inspiring.

Another round of arrows flew. This time, even Jingyi's arrow had a flat arc and both arrows slammed home into their targets barely fifty metres from where they stood. The separation they had created was gone. Two hundred metres vanishing in less than five seconds.

Tom stepped to the edge of the flat space to meet them. The antelopes saw him, hunger entered their eyes, and they targeted him. Mentally, he prepared for the critical first few seconds of the fight. Above all else, he needed to taunt as many of them as possible.

Time predictably slowed down, telling him he was about to take a pounding. He pre-emptively cast his decay resistance spell while he waited for the perfect moment to enrage the others. A teleport took him back and to the side. Then he was kicking off his feet, advancing till he was in the middle of the pack. He felt the shock of minor impact on his ribs as a passing monster managed to headbutt him. All in all, maybe a tenth of a second had passed, but it was enough.

Sparks exploded out from him.

They went forward, behind him, to the sides and some even straight upwards to meet an antelope that had tried to jump over him and all its pack mates to get to his companions, the easy prey, faster. The light was nearly as bright as what happened when his Lightning Dodge had activated. Almost blinding for him, but it must have been far worse for the antelopes who had to contend with the foreign electricity trying to wriggle its way into their eyes.

Hooves battered at him as he pushed through them. All the monsters focused their full efforts on destroying him. Like the previous time, there were so many of them and they moved so fast that all he could do was defend. There was no space for an offensive action.

Time slowed significantly once more.

It was the maximum that his skill supported, and Tom tensed, knowing what was about to happen.

A hoof slammed into his chest and threw him backwards. While flying through the air he crashed into other airborne antelopes and they gave way as his mass won out. Overall, it was only a couple of steps and thanks to his skill mitigating damage and that it had launched him back it was only going to leave a slight bruise. If that kick had caught him pinned against a hard surface, then Tom knew the outcome would have been quite different.

He parried away another kick and took a moment to monitor what was happening while his instincts guided his dodging. There were almost twenty antelopes focused on killing him and if he was being honest their scramble to reach him was actually reducing the risk of being injured. A large mob trying frantically to slaughter you and frustrating each other in doing so was not as threatening as what five in open space would have been. He could do this all day especially as his skin was only tingling by a slight amount.

The spell faded, and the prickling increased, but not enough to be problematic.

The momentum of the antelopes had pushed him back up to where the others were and he saw the other melee fighters unleashing attacks upon the undefended sides of the monsters.

They had free rein to do whatever they wanted without fearing retaliation, as every single monster was focused exclusively on trying to kill Tom.

Arrows flew, Toni's air magic crashed down and Keikain had sensibly pulled back from the fight unwilling to use his power in a skirmish where they clearly already had the upper hand.

In surprisingly little time, the surrounding crush relented as his friends took down the monsters. With space once more, he reproduced his spear and started stabbing.

Tom maintained quick, precise movements even while weaving between them. The antelope in front of him tucked its head down and charged him. He teleported up and then plunged his weapon into the back of its neck. The blue glow that covered the tip meant it went in easily and penetrated into the brain stem.

It died, and he spun, looking for another enemy.

There were none.

He surveyed the battlefield while panting.

Everything was clearly dead.

His skin complained when he moved, but apart from that it was fine and he gave his arm a quick once over. It had a red tinge, but no blisters.

Six mana later and the redness vanished, and he turned to see if anyone else needed healing. It was clear at a glance that everyone excluding Thor had gotten through the engagement with nothing more serious than some minor sunburn.

Thor had not been so lucky.

Tom could only observe his face, but it was covered with boils and weeping sores. Michael was crouched next to him.

"Do you need help?" he offered.

"No, Tom. I've got this."

"The wounds look terrible." Tom examined Thor worriedly. He had suffered some significant decay exposure. It was problematic. "Why are you so banged up? Your amulet? It should have done…"

Thor wave the question away. "I'm not wasting my five minutes of protection on a small band like this. Tis just a skin wound." He smiled at his small joke.

"Literally." Michael said dryly. "But an extra five or ten seconds and it could have become a lot more alarming. As Tom discovered the damage scales exponentially."

"I was aware." Thor insisted. "If they hadn't been falling so fast, I would have triggered the amulet."

"Recharge your mana and get ready." Everlyn ordered. "That was nothing."

She waved out to the distance and they could all see the two opposing forces sweeping closer together. Each of the forward raiding party so to speak had been eliminated. It was just the main groups left, and they were about to collide.

Tom used his experience from the tutorial to assess the situation. What would happen when the forces met?

Currently, both packs were staying well clear of the cliff wall where they were positioned, but once they clashed, they would spread out in both directions and widen the conflict line. "We're going to end up part of the battlefield."

"Yes." Everlyn agreed. "The antelopes first because of the angles but then once the scorpoise start winning we will end up fighting them."

"This is crazier than anything I ever did in the tutorial." Rahmat said.

"Well, it's not like we were given a choice." Tom answered. "Everyone, remember to keep your discipline. Stay close, don't chase any of them, even if you think you can get a kill. The only things that matters is survival. The more we keep out of battle, the better chance we have of surviving."

The monsters crashed in front of them with little noise.

They could see the blows. A scorpoise that was in the air was struck with two front hooves and got pushed down almost two metres till it hit the ground. An antelope was enveloped by a different one of the rays and didn't emerge alive. Yet, despite the clear violence that was occurring, there were no noises. No loud squeals, screams, or roars, just focused aggression and the occasional thud that carried over the distance separating them.

An ugly melee just like had been predicted. The two monster packs smashed together in the centre and immediately started expanding out to the sides.

"Don't engage." Everlyn warned them. "Let them come to us."

Tom, along with the other front liners, took two steps backwards. The ten humans were pressed up against the rock wall in an attempt not to get spotted.

"Sort of wish we'd had time for Harry to cast one of his camouflage rituals." Everlyn said quietly, with amusement.

The clash of the two forces was happening thirty metres to their right, which meant that it was inevitable that only antelopes would threaten them… initially at least. Sure enough, a crowd of around forty were pushed out and were running straight at them. For a moment he had fantasies about them galloping past, but it was not to be. The lead antelope spotted them almost immediately, and Tom could see that its mouth started frothing in response. It changed course to head straight at them.

With most of them lacking specific stealth skills and the enemy being rank twenty it was no surprise that they were discovered.

Tom tensed, and then they were upon them. This time, he didn't bother trying to enrage the entire group there was too many, and they wanted to be a small target. It was survival Tom. That meant small footprint and hope that the antelopes would go around them and prioritise fighting their real enemies the scorpoise.

Instead, he focused on killing efficiently.

An antelope flipped at him and he dodged the side and lashed out with an elbow as it passed and scored a sold thump on its rib that, while failing to hurt it did successfully knock it off course. These things were light enough that it was easy to shift their momentum. Meanwhile, his spear took the opportunity to split open the artery of the creature that was attacking Thor.

It was chaotic.

Tom moved deliberately and preserved his mana. His focus was on the wider battlefield, and he watched how everyone else was going. The best use of his unique abilities was to step in and save them if they looked like they were about to be overwhelmed.

His friends were failing. Despite the skills they possessed, their attributes were too low. The antelopes ones too high.

A localised version of Lightning Enrage expanded around him. Sparks flew out to a range of about a metre and a half. The two attacking Everlyn turned to fight him along with a further seven pulled off the others. While he had not wanted to taunt anything, he had no choice.

With nine of them focused exclusively on him once more, Tom could suddenly do nothing but dodge, but his companions were freed up at least briefly. More antelopes engaged.

As we weaved amongst the fury bodies, searching for a chance to counterattack with his spear. He still watched the battle, knowing that he might need to intervene again to save his more squishy companions. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Clare get launched back two metres to slam into the hard, unyielding surface of the boulder.

Tom was already reacted his spear, lashed out to score a long cut on the offending antelopes flank. Instead of it pouncing on the helpless Clare it responded to the pain by focusing on Tom. He teleported away from some more attacks.

Clare was clutching her chest, a grimace on her face, but her healing magic was addressing the damage. She would be up and fighting in no time.

Time slowed, precariously.

He attempted to calculate where the attack was coming from but then realised it was from everywhere. He was being kicked from multiple angles and the teleport was on cooldown. He accepted the contact and used his spear to block a couple of blows and then twisted to avoid to two more.

He was pummelled from different directions and then a gasp of pain escaped his lips as a kick he had not been tracking struck his calf. A single abscess burst in his lower leg.

He forced himself to keep going.

Thor skidded backwards his hand clutching his thigh. He roared in defiance and swung his hammer and an antelope that was dashing in for another attack got knocked away, as it's lighter weight met the furious swing of Thor's hammer, and was found wanting.

They had traded blows and the antelope, unlike Thor didn't get up from where he landed.

Crack

One of them flipped with a magical arrow embedded in it.

Tom allowed himself to relax slightly. If Everlyn was targeting the monsters focused on him, then no one else was in danger.

He saw an opportunity and teleported forward to avoid more of the nasty kicks and also to kill one of the animals that had overextended itself in a bid to hurt him. It died with his spear through the roof of its mouth..

Then, when he looked for a new enemy, there was none. The twenty that had targeted them were all dead the others had swept past to engage the scorpoise.

"Oh, no." Thor yelled and pointed up the cliff.

Tom followed the finger and then froze.

Emerging almost a hundred metres over their head was a swarm of alligator sized lizards. They had appeared over a vast section of the cliff face and Tom remembered Jingyi's uneasiness at coming close to the wall and realised this was why.

They had emerged as a result of the sounds of battle and now, as one they started sprinting down the near vertical cliffs. Tom's eyes widened at how fast they were moving. They were not rank twenty monsters but were instead in the high twenties. To fast for him and probably beyond the limit and he could effectively defend against even with a tier five dodge skill.

Then he swallowed those thoughts. He had a chance against these, but the others… They would die in seconds.

Of the mass of enemies, only three were heading toward them, but that was too many. Tom knew he might be able to fight one to a standstill and then as his cockroach advantage of fate built up to kill it… but three it felt impossible.

"Tom, you take one? I'll take the other two." Everlyn snapped immediately. "The rest of you keep the riff raff off our backs."

"I'll target the one on the left." Tom said, moving to intercept it.

"Tom, fate spike one of mine."

He knew what she was asking, and he didn't hesitate. The ring activated as he targeted the bigger of the two heading for Everlyn. Instantly he saw its pool of fate vanish and without anything physically changing it was far weaker than it had been.

Then, as the monster he was targeting approached Tom spent all but ten of his remaining fate. All of it directed toward surviving the first twenty seconds against the creature charging him.

Part of him was worried about Everlyn. Why would she take two on at once but then he put her out of his mind. She needed to fight her own battles, like he did.

And his only concern right now was the lizard coming at him.

Chapter 205

The lizard monster that Tom was tasked with intercepting was very alligator like, and like most things in Existentia it was more monstrous than anything on earth. An alligator on steroids with enhanced speed was the most apt description he could think of. The elongated snout was filled with visible teeth. Its tail ended with a heavy mace like protuberance similar to what some dinosaurs had possessed. Then each of those six legs were adorned with four finger length claws that were apparently more than capable of cutting into the cliff wall. Tom knew how hard underground rock was and the way the lizard could cut into the rock to grip was scary.

If one of those feet hit him…

Survive, he thought to himself. That was all he needed to do. Get through the first couple of minutes and then luck would help him win a war of attrition.

The monster was charging him.

Tom remembered the numerous times he had tricked enraged beasts into impaling themselves. Winning a fight because of their stupidity instead of via skill. It was a great technique, but he wasn't sure it would work in this situation. After all, the equipment he had available lacked the quality necessary to survive such an encounter against a creature whose vitality was close to thirty.

With a thought the spear Sonya had got him vanished and was replaced with the store bought one. Grimly, he positioned it to skewer the charging reptile, with the butt of it firmly wedged into the rock. The monster saw the stick pointing at it and clearly understood the concept of what he was attempting. It shifted to the side slightly and swung its head out of the way of the weapon tip. Tom countered by expertly guided the spear shaft to ensure it remained aligned to the animal and then something went through the lizard. Rather than stopping it sped up having obviously judged the spear as being insignificant in the greater of scheme of things.

Tom wished he had better equipment.

It opened its jaws, and Tom aimed his weapon at the roof of its mouth. Then he leapt backwards to avoid the mouthful of teeth attempting to eat him.

His spear had been positioned perfectly. It should have skewered it and ended the battle, but unfortunately the lizard's judgement was accurate. The shaft exploded in a shower of wooden shards unable to support the weight that went through it.

Tom hoped the attempt had at least bloodied the creature's mouth, but in the heat of battle there was no way for him to tell.

Sonya's spear appeared in his hands and just like he had blocked the earth maggot he got the long shaft perfectly positioned to stop the snapping teeth from closing on him.

He was not bitten in two, but the force of the monster's lunge still threw him backwards. He was airborne, and the creature pursued him.

He landed in front of the monster and then teleported and dodged to the side.

Time slowed immediately to the full extent his skill supported.

Tom frowned. With the teleport on cooldown, there was no way to avoid being hurt. His brain calculated vectors, and he abandoned all of his efforts to do anything apart from pulling his leg back faster.

He gasped.

There was a brand of flame down his calf.

Healing tranquillity activated, and he was stunned to discover that he had been badly cut. The lizard's claw had sliced through his nearly indestructible pants.

The threat level of the monster in Tom's head went up. He was glad he had spent his fate proactively to survive the first period of the engagement.

Almost by route, he stemmed the bleeding without bothering to heal the cut fully. If it could damage him so easily he needed to preserve as much mana as possible.

Something told him…

Whomp!

His eyesight flashed black, red then white. He was hurtling through the air, swept completely off his feet.

Crunch.

He crashed into the solid surface of the boulder.

His chest felt like it had been struck with a battering ram. Tom's experience filled in the blanks instantly. The monster had to possess some form of tail swipe skill and it had used it to strike him while he was distracted by the cut to his leg.

Tom did not hesitate.

He cartwheeled to the side and then watched in disbelief as the lizard that had been charging him redirected its momentum to sprint up the vertical slope. Then above Tom it was doing a tight u-turn.

That was all he needed to see.

He began to retreat.

With its claws cutting into the underground rock and giving the lizard perfect footing, it charged straight down, mouth partially open, its teeth showing, saliva running out the sides of its mouth.

A teleport took him out of its range. He ducked and weaved desperately and then leapt over another tail swipe. The accompanying gust of wind almost sent him careering out of control.

He landed, dived to the side. There was a stinging pain on his arm and he instinctively closed the cut. No matter what he did as he fought backwards time was dilated to the maximum amount possible.

A tail swipe was coming.

He braced, but all of his air was still knocked right out of his lungs. Uncontrolled, he flew toward the wider canyon. Helplessly, he crashed into an antelope that was at the apex of a jump, and then one of the stingrays. Both bounced away from him, as he was both heavier than they were and moving faster.

Tom landed and rolled to the side.

There was the snapping sound of jaws closing over where his body had just been. The lizard appearing amongst the melee of the two other species did not go unnoticed. Two antelopes and a scorpoise both targeted it.

The antelope was cut in half with a casual swipe of the monster's claws and then it's tail whipped and pulverised the scorpoise.

The lizard stared at him, seemingly unconcerned about having killed the other two monsters each with a single blow. Tom had been nursing a vague plan about retreating aggressively into the wide melee, with the hope that his dodging would keep him alive while the extra monsters would wear out this opponent.

Something warned him that wouldn't work.

The lizard lunged at him and once more he was forced into a furious retreat. This time, he got the opportunity to parry a couple of claw swipes but even when successful, he had to reset cracked bones to keep himself functional.

The tail swipe came at him and Tom didn't block and instead borrowed the momentum to propel himself clear of the lizard to get some breathing room. He took the chance to sneak a glance at the wider battle.

Everlyn had transformed as the seriousness of the situation forced herself to use her limited power up trait. She had used a version that had allowed her to grow bigger and she had switched out her magic bow for a glaive that was derived in someway from her other weapon as it had the same magical look.

The enhanced form was letting her move with a speed that was downright terrifying. Tom knew how much higher the lizard's attributes were than his own. Even with the bonuses his dodge ability granted him he was struggling to keep ahead of it. Everlyn, on the other hand… She was dominating her opponent.

The lizard that he had fate spiked had already been disembowelled and, while not dead yet it was clear, it would not survive. As for the second. Everlyn was working on finishing it, too. It had already suffered a couple of minor cuts, but with the ferocity she was bringing to the fight it was only a matter of time before she landed a more serious blow.

Then he touched down, and the lizard was upon him once more and everything went into stopping himself from being overwhelmed by the multitude of attacks that were being launched his way.

Time ground to a halt, and internally he cursed. There was no pathway to avoid the claw. Tom focused and stretched his teleport ability. He applied all of his willpower to get more out of it. A couple of extra centimetres, with slightly more flexibility to reposition his limbs.

The pressure was building.

Something broke in the skill, or maybe something mended was a better description. There was a quantitative change, the skill altered under the strain that both he and fate applied to it. There was no way in the midst of combat to determine the exact nature of what had happened. It might have been a level, which would be miraculous in terms of the timeframe since he got the skill or a sideways evolution or both. It didn't matter a shift had occurred.

The amount he could twist in the air had improved and he could use the teleport to increase his momentum or to stop it altogether. Even more importantly for his current situation range was now more guidance than anything else. If he used the advanced capabilities, it would take longer for the spell to reset, but it could travel eight centimetres now instead of five.

The teleport triggered, moving him instantly the full distance back. The slashing claw sliced his leg, leaving a scratch as opposed to almost cutting it off.

The lizard was unperturbed at missing him. It just continued its flurry of attacks. Tom retreated slightly, blocked and swayed out of the way.

Whomp!

Pain flared as multiple abscesses burst as the tail slammed into the legs he had pulled to his chest. He was hurtled in an arc upwards and away from his friends. For a moment, the agony might have caused him to black out before his decay resistance skill mitigated most of the sudden free hostile decay energy and stopped it from infecting him.

Half a second, maybe less, had passed when he opened his eyes. He was still travelling upward and the lizard he was fighting paced below, its mouth open almost grinning at him.

He was beginning to get worried that the lizard was beyond his ability but he couldn't think of anything to change the paradigm. All he could do was to survive and hope Everlyn could come to his aid. With the last of his mana, he fixed the damage from the tail swipe, vowing to watch out for it and make sure he dodged it going forward.

Then he was falling.

The lizard was pacing him and for a moment he panicked, unsure how to not land in its waiting mouth.

An antelope jumped near him, and Tom took back control by kicking off it.

He spotted a scorpoise, but it was too far away, so he burned a teleport to both increase his speed and get close. He thrust with his spear the end cutting into the creature's wing and then he flexed his muscles to pole vault and propel himself forward. A sprinting antelope got kicked in the head. Then he fell and planted a foot on the back of another antelope and then leapt off it.

It was in the midst of jumping and so Tom received the equivalent of a double bounce when you were trampolining. He soared impossibly high in the air as a result.

He was travelling deeper into the canyon and away from his friends and while staying airborne was not a viable plan against the monster in the long run. Short term, it would at least buy him time and potentially if he was fast enough… Tom glanced back.

The lizard was not willing to risk him escaping and was aggressively tracking him. It was relentless, and Tom wished he had been more prudent earlier against the earth maggots. Having two lifesaving teleports in reserve instead of one would have been comforting at this moment.

He struck a scorpoise at an angle and kicked off.

The movement surprised a lizard, and it dug its feet into the rock to bring it to a halt momentarily before turning and charging towards his new location. Tom's feet had already found ground or in this case a fungus.

There was another flurry of dodges.

Tom's fate was building up.

He could feel it crackling in the surrounding air, giving him opportunities.

He somehow managed to twist his body so that simultaneously a double claw attack from the back and middle legs went either side of him as he limboed under a tail swipe.

Then he was back on his feet. The impossibility of what he had just done was forgotten as he contorted himself in ways that a human shouldn't be capable of escaping another flurry of attacks. The monster was frustrated and throwing everything into killing him. Despite that, Tom was getting moments to think as he got more used to its movement patterns and fate interfered in larger and larger ways.

He was fifty metres away from the boulder and he caught a glimpse of the ongoing fight.

Everlyn hadn't killed the second lizard, but it was severely injured. Unfortunately, the massive form she had taken earlier was gone and was replaced with a version of Everlyn that used an axe. This one was slower than the previous, but against a hurt opponent it was enough. She was avoiding the counterattacks and then moving in to land a few axe swings on the already opened wounds. They didn't seem to do that much damage, but fresh blood emerged each time so they would wear the monster down, eventually.

Tom blocked with his spear as it lunged forward for what felt like the hundredth times. Those jaws could open wide but were too small to get around his spear if he positioned the defence appropriately.

Tom was thrown backwards, which gave him a second to act. Almost without thinking, he produced your rock and threw it.

It slammed into the lizard. Striking the front leg mid stride because he hadn't had time to aim properly.

The leg seemed to buckle unnaturally, and it was limping afterwards. Not that the small disability had the effect of slowing the frantic attacks. If anything, things became more intense.

He dodged and weaved.

There was an opportunity. The lizard's claws had fallen through the ground into a hidden burrow and half tripped it. Tom immediately infused the top of his spear with Power strike and then thrust forward.

The eye popped.

The lizard launched at him in a rage, but Tom internally smiled. Finally, he had hurt it. The creature had four eyes in total, but if he could blind it on one side Tom's chances of survival would skyrocket.

He felt the claws open up a gash on his arm and stomach, but they were only deep scratches and he would fix them when he got mana. Tom pirouetted. The lizard's foot was somehow caught again in another burrow and Tom struck on instinct with his spear tip glowing blue as he thrust forward.

The second eye exploded in a gooey was blind on one side.

He didn't relax for a moment. If anything, he became more focused. His enemy was vulnerable, and he just needed to exploit the opening until he killed it. Sweat was dripping down his face constantly, and he concentrated on widening the wound he had left by continually dodging into its blind spot and then stabbing out at the first damaged , three, ten the number of Power Strike infused blows on the same spot grew.

Tom was going to win. Whenever he got in trouble, he could create time by escaping into its blind area. Between that and the mass of fate that swirled around him, the result was inevitable.

Rather than pressing an advantage he danced back and threw an anxious eye toward his companions.

Everlyn had finished her lizard and had returned to shooting her bow.

Harry was down.

His heart leapt.

The ritualist was prone on the ground but not dead because Michael was hovering over him, casting his magic and then on either side Rahmat and Thor were fighting back two scorpoise that were targeting them. Then he checked the rest of the battlefield and noted the intensity of the fight was reducing.

The lizard, for the first time in the battle, did not immediately charge in and try to kill him. It looked like it was considering retreating.

No! Tom shouted in his head. He would not allow that. He needed the experience and while he knew they had all agreed at the start not to chase any fights that no longer applied. The battle was over and he wasn't letting the beast that had cut him up as much as it had to escape.

He charged forward and renewed the aggression.

Eleven, twelve… twenty strikes landed on the eye socket, but he was making progress. Each one was pushing a little deeper, and Tom was sure he felt the bone shift with the last strike.

Once more he rolled to the side and the lizard squealed as the plants that its back legs were on gave way, making its entire back end slip downwards.

Tom pounced on the mistake.

He put everything he could channel into Power strike. He concentrated his strength, his muscles coiling and then unleashing a burst of power that was focused on a simple spear thrust. The tip of the weapon entered the heavily damaged socket and this time the bone that have resisted him all the times before broke and the spear slid all the way in.

Tom pulled it out, triumphal.

A flood of blood came with the weapon and the monster crashed to the ground and he turned to see if he needed to intervene in any of the other fights that were occurring.

There was no need.

The battle was over.

The majority of both the scorpoise and antelopes were dead. Tom could see hundreds of their corpses littered across the floor of the canyon.

As for the lizards that had rushed down from the cliffs, they had or were retreating from the floor canyon. Including the three he and Everlyn had killed, Tom spotted a total of six lizard corpses which felt about right given the rank discrepancy that had existed between the three forces. On the cliff face itself, around a dozen of the lizards were climbing back toward their dens further up the cliff. Each and everyone of them carried multiple carcasses with a slight preference for the antelopes, though he did spot one lizard that was upside down on the cliff and backing upwards. It was dragging six scorposie corpses behind it with its mouth comically wide open to secure the load.

Tom once more assessed the battlefield to make sure he hadn't missed anything important. There were no lizards alive at ground level. As for the clashing antelopes and scorpoise horde, both of them were shattered. There might have been fifty surviving individuals of each species, but every one of them was injured and Tom knew at a glance that he would be able to clean them up easily, let alone what Everlyn and Jingyi could do from range.

Crack.

An arrow shot and landed near Tom, killing an antelope that he had been ignoring. It had been attempting to crawl over and kill him, but missing two legs it hadn't been making much progress.

Tom jogged over to where Michael and Clare were still labouring over Harry.

He continued to put together the pieces he had missed while fighting for his life. The first fact was that Everlyn hadn't killed both lizards. The second one had been killed by Keikain as he could see remanents of how a section of the yellow boulder had come alive and taken a bite out of the lizard removing a large chunk of its torso.

That was good because it meant Everlyn wouldn't have full bragging rights. Then again, she had taken care of two while he had almost died facing only the one.

"Can I help?" Tom said immediately when he reached Michael.

The healer didn't answer. He just shuffled to the side and Tom sat down and put his hand on Harry.

"Yes," Clare answered, sounding broken.

"He was stung by one of the scorpoise" Toni told him.

Tom knelt next to his friend and initiated Healing Tranquillity. Harry was a fighter. They would save him.

Chapter 206

Tom's awareness spread through Harry's body as Healing Tranquillity activated. There was no rush. His mana was currently depleted, so he had time to monitor what was happening inside Harry and plan out what needed to occur.

A few things became clear immediately. The wound itself was insignificant.

It was not small and on Earth, it might have been enough for the victim to lose his leg, but Tom doubted it. Not with modern medicine. An emergency department would have patched it up in no time… Elsewhere? In the slums of a third world country? Maybe, there, the leg would have been lost… Not that it mattered. They were no longer on Earth. Here on Existentia the physical damage would only require a short focused healing session and then it would not have left a scar. Even in the absence of healers, it wouldn't have been a concern. A day for natural healing to fix it and maybe a follow-up session to remove the scar tissue sometime later.

The wound was nothing, but the venom that had been injected was a completely different matter.

Observing this wound, he was immensely thankful that DEUS had gifted them the fate mechanism. They were lucky to be alive.

Tom remembered how the antelope had shrugged off one of these attacks. What would have happened if the antelopes hadn't been immune? It was easy enough to imagine how their wild plan would have failed if the vulnerabilities and resistances had been something else. If the antelopes had been susceptible to the venom, then the scorpoise would have wiped them out with hardly any losses. What then? Tom could only imagine what the situation would have been like at the end of the battle if most of the scorpoise had been alive.

He, Everlyn, Jingyi they probably could have survived… Tom by dodging and fighting them to a standstill and the others by hiding… but the rest of his team they would have been overwhelmed…

Tom pushed the morose thoughts aside. He had a patient that he was not sure how to treat.

Harry, Tom decided as he finished his assessment was lucky to be alive. The venom unopposed could literally kill someone in less than a minute. Michael must have reacted almost instantly to stop its spread and then with Clare had managed to somehow fight the venom to a standstill. They had succeeded, but they were not winning the fight. A stalemate was not victory and the one they were in was heading toward a loss because it was clear they were running out of mana and the venom had not been weakened in any substantial way.

Tom's mana ticked upwards, and he considered how to contribute.

Michael and Clare had engineered a similar situation to what he had done with a wasp poison on the first day. They had tried to quarantine the venom and keep the key parts that kept Harry alive going.

The majority of the toxic substance the scorpoise had injected was concentrated in the original leg, but veins of it at spread to create pockets elsewhere. One such tendril had settled around the collarbone and was threatening to push into the brain.

Without hesitating further, he committed his single point of mana to that spot in order to boost the defence that Michael had established. Michael's method of corralling the stuff was to place a barrier down that burned any of the corruption that tried to pass through it. While he did that, Clare was sending waves of healing to fix the critical areas of Harry's body. Lungs, heart and brain primarily and then occasionally boosting other spots to prevent an entire section from dying off.

Tom could not do either task as well as the dedicated professionals, so he attempted a more physical solution. He remembered what he had done to deal with the sores in his legs. He had possessed a driving need to make his skin whole in order to survive the next antelope engagement. However, he immediately discovered the consequences of only fixing the skin. The decay energy in the previously open sores was still there. Instead of leaking out of his body in pustular form it had been trapped within him and had formed a dangerous positive feedback loop inside his body. The fix had been to generate abscesses, pockets to contain the foreign energy. He had created prisons out of a shell of tissue to physically separate out the decay energy from the rest of him along with the nearby flesh. It did not heal anything directly, but it was effective at buying time, which is exactly what Harry needed.

The tendril of corruption in the shoulder was the most pressing issue and became his focus. First, he constructed a wall to stop the venom from reaching the brain.

Michael said nothing, but the barrier that he had set up to burn away the leaking venom moved subtly. It shifted to the left and some of its energy vanished as Michael's attention turned to address other issues.

More mana came into his system. He strengthened the wall that he'd created, extending it further. A few more points and all the corruption in the shoulder would be isolated, and he could turn his focus elsewhere.

"That's good," Michael said finally. "After you've done that one, can you seal off the main leg."

"I'll see," Tom promised immediately.

"Stop standing around and watching," He heard Everlyn ordered. "We have less than forty minutes to process these corpses. We have two objectives. The first is to clear the bodies so the next wave of monsters doesn't pause to eat them."

Tom shuddered at that thought. It would be a disaster if they got stuck behind another circular breakdown.

"That's vital, but the second need is credits. We have to get as many of them as possible and we have no time, so if you're not saving Harry's life, then move!"

Tom ignored them. While what they were doing was important, it wasn't relevant to his task.

All his attention was on extracting the maximum value from each precious point of mana that he regenerated. Briefly, he wondered whether he had sufficient experience points to grab the four levels necessary to get a boost to magic. Increasing his mana pool by almost fifty would assist them in keeping Harry alive.

He broke his focus and stepped into his system room.

His available experience and the cost of four levels in his elemental summoner class were on the wall.

Experience: 35,200

Cost of four levels of elemental summoner: 55,750

That wasn't nearly enough to hit the threshold of four levels. Tom should have known better. Of course, he wouldn't have accumulated sufficient experience fighting a single lizard and a few antelopes to gain four whole levels.

The expectation was ridiculous.

With a curse, he returned to focusing on Harry. There was nothing he could do or buy to make this easier.

First, he checked the collarbone area and his lack of attentiveness even if it had only been a few seconds, had caused the tissue to fray slightly. That was unfortunate because it meant that unlike with the decay energy he would need to continually reinforce the barrier pockets. Things were never easy, but he shouldn't have been surprised. It made sense that dedicated venom would be more potent that the aftereffects of a decay aura. Absently, he reinforced the tissue and then shifted his focus to address the next issue that Michael had asked him to look at.

The leg was ugly to view through his senses. It lived still and had not died off fully. There was still life flowing through it, but it was in a terrible state and was exporting the venom to elsewhere in the body. Tom examined how to seal it off.

He frowned. The simple solution he had applied to the collarbone was not available. Basic biology prevented it. The entire leg was infected, but human legs couldn't live by themselves. Actually, Tom wasn't sure that was the case in Existentia, but what he did know was that the leg attached to Harry needed its blood to keep flowing to survive. If he closed the arteries pumping blood in, then, given its state, he might as well amputate immediately.

It was better to find a different solution because while the leg could be restored, doing so in the underground when they were running for their lives would be difficult.

"I can't block off the veins and arteries." Tom told them.

"We know. Do the rest of it." Michael ordered tightly.

Tom complied, building his own partitions to stop the flow of the corruption. Then he traced the blood through the leg and blocked off spots where the worst of the venom was getting into the bloodstream.

"Whatever you're doing, keep it up." Michael said.

Tom glanced at the healer in surprise. The stress levels in his voice had set alarm bells ringing. Sweat was running down Michael's face and his brow was wrinkled in a way that Tom knew indicated mana depletion. From his own growing headache, Tom was more than aware that he would look the same to any outside observer.

Yet there was nothing any of them could do to rush things. Tom finished the barrier and continued on. The venom, despite their efforts was still spreading. None of them were trying to save the second leg, the one that had not had venom injected into it and it had progressed from mildly infected to the point where it now needed extensive healing.

Tom pushed aside his rising panic.

What he was doing was surgery and that meant calm, precise actions. There was a chance that Harry might not survive despite Tom's best efforts. However, that outcome was guaranteed if Tom wasted his mana by panicking.

It was a disaster. Venom was leaking into the bloodstream and running wholesale through the ritualist's body. The small pockets he had locked away were helping, but were not the solution, especially given the maintenance that Tom had to do to keep them functioning. Even with his oversight there were leaks. The others were out of mana and Harry was no longer stabilised.

They had to change things up. They needed to take the fight to this infection more aggressively.

Tom pulled out his butchering dagger. "Sorry mate."

He cut.

Foul smelling dark purple liquid splashed out as he hacked out a section of Harry's thigh that was as large as his heal was supporting him. The blood vessels he should have been slicing through which would have caused extensive bleeding where either sealed off or had been already redirected to an area he was not hacking. His precautions meant there was no explosion of red blood, even as his actions left a gaping wound in the thigh. A carved-out partition of flesh and beneath the damaged and badly infected bits that remained he could see the solid pink of the barrier he had put in place.

Tom concentrated to thicken it up and then split it in two. Then with fingers he pinched two sides of the bag like material he had created and tugged upward. The inner layer of the barrier came loose, and he pulled it. It was disgusting, almost see through pink material containing bits of muscle, skin, fat along with the green poison.

Tom tossed it away.

Grimly, he returned his focus back into Harry's body.

The blood-brain barrier was failing in places. Venom was getting into the brain. Without hesitation, Tom moved to shore it up. Where the barrier was permeable, he reinforced it with his own stronger, unyielding version. It completely cut off oxygen transfer to some sections of the brain, a death sentence on Earth, but this was Existentia. Individual cells would last longer now before dying of oxygen depletion, and his job was to buy time for the other two to use their magic to purge the venom.

His attention went to the next most concentrated clump of material. This time the problem was in the little finger.

He didn't hesitate. The dagger plunged down and he cut the finger right off. The stump bled straight away, and Tom did nothing to stop it. Natural platelets would cause the blood to clot and seal the wound. It was better for him to keep his mana to address more serious problems.

The venom he had isolated in the stomach was leaking out through his barriers. Tom temporarily strengthened the material and then his knife cut more carefully into the skin near the belly button. He shoved his fingers into the small wound, pinched the top of the packet, and then yanked it out.

Once more, he tossed the disgusting parcel away and ignored the laceration he had left on the stomach.

Instead, he hunted for the next bit of venom to physically extract.

"You're doing great Tom." Michael said.

Tom kept going with his work.

It became more and more fiddly as the large concentrations of venom had already been removed, necessitating him to target smaller problems. His technique improved. All he needed was a slice wide enough to slide two fingers in. It wasn't quite pin hole surgery, but it was close.

Tom noticed the wounds he left were being healed. The finger that he had hacked off had scabbed over, aided by magic.

Harry's body looked very similar to how he had after that first encounter with the antelopes. Foreign energy was running rampant and large sections of internal tissue was dying. But because of Tom's own efforts there was no longer a concentrated source of contamination spreading the infection further. Instead, there was damage that was already done and background radiation like effect of the venom that had diffused throughout Harry. Without intervention, that background source of destruction would escalate into an unstoppable freight train, but Clare had established a routine where she would pulse her power every thirty seconds, and that seemed to be enough to stop the ongoing damage.

"He is stable." Tom said in amazement.

"Yes, he is." Michael sounded exhausted.

Tom stood up and stepped away from the body. There was nothing specific he could do anymore. His generic heal would, of course help at the margins but Clare and Michael's versions were far more efficient than his own now.

It was better for him to stop and fully regenerate his mana in case he needed to fight another lizard or some yet unknown threat.

Tom glanced around having lost track of time.

He was stunned by the changes that he could observe.

Well, over a thousand corpses had been spread out in front of them in a mostly straight line. Most of them were gone and Tom could see the rest of his team scattered over the landscape, continuing that work. They were running from spot to spot, grabbing antelopes and stacking them together and then doing the same with the scorpoise. When a pile reached ten, they would quickly butcher them. And it was quick. From what Tom could observe for the antelopes, they were only extracting the decay glands, and for the scorpoise they just hacked off their stinger. Then they activate the auction house and a glowing portal would consume the bodies.

Tom shuddered a little internally at how much value was being lost by the failure to process the bodies properly. But he understood the reasoning. With so many corpses and the fact they knew another monster pack had to be incoming, this was the most efficient use of their time.

What amazed Tom was how efficient the group had been, or possibly he had been engrossed in saving Harry's life for longer than he had realised.

For almost two minutes, he watched them working, and then it was like a signal had gone out. They all abandoned collecting new bodies, activated the auction house over half-finished piles, and then started running over towards where Tom stood.

"I think we have to move." Tom told the two healers.

"That's fine." Michael said relief in his voice. "He's stabilised. He's going to survive."

Chapter 207

Tom stood and watched the rest of his team sprinting over toward them and then down at Harry. He was torn between making the healers carry the hurt man to preserve his own combat effectiveness versus doing it himself to let them travel faster.

It was a borderline decision, but they were in a broken circular. The wildlife that usually existed had long since migrated away from this area. Excluding, of course static ambush predators like the lizards and the earth maggots.

The scouts had been very aware of the risk, and Tom was certain they would make sure that they didn't run into an ambush point. Given how furiously the others were sprinting, running speed was probably more important than safety. With his mind made up, he crouched and gathered Harry up. The venom must have had some type of paralytic component because Harry was stiff. None of the joints moved. It was like what occurred when rigor mortis set in.

Michael cleared his throat. "Need help?"

Tom shook his head and stood with Harry in his arms. He imagined this is what it felt to hold a corpse. It was undignified, but he shifted the positioning so that Harry rested like a log between his outstretched arms. It was not a great solution, and a little uncomfortable, but given the man's state no positioning would work perfectly and at least this way he could run.

"Travel fifty metres away from the cliff," Everlyn ordered via group chat. "And then run parallel to it. In half a kilometre we'll slow and search for a hiding spot."

"Do you want us to wait?" Tom asked immediately.

"No. I've already scouted, and it's safe."

Tom kicked himself. He had forgotten that Everlyn had already run this area both when collecting the scorpoise and then again when she returned to them.

The three of them immediately started jogging as instructed. Tom led the way his eyes searching for a threat the entire time. Running blindly with a helpless load in the underground felt crazy, but for all of her flaws he trusted Everlyn's judgement on these sorts of things.

She would have calculated the risks and obviously thought that they were low enough that there was no need to link up first. If there were bigger threats, she would have spotted them. As for critters, they were probably still around and, if Tom was being honest, strong enough to challenge the weaker members of his team, but they would have been spooked by the recent melee. None of them would be near.

Apart from the exceptions, he thought, thinking of the lizards. They hadn't been scared since they had seen the fight as an opportunity, but then again they were alpha predators, not the critters that he had been considering. Tom glanced up and remembered how they had appeared and then charged down the wall. Almost fifty of them and all of them well above the average rank of everything else in the circular. "Do we know if the cliffs are safe?"

"Educated guess," Everlyn answered. "The uncertainty is why we are staying fifty metres away. Once we reach the target spot Jingyi and I will confirm that there is nothing hostile there." There was a slight pause. "It should be fine. We saw where the lizards came from. In half a K, we'll be out of their territory and I doubt there'll be another aggressive species that close to such a powerful colony."

"I understand." Tom said quietly. "But don't we think five hundred metres will leave us too near the lizards?"

"I don't think so." Everlyn pause for a moment clearly thinking it through. "None of them travelled more than two hundred metres from their den's when they attacked earlier. I suspect that's sort of the hard boundary on how far they're willing to travel. Plus, they don't need to hunt because they all just got a month worth of food."

"You're telling me that a monster that big and ferocious is too scaredy-cat to go more than two hundred and one metres from their home?" Keikain asked incredulously.

"Something like that." Everlyn answered. "The psychology of some creatures is weird."

"I guess," Keikain agreed grudgingly.

"You must have seen that behaviour in the tutorial," Tom half questioned, half stated even as his eyes continually scanned the surroundings to make sure he didn't walk into anything unexpected.

"Occasionally, but two hundred metres is really short. All the surface creatures I fought that were anywhere near the lizard's size defended a much larger territory. But that's the surface. I don't know how the underground works."

"Like the surface, just with more extremes," Clare said quietly. "I hate this place so much."

They lapsed in silence, and by the time they reached the spot they were targeting the others had caught up to them. Everlyn flashed him a smile and Tom was reminded about how close they had been. Then she and Jingyi made a straight line to the cliff face and then jogged along it.

Without being instructed, the rest of them kept pace with the scouts, though they carefully maintained the fifty-metre gap.

Finally, after another hundred metres Jingyi waved them across. He was standing in front of a small hole at the base of the cliff that was barely large enough to crawl through.

"It's not much," Jingyi told them apologetically. "However, the tunnel gets taller after a couple of metres and empties out into a good sized cave. If we're discovered at worse, it'll be defensible."

The scout had not entered the hole, and Tom looked at him, suspiciously. "How did you scout it? How do you know that much?"

"Trade secrets."

Astonishment flashed across Tom's face. He had not expected that sort of response. Theoretically, he understood that some people got sensitive about the builds even if it was not something Tom personally understood. "Sorry I."

Jingyi burst out into laughter. "No, no… It's fine. There's no secrets but you should have seen your face."

Everlyn cleared her throat pointedly.

"Oh, we should." Jingyi gestured to Rahmat, telling him to enter first, then back at Tom. "To answer your question I can summon a familiar spirit. Currently, the only ones I've tamed are a small bird and a mouse. Quite useful for these conditions and because they have such a low energy imprint, they're almost invisible so they can check places like this." He patted the cave entrance. "And if there is something nasty inside, I can usually withdraw them without triggering it."

Rahmat cleared the entrance, and Jingyi waved Thor through next.

"The first cave we found contained a rock elemental." Everlyn volunteered and nodded back the way they had come. "If I had gone, we would probably have had to fight it."

"You're next Tom," Jingyi said.

Tom went straight over to the hole and placed Harry carefully down on his back in front of the entrance. "That sounds like an amazing purchase… you must have got a lot of contribution points to afford that and your trial sense."

"I would like to think so." Jingyi teased. "But you know we can't talk too much on specifics."

There was no need to recheck Harry's health because Tom had been monitoring it the entire time that he had been carrying the other man in case he had to intervene. It had not been required as Clare and Michael between them had kept healing Harry and had actually improved his overall state during the jog.

Tom poked his head through the hole and saw exactly what Jingyi had described. "And it's definitely empty?"

The scout nodded. "I think Rahmat would have said something by now if it wasn't."

With a shrug, Tom backed into the crevice. Until it was tall enough to stand, this was going to be awkward. He gently lifted Harry by pushing his arms under the other man's armpits with Harry's head resting on his shoulder. It was beyond uncomfortable and he started wriggling himself backwards.

Michael spotted his difficulty and immediately got down on his hands knees and lifted Harry's legs over his shoulder. His efforts effectively pulled Harry's lower half off the ground and made things substantially easier for Tom. After two minutes of backing blindly, the tunnel's height increased and Tom was able to stand.

It was now much easy to move, and carrying Harry between them they were able to easily manoeuvre down another thirty metres of tunnels before emerging into a large room.

It was weird.

The cave was kind of like a forest in miniature.

The roof was covered in light crystals that made it seem like the midday sun was shining down upon them. It warmed Tom's skin like the summer sun used to. Then there was a stream that was a foot wide and ankle deep. It flowed through the centre of the room with lush vegetation on either side. That water source combined with heat from the crystals made the cave both warmer and more humid than outside.

Finally, there was the plant life. Nothing over his knees but it was lush and varied with hundreds of different coloured flowers. After a moment of hesitation, Tom stamped a section of vegetation near the wall down and lowered Harry to rest on it. The vegetation was also strange. It wasn't only grass because there were bushes that looked like miniature bonsai trees, then miniature ferns, and a variety of broadleaf weeds.

His spear appeared in his hand as he studied the strange environment. Despite the abundant flora, there were no noticeable animals to be seen. Neither his spark domain, with its limited range or his earth abilities could sense as much as a fly, let alone a larger organism like a mouse.

To his senses it certainly felt like they were by themselves in the room.

Subconsciously, he stood back-to-back with Rahmat.

The others made their way through, and he could see the same suspicion in all of them when they saw the nature of the cave.

Neither Everlyn nor Jingyi reacted to the vegetation when they entered though he noticed Everlyn smile at their defensive circle around Harry.

Her indifference confirmed his intuition that the two of them had already discussed what they were going to see before they committed to entering. While they did not visibly react in surprise, it didn't stop them from pushing forward with their eyes on high alert.

With none of the plants growing higher than knee height, they could walk effortlessly through the underbrush. They spread out quickly, carrying out what Tom assumed was a significantly more detailed sweep than what he had done with his magic skills.

"Definitely empty." Jingyi said when he came back over to them.

Everlyn was still studying the area with a disgruntled expression. "The lack of potency is surprising. The growing environment is perfect, but none of this is even tier one." With her dagger, she cut a chunk of plants out and then tossed them aside. "Soils good too. It's concerning."

"Must be something cleaning it out regularly." Jingyi said. "Means this is not a long-term stay. We'll wait for the next wave to pass and then follow like we've been doing."

"Hopefully we'll get ten hours in?" Keikain suggested.

"At least." Jingyi agreed. "We want to get somewhere we can solve your problem as soon as possible."

"How long do you think we'll be here?" Michael asked while crouched down next to Harry.

"Probably twenty minutes," Everlyn answered. "The next pack is due in five, and our plan is to follow immediately behind it. Unless," She walked over to Harry. "You need longer to get him back on his feet."

"Twenty should be enough."

Gingerly, everyone sat down on the grass. It was quite comfortable, but then again he had been careful not to sit on any of the mini trees.

"That fight was intense." Rahmat turned to face Everlyn. "I couldn't believe how quickly you took down that first lizard."

Everlyn partially blushed. "Well, I burnt my most powerful cooldown and… If I'm being honest… Tom contributed a lot to that first kill."

Rahmat appeared confused and glanced between the two of them. "How?"

"I can answer that." Tom held out his hand, and they all studied it curiously. "If you look carefully, you can see a small ring."

"I hadn't seen that before."

"I got it from a single person, single attempt trial I dispersed on the third day."

Rahmat whistled. "That would have been a proper blood bath if others had found out about it."

"Yes, I went in not expecting rewards but to stop everyone fighting over the right to go. Once in I had good or bad luck depending on how you look at it."

"Bad, except you survived, which makes it good," Rahmat clarified.

"Something like that," Tom agreed. "It got me this. It's a powerful artefact that allows me to destroy someone's fate reserves, links and any built up protections. It leaves whatever it hits materially weakened."

"Yep, Tom used that," Everlyn confirmed. "The affected lizard was then a hundred percent subjected to my fate. It died when the part of the underground that it was gripping crumbled."

Keikain snorted in laughter at that.

"Which caused it to fall."

"Underground crumbling," Keikain repeated it like it was the funniest joke ever.

Everlyn ignored him. "Then when it was out of position, I got a lucky blow in."

"Convenient, the super hard rock of the underground failing at exactly the same moment." Keikain muttered. "That's like a billion to one."

"And not something we talk openly about." Tom reminded him. "No one here should be confused about how fate works in fights. You must have all experienced it hundreds of times in the tutorial."

"And that ring just supercharges its effectiveness against one monster." Keikain said.

Tom nodded.

"Guess that's good, and it came through against the lizard."

"Yes, it is. As for you, mister." Everlyn said, chuckling. "I noticed you produced a secret spell you hadn't told anyone about."

Keikain waved his hands furiously at that accusation. "It wasn't a secret. I just haven't had a chance to use it in front of you."

Everlyn laughed. "It's perfectly fine. And formally thank you for the save. When you asked me to lead it over that area, I was expecting an earth spike to strike it. I figured that would probably slow it enough for me to get a few hits in to defeat it. But then…" She clapped her hands hard. "That goddamn shark or whatever it was modelled off, leapt out of the rock and bit the lizard almost in half. Unexpected but awesome. I owe you one for that save."

"Well, the spell's low-leveled so it reflects what's in my inner imagination. I was always fascinated by great whites, so that is sort of what you got."

"Well, it was certainly effective. Thank god for childhood movies and Keikain. I know you're limited down here, but you did really good. You communication was top-notch and while you only had a few shots to fire, you did them all at the right time. We might have lost someone if you hadn't pulled out the magic you did."

"Personally, I was impressed with Thor," Keikain volunteered. "Oh, and useless of course with his extended dance with the lizard."

"No," Everlyn interrupted firmly. "Don't use that term."

"Why?" Keikain protested. "I'm his friend now."

Tom felt like screaming at him that he was not. That he was an evil murderer who had cold heartedly butchered his companions and Tom would never call Keikain a friend, but acknowledge he couldn't. Rahmat knew but not the others and if he went on that type of rant then everyone else would find out.

He physically bit his lip to stop himself from saying anything. The intense pain stilled his mind but didn't reach his face.

"He doesn't deserve to be mocked." Everlyn continued.

Tom could taste copper in his mouth. He wished he was back in the tutorial with Pinkwing because this was all too exhausting. He breathed in deeply. "Everlyn, it's ok. Keikain can call me that. He has earnt the right."

"Thank you Tom." Keikain licked his lips. "Everlyn's got a point. I'm not going to use the term again… you've earned my respect. After all, you stopped me from getting my head chopped off. Thanks for your understanding. Useless. Oh no I said it." He bit his fist in mock anxiety, then he chuckled. "Once is all I need. I swear I'll never call you useless again."

Rahmat was glaring daggers at the earth mage. "All jokes aside, Thor was impressive."

"It was only because it was a favourable match up for me," the big man said modestly. "Once I got used to their pace, all I had to do was to time my blows properly that were too light to resist."

"Still," Rahmat grinned at him. "You were an absolute machine. Your battle awareness was really impressive."

"I have a trait."

"What type?" Jingyi asked.

"It's a party battle awareness one."

"You bought something to help in team combat?" The scout asked in surprise.

"Yes, what's with that tone?" Thor demanded defensively. "Existentia was always slated to be a larger team effort. It was logical to purchase something to help."

"Nothing…" Jingyi waved his hands. "I mean… It wasn't an insult. I'm impressed you went down that path because from what I've observed most people went with selfish options."

"Oh." Thor looked pleased. "I had lots of experience fighting solo. I figured something for group engagements was sensible."

"Smart," Jingyi agreed.

Chapter 208

They ripped Thor mercilessly for a couple of minutes until the man's cheeks were red with embarrassment.

"The next pack just arrived." Jingyi interrupted quietly. "I think you can describe them as humanoids with four legs and forearms."

"How on earth can something with four legs and arms be described as a humanoid?" Michael guffawed.

"If you ever see them, you'll understand. They have no visible weapons. Scrap that." Jingyi said after a moment. "They use magic and lots of it. The pack numbers about a hundred. Two-thirds adults and a third juvenile."

"Jingyi," Everlyn interrupted. "Might be best if you pull back your familiar. We don't know what their perception skills are like."

Jingyi's face went still. It was analogous to when someone entered their system room but nowhere near as extreme. "Done. I've got her perched in the inner cave up on the ceiling where it first gets higher. She'll provide us with a warning if they find us."

"Good." Everlyn looked thoughtful. "We'll sit for fifteen. Confirm with your bird that they've continued their migration."

"Then what?" Michael asked.

Everlyn shrugged unconcerned. "Same plan as last time. Jingyi will scout backwards and I'll go forwards. We'll push long and as fast but when our window closes, we'll hide."

"Are we being too cautious?" Keikain interrupted. "We seem to be afraid of two packs coming together. Is that actually a real risk? Like we engineered the collision between the scorpoise and antelopes. Why couldn't we have followed in the shadow of the scorpoise for ever?."

"Because the antelopes were actively hunting us." Jingyi reminded them.

"Not that specific example," Keikain said in frustration. "I mean with a generic pack. Why can't we follow them for days? Why are we planning to hide? If the gap closes to ten minutes, surely that is not a problem if we know it won't close further. Aren't we being a bit too conservative."

The two scouts looked at each other.

"That was our plan a week ago when we first got down here," Everlyn said finally. "Of course we put precautions, fail safes in place, but we never planned on them being activated."

She stopped talking. They all knew that those risk management methods had ended up being required.

"But?" Keikain prompted. "Why?"

Jingyi sighed. "It didn't work. Our presence upsets the flow. When we duck into a hiding spots or more precisely when you guys without skills hide, then everything sort of clicks back to normal."

"We might have more leeway now. After all, who knows what the flow affects from that circular breakdown are." Everlyn said. "We'll watch the signs, but it's pretty clear when the front group slows down while the back pack speeds up that we can't keep pushing things. Plus, I don't know how much attention you guys have paid to the signs of previous battles as we've been travelling the packs clash regularly. It's why the antelopes and scorpoise were so balanced. If they weren't, one of the monster packs would have been wiped out ages ago."

"But you'll push if you can?" Keikain pressed.

"Absolutely." Everlyn said without the annoyance Tom was expecting.

As he sat on the grass chatting with Thor and Michael, he observed the dynamic of the team. It was definitely changing. Everlyn rather than her lips pursing in annoyance whenever she looked at Keikain was actually having a mostly civil conversation with him. When he listened in, it was all very practical with Everlyn attempting to understand the earth mage's strengths and weaknesses to better plan future engagements.

Harry came out of his coma looking worse for wear. When Tom checked with Healing Tranquillity the majority of venom had been purged. A small amount was left, but Harry's natural healing would eventually fix it up, though he suspected Michael would continue helping until it was all purged.

Clare handed Harry a plate of food. "Eat it, it will help."

Thor sat next to the recovering man and nudged him with his elbow. "I can't believe you tanked a stinger blow."

Harry grimaced. "Not my best fighting decision."

"You managed to kill it through."

Harry shook his head. "I didn't expect the venom. It hurt."

The two of them bantered for a couple of minutes while Harry ate. The meal Clare had given him was clearly something with medical properties because the ritualist perked up.

"Tom," Thor asked quietly, "have you considered farming some of these mini boss packs?"

He almost jumped at the question. "What?" The idea of him fighting the pack of antelopes by himself was terrifying. "I don't think that's particularly feasible."

"I saw some of your fight with a lizard. In particular, when you were using the antelopes and scorpoise as stepping stones to let you effectively fly. If you can do that while battling a high level monster, I can't see why you couldn't take down an entire pack."

Tom shook his head in denial. "No, I can't."

"You could," Thor disagreed. "If we found another herd of antelopes or any melee base monsters, particularly if they're biased towards strength instead of speed. Once you survive the first couple of minutes, then your victory is sort of inevitable."

"It's not. I'll slow down when I get tired."

"With how your healing works, that's not going to happen very fast." Michael told him. "I think Thor's made a good point. Before we leave the circular system, you definitely should find a favourable match up and give it a go."

"Sounds like suicide to me."

Thor shook his head. "We're on our way to fight one of four civilised species. I know it's not clear which one it is yet, but they're all stronger than us. Which one is chosen doesn't matter when we currently have no chance against any of them. We have to get stronger. As we are." Thor lowered his voice. "As you are, the border guards will crush us. We… you need to grow. Is the answer taking on a pack?" Thor shrugged. "I don't know, but I wouldn't dismiss it. Yes, it's high risk, but think of the rewards."

"I'm not going to… and Keikain and Clare can't afford to waste time."

"It won't be a waste of time," Thor insisted. "If you're ranked at twenty as opposed to fifteen and we run into some terror sapients, we've got a lot higher chance of subduing them. That will give those two time to make the sacrifice. If you're still rank fifteen, do you really think we have any chance against sapients we run into down here or on the surface?"

"You know what you're suggesting is ridiculous."

Thor shook his head vigorously. "It's not and once you're broken a pack, then the rest of us can get involved. That will give us all an opportunity to get stronger."

"Each of these packs is a hundred times stronger than me."

"Against the right opponent," Everlyn interrupted. "Thor's got a point. The only problem I see is can we engage and finish the fight in the forty-minute window."

She looked over at Jingyi, and the other scout shrugged. "No reason we can't force two packs to fight again."

"It will all come down to the matchup." She smiled at him.

Tom hated how that made him catch his breath. She was extraordinarily beautiful and more importantly competent.

"I think we'll definitely keep our eyes open. Surviving one versus one against a rank twenty seven lizard shows what you're capable of."

"It was one lizard, and you took two."

"True, and one of mine was ranked twenty eight," she grinned at him. "But my point remains you survived against that higher rank. You fought in on even terms."

"I used fate to bolster myself."

Everlyn rolled her eyes. "That's still you. I used fate too, and I only survived because I burnt a cool down that is going to take me another month to get back. If you can fight a rank twenty seven one-on-one and there's no reason you can't match ten rank twenties … and if that's the case with how your dodge skill functions then you can destroy an entire pack. Only so many can reach you at once, and eventually the fate you build becomes overwhelming."

"Evie. You're talking crazy."

"We'll see. But from the signal that Jingyi just sent me it's time for us to move. Same plan as last time. Give us five minutes head start and then get going."

Michael rummaged through his pack and pulled out the stone they had used on that first day in the canyon. It was linked to one that Everlyn possessed and could be used as an emergency flare to tell them to seek shelter. "Ready."

Everlyn nodded, and the two scouts disappeared. Five minutes later Tom crawled out of the tunnel and back into the underground. The next pack had gone through and had not eaten all the left over bodies. Some corpses had vanished, but most were still on the ground, though rarely unmolested. The critters travelling in the current section of the migration were enjoying the free food. Tom could spot wolf like animals, various bird life and even some all to large snakes. Apart from the ones eating, the rest of the critters were migrating slowly with the unspoken current. As he had observed previously, they were not on the march. It was just that eight out of ten were moving in the same direction.

The circular had definitely reset.

The day passed in a blur. They continued to run as far as they could, travelling five minutes behind the leading pack and holding that position until it was clear it was becoming too dangerous at which point they would retreat into a pre-planned hideaway that Everlyn had set up.

The longest unbroken stretch of travel was two and a half hour and the shortest about twenty minutes. The amount of waiting they had to do was annoying with every stop being between fifteen and thirty minutes, but they soldiered on.

On Tom's count, they had been travelling for fourteen hours and he had been expecting the scouts to call a stop for the last three, but they had pushed on. Ahead of them, Everlyn waved them down.

"We're stopping for the night," Keikain said quietly, reflecting everyone else's thoughts.

"We'll see," Michael said. "Everlyn is this for the night?"

"Yes."

When they reached her, she escorted them through a narrow crevice in the cliff walls. It opened up into a cave with a hard packed floor that wound upwards. For the underground, it was surprisingly symmetric, being almost perfectly round. It was a terrain feature that must have been borrowed from a world that had burrowing creatures large enough to eat elephants.

Everlyn led them confidently through the steadily rising and winding tunnels for over ten minutes. After that, they left the artificial caves and entered more traditional ones. These had rough edges, stalactites and stalagmites and were full of twists and random upthrusts of rocks. The consistency of the earlier journey was gone and sometimes there was space for them to walk ten abreast, and other times it was exclusively single file.

They entered a cave that was clearly their final destination. Everlyn nodded in satisfaction. "Not as good as some of the others we've stayed in… but," she waved at the corner where they could hear dripping water. "There's liquid…"

He almost flinched as he suffered a flashback to the first few months of the tutorial where he had spent hours per day, lying flat on the floor with his tongue out to catch each of the infrequent drops.

"Space to sleep, ventilation to support a fire," she pointed upwards at a narrow crack in the roof.

Tom couldn't sense anything above them, but Everlyn had probably picked up a slight breeze from the crack and so was confident that they were not isolated.

"And a very defensible entrance. It's almost perfect."

"Agreed." Michael said. "I don't know how you found it, but this will do."

There was a bustle of activity as everyone prepared their living quarters. Cups and some pots were placed under the dripping area to collect water. Their water pouches were full, so they didn't technically need to do it but they were all experienced adventurers and knew the importance of water in survival and would not waste any resources if they could help it.

"It should be safe to light the fire." Everlyn told Keikain. "We'll monitor the smoke, but I'm confident the vent will work."

"Are we worried about monsters smelling the smoke?" Michael asked.

"Not really. Even if they do, they won't be able to come down because it's literally going through cracks and this whole area is mostly deadlands. Not much of anything lives in here."

"Why?"

Everlyn glanced at Michael with a confused expression. "Why's the sky blue?" she shrugged. "There are just low life areas in the underground. I don't need to know why only how to exploit it."

The fire was lit, and then large chunks of meat were fried. There were no attempts to create special food, and what was served was just a tasty steak.

Tom, as always was not considered for watch duty and he settled down to sleep immediately and used his skillsto expedite it. Prior to using Instant Sleep he had focused on getting a dream to help with a trial. He was not at all surprised when he found himself thrust straight into a True Dream.

The mind he was in was strange. The physical sensation was completely different too anything he had experienced before. From what he could tell, the body he was in did not have limbs or the normal senses that Tom was used to. There was no touch, smell or sight, at least not one that used the visual spectrum like humans. While he could not see as such Tom was aware of everything around him, sort of like how his Spark domain functioned.

He was in a dwelling of some type created from smooth planks of wood.

"Child, I don't know why we're having this conversation." The body he was in generated the words but not like humans. They were not audible. There was no propagation of sound waves instead it was a mixture of light, manipulation of the domain and the emotions communicated by low frequency sound.

Tom should not have been mentally capable of understanding what was being conveyed, but because he was in the creature's mind he understood all of it.

"I came to seek guidance."

"One must stay true to oneself." The mind he was in felt pity for the person opposite him. As much as it was tempting to solve the issue by being more direct, such a course would not help it grow in the long run.

"I don't understand."

"Maybe you can rephrase your dilemma."

The creature bowed its head. "We are missionaries of God. We seek to elevate the lives of all we touch. Existentia is a far harsher place than our home, but that makes our calling more precious. We must forever be vigilant and remain true to our ideals. We understand the cost of this competition, but our race accepts the suffering that might arise and the benefit of a higher placement is not sufficient to walk away from our priceless calling."

There was a long pause as both of them appreciated the duality of that statement. The embedded simplicity and complexity it represented.

"Is there more child?"

"In order to not surrender our ideals we should resist being called upon to participate in the games that the other GODs would promote. Particularly death trials."

"Child. You have not named your dilemma yet."

"This trial is a competition that pits our race is directly against others. It is anathema for us to engage with it."

There was another long silence as the mind Tom was in waited for the other to speak. From the way the other body trembled, it was clear that it had not finished what it wanted to say.

"Vera tells me that if we decline the opportunity, all will be lost."

A hint of shock ran through the person whose memories he was sharing. "That is a significant statement." It was more than significant. The mind he was in only kept his body still because of years of experience. The thought that was bouncing in its head was "all is lost." It was not a normal way for one of them to speak.

"Her exact quote is that her inside shrivels up when she imagines me choosing not to go."

"Communing with our new GOD is fought with difficulty. Maybe she misinterpreted a meaning."

"She is adamant that she has not."

"Then how do you resolve this conflict?"

"On Vera's word I must go. On our god's mission statement, I must refuse. What should I do?"

There was a long pause. "What do you think? Child?"

"If I knew the answer I wouldn't be here."

"Which of those impossibilities are more mutable?"

"I don't understand why you're being cryptic?"

"It is not up to me to answer the question. It is up to you to reason it out yourself. The question is, are those two actually opposed or is there a way you can satisfy both."

"If Vera is a heretic…"

"If that is the question you need to answer, then leave in peace and verify the truth. But just because a trial is structured as a death competition doesn't mean faith can't turn it into a different outcome."

"I don't think the gods allow their creations to be suborned so easily."

The dream broke, and Tom drifted there for a moment. Analysing what he could learn from them. It was the fourth race he had experienced. He had been hoping to find out more about the insects, but the truth of the matter was becoming more and more clear. All the gods had their fingers in this pot. All of them with ulterior motives, and they were using their champions to shape the outcome. The funny thing was it seemed that all of them were keen on ensuring the best of their people entered it.

DEUS had been silent, but if all the GODs were pushing their champions to go into the trial, then she probably would too. It was happening slowly, but as time passed, it became more and more apparent that there was a trap closing in upon them, one that Tom was confident that they would be unable to avoid. He turned his mind away from the philosophical to the practical. This species Tom knew without a doubt was an ally. Not a strong ally, because the sense he received was that even if a terror species needed healing, they would be there to help.

Tom hoped they would enter the trial and if he reached them fast enough, he could save them. He was smart enough to read between the lines. If they were there and he recruited them, they might be able to help him against the dragon.

He drifted off into normal dreams and then suddenly reality distorted again.

He was in yet another new body, but at least this time he recognised the race. It was the same one as the scientist, but the location was totally different.

Chapter 209

Tom peered out of the eyes of the person he was in. All of his senses and instincts were focused on absorbing as much information as possible. This was not a dream whose existence was one he had prompted it was occurring because it had the potential to benefit him greatly. Every clue was important. The timing, the context, the location, all of it mattered.

Location was confirmed practically instantly. The person, a man, was standing on the floor of what was almost certainly part of the canyon that they were travelling through. However, it was not a place they had already explored.

He was looking down a long straight section. It was an area Tom had not seen before. It stretched out ahead of him and he estimated the furthest feature was over twenty kilometres from the vantage point. That sort of distance was further than most lines of sight on the surface. The canyon walls seemed to close as they receded, but it was obvious it was an optical illusion caused by the distance. The canyon, twenty kilometres away would be just as wide as it was everywhere else. Other features stood out, about six kilometres away. The floor glowed orange and he could see the individual rivers of lava.

He regarded the section with annoyance. The magma monsters had been particularly aggressive and annoying when they had been crossing. He guessed that was because very little food attempted to cross it these days. This area was a dead end since the bridge had been destroyed. The person glanced to the left and Tom mentally gaped in amazement.

He was looking at a river that cut down through the middle of the canyon until it curled around the edge of the lava field effectively hemming it in. Tom would have expected the lava to be flowing into the water, but only a small amount of steam was rising, which suggested that the lava was probably not interacting in any meaningful way.

Tom got impressions of the monsters that lurked in the river's depths. If you couldn't fly, there was no crossing it. Beyond the river there was a narrow strip of land that even now some giant twelve legged elephant like creatures were walking along that safe realestate. Despite the power in those eight animals, they were not at risk, or at least his charges weren't. There was no way the monsters could cross the river.

The mind he was in did not see them as a true threat more something that if it came to a fight, he wouldn't be able to guarantee the safety of the annoyances he was escorting.

The head swung further and Tom's amazement grew. If he was there in person, Tom's chin would have fallen open. They were standing in a literal corner. The canyon took a hard ninety-degree turn and stretched out into the distance. There was only about ten kilometres of visibility before the natural curve of the canyon broke the line of sight. It was still impressive.

Tom, of course, had known that the circular had to turn at some point because how else could the monsters migrate around in a perpetual circle? Still, he had been expecting a gradual arc and not this majestic corner. Logic, at least in terms of geography and common sense, did not apply. The spot he stood in was from an alien universe or a GOD driven design decision.

The person did not move his head, but he had been using his eyes to focus in one direction at the expense of everything else. He dropped the ability. Instantly Tom could see almost three hundred and sixty degrees. There was another surprise. It should not have shocked him, because the earlier thoughts had alluded to this outcome. But there was a difference between a passing reference to charges and actually seeing them.

There were fifteen aliens arranged next to him. The closest analogy to them was monkeys. Furry, two arms and legs and a tail but that is where the similarities ended. Their face was partially covered by the eyes. They stretched out in a band that started at where a human's mouth would have been and then extended in a line all the way past the ears. He didn't count, but he estimated there were about a dozen of them, black pebbles that absorbed the light that hit them. Though in a couple of them, there was a scar instead of an eye, a result of some previous mishap, maybe.

Most wore helmets that covered everything but the eyes. However, two were helmetless, and they had what had to be a mouth on top of each of their heads. It was weird. Giant lips that stretched across the entire cranium and ran down to where human ears were positioned. It was easy enough to imagine after fighting the goats how wide that mouth would be capable of opening. Then finally there was the tail. It was normal till it split two-thirds of the way down three times in quick succession to leave eight human forearm lengths of tentacles, sort of like a cat o'nine tail whip.

Mentally, he shivered at what he was seeing. He had fought monsters, creatures so alien that they were no longer revolting. It did not matter how many tentacles, mouths, ravenous holes a creature possessed or the blood, slime, crap that leaked out of them at some point a monster became a challenge to overcome. These natives, instead of presenting as a problem piece stirred something visceral deep within him. They were close to earth norms but also completely different and he couldn't easily shuffle them off as creatures to be killed.

They were more. They seemed to threaten his very identity. Tom knew it was the similarities. If something was completely alien, it could be dismissed. However, if it was like them, but different… The uncanny valley effect occurring in real life, it creeped him out.

The mind he was in didn't care about his charges. It focused its attention on a barely visible cave beyond them. The young ones with him were unimportant. They were no better than mildly useful servants, but he had been instructed to show them the way, so he was here.

"Can you describe the route to us?"

The person he was in recoiled mentally, but no tells crossed his features. His tail didn't even twist in response to the rudeness. Internally, he wished bad luck upon all those gathered. He couldn't believe the nerve of the pup to address him like this. Yes, he was from the litter of the Ratoga class, but he had proven nothing personally. "There are a thousand ways to the surface. Follow this tunnel and you'll get there."

"Are their turns we need…"

"You're not listening."

The arrogant questioner's tail flinched in agitation.

"There are thousands of ways," he repeated, enunciating each word. "And they change. There are deadfalls and active mining by the critters up there."

"How strong?"

"Weak." Then the person he was in studied the group. "I mean about your strength," he corrected.

The dream ended abruptly. Tom immediately cursed himself for not delving deeper into the absolute rank the ones going up to the surface had possessed. Tom racked his mind for any contextual clues that might reveal their rank, but couldn't find any.

Disappointed at himself. He reviewed everything else he had seen.

The dream had shown a way to get back above ground. Tom knew he would recognise the general area when he reached it. The geography, after all, was unmistakable. Then when he got there he had to enter via the lava fields and avoid the river. After that, Tom focused on the local details of the cave. The corner was not some nice right angle instead it had been a general curve, and the entrance had been at the start of the curve, just up from the lava field.

The rock wall had possessed no noteworthy features. No, that wasn't right. The ground had been black. A section of discoloured rock that was about thirty metres square. That was something they could recognise. Tom focused on that significant feature and memorised it. With that, he would be able to find the place.

Happy with the outcome of the second dream, if not the first, he drifted off into normal sleep once more.

Something touched his shoulder, and he leapt to his feet. Lightning crackled in his fists and he was ready to strike out.

Michael was laughing at him. "Almost every time."

"We need to get a Tom poking stick." Rahmat declared. "One of these days someones going to get hurt."

Tom calmed his heartbeat. "Whatever."

The healer handed him some porridge.

Tom took it his head still focused on what he had experienced. Caffeine Jolt went through him to wake him up fully. Two dreams in one sleep were too exhausting.

Michael put a concerned hand on his shoulder. "Tom, what's up? You're not yourself."

"I saw another competition race."

"And?" the healer asked immediately.

"They weren't a terror race, if that's the question. The opposite, in fact. Almost too holy for the world." Tom trailed off in silence as he thought of the dream.

"And?"

"Their God is forcing them to enter the trial too."

"Seems to be a common theme." Michael said next to him.

Tom took a mouthful of food chewed and swallowed quickly. "And then there was a second dream which showed me the way out of the underground."

"Where? how far?" Keikain asked immediately.

"I honestly don't know, but I'll recognise it when we reach it. The surroundings are very distinctive."

"And the sapient you viewed the dream through?" Michael asked. "Are they a threat?"

Tom shook his head. "I got the impression the dream was old. Weeks, months, years it is hard to say, but it could be any."

"Small mercies." Michael muttered.

Tom finished his food and took stock of the situation. Jingyi had not been there when he had woken up. Everything else in the cave had already been packed away and Thor had folded up and prepared his sleeping gear. The moment Tom put the bowl down he was not at all surprised when Everlyn stood and led them back toward the canyon.

Once more, they went from the natural caves to the smooth circular tunnel. Ahead of him, Everlyn froze and then retreated to them.

"Our way down is blocked by a dohunter cave spider."

Tom knew instantly that Everlyn was suppressing the sound so that the spider would not hear them.

"What? How's Jingyi?" Michael asked immediately.

"It must have moved into position once he had got past. I got confirmation that he reached the canyon." Everlyn clarified, sounding annoyed with the doubtful looks sent her way.

"A dohunter cave spider? I'm not familiar with that name." Tom said. "Can we fight it?"

"We should be able to. It's venomous, but the venom is slow acting. In terms of the coming battle, it won't be a factor. Afterwards, sure, it's usually a death sentence, but Michael's evolved skills can counter it."

"But?" Tom prompted, recognising the manner she was talking. The sort of hesitation before giving the bad news.

"It's fast. Really quick. It will be a miracle if you're not bitten."

"But you think we can do it?"

She shrugged. "I don't think there is any real chance of anyone dying unless your taunt fails. I think providing Michael survives there's no risk of you personally dying. But Tom, my cooldowns are gone. There's no backup. You need to keep it under control."

"How far down is it."

"Fifty metres where the second tunnel intersects with this one. It's waiting on the ceiling."

"Why now? Is it here randomly or?"

"Not randomly. I'm sure it sensed Jingyi going past, so it's lying in wait for him to come back or for others to follow him."

"Are they that smart."

Everlyn laughed uproariously.

Clare winced at the noise and pointed down the tunnel. "Aren't you worried about the spider hearing?" she whispered.

"No," Everlyn answered him. "Not at all. It won't leave its ambush spot. Plus, I'm suppressing the sound. You guys keep whispering as sometimes it's a challenge with you. But anything I generate is ridiculously easy for me to suppress. As for the spider being smart." She shook her head vigorously. "It's an animal with cunning instincts. There is no intelligence anywhere."

"I know." Tom acknowledged, and then slowly walked down the corridor. His eyes were fixed upon the very clear intersection where he knew the monster lay. It would launch its ambush with immense speed and power. He needed to be ready to dodge at a moment's notice.

Ten metres…

Five metres…

He still couldn't see anything. It had a ridiculous amount of stealth when it laid in ambush like this.

Two metres…

There was an explosion of motion. Tom threw himself backwards even as he activated Lightning Enrage at maximum distance to make sure he hit whatever was charging him.

Time slowed, and he watched those fangs coming for his throat. He brought his spear up, angled to stop the attack. The fangs struck the spear.

It was almost like being hit by a car. The force bent his arms back, and he strained, using all of his strength to resist. The physics was too much. He could do nothing to stop the momentum imparted. He slid on the hard stone, and time did not slow down.

The monster was still coming for him. Its front legs both lashed out. Instinctively, he teleported to avoid one but could do nothing against the second. It plunged through his shoulder and missed all of his vital organs. While he couldn't avoid the blow in its entirety, his teleport at least allowed him to shift position to protect his heart.

Crack.

An arrow flew over him to smash into its face. It was one of Everlyn's magical projectiles, but it didn't penetrate the skull like he expected. Instead, it bounced away, leaving a small crack in the hardened exoskeleton.

Tom screamed as he felt the leg that had gone through him start to withdrawal. His mind sent a host of instructions to his body even as Healing Tranquillity kicked in. The extra time from the healing spell and his dodge were vital. With both working in tandem, it was like he possessed unlimited time to plan the battle.

His assessment of his opponent was not positive. The fight felt lopsided. The creature was faster than they had planned for. Its skin was harder than it should be. It being resistant to Everlyn's arrows was a blaring alarm. Yet she had been confident of their ability to beat the monster. Were his instincts off or hers? Tom's fate pool was reduced to half courtesy of the fate prayers they were casting to give them a smooth passage in the canyon.

If this had been a surprise ambush instead of semi-planned, then what would his actions be. There was no question about it, with an enemy this dangerous… He would use every technique at his disposal.

Without any further hesitation or internal debate, Tom formed an image in his mind. He needed help to survive the next ten seconds. It was the same technique he had used against the lizard. Twenty fate vanished in an instant. Then he immediately created a second desire. He wanted luck to let him live through the fight above all else. Another ten fate was spent.

He hesitated a moment. If Everlyn was not in the picture, he would be spending more, but she was here. She was competent and he couldn't imagine her being that ill-informed about the engagement. The coming fight was probably not as problematic as he feared and there was the potential of future enemies ambushing them in the canyon to worry about.

Surviving was important, but from the tutorial he knew the importance of conserving resources for later. Thirty fate would have to be enough.

With the expenditure done Tom refocused on the present. The leg had by his design not gone through anywhere with major arteries or organs. Deliberate applications of Touch Heal quickly sealed away the various veins that had been broken, leaving the space around the leg bloodless. Now, when it withdrew, he would not have to contend with a flood of blood. Then after that he could mend the damage. There were two damaged ligaments to soothe and the rebuilding of a pectoral muscle that had been severed. Once those small tasks were done, he would have full mobility in the arm once more.

Or… He could expand on the manoeuvre that he had started. Turn the wound into an offensive opportunity that if it worked would slow the monster down for a small period.

Tom dropped Healing Tranquillity and time sped up. His good hand gripped the leg that had gone through him and held him in place. Then he threw himself to the side. The spider chose that exact moment to baulk in the other direction.

The stress going through Tom was immense, but he pinned the leg within him. Healing Tranquillity activated, and he reinforced his body. Bones groaned under the pressure. More than one slipped, but the reinforced ligaments held. He was to the side of the creature and the leg that was through him bent noticeably in the direction biology never intended.

Click

Tom barely heard it, but he felt the leg that had been resisting abruptly go floppy. His hand let go, and he slid off it and rolled across the floor. Time was, for a blissful moment no longer dilated. He catalogued the results of his crazy plan. The spider had a broken leg. His shoulder bone was displaced completely out of his socket. Without hesitation, he leapt backward to slam into the cave wall. The force of the collision and his immaculate control over healing in his own body caused the bones to pop back into place.

Time slowed, but his feet were planted on the ground and he teleported to the left to avoid a thrust of the spider's front leg, but this time there was only one of them as the other hung limp.

Critical Success, he thought to himself. With one leg out of action, he actually had the speed and tools to avoid getting severely hurt in the coming few seconds.

It wouldn't last, Tom knew that deep in his logical centres. The damage he had done had to be no more than a dislocation. But even if that bought him five to ten seconds of reprieve that was an outrageous success. To slow an opponent in the opening moves of a fight was, for him specifically, a particularly potent bonus. It was the starting stages of any contest where he was most exposed. After a period, his fate bonus from dodging would build up sufficiently that he could match otherwise unbeatable enemies by being lucky.

The spider lunged at him, its fangs trying to impale his chest. He rolled under the monster. Feet tried to stomp on him, but it used its hurt leg and tumbled to the side. That moment of clumsiness and a well-placed teleport allowed him to break free of the dangerous territory.

Tom was now positioned so that the spider was between him and his friends. Provided he kept the monster's attention the others should be able to attack the hopefully weaker abdomen of the monster.

Sure enough, it spun to face him and launched another flurry of attacks. His spear was up helping him to defend. The second leg was back to working order, but providing he moved side to side aggressively then most of the time only a single leg could attack him.

There was a gap, and he thrust with his spear. Power Strike increasing the effectiveness of the blow. It skidded off the carapace like the other times he had tried to strike it.

Maybe its eyes. He thought to himself, but it was big and when it was standing upright there were no easy opportunities to attack them. Apart from the times it was trying to bite him and usually in those circumstances his focus was on staying alive rather than striking back.

Time remained slowed to its fullest extent and despite all the little tricks he was applying a leg regularly got through and punched a hole in him. Because of the advantages of his dodge skill they always went into non critical areas, but it was frustrating. He was spending the entire fight patching the holes. On more than one occasion, he was able to get its leg to poke through an existing wound limiting the overall damage to his body.

In and out, the leg plunged and the explosion of blood that should have occurred with the limb's withdrawal was suppressed by his healing prowess. His mana was burning down faster than it regenerated, and he couldn't actually hurt the spider, but it didn't matter. The others were attacking from the back.

The spider went to turn.

Tom leapt forward the moment he saw the movement.

Lightning Enrage exploded out of him at max range to ensure that he got the face before it escaped.

The sparks struck it and he saw them burrowing into its face. It had been about to attack Thor, but instead it aborted the strike and spun around to face Tom instead. He fell backwards, trying to stay clear of its sudden frenzy. Two front legs and its teeth were both plunging towards him. He had a decision to make, his teleport was on cooldown.

He had to.

Tom stepped into the spider, swinging the spear to deflect the leg on his side. Its mouth slammed down on his right arm and he felt venom get injected into him.

He reached for Healing Tranquillity, knowing he had to use it to quarantine the venom or be in a world of trouble.

It didn't respond.

Despite pushing for it to activate, there was absolutely no response. Confusion welled within him and then he realised that his forehead was pinching in that familiar way. Had he really used all of his mana? There was no need to check he already knew.

Idiot, he cursed himself for his management of his magic. He shouldn't have gone so flashy at the start. He hadn't needed full range. He should have waited until it impaled him and then taunted it then. Unleashing the spell as an opening move had been a mistake as out of mana he couldn't quarantine the venom. The second time he had used Lightning Enrage had also been wasteful. There were a couple of cheaper methods he could have applied to keep the monster's attention on him when it went to turn.

The venom flooded his system.

There was a ding in his mind that had to be from his venom title activating. Hope flared through him. If his title had completely negated the spider's poison…

The spider released its fangs, and it shivered slightly and seemed to almost slip.

Power Strike infused his spear, and he lunged forward to score a cut on its eyes to take advantage of its mistake.

The wound on his arm was burning with pain as the venom spread. It was slow acting, but he could feel it spreading, so he knew it had not been negated. It was still active and continued to be deadly. He would need to check the reason for the ding later.

The spider lunged at him again and a desperate pirouette took him outside its range.

The attacks stopped.

Tom looked at it in surprise. It was wobbling on its feet and he could see the others beyond it hacking away.

The monster's purple blood was running freely from its back end.

It took a ponderous step toward him. The fight was over, so he casually retreated to stay out of range. Once more, it attempted to close the distance, but all the speed it had possessed at the start was gone.

It sunk to its knees, its eyes still glaring at him. It wanted to kill him. Tom couldn't help but smile to see the creature that had caused so much pain almost dead. It tried to lift itself to its feet but couldn't.

It collapsed.

Healing magic instantly struck him and then Everlyn, Michael and Clare were sprinting toward him.

Tom touched his arm and assessed his body. There was no trapping the venom it had spread too far. They were going to have to deal with it like a normal person would.

Chapter 210

"Are you okay Tom?" Everlyn asked in concern.

Tom touched his arm gingerly. The venom was still concentrated there to the greatest degree, and he could feel a dull ache from its presence already forming. "That was a harder fight than you implied it would be." he said wryly, choosing to ignore her question.

Everlyn nodded her eyes wide. "I saw." Her hand was on his arm healing him. All those wounds he had left partially healed were closing. "It was evolved. I didn't realise. Pre-ambush I only caught a glimpse… I assumed that was enough and thought it was a normal dohunter… I should have checked properly."

He shut his eyes and assessed his body again. In different company, he would be slightly worried about the venom, but with multiple healers and Michael in particular he felt safe.

"I used up all my fate the moment I realised." She continued. "We weren't ready to take on something that strong."

Tom's eyes snapped open. "You did what?" Now that he was bothering to look he could see her fate was depleted.

"You didn't know how dangerous it was… I had to do everything I could."

Tom chuckled. "I spent fate, too. It was pretty obvious after the first exchange I was over matched. Might have been wasted, but I survived."

"The fate worked," Michael interrupted. "But now is not the time to debate it. We have a bite to treat. My diagnosis results are mixed. I feel like it got a full dose in, but something is a little off. And it looks like it has spread. Is that right?"

"I didn't have the mana to quarantine it. So I couldn't seal it off…"

Michael grimaced and glanced between him and the spider thoughtfully. "Your trait? Can it tell me anything else."

Tom remembered the ding when the monster had bitten him and stepped sideways into the system room. As always, the message he was looking for was there ready for him to read.

Results from Venom Resistance (V) title against Dohunter Cave Spider venom.

Neutralization of Tier 1 Rabid Necrosis Venom failed.

Neutralisation of Tier 2 Mana Necrosis Venom failed.

Hidden Necrosis Venom - Tier 2 neutralised.

Neutralisation of Tier 1 Paralytic Venom failed.

I guess that makes sense, he thought to himself. The title gave a twenty-five percent chance of instantly neutralising a venom and it had worked on one out of the four the spider had injected. The results were dead on with the probabilities, but thankfully one of the tier two venoms had been neutralised, putting him ahead of the statistical curve.

He opened his eyes. "My title removed one of the two major threats. There's a tier two mana necrosis venom and two-tier one's left."

Michael tsked as he examined Tom. "I see now. That mana venom is nasty, but now I know what it is… I'm sure can burn it out." Magic flowed into his arm. The healer nodded. "Yes, that work, a little fiddly but I can do it."

"Is it bad?"

"Have you checked yourself?"

He winced at that pointed question. He hadn't, so he dutifully activated Healing Tranquillity. Internally, Tom flinched. The quantity of poison the spider had injected in those few moments was troublesome. His assumption that there was nothing to be concerned with vanished.

The situation he was in took him back to the first day where the wasps were biting him continuously. Even with the aid of Michael and others he had barely stayed ahead of the spreading poison.

Lying in the dirt, his survival had very much been touch and go, and his body was now in a similar state. He could already see the necrosis poison acting in places to kill his cells. Currently, the impact was subdued. It was barely problematic, but the damage would only escalate over time. His mastery of Touch Heal, would allow him to stay ahead of the mounting damage, at least for a long time, but then… like when the wasps were swarming him and stinging him his ability to out the heal the consequences was borderline at best.

If he was by himself, he might have had to temporarily sacrifice limbs to preserve the more important parts of his body.

"I've checked now. Not good." Tom pushed himself to his feet and noted how concerned Everlyn looked. In fact, the whole team was worried. He could wage a defence against the symptoms, but he couldn't attack the underlying cause. Michael, however could. "Can you weaken it before it becomes a problem?"

"Yes, I can."

"Will he die?" Everlyn asked.

Michael chuckled. "No, I don't think there is any chance of that. I've got him covered."

"Can you do it while walking?" Everlyn interrupted.

"Not ideal, but I'm becoming practised at healing while running. I did it earlier with Thor. I can do it with Tom."

"Good," Everlyn said tightly. "Because if we don't want to be stuck waiting for half an hour we need to run. You guys?"

Tom followed her gaze to where the rest of the party had been busily butchering the spider. At a glance, he could see they were as good as finished. There was a pile that consisted of the monster's legs and most of its insides.

It was the discarded components.

Thor meanwhile stood over a more ordered stack, which included the spider's carapace, fangs, feet and venom sacks. His face was vacant, which clearly indicated that he was in the system room probably organising the auction sale.

There was a flash of light as a portal appeared and engulfed the ordered materials at the large man's feet. Life returned to his features. "Done. Should earn a pretty penny."

"We need to be off." Everlyn said simply.

Thor nodded and then she took off at a pace that the healers struggled to keep up with and all too soon they reach the exit to the canyon proper. The whole time Tom had used his mana regeneration to heal the damage the various toxins were doing internally to him. Michael to had been busy chipping away at the underlying venom and had reduced it to where Tom was now confident of surviving with no outside help.

Sure, if Michael disappeared it would take days for the venoms to be cleared from his body, but he would endure the process without loosing any limbs.

"We go out in battle formation," Everlyn said instantly. "Tom first."

"I'm out of mana."

She sighed. "I know, but you're still the strongest here."

Tom glanced over at Thor and Rahmat the only two who could fill his role. They were three and two ranks below him respectively, which was on its own was not that substantial, but the skill differential was. Neither of them possessed skills to mitigate damage or avoid attacks and even with no mana to his name his tier five dodge skill was significant. From an offensive perspective, with him having no access to magic and they possessing their full ability set. They were probably stronger than him. Defensively, however, there was no contest. He was miles in front of them.

Everlyn cleared her throat. "No Tom. Not them. It's me or you that have to take point."

Tom regarded his girlfriend, ex he corrected hurriedly in surprise. That was not what he had expected, but when he thought about it, the statement made sense. She was not as strong as him, but as a scout she would possess skills for escaping and her higher perception would mean that any monsters laying in ambush would be spotted immediately. She was a better vanguard than either Thor or Rahmat. Compared to him the result was quite different, and it all circled back to his dodge skill. While her perception was a huge advantage, his unique version of dodge almost certainly trumped it.

Unfortunately, he was clearly the best choice.

"Fine. But I'm far weaker than usual." He glanced quickly at the two healers. Michael had been burning away the poison within him and would have fully depleted his mana as he was the type of person to put everything into getting things done. The threat of a minor headache wouldn't have stopped him. "I won't be able to self heal like usual. Clare will need to be positioned to help."

"Agreed," Everlyn answered. "However, there's unlikely to be anything threatening there."

Tom rolled his eyes at that. "Now we've made a fuss. A monster is almost guaranteed."

"It's not like that. I haven't made a fuss. This… what we're planning now is standard operating procedure. It's just prudent to be in battle formation when transitioning from one type of zone to another, especially when we're blind. Usually we have Jingyi to check before he exits, but without his spirit animals we're got no idea what's out there, so we need to deploy properly."

"I was joking." Tom turned and prepared to leave the cave system. Mentally, he was ready for anything.

The others were following close behind him, but Tom's focus was on his surroundings. He knew he was underground, but as he approached the exit to the cave, it felt like he was above ground. The light from outside was blinding. He's squinted as he exited with his spear up ready to meet any threat.

Then, because he was the tank, he hurried forward, clearing the space to let the others exit.

He could hear the rest following. Tom's eyes flickered around. There was nothing flying at him, or hidden in the ground cover.

He heard Everlyn gasp suddenly.

A threat, Tom thought. He knew Evie and that noise could be nothing less.

Tension rocked through Tom, and then there was a blur of motion. A monster struck out at him, launching itself from the underside of one of the giant mushrooms. The attack was coming from above at a forty-degree angle. He could remember carving a hole in a similar mushroom and suspected this monster had done the same. There had been nothing visible when he had checked earlier.

Tom primed by the noise at Everlyn had made was already stepping sideways. His spear glowed with a full Power Strike. He finished the quick movement and considered going further, but time wasn't even slowing. As far as his skill thought, he was not in danger.

He suppressed his jitteriness. He knew how to deal with something like this.

The spear aligned itself perfectly with the plunging monster. There was a slight shudder as the head of the… snake, Tom realised suddenly what it was, hit the glowing blue point of his spear.

The weapon went through the snake's skull like it was paper. Straight through the brain. Momentarily, the heavy weight of the snake stuck on the end of the spear. Then, with the weight being over a metre from where he held the shaft, the leverage created caused the weapon to almost twist out of control. He reacted by spinning backwards, twisting it and then using the benefit of his mass to pop his spear free.

Instantly, his spear was back up and ready to fight off any new threats that threatened the group.

The snakes body crashed to the ground. On Earth it would have been a large python, here on Existentia it was almost tiny. Tom watched it momentarily to confirm it was dead. The energy of life had fled from it and it had no fate remaining. Some animals could play act death and hide those signs, but Tom doubted the snake was one of them. It's lifeless body and the neat hole drilled into its brain meant that Tom was pretty confident about its status.

In battle trance, he waited. Alert to everything happening around him.

There was a sound of scrambling behind him. Thor shifting into a fighting position, his legs making a distinct thud as he braced himself in order to swing his heavy hammer. Rahmat's own positioning was almost silent in contrast just the softest of rustles.

Tom's eyes kept scanning the surrounding taking extra time to examine the underside of the mushrooms. The snake had not been dangerous, but he wouldn't want anyone to get bitten unnecessarily.

"We're clear." Everlyn reported after a moment.

He relaxed and poked the snake. It promptly disappeared into his inventory. "Just a critter, but I'm sure it'll be nice eating tonight."

"We'll butcher it properly during the first rest." Everlyn agreed. "Now move. We need to catch the front pack."

They fell back into the same pattern they had perfected the previous day. Run for an hour and a half while fighting off the occasional critter that targeted them. The critters were all rank thirteen to eighteen and often came in a midsize pack. Which made them too strong to ignore, but too weak to truly threaten them. When they swarmed to attack, fighting back was more of an exercise in cleanup than life or death. Tom would consistently taunt the pack and then dodge through their ranks while the others stepped up to eliminate them. Usually, by the end of the fight, his fate would present opportunities to land some critical blows.

Each fight, even as a minor distraction, was a relief. There was something cathartic about being able to blood the tip of his spear every ten minutes or so and the trickle of experience the fights generated was welcome. The others had taken the opportunity to level multiple times.

They were getting stronger and while he didn't believe they could fight a pack, even one selected to be beatable, Tom could see the allure of making the effort.

It was a simple equation.

Survive one pack and they would no longer be ridiculously out levelled by the area.

After defeating the first, they could then wait until another one vulnerable to their strengths circled into their attack area. The second pack would be easier to defeat than the first. Rinse and repeat and six or seven packs later they would be ranked at the same level as the surrounding monsters. Then they could probably take whichever monster was next in line and consolidate those gains.

Two handfuls of days were all it would take, and they would explode in ranks. Of course, that first fight would be extraordinarily challenging and they might die, but he couldn't help but think that it was worth it. With a threat of the challenge portal coming up, it was something that Tom was seriously considering.

If the situation with the killers wasn't so dire, then Tom would continue the conversation that Thor had begun. Unfortunately, Keikain and Clare had to be escorted to a location where they could find sacrifices to get their bloodline points and starve off their madness.

Otherwise, in different circumstances… it felt like using this circular to grow his strength would be his best gamble.

They were jogging along, in an area that had been transformed into a tropical jungle.

"I've found a place to sleep in." Everlyn announced abruptly via group chat.

"Another dead zone." Tom asked hopefully.

"No, just a narrow, defensible entry point, along with water and ventilation. I'm about to link with you." She warned.

Tom raised a hand, and everyone came to a stop. Everlyn burst out of a small animal trail to the side. It was a pathway that Tom hadn't noticed. His instincts flared and without the warning he probably would have lashed out.

"Follow." She ordered.

She disappeared down the nearly invisible track, and they followed. Through all the vegetation it was hard to see anything, but it was clear they were heading towards the cliffs and soon they broke out of the jungle. For whatever reason, there was a five metre stretch of land clear between the cliffs and the jungle. They entered that area and came to a halt. In front of them, and stretching out as far as could be seen on either side was a bone white rock face and then directly ahead was a dark hole that led deeper within the stone.

"It's just rock," Everlyn told them dismissively as she headed over to the entrance. She was holding one of the many pink fruits that grew on the nearby trees. She pressed it hard against the rock and dragged it into a circle to leave a pink circle above their chosen cave.

"There are lots of these along the cliff." She explained as she worked. "This one hasn't been disturbed for three months, which is like lots of the nearby caves. It's why I think there might be a deadzone in this white rock. Some haven't been touched for over six months, which, given the abundance of life is extraordinary. Anyway, the circle will let Jingyi find us and for now we should check out our home for tonight."

Chapter 211

Everlyn let them through a very narrow and twisty tunnel with numerous steep sections. It was so bad that in spots the floor was almost vertical. It was obvious why she had seen this as an excellent campsite. Very few monsters would travel along its confines especially when at one point he had to climb over two metres straight up. That would be a difficult barrier for a lot of the monsters that travelled through the circular bio. A couple of people on top of that natural barrier could hold off something with the physical capabilities of the decay antelopes, and Tom knew how effectively they could jump.

While they travelled, Tom planned how he would defend the place against different monster types. Larger monsters didn't need to be considered, as they wouldn't fit. The issue would therefore be smaller swarm like creatures. If they were ground based, then they would use the advantage of height to hold them. Everything else, he would retreat to one of the narrow pathways and stop them there.

"We're here." Everlyn announced. She had stopped and the tunnel they were in constricted further ahead of them. It looked a lot like a wombat den. "You can wriggle through."

She got onto her belly, and commando crawled through the tight space. Tom followed and emerged into a cave that had a floor area larger than most family homes, even those that would be considered to be mansions. It was ten times the size of what they needed. He glanced at the hole he had just pushed himself through.

If any enemy came, then this is where they would be defending. Three of them could fit around the entrance, and it felt like they could defend against an army.

"Nice choice," Rahmat said with a whistle. He, too, was admiring the gap they had squeezed through.

Everlyn was beaming.

Tom studied the area in more detail. A stream ran through the middle. It entered from a waterfall that emerged three metres up the wall, right near the roof. A thick fountain of water that two cupped hands could stop momentarily, but then, of course your hands would fill up almost immediately. It splashed down into a small pool and then a metre wide stream snaked across the room before gathering in the far corner. He couldn't see it from this angle, but there had to have been a similar exit to the entry point that acted to drain that secondary pond.

The floor was mostly rock, though there were patches of dirt. The lighting here was too low to support life, let alone the abundance in the canyon. There was nothing growing, not even one of the hardier versions of lichen that seemed to be able to flourish anywhere. The place leant weight to Everlyn's theory that they were in a dead zone.

The only other notable feature was another exit on the far wall. Tom immediately pointed at it.

Everlyn shrugged in response. "We might want to block that one."

Tom went over to check it out. The linking tunnel between the two rooms was short, barely a metre long, and after a single step a second cave was revealed. It was similar in size to the previous one, but instead of being roughly round it was oblong. The far wall was almost sixty metres away. But unlike where he had come from there was no roof a convenient three metres above them.

Tom looked up curiously.

Light crystals, weak ones, were embedded regularly in the walls as they soared above him. It made it both easier to see and harder because lots of areas were obscured by the glare of the lights below them. The roof was almost eighty metres above his head. The room was significantly higher than it was long.

Tom frowned.

The whole perfect resting spot grading he had assigned went out the window. This much space in the underground was problematic. It only took a single crevice leading to a lair and they would be exposed. If those monsters sniffed them or heard them, they could gather unseen in the heights of this room and then attack en masse. The high ceilings were a massive liability. He was now carefully examining the place searching for any hints of movement. While the visible wall was smooth, Tom did not know whether that same arrangement would hold further up and a single entrance was all that would be required to cause problems.

He retreated into the main cave. "We worried about that?" He pointed with his thumb over his shoulder.

Everlyn shrugged. "Not really. It hasn't been disturbed for almost three months. I examined it and I couldn't see any off shoots. Can't be certain, but I think it's a mostly closed system."

"Mostly?"

"Well, there's airflow, so it's not fully shut. My guess is that it's just cracks. Don't look like that Tom. There aren't any significant drafts, so it doesn't link to another cave system. I can guarantee that."

"How are you so certain?"

She pointed the way they had come. "Over there is hot and humid air. If this place is linked to another bio system, there would be a wind. The fact there isn't. It means we're safe."

"It means it doesn't link to a separate part of the underground. The lack of breeze doesn't rule out a lair or multiple lairs."

"It doesn't." She agreed.

"Does that mean you want Keikain and I to block the entrance?" Tom asked.

Again Everlyn looked anything but concerned. "We probably should. But we'll wait for Jingyi. He can scout the other cave accurately and confirm if there is actually a problem. Come on, Tom, show some faith. He'll be here within ten minutes and be able to determine our true exposure far more accurately. You can sit in there and watch for threats in the meantime if you want."

"If you're confident, it's safe…"

"I am. As I said, nothing has disturbed this area for months."

The rest of the party accepted Everlyn's views and immediately unpacked for the night. Rahmat wandered over to the other room to clearly keep watch, which made Tom smile. With a shrug, he setup his bedroll to prepare for sleep. He was feeling exhausted.

Jingyi returned to them and after warning everyone that he was coming he pulled himself through the narrow entrance to the cave. Thor who was on guard duty mimed whacking him on his head with his club. The scout ignored it and agilely leapt to his feet before pausing to examine the room carefully. He caught Everlyn's eye. "Through there?" he asked and pointed at the second exit.

She nodded. "If you can confirm there's no threats that would be helpful."

"Easy." Jingyi did not go to check the cave. Instead, he settled down near the entrance Thor was guarding. "Give me five." The change that went over the scout was immediate. It was like stepping into the system room but nowhere near as extreme. Still, it was obvious that the scout's consciousness was no longer in his body. He was clearly sharing the senses of his spirit bird and was probably even now exploring the mysterious room beyond their current one in more detail.

Keikain brought food over to him.

Tom raised an eyebrow at the offering. "Bread?"

"I didn't buy it." Keikain said flatly. "But it's here, so I might as well use it."

Tom took the offered sandwich dubiously and flipped it open. It was a thick slab of meat between two pieces of bread. No salad, no butter or sauces, but a small amount of steam rose from the meat. The smell was also intoxicating, a cross between pork and beef. "Very rustic. Meat between two slabs of bread."

"Bah. The meat's fatty enough as it is. It doesn't need condiments and I'm not going to waste money buying butter."

"Good call." Tom agreed and bit down on the meal not expecting to enjoy what felt like cheap rations.

The moment he bit into the large meat roll, he froze. The taste of bread woke something in him that he hadn't even realised had gone dormant. The instant it touched his tongue he could almost feel the carbs getting into his bloodstream. There was an anticipation in his body that elevated the taste of the food.

It was incredible.

He had totally forgotten how much he had loved bread. "This is great."

Keikain smiled at the compliment. "The bread or the meat."

"Both… but…"

"Mainly the bread."

"I haven't had it for forty years. It's…" Tom was well aware of the tear running down his face. So many memories of his childhood that he thought were forgotten were crowding in.

"Well, I'm glad it meets your standards and now courtesy of your reaction I need to go cook for everyone before they riot."

"I promise not to riot if I get the next one." Michael quipped instantly.

"No, I'm already in line."

"I call dibs, Michael's not the type to riot." Thor said. "Me, on the other hand." He took a body building pose that would have shown his huge muscles. It was kind of ruined by the fact that he was dressed in full armour.

There were a couple of chuckles, anyway.

Everyone was eyeing his meal enviously. Tom took another bite, revelling in the taste. He was hungry, but he slowed down to make sure that he savoured every mouthful. He forced himself to chew things properly and watched Jingyi to distract himself.

He might have been focused elsewhere, but unlike with the system room emotions came through. He saw the raised eyebrows, then the biting of the lower lip. The level of concern on his face grew.

Tom stood abruptly in response. His battle instincts flaring. That look signified danger.

There was no threat that was immediately apparent, so with one hand on his spear he kept eating. He was ready to toss dinner and explode into battle at a moment's notice. Subtly, he began to stretch his legs.

He might have been the first to stand, but everyone else followed. They, too, were on their feet with weapons out and ready. Even Keikain responded by shifting the grill away from the fire and then hurrying over to the entrance to the next room. Then the earth mage dropped to his knees and put both hands and his forehead onto the ground like he was prostrating in front of a king. He was clearly trying to prepare the hard and yielding underground rock to be receptive to his magic. Tom, having watched the process, knew he wasn't going to be successful. If a threat was on the way, the earth mage had begun to late to meet it.

Jingyi's eyes snapped open.

"What?" Everlyn demanded immediately. She had her bow out at three quarters draw and was prepared to respond to anything.

"A problem." The scout looked around at their readiness. "Nothing urgent. No one needs to be battle ready."

Tom sat down once more and Everlyn released the tension on her bow. All the others, excluding Thor, shuffled their weapons into less aggressive postures.

"The cave is not a dead zone or abandoned like we thought. There are multiple crevices near the ceiling. Filled with eggs."

"We should leave." Clare said immediately.

"Viable?" Everlyn asked, ignoring the leave suggestion.

"Presumably." Jingyi answered after a moment. "It's not just one batch of them. There's evidence the crevices have been used for years, potentially decades."

The look on Everlyn's face changed suddenly. She was no longer quite as relaxed as when they first entered the cave. "You're telling us that this is a hatching ground."

Jingyi nodded.

"I missed it." The bow vanished from her fingers and she slapped her thigh in frustration. "All the caves are the same. Could you tell if all the eggs are set to hatch at the same time?"

This time, the scout shook his head.

"They will," Everlyn stated confidently. "This cave was last disturbed three months ago. The other ones had different timings. What ever the creature is they have multiple clutches going at once."

"Probably," Jingyi agreed.

"What's the monster type?"

The scout shrugged. "There are a couple of bodies up there. All juveniles and from past clutches, so they were decomposed significantly."

"What are they?" Everlyn demanded.

"Some form of draconic lizard."

"The adults are small," Tom concluded for all of them. "Have to be tiny to get through to here? Do they have wings?"

"Of course." Jingyi answered. "How else would they fly up to lay their eggs."

"Big wings like creatures that are mostly aerial or smaller wings like gliders have."

"The second."

"Thanks," Tom said with a grateful nod. Having a better idea of what they were facing was always prudent. The smaller wing span meant the lizards could be as large as a small crocodile but if they of possessed the larger wings, then the threat would have been reduced to a small dog size.

"Do you have an estimate of size?" Everlyn asked clearly understanding why he had been asking those questions.

Jingyi spread his hands like he was holding a basketball. "This thick but long." He stretched his arms out to their full length.

"Really two metres long?" she sounded sceptical.

The other scout shrugged. "That's my best guess. They might end up being half that size, but I doubt it. At the very least, there were crevices that would have been perfect but they didn't enter, so I'm confident on width… as for length…" He shrugged. "That was based on scaling up the young."

"Doesn't matter." Everlyn said, sounding annoyed at the conversation. "Size doesn't equate to power. From the other presumed hatching grounds I explored, I'm guessing the eggs have a six-month incubation."

"How confident of that are you?" Jingyi asked.

"Not particularly. I only have data from like eight caves, but it's irrelevant." Everlyn said after a moment's thought. "Even if the young hatch while we are here, they'll be easy to kill."

"No one is worried about the babies." Tom agreed with a laugh. "The question is whether the parents are roaming bosses' packs or critters."

"Worst case is that they are a boss monster." Everlyn mused thoughtfully. "So that's what we assume. Even then, we're only at risk under some pretty specific circumstances. That pack has to be passing this area in the eight hours that we're here. How long did you say the circular was Tom?"

"Twenty days or so."

"That means there is only a five percent per day of them…" She hesitated and flicked her thumb toward the outside. "Actually, being present. To be conservative, we'll round that up to two percent. But even if they pass outside, they still might not investigate this. There were a number of caves that had been untouched for more than three months, so I don't believe they tend their eggs in between laying and them hatching. Basically we're safe and even if the parents come, we should be able to hold the entranceway."

"There are a lot of ifs in there." Michael observed.

"The key one being we're only at risk if they pass by us in the next eight hours. Then it's only a problem if they are boss monster and they investigate this cave where the evidence suggests they lay their eggs and then forget about them."

Michael raised his hands. "If your judgement says it's safe, then I'll accept that."

"It is." She said simply. "But we're going to assume that the draconic lizards notice us and the whole pack investigates. Keikain I want you to create something to help block the entrance. Tom no triggering dreams today, instead you need to have a lesser elemental but not a lightning type summoned at all times. I want diversity, to maximise our chance of exploiting their vulnerabilities. Thor, buy some shields we can use to block that entrance. Jingyi get your bird positioned to provide as much warning as possible. Harry."

"Yes, I'll put down the appropriate rituals."

"Do you have anything to suppress flight?"

Harry shook his head at Everlyn's question. "No, of course not. But I'll prime a fire blast ritual in the entrance. They might be immune but…"

"Great," Everlyn said. "Did you hear that? Tom. No fire or lightning elementals. Choose something else. We also sleep in battle order."

"And if the babies behind us wake up?" Jingyi asked.

"We'll block that entrance and deal with it if it happens. But our focus is outside, as that is the only direction a genuine threat will come from. Everyone move, Clare take, over the cooking. Tom, do your summons in the head off to sleep."

Tom did not argue. He didn't want to spend half an hour after summoning the elemental so he limited himself only to his personal pool.

Before doing anything, he prepared a contract and initiated his spell, relying on his title Friend of Elementals to push his spell up a tier. Then he punched through with all he had, but didn't let his consciousness cross the boundary. His probe was instantly mobbed by three different lesser elementals. Tom had no desire to check personality type. With how he was planning on using the elemental, the bias's of the creature was irrelevant. He would take the one that offered the longest contract. At the speed of thought, various bids were submitted, revised and increased and after a few moments of frenzy betting a number of ninety-seven minutes was locked in.

Tom sighed and there was a crackle of energy as the elemental appeared before him.

It hung uninterested, waiting for instructions. With previous elementals, he had sought to build a relationship, but he felt no desire to do so with a water version. Earth and lightning were worth cultivating for the future, but he didn't need a water elemental friend. It was not a type he planned on using regularly.

Because of both its attitude and his own bias's Tom did not communicate. Instead, he grabbed the broken prison from his inventory. The orders he sent were simple. Rest in here, do nothing. If we are attacked, I will instruct you how to fight back.

With a sigh, he laid down and with a thought was asleep. His skills woke him up ninety-three minutes later, and he summoned a replacement elemental using the same process as previously. It appeared got told what he wanted and then he flopped back onto his sleeping mat and was instantly asleep.

His internal alarm clock triggered again, and he was wide awake. He repeated his previous actions. A fresh elemental popped into existence with an agreement to stay for a hundred and four minutes.

He fell asleep again.

"There coming, get ready to fight." Jingyi yelled.

Tom woke up with a curse. His weapon appeared in his hands and he leapt up prepared instantly to fight. He prayed it was only against the babies.

Chapter 212

The monsters had not arrived yet, but from the activity Tom could see all hell was about to break loose.

It wasn't the babies that were coming for them it was the adults. All their attempts to estimate the risk didn't matter. They had been wrong or unlucky, and all that was left was to fight and survive.

With a mental command, the lesser water elemental emerged and hovered at his shoulders. It had almost an hour left on the contract, but was limited by its available energy. There was only so much it could contribute in battle. Five to ten minutes was Tom's estimate, and it depended heavily on how he used it.

"Twenty-two have entered the cave system." Jingyi told them. "They're moving slowly and I'll call out if any more arrive."

"Twenty is more than we can face," Everlyn said professionally. "But we're prepared, so we'll be fine. We let the first one through to test out Harry's fire ritual and its strengths and weaknesses. Thor and Clare will block the entryway with those shields. We'll assess tactics once we've identified them properly and we know what we're dealing with."

"Maybe a third to hold the shield," Thor suggested nervously. "If they're rank twenty in strength… I don't know…"

"Good point. Michael and Rahmat support them, please." Everlyn decided brusquely. "Rahmat, after the first few seconds use your judgement.

Tom could hear scrambling. They were coming.

There were pre-planned actions taking place that he wasn't aware of. Tom figured the others must have discussed strategies over dinner when he had been asleep. The four assigned to the entranceway had shifted a metre away and were crouched down behind heavy shields and the ranged fighters back against the far wall. Tom's eyes flicked to the nearly fully charged ritual.

Nervously, he moved cautiously away to create extra space. He hadn't had a chance to see what the ritual could do, but given the caution everyone else was exhibiting…

Tom took another large step back even as the noise of the approaching enemies grew louder.

He was interested in observing the coming explosion. He knew Harry was limited in the number of rituals he could select and fire was a good choice. It was genuinely very effective against a large variety of monster types. Beasts with fur or feathers, most faux sapients, plant monsters and amphibious creatures were all usually vulnerable to fire. Draconic lizards however would likely be a different story… that heritage. It was problematic and Tom figured the magical trap would have less than a twenty percent chance of hurting them. They were likely to possess fire immunity, but everything was a guess till they saw one.

That uncertainty was why he had chosen the water element. It gave them the maximum amount of diversity. If Harry's fire, Toni's air, Keikain's Earth and his lightning were resisted, then water would probably be a vulnerability.

One of the draconic lizards burst through the narrow space.

It was slightly smaller than what Jingyi had estimated, but only a little. Instead of weighing as much as him it was probably on par with Everlyn.

Flames exploded out of the floor and wreathed the animal in dancing, blue and orange that radiated heat almost intense enough to singe Tom's eyebrows even with him standing three metres away. Then it was past the fire storm, seemingly undamaged by them.

Tom thrust his spear without having made a conscious decision to attack its charge and lined it up perfectly.

His mind instructed the water elemental to see if it could blind it. There was a focused acknowledgment, and it floated off his shoulder. He guessed its personality was Lazy and determined. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to check, but if it was, that was not a bad combination.

The creature rammed into his spear hard enough to make him stumble and despite the use of Power Strike his weapon failed to penetrate the monster.

Tom cursed even as other spells struck out and hit the creature. None of them appeared to have done any damage to the monster. A spray of water smacked its eyes, but it blinked and the eye opened undamaged.

He swallowed and mentally instructed the elemental to desist from its attacks. He would wait till they were more effective. The monster's eyes moved independently, scanning the room. It paused on each of the fighters with one of the four eyes focused on him the entire time. Now was the moment of truth. Would he be the target or would he need to use Lightning Enrage earlier than he wanted.

All the eyes snapped to face him. Inside, he did a jig and then threw himself to the side as it tried to make a snack of his thigh. It was an easy manoeuvre to avoid it with his dodge skill doubling his speed.

Once more, they faced each other. Almost fluorescent red blood was dripping slowly from the spot his spear had hit. Not a flood. It wasn't sufficient to ever kill it, or even slow it, but it was evidence that his attack had hurt it. A single scale had broken off. Tom instantly focused on that fact. It was a weakness to exploit.

He didn't want to waste his mana on taunting, but he needed to keep the monster attacking him exclusively, which meant out damaging it while dodging. He concentrated on his Spark ability.

Zap.

It flinched as the electricity ran over it and while it twitched in shock Tom thrust at the broken scale. This time, his spear penetrated further. Before hitting a wall. Not bone, he thought to himself. That was a form of magical defence.

It snarled at him and attacked in a flurry of strikes. Tom was conscious of the surrounding room. Harry placing down a ritual. The almighty bang from the entrance and the curses of the four people holding the shield steady. It seemed they had sufficient strength together to hold the line, and he prayed the shield they had purchased would last.

"Vulnerable to ice." Everlyn reported. "Every scale is enhanced with a shield skill. You need to target the same area and break the scales to create a true vulnerability. It also possesses a tight focus fire domain."

Tom listened intently. The knowledge didn't change anything in how he was fighting. He was already targeting the same spot. He kept dodging and tested with his spear how much power was required to crack a scale. The answer was not a lot.

"They're going to boil us alive." Thor roared.

Negate, Tom, ordered the elemental instantly. While sending pictures of it going over to where Thor and the healers struggled to hold the shield. Then it needed to use its water magic to alleviate the heat. The presence of the fire domain was interesting. He hadn't even noticed, but he guessed it was because he was moving too quickly for the fire domain to catch him. Nevertheless, the room was heating up and sweat was dripping down, threatening to get into his eyes.

Crack.

An arrow exploded through the spot he had been targeting. Everlyn had waited until she had the opportunity to line it up perfectly. The angle she had chosen allowed the projectile to penetrate right through the lizard's body, including going through where the heart must have been situated.

Tom made a mental note of the location. It was higher than he expected, but from now on that was the killing blow he would target.

The creature staggered and then turned to face Everlyn. Tom, for the first time had an opportunity to examine his opponent properly. It was sort of like a cross between a goanna and a crocodile, but with eight legs and short stubby wings that weren't for show. In the time they had fought, those wings had converted their struggle into what was closer to an aerial battle than a ground one.

It's eyes were fixated upon Everlyn and Tom knew that look because it was the same single-minded determination that had targeted him. It lowered itself to prepare to spring forward. Tom did the calculation was already running in the right direction. A teleport sped him up.

It sprang, leaping into the air clearly intending to close the distance between it and its target via flight.

Lightning Feet flared. Electricity was like a fountain out of his planted foot. He launched himself to intercept it.

The monster spotted him and tried to lash out with its feet, but he blocked on one side with his elbow. Luckily catching it just under the claws and successfully pushed the razor sharp items away and his spear stopped the leg from the other side.

Then his shoulder struck hard in the chest of the leaping lizard. The collision was not as violent as he expected, and he heard ribs crack.

Hollow bones,he thought triumphally even as he squirreled the information away for later. It felt like it would eventually be important, but for now…

Still effectively entangled with the monster they crashed to the ground together. Tom made sure to be on top and there were sounds of more bones breaking. It lethargically tried to use its legs to swipe him, but a teleport took him clear of the flashing claws. Then he scrambled clear, spear at the ready in case it chose to follow him or continue to try to reach Everlyn.

It did neither. Instead, it slumped down. There was a growing pool of bright red forming under him.

Dead, Tom concluded after tapping into his extra senses, or at least about to reach that state. He took a moment to catch his breath.

"Let another two through." Everlyn ordered.

"The ritual?" Tom asked.

"I disabled it while you were fighting." Harry volunteered. "It was clear it wasn't capable of hurting the lizards."

"Guys," Everlyn interrupted. "Let them through."

The three manning the shields immediately began a countdown to coordinate their movements and Rahmat repositioned to help.

In between the regular thumps as the monsters tried to get through, they yanked the shield up.

There was a blur of motion as multiple lizards burst into the room.

The three of them attempted to slam the shield down but were too slow. With a number of expletives, it got knocked upwards and a fourth creature snuck through. They banged it onto the ground and sealed the tunnel.

But four had already made it through and there was no time to be cute about these things. Lightning enrage blazed out from where he stood. Sparks moving with deceptive speed struck the lizards and no matter where they hit they burrowed into them. The monsters who had been aiming for four different targets roared in agony and then spun to focus on him.

Tom did not feel at all threatened. He could sense the fate lingering around him, and the first monster had not actually been that challenging. The Black Dodge component of his skill had not activated once, which was a change from recent battles against stronger foes when it had been permanently blazing away. Not only hadn't it been required he had also barely had to use his teleport spell, excluding the end when he was protecting Everlyn.

Four would change things, but he suspected not sufficiently to threaten his life. One of the lizards leapt into the air and its wings brushed against the ceiling, forcing it to abruptly abort the attack.

Tom smiled.

He hadn't realised the roof would be an asset. After all, it was high enough that no one could accidentally bang their heads against it. In fact, on earth, Tom doubted he would have been able to touch it even if he jumped as high as he could. Yet, long flying creatures with stubby wings had different rules of engagements and to them it was an environmental hazard. They could not consistently attack from above his head, which evened out the battle further.

An open smile spread out on his face as the draconic lizards all charged forward to kill him.

This is what life was about. The simple elegance and joy of combat.

He stepped to the side, effectively causing two of them to crash into each other. Time slowed dramatically and a teleport let him avoid the claw that was going to severely cut his arm. He launched forward with his spear. There was no attempt to unleash a devastating battle ending blow or concentrated Power Strike to enhance the penetrative ability of his spear. There was no need. The scales would block those blows just as readily as a tap. All he had to do was to deliver the minimum force required to trigger a defensive charge. That and continuously hitting them in the same spot was all this particular contest called for.

When what was little more than a light tap landed, a scale broke. He had barely invested sufficient force to cut his own skin. But the scale fell off because magic defences while incredibly potent could be exploited.

He spun, rolled, then dodged. There were so many legs continuously swiping at him. With every engagement, he had to avoid at least three claw slashes and usually a darting mouth, and that was from each lizard, and they were unceasingly attacking him. Black dodge activated regularly, but the fight never felt like it was out of control. He had to accept the occasional cut, but that was the price that his dodge skill levied for its utility. The unique nature of his dodge skill ensured that they were never more than the lightest of scratches and a point, occasionally two, closed the wounds almost as they opened. Yet despite the hectic constant movements, numerous opportunities to poke the monsters presented themselves. Or even more amusing, were the times he did it by accident. The number of times when he had been focused on avoiding an attack from one monster only to have a different lizard run into the tip of his spear with sufficient force to break a scale was incredible. Especially when every time it was on the creature's chest exactly where they had been creating a hole in the creature's armour.

As he spun and weaved between them, his spear was continuously in motion, taking opportunities when a monster ended up perfectly positioned for him to strike. He wasn't the only one contributing to the fight. Finely, controlled air blades thumped into the targets. The ethereal arrows of Everlyn kept striking into the lizard bodies only slightly more frequently than Jingyi's. Rahmat was also there right on the edge of the combat his spear flashing forward when he noticed the opportunity. With the lizards moving twice as fast as him, it meant that getting so close to them even if they weren't actively targeting him was dangerous. The man's lack of a defensive skill was telling. On more than one occasion, a lizard would crash into him. He was repeatedly knocked off his feet his armour having multiple rents from it. Clare and Michael healed him and then he got up and gamely continued the fight.

Crack.

The enormous sound of Everlyn using her magical bow to its full extent rocked the room. One of the lizards was knocked out of the air and landed with a thud. Bright, almost fluorescent, red blood poured out of its chest. It didn't even try to get up such was the damage done.

Tom kept dodging, a process that immediately simplified.

With three instead of four, Black Dodge still activated occasionally, but now a teleport let him completely avoid the damage.

Crack.

Another died.

He saw an option and his spear tore through the third. His foot was instantly on the creature's chest and then he launched himself backwards to yank the spear clear. Then he rolled to the side as the fourth monster crashed down next to him. It had attempted to impale him with six of its eight legs.

Tom was on his feet. Dodging towards Jingyi and then throwing himself flat when the scout coldly raised the arrow and fired straight at his heart.

The arrow sped over his head, and Tom immediately spun to face the last lizard.

It was dying and he could see Jingyi's arrow poking out its chest with the monster clawing at it uselessly as it's life blood leaked away.

"Thor, how are you guys holding?" Everlyn asked.

"We've got this. They can't break through."

"Thirty seconds then."

All three of them were pressed up against the shield then every three seconds they would rock back as an immense force crashed against the barrier they had created. The shield was now better described as a slab of metal and heavily deformed. It might last another round of battles, but no further. It wasn't an exposure. Thor had thoughtfully purchased five of them and with only sixteen monsters left they would outlast the enemies.

His water elemental indicated that it was running out of energy and it wouldn't be staying for long.

"I need more time." Tom called out while he assessed his own mana. There was good news his mana was close to full. It had taken them almost ten minutes to wear the four enemies down, and he hadn't needed to reapply Lightning Engage. While they had been hitting him regularly, the drain of Touch Heal had been less than his mana regeneration.

"Why?"

Tom glanced at Everlyn from where he stood unbothered in the mana recharge ritual circle that Harry had put down. "It's the fire aura. My water element is protecting them," he pointed at the three crouched near the exit. "But it's almost out of energy. I need to summon an ice elemental to help them. Has to be lesser and I want to recharge…"

"That's fine." She said immediately. "So five minutes?"

Tom hesitated. "If it's possible."

"You've got it."

Chapter 213

There was another thump. The team guarding the entrance was visibly pushed back an inch before collectively they strained their muscles. They wobbled, two forces colliding against each other, briefly locked in a stalemate.

"Push." Thor grunted.

There was a jerk, and the shield clanged back into position. They were mid battle and sort of not. Tom knew they were lucky the draconic lizards were lacklustre in the extra's they brought to the fight. If they had a more rounded set of abilities, something like the very common charge skill or the fire breath of their draconic heritage, their blocking tactic would have failed. The shield would have been melted or been blown aside and Tom would now be fighting twenty monsters simultaneously. That would not have been a death sentence, at least for him. For the others? With twenty attacking, he would have no ability to protect them.

They had been fortunate. The lizards, instead of possessing burst attacks, only had their aura. Against many teams, that would have been sufficient, but his water elemental was more than capable of countering it.

Now he was going to replace that water elemental with an ice one. The lizard's singular, nonphysical trick would be hard countered. Tom focused on casting his spell. Unlike when he had summoned the water elemental, he planned this contract out in more detail. There were extra aspects to consider.

The personality type remained irrelevant as it was going to be slotted into a utility role not a free flow combat one. Instead, he concentrated on the concept of longevity. It was about maximising the duration of the cooling per point mana spent.

It would be wise to supplement his power, Tom decided as his soul bound mana crystal appeared in his hands. He flipped it while he thought. If he used its mana sparingly he could get a significant boost in how long the ice elemental would be available. There was a sweet spot for summoning, and he would need to invest the trapped mana to get his spell into that zone.

Tom focused on the crystal and the contract terms, balancing them off against each other. There was no buying extra mana for him to use, no topping it up mid fight. The mathematics did not work. Even in the best case, every minute spent recharging would only support forty seconds of the ice elemental. It meant that the crystal in his hand would buy twenty minutes of extra time, which was valuable.

Thirty extra mana per summons, he decided. That would let him repeat the action five times, which was all they would need to clear the monsters waiting to get in.

With his mana pool allocation determined, he focused on the details in the contract. Mentally, he tweaked the parameters playing off the contract time versus the energy invested into the elemental. He wanted both aspects to run out simultaneously. A lot of it was guesswork because he lacked hard information on the ice version's efficiency versus the lizard's aura. There was no way Tom could accurately calculate the right value, but through experimentation, so he chose what he thought was the best ratio and began casting.

His title immediately activated to guide his steps. This time when he pushed the contract through there were only two ice elementals bidding but they got into a price war and in short order there was a snap and a tiny piece of ice appeared in front of him. He could feel its presence as a wave of cold washed over him and dispelled the growing heat that was causing sweat to run down his face.

At his direction it settled on his shoulder while he recharged using Harry's ritual.

Everlyn facilitated a quick debrief but there was nothing to learn from it. They all knew how to kill the lizards. There was no other strategy apart from tank and wear them down and no special insights to be gained. Tom did not resent the debrief. Who knew when someone might have noticed an unexpected vulnerability.

Midway through his recharging, the water elemental ran out of power and so was switched with the ice.

Then with his mana at full. Tom stood spear at the ready in front of the entrance.

The countdown started and when they reached zero; the team yanked what was now crumpled metal away and threw it to the corner.

Three monsters burst into the room and Thor slammed a fresh shield down straight after them to block the gap.

Tom sprang into motion.

He taunted them and then spent the first thirty seconds scrambling to stay ahead of their attacks. Then the battle stabilised for a period before it turned sharply in his favour and he was back to being nearly invulnerable.

It took a little under ten minutes till the last was taken down. Collectively, their ability to chip away at the scales and then destroy the monsters was improving.

"Tom, you good to keep going?"

"Yep, my mana is full." He answered her immediately.

"Then we go again."

This time four snuck through.

Tom fell into the same rhythm. He could feel his skills improving and almost felt like he was on the verge of a skill up for Fate Weaponised Black Dodge.

It was a tier five ability and Tom knew that levels for the more complicated skills needed to be earned both through use and inspiration. Particularly if it was a threshold level… At lower tiers, level four was not important, but tier five skills especially one with multiple sideway evolutions were different. He would probably need an inspiration for every level now.

By this stage he had plenty of insights into the skill, but he was not sure they were the right ones or strong enough. However, it was almost like the Skill was prodding him a certain direction. There was an inspiration there around linking the dodge skill to a teleport but instead of focusing on teasing out that thought his mind was drawn into the start of the battle.

It was his subconscious at work. There was no point in enhancing a defensive skill to perform better when things were easy. No, what had to be strengthened was when he was failing. The beginning of battles where he took injuries that was where he needed a boost.

He let himself exist in the moment. His body perfectly balanced as he sought to avoid the spinning whirlwind of claws that were reaching out to shred him. He dodged through space, shifting from spot to spot. His muscles continually contracting to alter the angle of his torso or limbs. His Spark domain was around him to predict the movements of his enemies. He could feel it when a lizard moved behind him and attacked from his blind spot and when they did so, he already knew how to move to avoid them and every now and again he used his teleport to relieve the pressure.

But… could he do better.

His acrobatics were carrying him out of the reach of most of the strikes. There were no obvious changes to his approach that would let him avoid more of the cuts. Ultimately, the human body, even enhanced by magic, could only do so much and when your surroundings were filled with deadly slashes, some of them were going to get you.

Tom snarled as a claw dug into his arm, scratching bone. He had been dodging two other lizards and after avoiding all their limbs there was no capacity to dodge this last one.

A teleport let him disengage, and he used Touch Heal to remove the damage. The deep cut took ten mana to fix.

That was too much… and it reminded him of his earlier question.

Could he do better?

That claw had hurt him even with Black Dodge reducing the damage. But for its presence, Tom was sure the attack would have sheered right through the bone and potentially a second one too. Instead of that occurring he had only been left with what was effectively a flesh wound and, if he was being honest a clean cut at that. Without Black Dodge, the claw probably would have taken a chunk out of him, which would have made it far harder to heal.

He was only fighting up against creatures with a seventy percent advantage in attributes and he had a tier five defensive ability helping him. For him to end up that hurt, it had to indicate a flaw in his technique.

Tom went through the motions, puzzling on ways he could supercharge his performance. Was there a way to avoid that damage.

There was a crack, and a lizard collapsed. Abruptly he returned to dodging the enemies on auto pilot. With only three of them, he wasn't going to learn anything.

Two minutes later the last of them fell, and they stood sweating in the oppressive feat, with Tom and Rahmat chests heaving as they sought to bring their breathing under control.

"Bad and good news. Another eight have joined." Jingyi reported.

"Stupid monsters." Thor cursed angrily.

"And the good." Everlyn asked mildly.

"That was the good. That should be it. Either the circular is blocked up again or the pack has moved on."

"Eight more is not a problem." Tom interrupted. He thought about his skill and that feeling that a revelation was just out of reach. He needed a challenge to bring it forth. "We need to speed things up." He nodded to the teams on the shields. "This wave we should let five or six through."

"I don't see how that would help." Everlyn observed immediately. "That many will merely hamper your ability to hit them. You're doing a third of the damage, so I'm not eager to lose that."

"I'm on the edge of an inspiration."

Everlyn nodded in response. "Well, that changes things. We'll target four or five with the next round. Let's do this."

Once more, the thoroughly broken shield got disposed of by being launched into the corner and five of the monsters rushed through when they opened the gap.

Tom fought the lizards. But he was far more analytical about what he was doing. He entered his battle trance and leant heavily on his experience from the tutorial. Time slowed down. Three different arms from one side and then a snapping jaw on the other. His skill encouraged him to dodge the multiple strikes, but that would open him up to the deadly mouth.

Those teeth would do far more damage than the claws. What happens if he did a middle ground. Willingly accepted some wounds to avoid others. It was what he would have done without hesitation in the tutorial. Tom resisted the subtle pressure to dodge the multiple attacks and allowed the three arms to tag him. One set hit his pant and was deflected another his stomach and left four long scratches. His skivvy, his only upper body protection, did nothing to stop them. The last attack landed on his bicep and left only two lines. The wounds severity was reduced by Black Dodge till they were barely deep enough to create a line of red. But even if the skill hadn't activated, they were all superficial.

The dangerous teeth he had avoided slammed closed on empty air.

Another flurry of attacks came at him. The five monsters were relentless, but something had shifted. The dodging became easier and that freedom let him land blows even though he was now fighting five.

Tom easily avoided all of them simultaneously, and that was not a consequence of fate build up. It was more than that. The skill had upgraded, and as he weaved between suddenly far less troublesome enemies, he attempted to quantify the improvements. It was not a situation where one aspect of the skill had received a massive boost rather it was apparent that all of it had been enhanced slightly. Time dilation was larger than usual. He had a claw strike him and instead of cutting his skin; it bounced off and Tom wasn't even sure if it left to bruise. The extra time and speed the skill granted allowed him to land more blows.

He focused on eliminating the immediate enemies.

The last of the five died.

"I need time." Tom said immediately and summoned an ice elemental. Then Tom sat on Harry's ritual circle and dropped straight into the system room.

The wall displayed the key changes to the Fate Weaponised Black Dodge skill in front of him.

He skimmed over the information, not at all surprised to see that everything had got a reasonable size boost. A single level of a tier five spell was, after all equal to thirty-two levels in something like Spark.

All the different aspects of the Skill had a boost of between ten and twenty percent. What that meant for the skill was significantly more. When you added up all the ten percent boosts across all the lines, the effectiveness of the skill had probably doubled. Which was consistent with what he had learned in the tutorial. For example, Spark at level thirty two it had been more than twice as good as basic spark. So in terms of relativities, it all made sense.

Finally, he focused on the threshold benefit that had been revealed.

Threshold Bonus 4: The user will be granted a sense of the relative danger of the attacks likely to hit him. This guide to damage will respond to planned body movements, allowing the user to forecast the effective damage reduction of different strategies.

This is not an oracle derived ability. It is limited to the user senses, understanding of the enemy with a slight modifier of partial access to monster knowledge inherited from other people who have received this threshold benefit in the past.

It was not a spectacular boost. It was what he had already been doing naturally. Despite that, Tom did not feel cheated. It was a threshold benefit of a tier five skill, and he was excited by its potential utility. Before he could assess the benefit, he would have to see how it worked in actual life and death situations.

It was, in a way a cheat. It gave his mutated version of dodge something closer to the danger sense the more traditional versions received.

He opened his eyes.

"What did you get?" Everlyn asked, and Tom was surprised to find that the corpses had been moved to the other side of the room. They must have all chipped in immediately when he shut his eyes.

"My dodge skill levelled up."

"It did not, that's ridiculous." Michael said immediately.

"I've been fighting monsters much stronger than me." Tom pointed out. "Getting rewarded is not that…"

"It's ridiculous." Michael interrupted. "But I'm thrilled for us." The other man grinned at him.

"I'm not sure about the threshold benefit. Some part of me suspects it might be overpowered, but it might also be really crappy. It's an encyclopaedia that measures how much damage attacks are going to do."

"That's sounds super powerful." Everlyn said.

"Limited by my knowledge and senses. It mostly just provides an easy way to calculate stuff I can already do."

"Interesting. What's that about an encyclopedia?" Everlyn asked.

Tom's face scrunched up as he recalled the wording. "It provides partial access to monster knowledge discovered by others who have the threshold benefit."

There were knowing looks around the room.

"You can't judge the bonus till you've run into monsters." Michael observed.

"I know. The benefit might be exceptional or shitty."

"There is one other thing," Everlyn told them, "improving your sensing skills supercharges this new ability. If it's a special benefit, you should consider buying something to supplement what you've got."

"Or you could use your existing earth sense skill," Michael suggested.

"What? No… You know I can't use that in combat because the information is overwhelming."

"You're right and wrong. You can run the spell and have your conscious mind ignore it. I know you've practised dampening it to nothing."

"True."

Michael grinned. "But even if you're not actively registering it, the information is still there. Your threshold benefit can use that flood of data."

He scratched his ear. "I'm hearing lots of maybe, possibly."

"Tom, you know the answer." Michael interrupted him.

He threw his hands up in the air in response. "Yes, I know. Testing. It always comes back to that. I need to do more testing."

Everyone chuckled, which died off when there was a particularly loud thump from those holding the shield.

"I think that's a signal," Everlyn declared. "Time to keep fighting."

The shield was opened up to allow more lizards to charge through. Tom taunted them and entered an unexciting dance. Less than ten minutes later they all perished. They had failed to hurt him even once meaningfully, and his healing requirements had been nearly non-existent. The difference a single level made in his dodge skill was extraordinary.

They repeated the process another four times.

"This is the last group." Jingyi said, sounding exhausted. "There are only two of them."

Four minutes later it was over. They had become experts at killing the draconic lizards. They now knew exactly how many blows were needed to open a gap large enough to put an arrow or spear through chests and pierce the heart.

Cheers went through the room as Tom's spear plunged home.

"Good job everyone." Everlyn said. She abruptly stopped talking her mouth falling open. Tom followed her gaze to the entranceway. He froze as he caught sight of what had captured her attention.

He, too, blinked in disbelief.

Their passage backout to the canyon was blocked.

A trial had appeared. One that was different from the three trials he had used so far in Existentia. It was not a permanent trial or a temporary one. A memory triggered, a second-hand one, from his True Dreaming.

It was happening.

The others thought they had a choice.

Tom's heart was thumping in response. Their debates, the discussions, they had all existed in the context where the need to make a choice might never happen. He was sure most of them had assumed they would never find the trial. To them it had been intellectual exercise rather than a reality they had to face.

Tom had thought differently, but seeing the portal caused emotions he hadn't realised he possessed to crash down upon him. It was real. The dragon, the insects and the two potential allies… they were not a dream.

The portal was here…which in turn meant…

He wanted to scream at the heaven's but instead clenched his jaws and closed his eyes.

He was going to slay a dragon.

Chapter 214

Tom stared at the trial that was blocking the exit with wide eyes.

Around him, everyone else was in the same state. They understood the implications of it appearing only too well. That the theoretical risk they had been talking around, but never really believing, was now very real.

"Don't panic." Michael said immediately even as he backed away from the trial. If they hadn't known better, they would have assumed that it was a permanent trial from its shape. "Everyone, stay calm and don't get too close."

"Talk for yourself." Jingyi snapped as he hurried over towards the portal and glared at the healer when Michael went to intercept him.

"Don't touch it." Tom squeaked out.

"I'm not an idiot." The scout growled at him, brushing past Michael who at one point had looked like he was going to physically intercept the other man but had obviously chosen a different pathway. Jingyi immediately looked at the trial from both sides. Positioning himself against the wall to see if he could look past it and then dropped to his hands and knees to try to peer around the side of the portal closer to the ground.

As he did his reconnaissance, the look on his face became darker and darker. Finally, he sat back on his haunches and stroked his beard. Frustration was clearly visible on his face. "There's no sneaking past. The trial is literally embedded in the stone. There are no gaps. I had to dispel my bird because it was stuck on the other side. So she's out of action for a few hours."

"Why would you dispel?" Tom asked before he could help himself. "If we left the bird on the other side, we would have an early warning."

Jingyi glared at him. "If you had a spirit animal skill, you would understand."

"He needs a link to maintain them," Everlyn volunteered. "Distance or blocking material rapidly escalates the cost. I imagine with the trial in the way he was being forced to communicate through the underground rock."

Jingyi nodded. "The good news is that Keikain can move underground stone. And he's fresh and the rock that he has already imprinted is in place." The scout nodded at the entranceway. "He can break through."

The earth mage had set up a number of spots where the underground stone would be receptive to his magic. Because the battle had gone smoothly, Keikain who was being kept as their reserve force, had not needed to use those prepared areas as an emergency attack.

With confident steps, Keikain approached the trial and then dropped to the ground right in front of it. He put his head firmly against the stone, his hair centimetres from the portal. The man was in that position for just moments before he jumped to his feet. He ran to the wall next to the trial with his movements jerky.

Tom's eyes met Everlyn's. She grimaced and did her little eye roll. They both knew that it was going to end in failure.

As before, Keikain placed his head against the rock. "What's happening? It doesn't… I can't connect. It's not right. I…"

Everlyn arced her eyebrows, and he gave her a small nod, giving her permission to explain what was happening.

"It's a known property of trials," Everlyn said. Her voice slightly biting. "You all should have been aware of that. Trials always create extra permanency around themselves."

"I know." The earth mage was facing the wall, putting his forehead firmly against different spots as he moved away from the trial. His agitation was growing the entire time. "But this isn't a normal trial. Its rules should be different."

"Really?" Tom asked, amused despite the situation. "A trial appears perfectly blocking an exit, just as we're about to use it and you think it will lose features that trap us. That it would give us a chance to circumvent what is an obvious instruction from the GODS." He shook his head. "There was never a chance of that property being lost."

"It is too early to panic." Michael reminded all of them.

Keikain rounded on him. "Well Michael, when is it ok to panic. Because being trapped in a room and the only way out being a death trap trial seems like a fucking good time."

Michael raised a hand to encourage him to calm down. "Do we even know if it's what Tom dreamt about?"

"It is." Tom answered definitely.

"How do you know you haven't checked?" The healer asked.

"I just know. It's a different colour… maybe a different feel." Tom clarified because visually, if he only looked with his eyes, it looked the same as any other trial, yet there was something on edge about it. Something alien, other.

"We're being forced." Keikain concluded. "They've given us an offer we can't turn down."

"That depends on how long it lasts." Michael said reasonably. "If it's going to exist for a day, then nothing's changed. If it's a couple weeks but less than six months, then only you and Clare are forced. We could easily feed ourselves for that time."

"We're a team!" Keikain shouted.

"How can you say that? Michael." Clare demanded simultaneously. "We were friends."

"Were." Michael jumped on that word. "I don't agree with your choices." Then he seemed to reconsider and raised his hands in the gesture of peace and patience. "I'm just pointing at the facts. I'm not signalling you out, but there are options."

"There might be an exit in the other room." Keikain said hopefully. "I doubt the gods would leave us with no options."

Tom burst out laughing unable to help himself even as he cringed at how offensive the action was. It was just so funny… to think the GODs cared. "We didn't get any options on earth. Why would we here. Plus, I suspect this is DEUSs doing, anyway. If so, we might as well accept our fate. There is no way we can avoid it."

"It doesn't matter which of the gods is behind… that." Michael gestured at the trial. "The only consideration is what do we do now?"

Tom started walking towards it. "I think the next step is to confirm what the trial is."

"Wait, Tom." Michael said. "We should all be touching you when you do that."

"It's not going to just suck at me up and deposited me in there. Trial's always let you read and assess your suitability before you enter."

"We don't know that. I can…" Michael hesitated a frown on his face. "Feel the difference between this and a normal trial. It's twisted, distorted." The healer's nose wrinkled. "Abnormal. There's no guarantee it'll behave like any other trial."

"Fine. You can hold on to my shoulders and whatever."

Two firm hands landed on his shoulders and another on his elbow.

Tom reached out and touched the trial. Instantly he found himself floating in blackness with bright blue writing in front of his face.

Welcome to the Competitor Champion Race Trial

With your current ranking on the ladder of second, you are qualified to take this trial and may bring your team with you.

Representatives from all seven competitor races will be present and this is a variable zone trial. Each zone has a challenge ranking varying from rank sixteen on the outer ring to thirty-two in the inner.

Competitors will start on the outer ring and once they have cleared the challenge exits will open to adjoining zones.

Every sixteen days the outer ring of zones will be destroyed.

Rewards will be based on the order each competitor species exits the trial by reaching the centre zone and completing its final task. Please be aware that this is a GODs trial for competitors and your species will be disadvantaged if you waste the slots assigned to humans.

Tom's teeth ground together when he read that lie. The sad part about it was that it was probably true. Used honestly, it was probably a blessing. If every species played it how it was intended, it was likely the different races would never meet. Unfortunately, the GODs had interfered. But with the interference, the outcome was diametrical opposite to the intent. The dragon would arrive at the centre first and then kill all the other races as they tried to exit.

He knew he needed all the information before discussing options with the others, so he kept reading.

Trial will begin in 54 minutes.

If you enter early, you will be put in suspended animation until the start time. After the trial starts, this portal will remain active until the end of the trial. You may enter at any time and will start on the outermost ring that still exists, providing no other human champion has found a trial entry and entered on your behalf. Entry is only possible for the first 32 days.

Would you like to enter now with your eight companions?

Tom, without hesitation declined.

Then he stepped backwards. The hands dropped from his shoulder as everyone shuffled away from the trial.

"And?" Keikain demanded.

"It's what I warned us about. Couched in a different language. According to the context text, this is a can't miss opportunity."

"And will the trial disappear?" Keikain asked. "Can we wait out a day and then be able to go back to the circular."

Tom shook his head sadly. "No. Probably not for months, maybe as long as a quarter of a year."

The earth mage sagged in disappointment. "No time dilation?"

"It didn't sound like it. And practically speaking we only have an hour to make up our minds."

"Why?" Michael asked. "Is there a hard cut-off or something?"

"Not hard." Tom said. "The trial starts in less than an hour. If we're going in, we want to be in it for as long as possible to maximise our chances. It would be an absolute disaster if we wait it out and then discover later that we need to…" Tom's gaze snapped over to Clare and Keikain. "Enter despite our misgivings."

"Opportunity cost." Michael summarised. "Any time we delay is time not spent completing it. Does it look hard to complete?"

Tom shrugged. "I don't know… It's not a linear progression. There are zones, you clear a zone and it will open exits to go sideways or deeper into the trial."

Michael looked thoughtful. "Do you think the sideway option is there because sometimes you want to go sideways before going forward? I mean, if the way forward is something we can't deal with, then we might be able to find a safer way to go forward by going around it."

"Maybe." Tom wrinkled his nose. "I was also thinking it could be to let those who need it gain experience."

The healer suddenly looked excited. "Wait what rank is the trial?"

"Sixteen to thirty-two."

"We should treat this as a farming opportunity. Go around the outside of the trial completing all the zones then by the time we reach the dragon we'll be rank thirty two and have all the skills we could ever need."

Tom shook his head. "Can't, well, not how you're imagining it. The outer zones are destroyed after sixteen days."

"How many layers are there?"

Tom shrugged. "The trial is locked to us entering after thirty-two days, so at least three. But I'm guessing four or eight."

"Eight seems like a lot," Michael said thoughtfully. "But four is too few. We can hope for eight. The more there is the more we can close the rank differential between us and the enemies."

"Yes. I agree eight will be ideal. A quarter of a year is not perfect, but if we walk out of this close to rank thirty I think it'll make the next stage of my plan easier. It's like farming the monsters in the canyon, but better."

"It will certainly make the circular trivial." Everlyn said with a laugh.

"If we survive." Jingyi reminded them.

"If it wasn't for True Dreaming, we would be accepting this without hesitation." Tom reminded everyone.

"We can't just ignore your skills when it's convenient," Jingyi snapped.

He raised his hands defensively. "Not what I meant. Not what I was suggesting we do. Just pointing out that from the description this seems to be a great opportunity."

"We would have been suspicious given how it appeared." Jingyi stated confidently. "Something blocking the exit screams' avoid to me."

"We would have gone through." Tom said definitely. "We would have been excited about the chance. After all, the flavour text plays it off as a reward for me being the second highest ranked human. I doubt we would have hesitated for more than a few minutes."

"But that's not the situation now is it Tom?" Everlyn said. "We have you True Dreams and that changes everything."

"No, it's not," he admitted. "I promised an Oracle question, and it's available. Well, two are, but I would prefer not to use the second."

"We won't." Michael promised.

"Does this new information change anything?" Everlyn asked the healer.

Michael shook his head. Then cleared his throat. "Actually exclude Keikain and Clare from the question. They're going in any way so we're only interested in the benefit of the other seven of us."

"What are you saying? Our lives don't matter!" Clare snapped. Keikain immediately put a warning hand on her shoulder. Clare shrugged it off. "If you all don't come, we're almost certain to die."

"No, Clare, your lives are important and the chance of you surviving will be factored into the result of the question."

"We don't even know if we can go in without Tom." Keikain pointed out.

"Then we'll try to break out of here before you go insane." Michael continued evenly. "And if we can't you'll tell us before you go mad."

The earth mage studied the ground a great shudder going through him. "Yes, I will. But since the alternative of not entering guarantees mine and Clare's death, then maybe we should change the ratios…"

"No," Everlyn snapped. She might have been warming to them after Sven's sacrifice, but somethings were a step too far. "We're not changing them. They were debated and agreed."

Tom raised his hand. "I didn't agree."

"It doesn't matter. The question was unanimously approved by the rest of us." Everlyn looked at him and held out a hand. "We should do this. Can you come into my system room?"

Reluctantly he took it and found himself sitting at her reading table with a book, more a pamphlet in front of him. "What's this?" he asked.

Everlyn smiled. "The question we want you to ask."

Tom flipped through it. There were graphs, mathematical equations, and a detailed glossary of terms. "Are you serious?"

"We are." She smiled when she looked at the pamphlet and then looked away embarrassed. "It might have been slightly over engineered but it asks the question that satisfies everyone. You can read it later, but first since I've got you here privately. How are you?"

Chapter 215

Tom shrugged suddenly wary. "How am I? That's a strange question." He searched for things to say. 'I'm upset', 'I feel you betrayed me', 'we were good together. Why did you ruin it?'Lots of different thoughts flashed through his head. "This trial. It appearing like it did… It's a bit unsettling."

"Tom," Everlyn interrupted sharply. "You know that wasn't what I was asking?"

What were you asking then? he thought angrily. Do you want me to admit fault? Beg you to come back? Apologise? Tom bit down on his instincts to react and forced a weak smile to his lips and looked her in the eye. "I'm fine."

"I'm asking about your emotions."

"What's to talk about? I eat, sleep, fight. I don't have time to be emotional. Sleep's poor, but that's because of my skill." He joked.

"You can choose not to be like this."

"Like what?" he half shouted before forcing himself to take a deep breath. He had mentally promised himself not to do this. He was stronger than that.

"Treating me like I don't exist." Her eyes challenged him.

A modicum of calm reasserted itself. "I'm not targeting you. It's just easier if I keep you at a distance."

"Do you think this is easy for me? Because if you do, then let me assure you it's not."

His fists were clenched, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. "No, but that's not my problem anymore because you're not my girlfriend. I have an issue with the fact that you're blaming me for something that's beyond my control. You agreed with the approach, then after it's done it becomes a concern. Don't you realise I'm bound by that contract. Even if I wanted to act, I can't."

"It's not like that, Tom."

"It sure feels like it."

"This is hurting me to."

"I'm not your boyfriend. It's not my problem."

"You don't need to ignore me all the time."

They glared at each other.

"Everlyn, whatever you're perceiving. I'm not doing it consciously." Tom glanced up at the roof and closed his eyes to compose himself. "Listen, we're on the clock…" he flailed for the correct words. "Can I just…" He snatched up the pamphlet and started reading, deciding that the conversation was useless and it would be better to get to work. The question formed a simple picture of what the rest of the team had been planning. It basically boiled down to risk versus reward. If the risk of death was high, they wanted a higher proportional prize. Tom read through everything and then finally put it down.

He committed the mistake of catching Everlyn's eyes when he finished. She truly was stunning, and it pained him to see the hurt expression on her face.

"I care for you Tom. I really do and I wish things were different and I know I'm overreacting blaming you, but I can't help it. Please don't be so cold. It hurts."

Tom rubbed his brow. The anger, the feeling of betrayal it was all-consuming. This was her fault, not his. He couldn't keep it down. "I can't." Then he shook his head and bit the inside of his lip. He had a team to run and a mission to finish. "I'll do my best but… But Everlyn you knew my history. I was twenty when it happened and then I was by myself for forty years."

"Of course."

"It fucking meansI'm not of sound mind! How the fuck could I be!"

Everlyn recoiled physically and Tom realised he had stood and was looming over her. He forced himself to turn away. His hands as they hung at his side, alternating between his fingers stretched out before transitioning to a tight fist. The entire time, fury made both arms shiver and his breathing was erratic. He couldn't tangibly interact with her, but he still grabbed hold of his iron will and stalked all the way over to the window before talking. Even then, he did not face her. Part of him knew he should smooth things over. Everlyn was an important part of his team, but he needed to say his piece first. "This bullshit you've pulled," he forced the words laced with fury out. "Do you understand what it's done to me. Well, I was fine. I shoved it to the side and was coping."

"That's not healthy."

She was right behind him. She must have got up and followed him.

"Please listen." He banged his head against the window. It was cold and hard. "Forty years. We got serious too soon. I get it. In some ways, it was sort of like a rebound."

"No, it wasn't."

"But what you did. It shattered my faith in other people. Don't you understand." He turned to look at her and wiped the tears savagely away. He didn't even know if they were from anger or sadness.

She had streaks running down her face as well.

They made her look fierce, wild, and gorgeous. He hated the way he reacted to her presence. They had been good together and something so immaterial had… "It wasn't very nice."

"I'll try to make it up to you."

"But you just need time." Tom said bitterly.

"I can't help my emotions."

He turned his back on her and looked out the window. With a thought, the mini-book that he had left behind appeared in his hands. Outside, a gust of wind caused the snow to swirl. All the glass rattled as some of the snow hit it. He checked that the pages he held were identical to the one he had read at the table. It should be, but for something as important as an Oracle question he was happy to take extra steps to make sure that it was not wasted.

The words that greeted him were identical. Tom glared at the window, ignoring the cold that radiated from it and the ice patterns forming near the bottom. No matter what it appeared to be it was a system wall. "I would like to use my oracle question to answer the question posed by this." He waved the book the pamphlet and its magical equations around.

"The answer to the worded question is yes," Dux's voice echoed through the room.

Relief flooded through Tom. He had been worried that what that they had constructed was too conservative to get that response. The fact the answer was yes secured the result. No one would argue against this. He turned to face Everlyn. She was white. She looked like she was about to fall over because of the shock. Her tears and sadness forgotten.

"This was always destined to happen." Tom said.

"I know, but… We're probably going to die."

Tom waved the pamphlet in the air. "We are here to earn ranking points. Going into that portal is a gamble and I don't know the exact odds of death because of how the question was structured. It might be a stroll in the park for all we know. But if True Dreaming is right and we're being set up to die, then if we survive." Tom nodded to himself as we recalled the equations and graphs used by the question. "If we survive, we will get a massive windfall of ranking points."

"Tom. We're talking about my death! Your death!"

He snorted. "Death?" He waved a dismissive hand. "Done that already. Not scared"

"Dying in the tutorial doesn't count! We always knew it was going to occur. There is no safety net here, so don't be so flippant. It's a real death. I'll never see my children…"

"Evie. That's not… You can't equate the two. The moment you entered this competition…" Tom trailed off. He didn't want to do that to her, but being in the competition meant she was never seeing them again.

"I know." She sighed. "It's just that the prospect of death never really feels real. But this…" she shivered. "It should be the same. I understand thinking it is different is ridiculous. Logically, how is this dissimilar from the risks of entering a combat trial or even travelling in Existentia? On the surface or underground, a monster could emerge and kill me at any moment. I understand that logically. But… Tom… That dragon killed five rank hundred natives like they were nothing and it's going to be waiting for us. That's terrifying on a whole new level."

"We go in with more information. We know her weaknesses and…"

Everlyn dropped her head into her hands. "No Tom. I don't care if we have detailed medical records that doesn't bridge the difference of her destroying natives three times our rank."

"Please stop becoming angry. I'm just the messenger. And if the risk is really that high, the rewards are proportionately improved."

"Proportionally."

Tom shrugged. "Even higher, whatever the term is. Anyway, we need to brief the others."

With a thought, he left and was in the real world once more.

"And?" Keikain demanded immediately.

"We're entering the trial."

"Really? Are we sure?" Jingyi queried Everlyn.

"Tom asked the Oracle to answer the question that we had written out. The answer was yes. We planned this. Debated and workshopped different approaches and arguments. We're going."

"The risk may not be as high as everyone fears." Tom suggested.

"You said we had another question." Jingyi said, looking at Tom. "If you wanted you can find out if it's an almost certain death or only an unlikely one."

"I'm not going to." Tom answered him flatly. "Because I read the question, you guys agreed on. If we have a ninety percent chance of dying, which is what I'm assuming you're afraid of, then it's even more important we go. Because if you do, the mathematics, it means that in the ten percent of occasions when we're successful. When we live, we earn a hundred times what our full lies would otherwise generate. That's huge…"

"Your maths is a little wrong." Michael interrupted. "It's more like eighty."

"Shut up, it doesn't matter. My point is that the thresholds inserted into the question you gave me were ridiculous." Tom let his genuine anger flow through into his tone. "Disgustingly selfish."

"No, Tom!" Michael snapped angrily. "You can't say that. It's not selfish that we care about our own lives more than you care about yours."

"Whatever. When I asked your question, I expected the answer to be no. I was surprised by the yes response. So, either this trial is lucrative beyond or measure or the risk is nowhere near what you're imagining."

"We're just making an estimate on your dreams." Jingyi said defensively.

"The problem with prophecy skills is that their benefit is not always apparent until later. The Oracle questions, on the other hand we all know how they work. They are precise and accurate and the question you gave me was watertight. I checked. It is clear we have to go."

Jingyi shook his head in denial. "No. I think it's worth a vote or we should at least see if we can get out first."

"No." Tom said quietly. "We're entering. I can't compel you, Toni or Rahmat, but the rest of us are going."

"Are you serious? Tom?" Michael asked. "Don't you think you're stretching things too far?"

The answer was yes. He was pushing too hard, but sometimes in life you needed to go into places you weren't comfortable. That was even more vital in Existentia. The tutorial had drummed the lesson home many times. "We need to go." Tom chose his next words carefully. "I think it's clear that entering this trial is critical to the mission."

Tom could sense people checking their contracts testing whether they had a choice. They didn't not with that wording.

"But I won't force anyone apart from Clare and Keikain," Tom said finally. "So you don't need to check for loopholes. I said what I did because I know the four of you." He quickly scanned the group his gaze meeting each of those who had voluntarily linked with the contract. "I know that while you have reservations, you'll come because the rewards are too rich not to."

"I'm in." Rahmat said firmly. He wasn't bound by the contract but Tom had known he would support the position. "I'm here for humanity and going into the tutorial is the right choice for my species."

"Me too." Toni said quietly.

Tom glanced around at the people who hadn't yet verbally nominated what they were intending to do.

Everlyn would come. Tom understood how she ticked. Thor was the same. Harry gave a subtle thumbs up when he looked in his direction. That left only one other person. "Well Michael, what's your choice?"

"I'm coming. No question about it. If the answer was no, I had a different question with lower thresholds that I had resigned myself to accepting."

"So we're all in agreement." Tom concluded. "Apart from Jingyi. Are you going to stay here by yourself, or will you come with us?"

"Can I use your question?"

"No. It would be a waste and you have more than sufficient information to make your choice."

"I'll stay."

"Seriously." Everlyn asked him.

"There's enough food. I have the skills to escape the underground. If you fail, I'll take the information back to the rest and let them know."

Everyone looked shocked at the decision.

"Why?" Everlyn demanded, eventually.

"I joined you guys to provide support. My calculation was that I could safely generate a lot of ranking points by helping you, but…" He waved at the portal. "I'm not committing suicide over it."

"It's unlikely to be suicide." Tom said, exasperated. "That carefully worded question with all those terms and explanations. The answer was yes."

"I know." The scout said. "I'm still not coming."

"But you'll be here all alone for months." Toni said in a worried voice.

"I was alone for years. It won't bother me."

"But it's different now that we've been around other people." Toni continued. "In the tutorial, I built up barriers to ward off the crashing spectre of loneliness. But here, with those barriers worn down by being near people. I don't think you should do this to yourself Jingyi."

The scout shook his head. "I've been considering what I would do if we found the trial for days. Being trapped in a room for months was not one of those scenarios, but it doesn't change my decision. I will endure. I have a chunk of experience from the last couple of battles, so I can buy some cheap skills. They will be the ones that I had in the tutorial and I can practise with them. Raise their levels back to what I am used to. The time won't be wasted and I'll be occupied while trapped."

"This is crazy." Michael said. "I thought our team was unified."

Jingyi laughed. "No, we weren't. You just admitted you had another question prepared. It meant you were willing to split the group. Plus, the question we created made allowances for people choosing not to go."

"Well, I expected the party to fracture with a no vote. But for the yes answer. I thought we were aligned."

Jingyi appeared frustrated. "I'm not the bad guy here. You were the one who refused to include the provision that the chance of death couldn't be higher than an eighty percent probability."

"We discussed that. We all agreed that even if it was that high, the upside increased enough to justify it."

"He won't change his mind. Michael." Everlyn said quietly. "He's not the type of person to flip-flop on issues once he's decided."

"Exactly, which is the only reason I'm here. Otherwise, when I learnt about them." Jingyi pointed at Clare and Keikain. "I would have abandoned you."

Tom went over to the portal and confirmed that they had almost half an hour.

With a wave, he gathered everyone over to listen. "There's no point debating further with Jingyi. While I'm disappointed about him not coming into this trial, he is a good man. We can all agree that he has been an asset and when we emerge, I'm sure he'll continue to be. Honestly, it takes a lot of courage to take a position against everyone else. While I vehemently disagree." Tom forced himself to smile to demonstrate he wasn't angry. "With his decision, you have got to respect the strength of will that saying no represents. Now that's said let's discuss tactics. We're not going to rush the centre. In fact, we're going to do the opposite of rushing. We will go slowly as possible to maximise our gains on the outer levels."

They spent the next fifteen minutes. Strategizing what they were going to do.

It boiled down to a simple order of priority. First was to raise class levels and attributes to meet the threat of the current zone. After that, experience would be directed between rounding out their build, and gaining the artefacts or skills that were necessary to defeat the dragon's breath.

On a best case basis, Tom would continue to get allocated extra opportunity to sleep to let him gain information about the plans of everyone around them.

"We can do this." Tom told everyone quietly. "We know there's been an attempt to stack the odds against us, but you can guarantee one thing. The fact that DEUS is pushing us into the trial… it means she thinks we have a chance. For now, purchase the levels you can and then we're going."