White hair stained red. Blood trickled down Lusafeen’s forehead. Unfettered rage prominent within her eyes, ready to burst forward and strike Charlie and his companions down with all its force.

“What if we sit down and talk about this over dinner? I know a guy that sells top quality demon gopher steak! What do ya say?” Orb said.

Lusafeen shot him a look, a black aura slowly pulsating from her body. “Void—” she sputtered blood. “Void Hex, Violence.” A beam of darkness clawed its way through her chest and spiraled directly toward them.

Charlie instinctively raised a hand and a wall of rock shot up to intercept it. The explosive force rocketed their defensive wall, stopping for a moment before pushing its way through.

The impact left them scattered, and Charlie found himself several yards away from where they had been. To his left, Orb lay still. Dormant. His glow was unusually dim. Bleedy and Mousifer were sprawled out to his right, their battered bodies oddly contorted. Mousifer roused himself and crawled over to check on Bleedy. Satisfied Bleedy was alright, Mousifer slowly made his way to Charlie.

Charlie sat up, holding a hand out so that Mousifer could crawl up his shoulder. He glared at Lusafeen. She’d already closed the distance to retrieve her bag. She picked it up and rummaged through it, quickly finding what she was looking for. A glowing emerald-green orb.

“Squeak,” Mousifer noted.

Charlie nodded. “It’s one of Orb’s brothers! A dungeon core. But why does she have one?”

The core pulsed, and a devious smirk crept across Lusafeen’s face. She threw it in the air, and Charlie felt a gnawing sensation somewhere inside him. Mousifer noticed something was wrong and sniffed at Charlie’s cheek to make sure he was okay. “Squea?”

“Yeah. I’m okay. But something feels weird,” Charlie told him.

Lusafeen laughed. The green orb grew brighter, and a distortion formed in the air behind the witch. Charlie recognized the scenery. The village’s center. Mangled bodies lay in the village market Charlie and his friends had traveled through only recently.

A voice resonated from the portal, reverberating off the dungeon walls. “I started without you. Is this enough, Lusafeen?”

Lusafeen shook her head. “No. We need more. We need them all. Leave no survivors.”

“And what of the nuisance? The knight?”

“As I said, no survivors.”

The portal’s perspective shifted, and Charlie realized he was watching the world through Dremmon’s eyes.

He was atop a building, looking down into the market below. A group of people approached, checking the corpses. Charlie recognized two of them.

Richard and Mary.

Richard wore thick black armor, and his sole fist was wrapped around a blade. Mary was behind him, in a long white cloak. She muttered something and a hazel-colored hex materialized over some of the bodies. Richard turned to one of the men in their group, a man dressed like a shopkeeper. “You’re sure you saw the creature take Charlie to the witch’s house?” he asked. The shopkeeper nodded. Richard cursed.

“The hunt continues.” Dremmon jumped from the roof, aiming directly toward the people below. Richard seemed to sense the attack. He turned, swinging his blade and the clang of metal on claw rang out. The portal disappeared.

“Richard!” Charlie cried out. What was going on?

Lusafeen smiled. “I was going to kill you and take the core. But now, I think I’ll take you both for Lord Cendra. After all, the only thing better than two gifts…” She gently caressed the bag now slung around her shoulder. “…is three.”

“Charlie, you have to stop her.” Orb’s voice was faint. Charlie turned. Orb hovered a few meager centimeters off the ground, before falling back down.

“Orb! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Charlie. Listen, the townspeople are in danger. Richard and Mary too. I don’t know what she’s up to, but it isn’t good. Stop her,” Orb said.

Charlie turned back to Lusafeen, contemplating what to do. He readied to attack again, but this time, Lusafeen was prepared for him. He caught only the last word out of her mouth.

“…violence.”

Several streams of darkness ripped through the air and split as it got closer. One of them wrapped itself tight around Charlie and lifted him up into the air. The magic in his body suddenly drained from him and without it, he couldn’t control the dungeon. He turned and saw his struggling friends, each suspended in the air on either side of him.

Lusafeen smirked and turned back to the green dungeon core, focusing her attention on it. She took a hold of it, and it grew brighter. She reached back into her bag and pulled a small egg from it with mysterious markings etched into its shell. The dungeon core seemed to react, and the markings on the egg turned a bright shade of green to match it. Lusafeen turned back and beckoned the stream of darkness that held Bleedy. Charlie watched helplessly as his friend levitated toward the witch.

The egg grew brighter still, and the etched markings seemed to ripple and waver. From the egg, several tendrils sprouted and licked the air around them. As if they suddenly sensed Bleedy’s presence, they shot forth, enveloping him whole. Bleedy suddenly squirmed to life, the discomfort returning him to consciousness. He squealed. Charlie’s eyes widened as he looked on in horror, helplessly watching his agonized friend.

“Orb, what’s she doing to him?” Charlie asked.

Orb was quiet. “She’s killing him, Charlie.”

“No! That’s not… that’s not what it looks like when you go to sleep. She’s hurting him!” Charlie’s head was pounding now. He strained to break free of the snake-like shackles that held him prisoner in the air. “Sleep isn’t supposed to hurt! Sleep is good!” Charlie said, tears welling in his eyes. Why was this happening? He didn’t understand.

“Charlie… she isn’t putting him to sleep. She’s…” Orb paused, struggling to find the words. “Charlie, when someone is killed…when they die, that’s it. They’re gone. You can’t play with them anymore.”

Charlie shook his head. Can’t play anymore? Gone? Bleedy would be gone? Richard and Mary and all the villagers? His friends would be gone? No. Charlie couldn’t accept that.

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

The dungeon started shaking, a low grumbling overtook the room. Lusafeen wheeled around, trying to figure out what was happening. Charlie’s blue eyes glazed over and turned a deep brown.

Conditions met.

“What are you doing?” Lusafeen demanded, readying her magic in preparation.

Tears ran down Charlie’s face. This was horrible. Gone? When someone dies, you can’t play with them anymore. That’s bad. Charlie didn’t like that. He hated it.

“No!” Charlie yelled. It came out gibberish, as he hadn’t yet learned to speak. But his anger was clear enough. The dungeon shook violently, the building earthquake gradually growing more powerful. Charlie screamed, shaking his hands and feet until he burst free of his shackles. Before he could fall, the dungeon wall behind him shot forward and caught him.

He wouldn’t let his friends die.

Lusafeen was the problem.

She wanted to take his friends away.

But Charlie wouldn’t let her.

Charlie would stop her.

Ultimate ability.

He heard the words clearly in his mind. His thoughts started to fade; his anger surged.

He wouldn’t let her.

He would stop her.

He would give in to the building rage.

You. Can’t. Kill. My. Friends.

TANTRUM.

Lusafeen looked up, horror-stricken at the crumbling dungeon. Pieces of rock displaced by the violent shockwaves rocketing the earth. Her courage failed her. “This child isn’t human…” She turned to escape into a hallway.

Rock collided in her path, forcing her to a standstill. Below her, the ground cracked. A pit opened. She jumped just in time to avoid falling into the depths below. She wheeled around to face the demonic-seeming Charlie. His eyes were the color of dungeon earth itself. She managed a feeble Violent Hex Disc, but rock clawed from the ceiling to intercept her attacks before they even got close. “How are you doing this?” Her words came out in a whisper.

Charlie shrieked in response.

Long slabs of rock shot forth from all directions to close in around her. Lusafeen dodged. She narrowly avoided being crushed to death, but one of the slabs caught her rib and sent her body rocketing through the room. She hit the wall with a thud. The witch covered her face, shielding her eyes from the dust, and watched through her fingers as the dungeon ripped itself apart. Charlie wasn’t even aiming for her anymore.

He was lost in fury.

Rock ripped free of the wall and shot around the room, seemingly at random. Massive explosions as each impact formed new craters around the room. Lusafeen covered her ears, forced to by the jarring noises.

“Stop this! Stop it! You’ll kill us all!” Lusafeen shouted, panic overwhelming her.

Charlie turned, his eyes locking on her. “No! You want to kill my friends!” His thoughts filled her head.

“No! I’ll leave them! Just… spare me!” She pleaded.

Directly across from her, a sharpened log of stone formed. A giant dungeon arrow aimed directly at her. Her feet sank into the earth below, and she fought to free herself, to no avail. The arrow shot forward. She muttered a quick spell. Lusafeen closed her eyes, bracing for impact. A massive explosion. Her body slammed against the wall behind her from the force of their conflicting magic.

“No. Won’t kill.” Charlie shook his head.

Lusafeen looked up, surprised she was still alive. She took a deep breath, relief flooding through her. Charlie was distracted, fighting to regain control of himself. Teetering between the edges of rage and awareness.

It was the perfect opening.

She whispered a spell, probably hoping to take Charlie out with one blow. Her hands were outstretched to guide the mass of void magic. Her terrified expression said it all. She couldn’t allow a child like this to survive.

“Won’t kill.” Charlie nodded, satisfied with his decision. He projected his thoughts openly, not caring who was listening. But a moment later, whatever comfort she might have found from those words was likely lost.

When Charlie remembered her earlier threat.

“Just the arms,” he said.

Lusafeen’s head shot up when she realized what he meant. “What?” she managed before the arrow drew back like a piston and shot forward again. The splintered rock penetrated deep into the dungeon wall on both sides of her. Lusafeen turned to either side in shock, bloody stumps from the shoulder down the only remnants of her severed arms. She went into shock.

Her scream filled the air.

Charlie winced, covering his ears. The dungeon wall behind Lusafeen opened up and pulled her inside. The screaming became muffled, more and more, until it stopped altogether.

Orb spun slowly next to him in stunned silence, taking in the aftermath of Charlie’s rampage. “What did you do to her?” he asked.

“Hm? She’s in time out,” Charlie said nonchalantly.

His gaze shifted to the center of the room, where a small earthen shield had formed around Bleedy to protect him from the chaos of Tantrum. Bleedy feebly looked up, his mouth curling into a soft smile. Charlie’s eyes softened, and their usual blue returned. The remnants of his anger fled in droves. A tiredness overtook him. Mousifer had taken shelter behind Charlie during the commotion and now scurried up his shoulder in his usual position.

“What was that, Charlie? I didn’t know you could do something like that,” Orb said.

Charlie shrugged. “I dunno. It just happened.”

He noted the tendrils protruding from the egg were gone. The holes they had emerged from were gone as well, and the egg was whole again. The markings on it were no longer green. Now, they were a shade of blue. The green dungeon core sat a few feet behind it, dormant and dim. Somehow, neither had been harmed in the wake of his ability. Perhaps they had been close enough to Bleedy to be protected. He wanted to inspect the egg further, but before he could…

Warning. Dungeon Integrity is now at 0. Collapse imminent.

Charlie’s head tilted. “Collapse?” Charlie looked up just in time to see the ceiling cave in and fall directly for them.

Transfer!

He stood there, Orb and their two minions in Lusafeen’s damaged cabin. Bleedy’s eyes lit up when he saw the wolf's jaw sitting on the floor. Dremmon must have knocked it free.

There was shouting outside.

“Wait, it might still be dangerous!” A man cried out.

Charlie turned to his friends and yelled, “Hide!” Bleedy scooped up Mousifer and Orb against his body and dove into an open cabinet, pulling it shut with his mouth. Charlie laughed at the silly sight. The door flung open and in stepped an armor-clad man with dark, greying hair and a single arm. His blade was already outstretched in preparation. He noticed Charlie on the floor and his mouth fell open.

“Charlie! You’re safe!” Richard grinned. Blood dripped from his blade, and he had lacerations all over his body. He looked around the room and his mood changed. “The witch isn’t here. Why would she kidnap a baby just to leave him behind?” Someone caught up to him.

“Richard! Is Charlie here? Is he okay?” It was Mary. Charlie smiled and crawled toward her. But Richard stepped in front of her, stopping Mary from coming closer.

“What are you doing?” Mary asked.

Richard squinted. He held his blade out toward Charlie, and instinctively Charlie leaned away, crawling backward a step. Swords were dangerous. What was Richard thinking?

Richard’s brow furrowed.

“Richard! Stop! What are you doing?” Mary asked, brushing past him.

“Stop, Mary,” he said, keeping his blade between them and Charlie. “He’s a baby, so why does he know that a sword is dangerous? It shouldn’t make any difference to him. We have to think, why did she take him? What did she do to him? The witch… did something. That’s the only explanation. We have to be careful.”

“Charlie, I don’t like where this is going…” Orb said to Charlie telepathically. “Bleedy, get ready to grab Charlie and run if things go bad.”

“Baby,” Bleedy said.

“Richard…” Mary started, unsure of herself now.

“This isn’t Charlie. It’s a demon in disguise,” Richard said, readying his blade as if to strike.