Joe tapped his finger on the table as he crunched on his stash of dried seaweed. Somehow, the package regenerated while in his inventory, along with the amount of smoke pellets. He wasn’t certain if resting in a bunk helped the snack’s regeneration like it did with mana restoration, or whether it had something to do with reaching another floor, or if it was simply related to being in his inventory. At this point, he didn’t care.

TJ walked in with a bounce in his step, and it wasn’t due to the soft, squishy ground beneath his feet. Stretching his arms overhead, he let out a loud yawn before plonking his ass down onto a bone-carved seat opposite Joe.

“Is it me, or are these butt cushions more comfy than the first floor ones?” TJ settled in with a satisfied sigh.

Joe nodded, finishing the last of his seaweed flake and savoring the taste. He flexed his arms, the subtle sensation of strength returning to his muscles.

“You’re remarkably chipper. Must’ve slept like a baby.” Brian leaned forward and skimmed the table surface with his large hands.

“Slept like a baby. Ha, that’s a good one. No! Hatchlings have to sleep with one eye open where I come from.” TJ puffed his chest out, jabbing it with his thumb. “I slept like a frickin’ emperor. Those bunks were extra comfy. I think we more than deserve that.”

Joe sniffed the air. “It smells much better here. Not so salty and sweaty.”

“Yeah, the last floor smelled like a whale's vagina.” TJ’s nose scrunched.

Dawn kicked back in her seat and laughed. “You can stop there. I don't even want to know how you know what that smells like.” She drummed her slender fingers across the shiny table, her grin widening as she looked around. “I was expecting worse, to be brutally honest. This doesn’t compare to what we had in the green room. I’ll spare you the details as I don’t want to sicken you more than the mana is doing right now. But, if we kill the boss on this level, it might earn us enough time to make you all green zoners.”

“I need peppermint tea.” Rose looked pale as she patted her stomach. “First, we need to acclimatize to the mana levels. Don’t forget to earn more time using the battlebox and buy better resources. I wouldn’t be surprised if challenges start again soon.” She gestured to some green-looking ascenders analyzing gameplay from floor one battlebox matches. Joe blinked, noticing they were watching their melee battle against Andras. He looked away and winced, knowing how badly that ended for them.

Rose moved to stand. “Anyone fancy a hot drink? The peppermint tea was delicious in our last common room.”

“Take it easy, princess. You still look like a stiff breeze could knock you over. I’ll get this.” Dawn placed a hand on Rose's forearm halting her progress and stood up. “Anyone else want a drink?”

TJ’s eyes lit up, his hand raised and waving about. “Me!”

“Great.” Dawn gestured to a sleek-looking unit that wouldn’t look out of place in Star Trek. “Get it yourself.”

TJ’s scowl didn’t last long as his eyes landed on where she’d been pointing. “Hell yeah!” He shot to his feet and joined her. “We didn’t have whatever the hell that is on our floor last time.”

Brian nodded. “Looks like our common room facilities levels up with each floor.”

The soft pulsing orange glow from the moving walls and ceilings turned Dawn’s fiery hair molten as she moved around the table.

“What are you having?” Joe glanced at Dawn.

“Tea. Earl Grey.”

Joe smiled and couldn’t help adding, “Hot?”

Dawn gave a simple nod, no hint of a smile she’d caught his earth reference. “I’ll get you one, simply for being not as annoying as TJ.”

“Ouch.” TJ moved like he’d been punched in the gut. “That hurt. I might look tough, but I’ve got feelings, you know.”

Spinning on her boot heel, Dawn marched away, one hand in the air, fingers moving in a funny gesture. “Listen TJ, that’s the world’s smallest violin playing just for you.”

“I’m getting an energy drink. Citrus Blast is my favorite. Anyone want some if they have it?”

“Black coffee for me.” Brian puffed on his vape pen. TJ shook his head and trailed after Dawn.

Joe was thankful Dawn knew how to use the drinks machine because, after some button-bashing and cursing fits from TJ, she calmly intervened.

Not long after, they returned and placed two trays that looked like they were made from kaiju scales.

“Food’s free, but some of it tastes so awful you couldn’t give it away.” TJ grumbled.

“I was surprised. It was much better quality in the green zone on the first floor.” Dawn offered Joe a steaming cup that looked like it was made from a kaiju claw.

Joe bowed his head with a grateful smile. “I’ll go get it the next time.”

Her warm hand touched his, her eyes softening. “Don’t worry about it, you took one for the team.” Dawn sat down. “I bet you had to go more than fist deep to get that core.”

Joe shrugged, figuring that was the best reply.

“Hey, I took many hits for the team. Remember, I’m the tank.” TJ plonked the black coffee in front of Brian, spilling some as his eyes were on Dawn.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Before World War III broke out between them, Joe raised his cup. “To the Titan Slayers.”

Standing, TJ grabbed a flute-like fancy glass that looked comically small in his meaty hand.

“What’s that?” Rose raised her cup of peppermint tea, the fragrance spilling around them like a refreshing balm.

“It’s a Sparkling Electrolyte Elixir,” TJ said with exaggerated grandeur.

Savoring the smell, Brian paused, then raised his half-spilled coffee. “It’s notions, that’s what it is.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve killed one titan, and you’re getting notions. First, you’re drinking fancy sodas in fancy glasses. What’s next, you’ll be expecting a throne to sit on?” His booming laughter lightened the mood, even TJ's.

“Speaking of notions, how come you greens are slumming it with the likes of us?” TJ looked directly at Dawn and Rose.

“If you’d been paying attention, you might recall the rules clearly state green zoners can enter orange and red zones. You guys can only enter orange or red zones. And reds are stuck in the red zone only.”

“Why would we choose to go to the red zone?” TJ shrugged. “No offense to those guys, but they’ve got shit amenities.”

“One wrong turn, and you could become one of ‘those guys’ that you refer to.” A voice smooth as oil cut in, but to Joe’s senses, it sounded greasy and sleazy as the owner who was picking his pale elf fingers into quote marks, making him look even more of a pretentious asshole than he was.

“Andras. Didn’t expect to see you here.” Joe gave him a flat look.

“Yeah, run along.” Dawn gave him the finger. “The asshole convention isn’t on here ‘til next week.”

The dark elf took out a lace hanky and blotted his mouth. “Oh, I’m only walking off the most delicious meal in the green zone. Everything’s complimentary there, unlike here. Work hard, and you too might one day be rich and powerful like me.” He raised his voice on that last part to ensure everyone in the common room heard him.

Lucky came to his side with big round eyes filled with adoration.

“Oh, hi Lucky.” Rose tipped her teacup, her smile genuine.

Her sweet voice broke him from his trance, and he gave her a shy wave. If his little rat cheeks could blush under all that hair, they would have. “Hi Rose,” he squeaked in a small voice.

“You took quite a dive earlier. Glad to see you’re back in one piece.” TJ offered the little guy a high five.

The little ratfolk looked up uncertainly as Andras placed a hand on his small shoulder.

“Don’t leave him hanging there.” Andras gestured for Lucky to high five TJ back. Once he did, Andras gave Lucky a smile of approval and clasped his hands in front.

“Would love to stay and chat.” He flicked his lank dark hair from his eye. “But I’m rather busy. Enjoy your beverages.” He spat the words out like poison.

Marching over to where ascenders were watching battlebox scenes play out, he waved his arms high in a grand gesture. “Gather round, orange zoners. It is I, Andras Lyranth. You may know me as Ascender 245. I was once where you are now,” he said with his eyes downcast, voice oozing dramatic flair, “down, out, destitute, all hope lost. But I didn’t give up.” He looked up, eyes dark pools waiting to suck Joe in and swallow him into an abyss.

The world seemed to shift and change. Subtle at first, but it pressed in on Joe, tiny whispers in his ear like a ghost of intrusive thoughts spilling over turning his blood to ice water. The room was silent, hanging on Andras' every word.

A touch on his arm from Dawn snapped him out of the trance.

“Fucking emo elf bard…” she hissed.

“I won’t bore you with the details of how I did it, but I come here out of the goodness of my heart to offer you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win some precious time. All you have to do is accept my battlebox challenge.”

Before he even finished that sentence, the majority of ascenders had swarmed him like moths to a flame.

Joe sighed. “Swear he was a Super Bowl Sunday star the way they’re fawning over him.”

“What’s a Super Bowl?” Dawn looked around as if searching for an actual bowl to compare it to.

“The best of the best football players play in it,” Joe said, surprised she hadn't gotten the reference as she understood so many others. Maybe she was a former ratfolk, and he was wrong to think she'd be lying.

“Sounds excellent, bro, like Quackball.” TJ raised a fist. “Go Ducks! Those guys have duckbills the size of shovels, are built like brick shithouses, covered in yellow downy feathers, and they’re fast on their webbed feet—even faster in water.”

Joe crossed his arms, their conversation lighting a memory he had long forgotten. He could almost hear the roar of the crowds. After his parents died, his granddad had taken care of him and his sister Emma. He was such a sports nut, taking them to every game until…

He must’ve looked upset because Brian noticed. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost. Are you okay?”

“Don’t let that fucker Andras get the better of you. We should challenge him and put him on his ass this time. We know his sneaky tricks now.”

“Talking of the Super Bowl reminded me of the last one I went to with my sister before she got sick. My granddad looked after us both and he loved the game.” Joe shook his head. “As for Andras, we tread carefully before we accept any challenge.”

“Wise words.” Brian shifted forward, setting his cup down.

Dawn showed she’d been listening the whole time despite her harsh glare fixed on Andras. “Your grandpa sounds like a good man. And Emma?”

“She was a fighter. Smiled through all the pain. I feel like I abandoned her when she needed me most.” A lump formed in his throat.

Lucky’s cheerful laughter in the background broke him from his sorrow. Joe felt uneasy under his friends' sympathetic gazes. He hadn't intended to share so much.

“You didn’t abandon her, you died.” Dawn’s eyes circled the group. “We all did.” Somehow Joe didn’t feel like it was enough of an excuse on his part. The squirming in his stomach of shame persisted. If he’d been more careful, hadn’t run out in front of the truck…

He shot that thought down. Guilt and shame were things he’d have to carry and box away for now. They wouldn’t help him or his friends here, especially with the likes of Andras to deal with.

Right now, he needed information. He looked at Andras, enjoying all the attention. It was a distraction. A distraction he needed to get that information and help his ratfolk friend.

Smiling, Joe waved a hand at Lucky, signaling him to come over. The little guy skipped over, his tail whipping up behind him. “Hey Joe.”

TJ looked down, pointing urgently. “Mind the gap.”

Lucky froze, looked down, and rubbed his chest when he realized TJ was joking. “Phew! That was scary for a moment but not as scary as falling into that crack on the first floor.”

TJ’s voice turned sober, and he wore a guilty expression. “Sorry man, I was messing with you. I bet it was no picnic.”

“Apology accepted.” Lucky grinned. “You know, I was actually rather fortunate to die before the hollows arrived.”

“Yeah, Lucky, ya crafty rascal.” Dawn elbowed him. “For once, you lived up to your name.”

“Glad to have you with us, Lucky.” Joe gestured with a welcoming arm. “Take a seat, let’s talk stats and time crystals.”

Lucky hesitated for a moment, glancing over his shoulder with twitchy whiskers. Once he saw Andras busy schmoozing with the orange zoners, he turned back and sat down.

“Ooooh, it’s my next favorite thing to talk about right after plants, fungi, and animals! They’re my favorite and my best.” He clapped his little rat paws. “Tell me, what would you like to know?”