Joe tugged on the cord of his hoodie as he watched the plan unfold.

Dawn approached Andras, placing her hands on her hips. “Well, look who we have here, afraid to venture out on your own?”

Andras raised a brow, his chin tipping upward. “You're looking for death if you and those Orange Zoners even attempt to attack the titan.”

Dawn frowned. “Even a time rich ascender like yourself didn’t succeed. You tried and failed to beat the titan on this floor. Time doesn’t have anything to do with winning out here.”

Joe pumped his fist in the air. “Yeah! Skill and teamwork matter more. Right now, you're down to two party members, including yourself.”

TJ tapped his machete against the viny rock wall behind him. “So stop what you're doing and get out of our way, or my pal Brian here will stomp you into dust.”

Andras stepped forward, ignoring TJ’s warning. “I’d like to see an Orange Zoner attempt such a threat.”

Brian raised his palms, waving Andras back. “No need for violence among fellow ascenders, but it’s in your best interest to quit while you’ve still got your limbs intact.” He thumbed toward TJ. “He’s got some anger management issues, so I can’t be responsible for his actions if you keep lecturing us on what we should or shouldn’t do.”

A thin stream of water whizzed across Joe’s shoulder and deflected off Andras’ hoodie into an inbound spore. The spore slid back into a trap and exploded.

Rose flicked her hood back, staring at Andras with a fake smile. “Oops, so sorry.” She whipped out a tiny piece of cloth, offering it to him.

Andras huffed, refusing the handkerchief and wrung out the front of his hoodie. “Don’t stand there like an imbecile, Lucky.”

Lucky scrambled closer, patting down the front of Andras’ hoodie with his own.

Rose winked at Joe.

He nodded. “Nice distraction.” Joe gestured to the rest of the group to follow as he leapt away from the wall of vines.

“He’s trailing us,” Rose groaned. “I should have blasted him in the head.”

Joe kept moving forward. “We need to get into the Greensnare’s area of effect to attack. If we get there first, we can lock Andras out of the fight.”

Brian nodded. “If Andras crosses the boundary at the same time, I’m certain both of us would be locked out.”

Dawn’s eyes glazed over. “That’s not all we’re dealing with. More Ascenders are closing in on the Greensnare. This time they have organized formations.” Her gaze shifted, and she made an abrupt turn toward Andras as he and Lucky crept close behind them. “You’ve had your chance with the titan. Now it’s our turn.”

Using Shadow Step, Joe tossed a couple of smoke pellets between Dawn and Andras, the dense cloud blocking their view of each other. He grabbed Lucky’s arm, pulling him along. “Come with us.”

Lucky coughed, unable to speak, stumbling forward.

“This way,” said Dawn as she weaved between the trees and dodged a hidden trap. “Keep your eyes sharp for any kind of vines that could serve as trip wires or snare traps. That's the one we want.”

Joe activated his Quick Wit to check the surrounding areas as the rest of the group followed behind.

Groaning, Lucky rubbed his head. “What’s going on? We can’t leave Andras.”

“Don’t worry my good friend, he’ll catch up,” Brian gave Lucky a gentle prod in a different direction. “Oh my, look at that! What a marvelous fern?”

Lucky bent down, inspecting the plant. “Oh wow! Do you see the thin needle-like underside of its leaves?”

With an abrupt stop, Dawn nodded toward a long, twisted vine. She spoke in hushed tones to Joe so as not to alert Lucky. “That is the same poison trap I encountered right before I joined your party.” She gestured further along to the side where a spear hung, ready to be triggered.

Dawn yelled, “Andras, get over here before you get lost in the jungle!”

Joe’s Quick Wit gaze shifted toward Lucky. His whiskers were twitching. Was he about to sneeze?

Lucky glanced up and looked as Andras approached the twisted vine trap. “Wait!”

With a crinkled nose, Rose’s eyes widened. “Shh…” She clamped a hand around Lucky’s mouth.

Joe’s heart raced, but it was too late.

“Thank you, Lucky, for being so faithful.” Andras skidded around the trip wire, laughing. “You shall reap rewards for your loyalty.”

Joe shook his head. “Keep going.” He jogged forward, TJ joining his side.

“What do we do now? He’s as persistent as a bad rash.”

Brian frowned. “What about Lucky? Even though he’s a Green Zoner now with a higher time currency, he must have used his respawn token a few times already as he’s aged quite a bit.”

Joe glanced over his shoulder, watching Lucky’s whiskers twitch as he led Andras out of the area laden with traps. “You’re saying that even with his respawn token, he’s likely limited on his life expectancy because of his race.”

Dawn nodded. “There’s a racial bias against those with a lower life expectancy. It’s not all about your ascender number.”

Warmth vibrated within Joe’s chest. “How unfair, poor little ratfolk have a mere twenty uses of their respawn token before they die of old age.” The blue flame chuckled darkly.

Joe clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.

What the hell’s so funny about that? He pushed the thought away, his jaw set in a hard line. Keeping stride with Dawn, he spoke, “So what it boils down to is this: elves in this climbing tower have yet another advantage. Not only will the physical signs of aging happen slower when they use their respawn token, with a life expectancy of three hundred years, they can use their token three hundred times before dying of old age.”

“Ratfolk and Kobolds have the short end of the stick.” TJ’s fist tightened, his glare boring into Andras as if sheer willpower could make the dark elf explode.

Andras shrugged it off with a cocky swagger, his eyes shining with amusement.

“Ah yes sadly that’s true,” Brian said. “But did you notice they greatly outnumber the elves?”

Andras slowed his steps, his pointy ears twitching as he listened.

Noticing he had the elf’s attention, Brian’s lips curved into a sly smile. “From my observations and recalling what we were told during the induction process, I wager elves account for about twenty percent of the tower population. If history tells us anything, given enough time, if the rich abuse their power, the hungry masses will revolt.”

Let them eat cake…

History lessons on the harsh consequences of ignorance and indifference during the French Revolution sprang to Joe’s mind. “Heads will roll,” he said, his tone carrying a threat directed squarely at Andras. “Do you think the lich has a grand design to sow seeds of chaos which will result in the time-poor attacking the time-rich?”

Brian gave a slow nod. “Having us compete for a grand prize of immortality and luring us with time riches is rather clever of the Lich Master.”

“Do you think he has a hidden agenda?” Lucky’s wide eyes and rising gray brows showed his surprise.

Brian stroked his goatee, his eyes thoughtful. “Take a moment and really think about it. If we’re too busy tearing each other apart during the climb to the top, we lose sight of the fact that we are imprisoned here and who the real enemy is.”

Andras finally spoke up. “May I remind you all, we didn’t get to choose our race. It’s not my fault I was given more advantages in this life, but I have used my power and influence to help those less fortunate than me.” He gestured to Lucky, a smug smile on his face.

“Drop the altruistic bullshit, Andras! Nothing wrong with my memory,” Dawn snapped. “You say you’re not racist, but you’re definitely classist, looking down on anyone who isn’t time-rich enough to be in the Green Zone with you.”

TJ looked like he was about to explode into a cursing fit when Joe felt it—a sudden electric jolt, warning him the lull in the Greensnare’s attack was over.

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“Get down!” Joe yelled as a spore leg burst through the canopy above. He grabbed Lucky, dragging him down and rolling in time to dodge the attack.

The others followed, their reflexes sharp.

The deadly blade-sharp spore leg impaled the ground inches from where Joe had been. They scattered, taking cover as the spore’s massive bulbous form crashed through the vegetation, towering above them. Through the gaps in the foliage, Joe spotted at least a dozen more spores stalking behind the lead one.

He glanced at Rose, TJ, Brian, and Dawn. “Remember the plan?”

Sharp nods came from them all before they leapt to their feet.

Rose’s wooden staff glowed, azure tendrils swirling around it, her lips moving in a silent incantation. Crossbow raised and ready, Brian scanned the ground while Dawn used her flame to ignite his alchemy bolts.

Quick Wit sharpened Joe’s senses, every slight movement overhead and on the ground captured in high definition.

“Hold,” he commanded with the authority of a battle-hardened general. His chest tightened, breath caught in his throat as he waited for the right moment.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as the spores advanced. The rumbling underfoot was deafening to Joe, but the others seemed unfazed. “Brian, Dawn, get ready. Aim straight ahead.”

TJ growled with impatience.

“Rose, unleash hell,” Joe said, in his most robust movie gladiator voice.

With a fluid motion, Rose stepped forward and unleashed her water whip. It transformed into a lasso, coiling around the spore’s legs and binding them tight with her magical intent.

Before the spore’s huge form crashed to the ground, TJ charged, his bounding footsteps closing the distance between them with thunderous speed. His machete glinted as he swung it in a two-handed executioner’s style, cleaving the spore’s legs in one brutal blow.

The detached limbs shuddered, curling up like spider’s legs upon death.

Shrieks filled the air, making Joe wince. He wished to hell, his Quick Wit skill had a control switch.

Sensory overload hit him hard, his teeth aching, eyes streaming, head pounding faster than his racing heart. He struggled to keep his focus, knowing he needed to alert his team to the threats around them—the spores, the time-sucking vampire roots, and Andras.

Together, Rose and TJ timed their ranged and melee attacks with perfection, their twenty percent extra Dual Strike damage making a difference. But the roots were hardy and resistant. Brian’s frustration was evident when his fiery bolts struck true but didn’t do enough damage. Dawn’s ranged attacks kept the roots at bay but couldn’t kill them fast enough.

Joe’s stomach clenched.

The plan was falling apart. He’d banked on the Greensnare root system being more susceptible to fire, but the level difference between Dawn and Brian against the titan was too great. It would take more time and mana than they had available between them to kill all the roots. They’d barely killed one root when the ground trembled again, alerting him to the next eruption. Then another.

“Its Root Snare attack is relentless,” Brian shouted, firing another volley of bolts. “For every root we kill, two more emerge.”

“My flames aren’t doing shit.” Dawn’s fists swirled in fire, her frustration made clear as her arms dropped to her side.

Joe narrowed his eyes, assessing the situation. “The waxy cuticle on the root is scorched off, so that’s something. But you’re right, we’re using way too much mana to keep them at bay. Time for Plan B.”

Dawn and Brian exchanged a look. “You never mentioned Plan B.”

“Duck!” Joe called out, throwing a butterfly dagger above their heads. It bounced off the spore that had slipped past Rose and TJ’s defenses, slowing it enough for Rose to spin and lasso it with a water whip.

Andras stood there, his smugness irritating Joe. Unless his life was under immediate danger, he didn’t lift a finger to help. Joe wanted him out of the picture fast, but they had their hands full with multiple threats.

“We’re running out of time here, Joe.” Brian released a bolt, pinning a root for Dawn to flame. “Plan B, remember?”

Striking a confident pose, Joe did his best to sound convincing as his mind raced through options. Quick Wit sifted through his memories for a solution. An image of gramps with a watering can flashed across his vision. “Back home, we tackle weed roots using herbicide. We need a powerful enough magic potion that’s poisonous to the Greensnare.”

“Something that the root system would absorb….” Brian shook his head. “If I had time…”

Lucky’s eyes widened. “I found a Deadly Bloom earlier, remember?” He looked at Andras, whose smug grin disappeared.

“I’m sorry, what are you talking about?” Andras’ face soured as he crouched to tie his boots tighter than a hangman’s noose.

Lucky pointed to Andras. “I gave it to you for safekeeping, just like my re—”

“Ah yes,” Andras cut in, rising fast, his smile cold and inviting like a snake’s. “Who knows what would have happened if I wasn’t there to look out for you, Lucky.” The edge in his tone was blade sharp, eyes narrowed to pinpricks of pure hatred.

Joe made a grabbing gesture. “Hand it over Andras, we don’t have much time.”

Andras took a step back. “Not so fast, my eager young companion. I’ll give it to you if you all officially join my party,” his eyes roamed over the flame haired changeling like she was his property. “Especially you, Dawn.”

Dawn, busy casting ranged attacks, shot him a filthy look, her next attack burning with greater intensity. The singed root recoiled, flailing about as a fiery bolt from Brian pinned it to the ground. He gulped for air, sweat dripping down his face. He shot a meaningful glance at TJ, who caught his gaze after taking down another spore.

TJ swung his machete at an incoming spore with barbaric force. “How about when I’m done here I break your face with my fist, you scum-sucking lizard? Then Dawn takes the damn potion and kicks your sorry ass all the way back to the Green Zone.”

Joe considered other solutions, but with time running out and other factions closing in on the Greensnare, they needed that potion. If they had party chat access, he could talk to his team without Andras eavesdropping. The chat was often used when he gamed with Tao and Kyle. Including the day he died.

“Hey Lucky,” Joe said, with a smile. “Since you found the potion, how about you decide whether we can use it now to save all our lives?”

Lucky glanced at Andras, clearly torn. “I…I, there's strength in numbers. Andras saved me. He can save you if you join us.”

“Not joining the cult of Andras.” Dawn swung past Joe, her fiery mane brushing his cheek. Taking Andras by surprise, she knocked him to the ground before he could use his wind step to evade.

Looking up, he shielded himself with his hands but was no match for the punishing blow that broke through his weak defense. He was out cold before his head hit the ground.

“Now, where’s that potion?” Dawn muttered, searching Andras’ unconscious form.

Lucky blinked in confusion. “Why did you punch him?”

Dawn shrugged, her shoulders tensing as she paused her search. “Thought I saw a giant bug on his face and reacted on instinct.”

“Hmmm… be more careful next time, okay?” Lucky knelt beside Andras and tried to nudge him awake, but the dark elf didn’t stir from his dirt nap.

Joe sighed in relief. For once, he was glad ratfolk were so gullible. “Hey Lucky, don’t worry, Andras will be fine. How about you find the potion so we can stop the Root Snare attack before we’re all GORED.”

Free from the dark elf’s thrall, Lucky listened to Joe and nodded. He lifted up the elf’s hoodie at the waistband to reveal what looked like a fanny pack. Opening it Lucky withdrew the Deadly Bloom sap and handed it to Joe.

Brian took the bottle from Joe, his movements sharp and efficient. He quickly coated his bolts, eyes narrowing as he took aim. The first bolt struck true but rebounded this time.

“Uh oh,” Joe said in a low voice. “Looks like its defense has leveled up from our many attacks. Just like my butterfly knives, your bolts can’t penetrate the waxy cuticle anymore.”

“We have to bypass that so the poison seeps into the root network.” Brian’s tone was laced with desperation.

Joe’s Quick Wit kicked in, his mind racing. “Aim where the roots erupt, I’ll guide you. Dawn, burn off the outer layer with your flame attack. Brian, get ready to shoot again.”

As soon as he sensed the next eruption he told Dawn where to aim.

Dawn nodded, flames igniting in her palms with a furious intensity. She directed a concentrated burst at the roots, the fire searing through the tough outer layer. The stench of burning vegetation filled the air.

Timing was everything. As the flames died down, the inner part of the root lay exposed and vulnerable.

“Now, Brian!” Joe’s voice cut through the chaos.

Brian’s next bolt, slick with the potent Deadly Bloom sap, pierced the exposed root. It began to wither and shrivel, a wave of decay spreading through the root system. Another root burst through the ground.

“Over there,” Joe yelled, directing Dawn’s attention. She flamed it before it executed its deadly Root Snare attack.

They repeated the coordinated attack until they were verging on the edge of complete mana exhaustion. Their efforts finally paid off as the root eruptions slowed and then stopped. Alert, Joe scanned the area but no more spores appeared.

Brian offered them a mana potion. “There’s not much left I’m afraid but there should be enough to restore us before we face off against the titan.”

Lucky gestured to Andras. “Please do you have a health potion to help rouse him?”

Brian looked at Joe seeking his input.

“I’m sorry, Lucky” Joe shook his head. “We don’t have any, and we’ve got to push on before another group of ascenders engages the titan in battle.”

“Don’t be sorry, help him!” Lucky’s gray brows danced in a frenzy. “I know you don’t like him but you don’t have to in order to do the right thing. We can’t leave him here to die alone, here somebody could steal all his time and then...”

Suddenly, the ground trembled with such violence that the trees around them shuddered.

Joe hated that Lucky was right.

Stepping forward Dawn placed a hand on the shaking ratfolk’s shoulder. “Lucky, Andras is an asshole, there’s no potion strong enough to cure him of that.”

“You go on then.” Lucky’s shoulders sagged. “I will stay with him.” His plucky little voice pulled at Joe’s heartstrings.

Dawn let her hand fall to her side and knelt down beside Andras. Looking up at Lucky she wore a grim expression. “You make a fair point. Nobody wants to be responsible for leaving him here all vulnerable to being GORED by some shitty time thief.”

Lucky smiled. “Are you going to carry him?”

“Nope.” A sharp blade appeared in Dawn’s hand. “I have a much simpler solution.” Without hesitation she plunged the blade into the elf’s chest.

Stumbling back, Lucky gasped.

“Hey, don’t worry Lucky, he’s got plenty of years left on his respawn token. This way he’ll respawn back in the Green Zone safe and sound.”

The little ratfolk’s face was a picture of warring emotions cut short by the seismic quake that knocked them all off their feet. A crack emerged snaking out from the epicenter; it swallowed the frightened ratfolk whole.

Dazed, Joe scrambled to his feet cursing that he didn’t have Quick Wit active. He needed to conserve his mana for the big boss. Heart racing, he rushed over to where the poor little guy disappeared. Looking down into the inky abyss of the crack in the ground he saw Lucky’s shattered body flicker and disappear in a rainbow haze.

The earth beneath their feet shook again, debris from overhead rained down. Trees exploded into splinters, and the air filled with a deafening roar.

A shimmer filled the sky drawing all eyes upward. Joe gulped, his heart pounding. It was time to face the titan.