Reaching the tunnel region mini-boss and executing it with a well-timed boulder was trivial at this stage. On the way, I killed two golden mobs and snagged a couple [Personal Space Portal]s for later. I ferried one back up to Jerome on the cliffs before returning to the tunnels. When I took the elevator up to Rok, he was just as eager to pitch me over the mountain. On the way to the water region, I used my diskslinger to buzzsaw through the Tree Guardian, giving me two out of three set pieces for the Skeleton Key.

Gliding over the jungle region, I had a decision to make. Though meeting with Kneer was step seven in my plan, I had to consider bringing that step forward. It would be simple enough to drop down into the Jree as they migrated from the water to the jungle. If I managed to convince Kneer and the Jree not to go after us humans, it could mean saving thousands of lives.

Because let's face it, the Jree were much better at killing than we were—at least until the first wave of people could portal back to Earth and stock up on guns.

But as I flew over them, another option occurred to me.

What if I dove down onto the Jree right now and slaughtered them all?

The thought was tempting. At level 75, with my overpowered weapon and Peak Affinities, there was a good chance I could waltz right in and massacre the lot of them. But this was the stat-less run and I had always intended to bank my stat points on the final run of any Floor. Even though I could boost my Agility or Strength via my Mass energy, there were limitations to that which made it inferior to simply jacking my stats up with my unspent points.

And though I had no special love for the Jree, indiscriminately massacring hundreds of sentient creatures in a one-sided affair sounded a bit too much like a villain arc for me to be chomping at the bit.

I watched the Jree from hundreds of feet in the air, filled with indecision. But my body—and Red—continued my glide, until I found myself past the bulk of their forces and deep into the water region.

When I reached the middle of the zone where the region boss was located, I spotted Co'Xatl not too far in the distance. They hadn't quite made it to my position yet, so I eased my glide and alighted on the middle island's ring of black rock. From this vantage, I could see them approach just as they couldn't possibly miss my arrival.

They approached cautiously, forming up on the beachhead below while they waited for Umndirop to swim across the nearest channel.

When he arrived, he strut onto the beach with an air of confidence, and the surrounding Co'xatl showed their respect by slapping their tails on the sand and water. He broke from the crowd and stopped halfway between the black rock and the beach.

I waited patiently, knowing him well enough by now to predict his next move. In anticipation, I bumped my mass to the max, giving me 150 Strength and Endurance.

When that familiar sensation passed over my body, I was rewarded for my patience by the widening of his eyes and the slight swish of his tail. After a moment of hesitation, he inclined his head, drawing hisses of surprise from the hundreds of observing Co'xatl.

His deep voice boomed out, echoing across the sands and the black rock hill.

"If you've come to slay me, I'd ask that you spare my people. They are a strong and hardworking people that will honor the result of our duel."

I kept my face impassive as I strode down the black rock toward Umndirop. His harness tinkled as he prepared his Mantle for the looming fight. When I was fifteen feet away, just out of his Mantle's range, I smiled in a friendly manner.

"I'm not here to fight you, Umndirop." His snout twitched and the chains on his Mantle vibrated as if in doubt.

"Don't toy with me, human," he spat. "What could you possibly want that you can't take here and now?"

"An alliance?" I suggested coyly. "Wouldn't it make more sense to work with you rather than attempt to usurp a competent and wise leader?"

He snorted powerfully, a wave of hot breath reaching all fifteen feet toward me.

"What do you know of my competence or wisdom, hm? I've never met you."

I shrugged. "I met Hundirop—" His eyes narrowed, but I pushed on. "—and he impressed me with his strength and bravery. And I've heard good things about you. Enough to know you would stab me in the front and not the back." I tilted my head and folded my arms. "That's enough for me—for now."

He didn't reply for a five-count, his tail swishing slowly in what I imagined was a reflection of his churning mind.

He finally broke the silence. "What do you propose?"

I kept the smile off my face, though inside I was cheering. With Umndirop firmly on our side, things would go a lot smoother—across all the Instances of the Tower.

"I've already primed the other two regions. All that's left is to activate this region's mechanism, and the First Floor is done." His snout gaped open for the briefest moment before he regained control of his expression. I had to force myself not to chuckle at the image of this rough and tough alligator-looking alien with his jaw on the figurative floor. "I propose that we activate the mechanism together, opening the portal to the Hold. I'd also ask that you send some of your people back toward the tunnel to meet the bulk of my people. Some of them aren't great swimmers and could use help traversing this region. From there?" I shrugged. "We head through the Hold together, a show of force and solidarity in case any…aliens, get it in their head to accost us."

With over a thousand Co'xatl and humans traveling through the Hold together, Astrid and the others would be silly to try any forced conversions. And if they did try anything, I was better prepared to deal with them now than I had ever been.

"Where's the eggskipper?" he asked as he settled back onto his tail.

"I'm sorry?"

He snorted. "It's a parasite that infiltrates an egg crèche and infects the hatchlings with its own offspring." From my confused expression, he must have realized that I didn't understand his explanation. "The infected eggs look perfectly fine on the outside, but have a rotten interior. You never know they're infected until a thousand skipper babies burst out and devour the rest of the clutch."

Realization hit me. "Ohhh, you mean: what's the catch?" His tail thumped—whether in affirmation or confusion, I couldn't say. "Trust is hard earned, I get that. But I'm a man of my word. I have no ill will toward you or the Co'xatl. Now, the Jree on the other hand…"

His eyes narrowed at my mention of the Jree, but he didn't deliberate long. I recalled that he appeared to have some way to tell truth from lie and had perhaps been waiting for me to spell it out explicitly. "Then I agree, human Prime. The Co'xatl and the humans will work together to ascend this Tower, with the stipulation that all parties will work toward the greater alliance, except when doing so would spell our doom. Are these terms acceptable?"

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"Yes," I replied with a nod. "But there are a few things you should know. One, unlike you, I don't speak for all humans. There may even be clashes between our people that are entirely out of my control."

He seemed surprised at this, the swishing of his tail and the twitching of his snout betraying his thoughts. "Do you humans not follow the strongest?" Then his eyes went wide and he leaned back. "Do not tell me there are others stronger than you amongst the humans?"

I waffled back and forth. "We mostly govern through democracy—majority vote, I mean. But that was before the Tower. Now? Eh, it's still in flight."

He nodded. "I understand. You must make it your first priority to challenge these…democratic leaders for supremacy. A swift but fair execution will demonstrate your strength for all to see."

I pursed my lips to keep from laughing in his face. Keeping my expression neutral, I sincerely nodded. "Thank you for the advice. I'll consider it."

"Of course. It is for the better of the alliance if you can assert your control in a timely fashion," he replied seriously. "Was that all?"

"One more thing: the backup Prime is not to be trusted. If he shows up, immediately quarantine him from your people." I resisted the urge to say execute him. I got the impression Umndirop would see that as doing my work for me. "He has the ability to infect others around him with insidious thoughts."

Umndirop's expression turned cold, his voice thumping from his chest. "Describe him."

"Slightly shorter than me, curly yellow hair, and a punchable face. I suspect you'll spot him right away from his arrogant demeanor."

He nodded in reply, his tail slapping the sand hard. "Then it is settled."

I closed the distance with a nod and clasped his clawed-hand with my mass still boosted. He gave a testing squeeze, his claws curling into my flesh. I flashed him a knowing smile and returned his pressure—then some.

His tail thumped once and he released his grip with a grunt. Tipping his head, he said, "Here's to a long and fruitful partnership."

----------------------------------------

Slaying the Water Guardian was trivial at this point, and it wasn't long before Umndirop and I had assembled all the humans and Co'xatl. When we filed through the portal, I went first and surveyed the massive boulevard that stretched through the middle of the Hold.

It was a ghost town.

No Astrid or Beasts in sight. No Champions of Order. And no Yuri.

When we reached the portal at the bottom of the towering stairs that led to the Second Floor, Umndirop pulled me aside as our people used the portal to return to their Personal Spaces.

"That was far too simple," he growled. There was a tense look in his eyes as they darted toward every shadow and alleyway.

I resisted the urge to laugh. If only you knew what I'd been through to get to this point…

"For us," I replied. "But there's millions of humans and Co'xatl that won't have it this easy. I'm imagining a long week of traveling Instance to Instance, unlocking access to their respective Holds."

He nodded and held out his hand once more. "I'll make it my priority to inform the other leaders of the Co'xatl of our alliance. Should you need to contact me, I'll post some of my trusted attendants inside the Hall of Heroes."

That was a problem I hadn't considered. Once we parted ways, there would be no reason for Umndirop to maintain a camp inside our Instance. Finding him to coordinate would be difficult—if not impossible.

"Good idea," I said. "I'll do the same."

Lex was going to hate me…

"Then this is where we part ways." He released my hand and thumped his tail twice, the heavy appendage cracking against the paver stone loud enough for everyone within a hundred feet to perk up and take notice. "Good hunting."

Now, alien relations wasn't exactly a course they taught in prison, but I took a chance and tried to mimic the Co'xatl Prime.

With my mass boosted to the max, I stomped my foot onto the road twice. A thudding echo sounded out, at least as loud as Umndirop's tail thumps.

"Good hunting to you as well. And stay safe."

He turned without another word, flanked by a dozen guards as he passed through the portal.

Lacy walked over and leaned her head in. "What was that?" she asked wryly.

"What?"

She copied me, stomping her tiny foot on the stone road with little effect.

I took on an offended air. "You're just jealous I'm so good at this diplomacy thing!"

An explosive laugh burst from her mouth, turning into a choking cough as she struggled to clear her throat.

I pat her on the back with a little extra strength. "You good?"

She waved me away, shaking her head. After a moment, she cleared her throat and stood upright. "Ahem, yeah, I'm good. For a moment there, I thought you said you were good at diplomacy!" She chuckled to herself once more.

"I'm sorry, but didn't I just broker an alliance with half-ton alligator aliens that could literally eat one of us in a single sitting?"

She arched a single brow and crossed her arms. "And how many tries—exactly—did that take?"

"Low blow, Lacy. Low…blow…"

She laughed and slapped my arm in a friendly way. "I'm just giving ya shit. You're doing great." She turned her head away, but my Perception was too high from my traits not to notice the flush spreading across her cheeks. "Also…I wanted to thank you…for, you know, saving me…earlier, that is…"

I leaned in and tilted my head. "Pardon? I didn't quite catch that."

She whipped her head around and lightly punched me in the shoulder. "I said thank you, dick."

I laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "You're welcome." She flinched as I touched her and I pulled away immediately. "Sorry! We-uh, well, we always become good friends by the end of the redo—" The flush in her cheeks redoubled and my eyes went wide. "—I just mean, um, well—"

She laughed at my flustered response, shaking her head. "No, it's fine. I'm just having a tough time reconciling this guy—" She indicated me by waving her hand up and down. "—to the guy we met before the Tower opened. I think we all are, a little bit."

I nodded in understanding. "Do they think I'm full of shit?"

She shrugged. "Honestly, it's hard to bury our heads in the sand when I have a new class out of nowhere and Jerome has a freakin' Iron Man suit nestled directly in his…soul?" She shook her head. "It's a bit much, but we all agreed, something weird happened between the Tower opening and now."

I snorted. "That's an understatement." Nearly everyone—Co'xatl and human—had made their way through the portal and it was time for me to make a decision about Lacy's request in the last redo. I had been waffling back and forth on this all day and I wasn't even sure if Lacy would want to come with me to see Hiko and the Kaori. But if felt wrong to keep that option from her when she had been so adamant about it. "Lacy, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about…"

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion and she folded her arms across her chest. "What?"

Not too late to deflect. Tell her some bullshit to keep her safe. Regardless of what she said, she's not ready to face off against a threat like Astrid or Yuri without the entire team backing us.

But as she stared up at me, she seemed to sense my hesitation. Her expression shifted from suspicion to concern and she put a hand on my arm. "Are you okay, Dirk? What's wrong?"

Something about that question flipped a switch in my mind. Why did I always insist on doing things solo? Why was I so afraid to lean on others, bring them into my confidence?

Maybe…maybe I was afraid I'd hurt them? Fuck it up like I always seemed to do.

Would it be so bad just to trust one person?

"In the last redo, when we were going over the plan together, you…you specifically requested—well, actually, demanded—" Her eyebrows rose at my characterization of her attitude, but I continued on. "—that I take you with me when I visited the Kaori. You felt that your ability to hide us with your illusions would prevent me from being captured or killed by our enemies in the Hold." I sighed wearily. "I tried to dissuade you, but you were quite insistent."

She looked off into the distance, her lips pursed in thought. "And you were wondering if you should tell me or not." She turned back, a confusing expression on her face. "To protect me."

"I-well, yeah, I guess so," I replied.

She nodded as if that confirmed her thoughts. "Well, thank you for that."

"Thank you?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah, thank you," she echoed with a wry smile. "What? You thought I'd be pissed that you cared enough to protect me?"

My mind immediately went back to all the times that exact thing had happened. "I mean…"

She chuckled. "Okay, yeah, that does sound like me." She took on a thoughtful air as she watched the last few dozen about to pass through the portal. Further down the boulevard, a group of three aliens had stopped to watch our procession. From their dress, they were most likely from Astrid's organization. "Are those the guys you've been worried about?"

"Some of them," I replied with a nod. "But I don't see their leader."

She studied them for a few moments, then scoffed to herself. "They don't look so tough." Turning back to me, I saw that she had a wry smile on her face. "Fuck it, I'm in."