It was the whiskey bottles all over again. My jaw ached just thinking about it, but I didn’t hesitate to seize one and start to gnaw at the cap.

Actually, it wasn’t too bad. The cork was far easier to wiggle back and forth than the screw-on cap the whiskey bottle had, so it only took me maybe thirty seconds to finally work it loose. I glanced up to see how Zapper was coming along.

He was standing next to me, wagging his tail. An uncorked bottle stood next to him.

[How’d you open that so fast?] I asked.

[It’s easy, other dog! My owner used to make me get treats from this toy. It worked kind of the same!] He picked up the bottle in his teeth. [Shall we drink together?]

[I guess. Bottoms up.] We tipped the bottles back, and the clear liquid coursed down my throat. I tried not to cough as it hit my tongue, but... blech! Did they make this out of chameleons? Based on the taste, I’d say yes.

A timer appeared in the corner of my vision. However, when I glanced down at myself, I still looked the same. Not near invisible, and certainly not fully.

[Did it work for you—?] I asked, turning to find Zapper gone. [Um...]

[I’m right here, other dog!] came a disembodied voice. [You just vanished right in front of me! It was cool!]

[Right. It appears to be working. Shall we?]

Zapper gave an affirming bark, and we took off for the rift again. I leapt onto the rightmost ledge, and from there onto the one with the lightfall plant. As I landed, I braced to fire my wand at the first sign of trouble.

Nothing. The plant just stood there, its glowing flower waving back and forth slightly. No other reaction.

Okay, we’re good. Time to take down the boss. The monster was far enough away now I could barely see it. I leapt for the next ledge, and the next. At this rate it would take almost all five of our minutes to reach it. That wouldn’t be good. I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the rift when it wore off.

So instead, I concentrated on moving as quickly as possible. Occasionally I had to duck under a lightfall plant, or dodge around waving vines, but since the monsters weren’t actively looking for me, it was relatively easy.

[Hey, other dog! Check this out!] Zapper called from across the rift. I glanced over and saw a line of flames suddenly ignite on one of the ledges. The lightfall plant there let out a hiss and began to flail.

[Easy, free experience!] Zapper called from somewhere on the next ledge ahead. A moment later, another lightfall plant caught flames.

[Just be careful,] I cautioned, leaping around a plant and onto an unoccupied ledge. [You don’t want to draw unwanted attention.]

As if on cue, one of the lightfall plants hissed and lashed in Zapper’s direction. The vines must have passed near his hind leg as it received a good burn in the process. Still, the lesson seemed to have penetrated even Zapper’s skull, as the flames immediately flicked off.

Just as well. The two plants he’d left enflamed behind him had already retreated back into their alcoves, and when no kill notifications popped up after a minute, it appeared he hadn’t done sufficient damage to do more than annoy them.

We continued on, the timer in my vision steadily counting down. The boss drew closer with every ledge, until finally, I was able to get the system to provide some information.

Rubble Guardian (Fused)

Level 10

Boss

If you’re reading this, that means you watched two golems decide to bump uglies, and your first thought wasn’t to hightail it out of there, pronto. Not sure if that’s impressive, or just kind of... ew. Well, either way, the fruits of your voyeuristic tendencies lie in front of you.

Right about now, you’re probably wondering what to do about this thing. If you ever successfully took down a rubble golem then you already know, but if not, then you’re in for a rough time.

If you decide to avoid a fight, just know that rubble guardians, like most other guardian variants, prioritize protecting their metamorphosing kin above all else. That’s the good news. The bad news is that rubble guardians go about this by trying to kill everything that enters a certain radius around their nests. Try to point it towards another target and get the heck out of dodge.

Warning: This entity is a fusion-tier monster. While more powerful than advanced, it is not quite the step-up in difficulty presented by stage 1 entities. Still, it is recommended to engage with a significant level advantage. CGI is not responsible for any negative experiences resulting from disregarding this advice.

Warning: This entity is a boss-class monster. It is recommended you engage with a party of at least four members. CGI is not responsible for any negative experiences resulting from disregarding this advice.

The information mostly confirmed what I already suspected. Get on the monster’s back, remove the gems. Simple. Except for the things massive size. And ridiculous number of legs. And the lightfall plants that were certain to start shooting at us the moment our invisibility dropped.

On that note. One minute remaining. I barked at Zapper to hurry him up, which set off a plant huddled on the same ledge as me. Fortunately, I was long gone by the time it lumbered forward.

Focus. All that mattered was closing the distance now. I watched the seconds tick down. Forty-five seconds. Thirty. Only about five ledges separated us from the guardian.

Leap. Leap. Leap. Fifteen seconds. I nearly ran into a lightfall in my haste, hit the flower with a stun as it formed a bile ball, then leapt away, leaving it flailing blindly. Fifteen seconds.

Leap. Leap. The guardian was directly in front of me. My timer had turned red and started to blink. I gritted my teeth and leapt again.

Open air beneath me. My timer winked away. Behind me came several angry hisses. Then I struck the top of the guardian, skidding to a halt on the loose stones. I’d made it!

A bile ball struck not a foot or two from me. I growled and leapt back, barely avoiding the foul substance. With my hackles raised, I retreated towards the boss’s center. With luck, I’d be out of their range up here.

Out of light lightfall plants’ range, but not the boss. A stone tentacle came crashing down near me, leaving a small crater as it pulled away. Apparently, the guardian knew I was here.

Well, I’d set Zapper to keeping the tentacles distracted while I...

Wait, where was he?

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

[Oooooother Doooooooooog!]

Oh. Oh no.

I turned and saw Zapper attempting to leap from one ledge to the next, his movements slow and jerky. He wasn’t more than a ledge behind the lumbering boss, but at his current pace, he’d never catch up.

Not before the lightfall plant right on his tail caught him, anyway.

[Hold on!] I fired another stun, hitting one of the plants limbs and sending it lurching into the wall, then I was running forward—or backwards—and leaping from the boss’s back. Open air beneath me again, and for a heart-wrenching moment, I thought I’d miscalculated, that I’d drop like a stone into the waiting darkness below.

Then the ledge slammed into me, and I slammed into Zapper. The force of it almost bowled us both off the edge, but I had presence of mind enough to seize the little dog’s nape between my teeth.

Then my bracelet activated, dragging us backwards. This time it was my back that slammed into something—that something being the guardian. We broke apart and lay there, stunned.

Another bile ball splashed nearby. I lurched to my feet.

[Towards the center! I need you to keep the boss’s legs occupied while I get the gems free.]

Zapper rolled over and shook himself. He sped up mid-motion as the debuff wore off. [I can do that, other dog! Should I use my skill?]

[Do whatever you can to buy me time. I trust you.]

Zapper barked happily, then darted away. A few bile balls splashed after him, but it seemed the plants were having difficulty targeting us while we were moving. With luck that would continue to hold.

I zigzagged my way toward the center. It was actually easier to reach it on a fully formed fusion than the partial one I’d encountered upstairs. There were no bursts of heat to contend with, for one, and the rubble beneath my feet wasn’t constantly shifting and rearranging itself.

Nearby I watched Zapper teleport as a tentacle slammed down where he had previously been. He barked happily, then activated his skill, sending two more of the flailing things crashing into each other, and a third attached to the wall sliding away. For a heart-stopping moment, the monster lurched to one side, and my feet skished against the rough surface looking for purchase.

Then the guardian righted itself and continued climbing its way down the rift.

Zapper darted past me to the other side, teleporting as another tentacle tried to turn him into paste. A pair of bile balls almost got him, but he ducked them at the last second.

Interesting. Why did his Fast Twitch skill activate for the tentacles but not the bile balls? Perhaps because they didn’t actually pose a threat in terms of damage? The theory was worth testing later under less dangerous circumstances.

Speaking of which. Concentrate. I had more important issues than a random skill’s idiosyncrasies. The guardian’s head—more of a slight hump, really—lay directly in front of me. The three gems glittered at its center.

I dashed the remaining distance and fell upon the first gem, nearly severing it from the guardian with a single Claw Slash.

A moment later my teeth wrenched the gem free.

The entire monster shuddered beneath me. I started to slide the gem into my inventory, but it winked out of existence before I could. Huh. Guess they weren’t needed now that they were no longer a quest item. Turning, I started to gnaw on the second.

*Slam!*

A tentacle struck my back like a whip, sending me tumbling. I flew away, bouncing a good dozen feet before finally coming to a stop.

Groaning, I lifted my head in time to see the tentacle thrusting towards me again. Instinctively I let off another stun, which locked the appendage in place, causing its forward momentum to carry it woodenly over me.

With every ounce of my strength, I dragged myself away before it collapsed and crushed me under its sheer weight alone. Once I was in the clear, I dug into my inventory and spent five cores healing myself up again.

I turned in time to see another tentacle flying towards me.

[Other dog!] Before the tentacle struck, Zapper launched out of nowhere, slamming into it and pushing it aside. The tentacle crashed harmlessly to one side as the tiny dog landed next to me. [You alright, other dog?]

[Yeah, thanks Zapper.] Not wasting time on further words, I darted forward and attacked a second gemstone. He had his tasks and I had mine.

Overhead, the night sky still glittered with a myriad of stars. Was it getting closer? I thought so. The monster was steadily rising out of the rift.

Slowly, I managed to get the second gem loose. It came out with a satisfying pop, disappearing just like the first had. I did a quick scan for any approaching tentacles, but Zapper appeared to once again have them engaged. With that, I turned to the final gem. My skill was almost off cooldown, so if I couldn’t wiggle it free in the next few seconds, I could always—

Warning: You have been inflicted with Poison (30 s)

Warning: You have been inflicted with Slow (30 s)

Oh, doggy doo. Slowly, much too slowly, I swiveled my head and snarled at the lightfall plant hovering on a nearby ledge above me. My stomach churned from the sudden infusion of poison, and everything felt sluggish.

Well, it didn’t matter. Once I got this last gem the battle would be over. Claw Slash came off cooldown, so I activated it and tore the monster open wide.

Beneath me, the guardian shuddered. I seized the gem between my teeth and pulled, but it was like trying to retrieve a stick underwater. Slowed as I was, I just didn’t have the strength or speed to pull it adequately.

Twin shadows fell over me. I looked up to see a pair of tentacles baring down.

I fired off my last stun but missed hitting either. Releasing the gem, I tried to run, but my movements were slow. Too slow.

With a loud bark, Zapper struck my side. I spun away, out of destruction’s path.

Through my spinning vision, I saw the first tentacle streak towards Zapper. The little dog blinked, there one moment, then several feet away the next. He wagged his tail.

Then the second tentacle struck home. He disappeared beneath it in a spray of mist.

[Zapper!] I clambered to my feet, stunned into inaction. My eyes darted between the remaining gem and the growing pool of gray liquid surrounding the tentacle.

No. Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain. Giving my head a shake, I darted forward and seized the gem. My debuffs were gone, so there was nothing to inhibit my movement or strength. I tugged for all I was worth.

Like a cork leaving a bottle, the gem sprang free.

The guardian froze beneath me. A terrible rumble filled the air. Around me, tentacles were retracting, disappearing under the massive boss’s bulk.

I saw Zapper’s limp form lying nearby. With hardly a thought, I grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and leapt for the nearest ledge. Not a moment too soon.

Behind me, the boss began to crumble, slowly at first, then speeding up faster than the eye could follow. By the time I’d settled Zapper’s body on the ledge and turned back, there was little to be seen other than a fine white dust filling the air.

A moment later, a cascade of messages replaced it.

You have defeated: Golem Guardian (Fused) — Level 10

400 XP, 1 Common Core, and 1 Blue Quality Loot Box awarded.

Quest Completed — From Beneath You It Devours — Part 3!

Defeat Golem Guardian

Reward: 750 XP, Red Quality Loot Box

Level Up!

You are now Level 7

5 stat points available

XP to next level: 4,500

I should have been overjoyed at the sight. A second level in a single night was enough to make anyone giddy.

But it was hard to feel much while looking down at Zapper’s crushed form. Several of the dog’s ribs were sticking out of his flesh, and all of his legs bent at weird angles. A single eye remained in his skull, dangling by a piece of gray tendon.

How was I going to explain this to the others? Sure, I knew now that Crunch had ordered the little dog to follow me, but I doubted our pack leader would see it that way. At best, I was looking at exile. Given that Zapper was Crunch’s favorite, I could count myself lucky if that was all I got...

My worries over what awaited me above were suddenly arrested. Zapper’s body gave a brief quiver. Was he still alive? How horrible. Perhaps I should put him out of his misery so he wouldn’t have to suffer.

He quivered again. Then, before my eyes, his ribs retreated back into his chest. His legs snapped back into place, and the tendon drew his eye back into its socket, where a moment later a companion reformed on the other side of his face. Zapper blinked and turned his head towards me. [Other dog? Did we win?]

[We did, Zapper, we did,] I said automatically, still not certain I believed what I was seeing. Sure, I’d healed myself up with cores before, but this... he had looked far beyond the point of saving. How had he even managed to navigate his inventory in such a broken state?

The little dog leapt to his feet and gave an excited bark. [We won! We won! Hurray!] He was practically glowing with excitement.

Actually, he was glowing. The light reflected off the walls of the rift, leaving us in a small pool of pure white. What the heck?

[Uh, Zapper?] I asked, drawing the little dog’s attention. [What did you do?]

[I used a core, other dog! Just like you showed me!]

Wait, what did he mean by a core?