The Kalamuzi continued to swarm us, but luckily the destruction I’d already caused was slowing them down. If they had charged us all at once, I don’t know how we would have held them off. Instead, they emerged from the smoke and debris one, two, maybe three at a time, and Amaia and I fought them as they came.

She seemed to dance through the battle, miraculously avoiding blow after blow as Kalamuzi weapons glanced by her at the last possible moment, their steel points and blades turned aside by her magic. All that was left for me to do was finish them off as they stumbled past, or hurriedly rush any that happened to be wielding non-metallic weapons. And to try not to get in the way too often.

“Any other secrets?” I yelled over the din of battle, having just ran my drows through a stunned Kalamuzi, whose mace had inexplicably missed Amaia’s head. I killed it almost by accident, the ratman falling on the point before either of us could react.

“Yes,” Amaia said back, and I smiled at that. I was actually happy to be annoyed at her unhelpful responses again.

As I wrenched my drows out of the downed enemy’s chest cavity, three more Kalamuzi appeared, but it seemed that they had seen us before we had seen them - and I think they had seen at least one of their kin fall. These three were talkers - not that they used that ability, but I’d gotten good at telling the difference. Their heightened intelligence seemed to finally pull through, as they cast their swords into the pile and approached us with raised claws.

Perhaps it was a lucky guess, or perhaps the rats felt more comfortable with their claws, but I knew they’d be a problem. I drew my slingshot from where it hung on my belt, and took aim. I regretted having to use ammunition there, expecting that I wouldn’t have the chance to pick it up later, but you know, desperate times.

“Get ready to charge them,” I said to Amaia. “I probably won’t kill them with this, but they’ll be very distracted.” Of course, I hoped that I would kill them, but hope doesn’t mean much. Amaia nodded, bringing her sword a little higher.

I aimed for the left eye of the closest one, imagining that the steel ball would punch past the eyeball and into the brain. But I quickly saw that my aim wasn’t perfect - the smoke, the stress, and the moving target proved a little too much, and I could only watch as the ball traced a path through the air just a hair too far left, and I expected it would sail right past, a waste of precious ammo.

Instead, subtly - so subtly that I could have missed it, missed it dozens of times, even - the ball curved to the right. It was the smallest fraction of an inch, but that difference was magnified over the ball’s flight, and by the time it reached its target, it struck true, barreling through the eye of the Kalamuzi. Stunned, I almost forgot to ignite it. When I did, the Kalamuzi collapsed into a withering pile as fire consumed its eye - and hopefully brain - from the inside. It didn’t get back up.

“Did you do that?” I asked Amaia, almost not caring about the other Kalamuzi still approaching.

“Yes,” she said.

“Did-have you always been doing that?”

It looked almost like Amaia was holding back a smile. “You aren’t as good of a shot as you think.”

That was a blow to my burgeoning self-confidence. Bewildered, I loaded another steel ball, took aim at the next ratman. I had to use a lot of willpower not to doubt myself, not to start wondering which shots I had made, and which I had missed, whether I had made a single shot by myself.

I released the band, and this one flew straight. I didn’t think I saw it move, but I couldn’t be certain. This Kalamuzi dropped as well, and soon I was saying “no,” mentally, to their mana - as I’d been saying no since I’d fallen down the abyss, now almost by habit alone, unthinking.

I was happy that we were killing Kalamuzi, but all the same…

The last Kalamuzi reached us before I could fire another shot, but it was now outnumbered. I put away my slingshot as Amaia dodged the Kalamuzi’s claws the old-fashioned way. Then, while it was busy with her, I came from another angle and broke its arm with my anti-sword. After that, it didn’t last long.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked as soon as the ratman was dead, before it had even hit the ground. “Did I ever hit a shot? Have you been doing that the whole time? Why not just use magic to shoot the balls yourself?”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“Can’t do that,” she said. “Too much distance, magic not that strong. Can only nudge it a little.”

“And how much nudging have you been doing, exactly?”

“Some.”

And like that, I was over it. Not the shooting - that would continue to bug me, I was sure. I was over the happy reunion. Her responses had gone right back to being infuriating.

Before I could complain, another figure appeared from the smoke. I made to grab for my slingshot, but soon stopped myself. It was Naomi, back from her run. I had lost track of time fighting with Amaia, but it must have been awhile. Naomi was still some distance away, but it was easy to tell it was her, running with the backpack still wrapped in her bare arms, her bare shoulders hunched forward, her tanned, bare legs working like pistons.

Is she naked?

The backpack obscured enough that I couldn’t tell for sure, but I thought that those rags she had been wearing before, even as torn as they were, had covered her shoulders at least a little. Had it burned up in the fire? She didn’t look burned. As some of the smoke between us cleared, however, I saw that she was injured. Maybe a Kalamuzi had torn a piece from her rags. Shallow cuts covered her body - so shallow that they didn’t bleed, like paper cuts. Which meant they almost certainly weren’t Kalamuzi claw-marks, unless she only received the most glancing of swipes. What the hell happened to her?

Then, behind her, a Kalamuzi. It was running, teeth barred, on all fours. And it was overtaking her.

I grabbed again for my slingshot, but the rat was too fast. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get a shot out in time. I hurried, fumbling, cursing myself for getting distracted.

Amaia yelled out at her before I had taken aim. “Behind you!”

As if it would protect her, Naomi hunched forward a little further. I took aim, but there was no shot - the Kalamuzi was right behind her, and I couldn’t get a good aim at it without risking hitting her. Maybe if Amaia could curve the shot, or…

Then it happened. It looked almost like some sort of digital noise, at first, like I was watching a video on a phone covered with scratches, or like some sort of weird glitch. There were suddenly white lines all around Naomi, straight as arrows, and they each elongated from one point to another, than disappeared, angles seemingly random. More shallow cuts appeared on her skin as some of the lines traced over her, and she yelped in pain, but most of the lines were far enough from her body not to make contact.

The Kalamuzi was not so lucky. It had been just about to dive for its prey, and, staggered by the first slice, had launched itself just short of her, but close enough to go right into the storm of white lines. It screeched as cuts - much deeper than those on Naomi - criss-crossed its body, blood running down from each almost immediately. Soon it was covered, though the cutting stopped as Naomi continued running, regaining her distance. Then she seemed to realized she was safe, and the lines around her disappeared as quickly as they had come.

The Kalamuzi wasn’t dead, only injured, bleeding everywhere. Before it could regain its composure, I let off another shot. This one blasted through its eye socket, just like the others.

Naomi slowed down as she approached us, and I made a show of clapping, although there was no way she could hear it.

“That was amazing!” I yelled. “Was that cutting magic? Why haven’t you been using that this whole time?”

She stepped up to me, her reddening cheeks puffing out a little. One hand kept the now-lightened backpack to her torso, while the other pointed accusingly at my nose.

“You said you wouldn’t look!” she said.

“I didn’t!” I protested. “Not until you came back, and I needed to save you. Or did you not notice that I finished off that Kalamuzi for you?”

“I didn’t need your help!” she said, pressing her finger into my face. “And you said you wouldn’t look!”

I snorted. “What’s the big deal? Your magic is nothing to be ashamed of. I wish I had magic like that, it’s like-“

Then I happened to glance down.

She was naked. And the backpack didn’t do the best job of covering her.

Now my cheeks were red, I was certain. The right cheek was soon made even redder when Naomi slapped me.

Amaia, meanwhile, had begun walking over to the pile. Either there was a lull in Kalamuzi, or we had killed them all. Amaia reach out a hand for something.

Then, a streak of movement, like before. I just barely noticed in time. “Duck!” I yelled.

She did, and the flying object just missed her. But then another shot out. Amaia jumped backwards to try to dodge, held up her arms to protect her face from more. But no more came. Just two misses, than nothing.

“What was that?” Naomi asked.

“Olsgolon,” I said.

Naomi frowned. “I’m not talking to you. Amaia, what is Olsgolon?”

Amaia shook her head as I answered. “The core.”

“Amaia,” Naomi said. “If the core can shoot stuff at us, then why did it stop? Why didn’t it do it before?”

“It happened when I stepped on the pile,” Amaia said.

“So it just cares about it’s stuff?” Naomi asked, then laughed. “Greedy, huh?”

“Maybe it’s blind,” I said. “I don’t see any eyes. But there were those tentacles, and it looks almost like veins running through the treasure, maybe it can sense us when we step on it?”

Naomi looked around - although clearly careful not to turn her back to me and reveal more of herself. “Amaia, did you hear something?”

I rolled my eyes. The happy reunion really was over. I missed Lot. Hell, I missed Cadoc.

“Alright,” I said. “Enough goofing around. It’s time we blew this fucker up.”

“One second,” Amaia said. She held her sword in one hand, and began leaning over the near-invisible border between what was “the pile” and what was merely the floor covered in a layer of silver and gold. There was a distinction, but you had to look for it.

She reached out with her sword, and used its point to pick up a long, flowing dress of golden silk. She carefully brought it back out of the pile, and handed it to Naomi. “Here,” she said.

Naomi thanked her and quickly put it on, making me turn away. “Kind of gaudy, don’t you think?“ I said. “My dress was better. Classier.”

“Excuse me?” Naomi said.

“Never mind.”

When she was done, I gathered them both together, backing up to be against the wall of the circular room - though Naomi still wouldn’t look at me. No more Kalamuzi charged at us, but I half worried that was only because they were regrouping. But even if that were what they were doing, there was nothing I could do about it then.

“Alright,” I said. “I’m going to light the nails, and those potions you put down are going to blow. You did put them all down, right?”

All she said was “hmmph!”

“I’ll take that as a yes. I don’t know what’s going to happen after the explosions. The exit is that way,” I pointed. “So get ready to run. Or to charge the core, it it isn’t broken, or to fight off Kalamuzi while I charge it. You ready?”

Amaia nodded.

“Staff,” Naomi said.

“No.”

I lit the bombs, and the chamber shook like it was the end of the world.