Cal held Gwen close as the air around them went up ten degrees. Helga had one hand on Kronke’s stone body while she pet Hurricane, who laid with his eyes closed.

Gwen’s parallelogram flashlight winked off, plunging them into darkness.

Cal felt the Apothos vibrating in the very stones around him and several of the tiles came loose, falling with a clatter. At the same time, the stench of horse manure created such a stink that both he and Gwen gagged. Where was that farmland stench coming from? Well, they were dealing with maniacal centaurs, so that might explain some of it.

The elven accountant felt his Funk Soul fill with energy, and he thought he heard Dave chuckling, but no, that couldn’t be. Weavelord was gone. But there the Dungeon Meld was still active, or at least he thought it was. There’d been no message to tell him different, no dizziness and no nausea.

Barb’s laughter roared through the five dungeons. “That’s the ticket right there. That feels so right, how can it be wrong? Trick question. It can’t. It feels so amazing. I’ve been waiting for this little snack. You know, Mother used to take me to fancy parties, back when I was a princess on the Plainsmeep, and while Mother liked the main dishes, I so preferred the snacks. Oh, Mother, if you could only see me now.”

Gwen’s flashlight flickered on, and some fresh lemon-scented air blew in from somewhere. The doors were still gone, but at least there was still airflow. That was good.

Ji-Soo’s echoed off the tiles. “Gosh, this is awkward, but Cal, did we kill you? If you we did, super sorry, and if we didn’t, could you uh, let us know what’s going on?”

Cal had the last Blackberry, but he wasn’t going to eat it until he had something to report. Did the NUKE not work?

“Barb, what’s going on?” Cal asked the question out loud.

“Like I didn’t plan for the Arcandor Initiative, Cal. Duh. I know they’d try and use their doomsday weapon, and I also knew it wouldn’t work because I can turn Apothos blasts into barnyard smells, and then, reabsorb them. All the Arcandor Initiative did was give me more power. Oh, would you look at that? S-Class for Barbara Starmyst. That sure was easy. Oh, and by the way, not only did I take their big NUKE and turn it into more Apothos for my core, but I also took over their lockdown magic. To keep them out. You should call Ji-Soo, and sure, you’ll tell her everything, and I’ll just laugh and laugh. Did you know laughter is super good for digestion? It’s true. People who laugh don’t get constipated.”

Barb must’ve been reabsorbing the smells because the tiled room was smelling better and better. That also meant she was getting a ton of power.

Cal could feel it. Along with the manure, he could feel all that Apothos supercharging the five Celestial Nodes.

“Barb, wait. If it’s just you and Cardiganna, how are you controlling all the dungeons?”

Laughter. “Uh, right, you’re not the only one who can use Omega Audit Crystals in creative ways. But I have this new S-Class ability called Remote Odor Control that I earned in the last couple of hours. I can modulate the OACs with the power of my perfumes. For Amorfo’s level, I went with a new citrusy scent. For the second floor I decided upon sandalwood tones, and for the first level? No, it’s not that atrocious Dragon Dusk Musk. I went with a Urothling cologne, Apollo’s Polo. It’s a scent from a more innocent time, spicy and yet oddly comforting. Now, you just stay there until I ascend to Triple S class. Oh, and yeah, there’s a good chance once I ascend to godhood—and it’s not goddesshood or mistresshood, I hate those words because the double Ss are so pretentious. Anyway, once I ascend to godhood, there’s a good chance every node will explode, killing you all. I would embrace the moment if I were you. Try and live in gratitude. You’ve all lived a good life, and though it will soon be over, you’ll be helping me make the multiverse a better place. So there’s that.”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“What about your Vengeance?” Cal called out. “How can you callously destroy one thousand, two hundred, and seventy-three worlds? What is wrong with you?”

Barb’s sigh smelled like freshly squeezed lemons. “Don’t be so dramatic. Those worlds probably won’t die. Probably. I’m just taking a fraction of the Apothos they need to keep most of their life healthy. They’ll be fine. Mostly. Nothing is wrong with me. Every day, and in every way, I am getting better and better. I won’t let you shame me. As for my Vengeance, when I’m finished here, I will be satisfied. And everything will smell so good!”

The elven accountant wasn’t going to let that lie. “But wait, Barb, you can’t just trap us in this room. What about the flow of Apothos? What about the rules of design?”

She did not answer him. It was interesting she didn’t mention the mysterious executive who’d kept the Arcandor Initiative at by until the very last minute. Was she scared of him? Why else risk contacting Cal like she did to ask about him. Interesting.

Ji-Soo wasn’t going to let up. “Cal! Please! Don’t be a grumpy goose and report in! I’m super sorry I tried to murder you and your friends!”

Helga had tears drying on her face. She raised an eyebrow at Cal. “What ye thinking of doing, lad?”

“Not sure.” Cal held the last Blackberry, but he didn’t feel like talking. At this point, the Arcandor Initiative were powerless to help them. Their dumb plan to lock down the facility and NUKE it had backfired completely. They were locked inside and giving Barbara Starmyst even more power.

But Cal still had so many questions.

Gwen gulped in breath. She then exhaled and shuddered.

She raised her head. “Okay. So, Dave is dead, and just when I was starting to like him. That sucks. But kinda not surprising for some reason. Let’s just focus on what we can do now.”

“What can we do?” Cal asked. “From what it sounds like, Barbara hit S-Class. And it won’t be long until she’s Triple S. Then there will be no stopping her, or her plan for Vengeance.”

Gwen sniffed. “Do we know what she’s so mad about? Vengeance for what?”

Cal shook his head. “I have no idea. I know that the entire AT1 had thick files, and they were always getting into trouble, so it’s probably related to that.” He paused. “Gwen, if you want to talk about what happened to your father, I’ll listen. You know. If you need to talk about it.”

The idea filled him with dread. But he would be a good friend to Gwen, even if that meant he’d be super uncomfortable.

Gwen found a smile. “It’s going to take a long time to process everything that happened. You know, though, I’m glad things ended on a positive note. We forgave each other. We were good at the end. I can live with that. Now, listen to me closely, Calcannis Illudere, I am not going to die here, killed by an aromatherapist with delusions of grandeur. We’re going to do what we do best—we’re going to dungeon the hell out this situation.”

Cal wasn’t sure he could dungeon at the moment. He felt so hopeless, even if the air smelled so lemony fresh. Another gust of air brought the smell of cookies, fresh out of the oven. Kronke’s eyes glowed with a warm light that enveloped them all.

Helga was hugging the troll paladin with all her might.

Tears dropped from Kronke’s eyes like diamonds. His face was green again, and he could turn his head. “Kronke know what happened. Kronke so sorry Gwen. Kronke hope that Aura of Courage, Healing, and Light help. Might not help, but Kronke think Dave will eat good cookies with the Baker. And someday, we eat those good, good cookies with him.”

Hurricane bleated, and then clattered up to his hooves and shook every part of his body. The goat had been healed. He came over and Helga then hugged him. “Aye, Hurricane, we shall best that woman and her stink.”

Cal felt worlds better.

Gwen did as well. She smiled. “Kronke! Buddy! You’re back! We thought we’d lost you for good!”

Kronke smiled back. “Never lose me. Kronke always be with best friends. Kronke heal spell no work on stone. Kronke wait for regeneration to finish job. What plan now?”

Gwen laughed sardonically. “Not sure, pal. Do we know where Perkle and Amorfo are?”

There came a giggle on the other side of the wall. The vent reappeared in the wall, and then it banged open. A certain Gadget Gnome crawled into the room. “Perkle here! Disappeared into the HVAK again. Can’t touch us in the HVAK. For mystery reasons.”

“What mystery reasons? What’s the HVAK?” Cal asked. “Where’s Amorfo?”

The gadget gnome grinned. “Oh, Mr. Cal, we have a lot to talk about.”