My map showed no nearby enemies, so I decided to let Lyria keep resting.

I gave the opening in the cave-in one more close look. There was an opening at the top of the pile, and a large, flat rock was balanced on rounded boulders above the hole. In other words, there didn’t seem to be any chance of it collapsing on me when I tried to crawl through.

I eased myself through the hole, still being careful not to disturb the rocks on either side as I did. Unlikely or not, I really didn’t want my budding journey to godhood to be cut short by a heavy rock, of all things.

I emerged on the other side, slipping down face-first over a slope of rocks, roots, boulders, and blood.

I landed with my palm in something that was still hot and sticky. I lifted it, grimacing when I saw a strip of detached skin covered in matted fur.

Disgusting. I had barely left Thrask and already wished I had a chance to bathe again. If I ever became rich enough, I thought I might try upgrading a bathtub to legendary, just in case I could get a portable, magic bathtub.

Once I was on my feet, I moved to the crystal on the wall.

Time to figure out how this works.

I summoned my cursed bedroll. I wasn’t exactly in a hurry to touch it, so I let it fall to the ground in front of me. I took a few steps back. “Go ahead,” I whispered like I was speaking to a small animal. “There’s your dark mana. Eat up, creepy bed roll.”

I waited a few seconds, but nothing happened.

Damn it. I’m going to have to do something weird, aren’t I?

I decided the logical thing to try would be prying the crystal free. I could place it on the bed and hope that it produced some results.

But was that thing safe to touch? I hesitated, arms folded. Crystals like this were sticking out of the nightmaw, and I didn’t know if its transformation was caused by them, or if these things grew out of creatures who were tainted in some other way.

It was probably best to be abundantly cautious when it came to mysterious dark mana crystals.

I decided my common mace would be at least some protection, so I pulled it out of my belt loop. I flipped it over, using the handle to wedge into the hard-packed dirt beside the crystal. It took some work, but I eventually got it deep enough to gain some leverage.

I pulled hard, muscles straining until there was finally a musical plink as the crystal popped out of the wall and landed on the rocks at my feet.

“There it is, Boy,” I said, stepping back from the bedroll, which was only inches from the fallen crystal. “Eat up…”

The leather straps holding the bedroll unclipped themselves and slapped at the ground aimlessly. After a moment, they seemed to get the hang of it, and the bedroll began pulling itself closer to the crystal.

Yeah. This is weird.

It stopped at the crystal and a long slit appeared down the length of the bedroll. It pulled itself open and a writhing carpet of black bugs erupted.

I sucked in a disgusted breath, took a step back, and watched them all swarm the crystal, lift it, and carry it back into the thing’s mouth.

The leather straps carefully slid back into place and all trace of the mouth vanished. The whole process had only taken three, maybe four seconds.

I stared, thinking I had imagined it, until I heard a very faint crunch, followed by a low moan.

I swallowed hard. What the fuck.

Cautiously, I sent the bedroll back to my slip space and checked the hunger level.

[Hunger 32%]

Ever since I had seen the hunger meter ticking up, I felt like I had a time bomb strapped to my chest. Now that the number had finally back down, I could actually release some of the massive weight I’d felt building on my shoulders.

I let out a long sigh of relief, and found my thoughts instantly turning to my new abilities and my potions. It was time to do some testing.

I did another quick check to make sure none of the red dots in the tunnel were approaching. I squinted, noticing a tunnel I had assumed was just a bit of rough texture on the otherwise low-detail map. Now that I looked again, I saw very faint Wood-colored dots within, as if people were moving within that texture. Was it an underground tunnel, maybe?

I couldn’t say for certain, but it looked like it might even connect with our tunnel. I felt vaguely guilty about that. I thought we were the only ones down here, and the idea of others needing to come back this way and finding the cave-in was slightly worrisome. I hoped I hadn’t trapped anybody too large to fit through that hole.

Either way, I confirmed I should be safe enough for now and pulled out my supplies.

First, I wanted to be ready if there was another battle. That meant regenerating the Silver Scream arrows I used, assuming I could figure out how.

I produced the quiver and the bow, briefly admiring how the exotic metal of the bow glimmered in the faint torchlight of the tunnel. It was darker here because the explosion had snuffed out the closest torches. If I thought too hard about it, I might say it was creepy down here. Ahead, there was just yawning darkness with distant, yellow light. Behind, there was a collapsed pile of rubble that took me a minute or two to climb through while putting myself in a very vulnerable position.

But I did have my map. Assuming there were no enemies with an ability to hide themselves from it, I didn’t need to worry about anything sneaking up on me. And practicing on this side of the wall meant Lyria would be protected from any mishaps I might encounter with the Bombroot. I supposed I could have headed back the way we came for the same purpose, but there was the ever-so-slight risk of creating another cave-in. If I did collapse the roof by mistake, I didn’t want to cut off the safest path back. I would rather close off our chance to proceed down one of many pathways in a large dungeon.

And just hope anybody who might plan to come this way could find another path, if it came to that.

I was happy to discover regenerating arrows was instinctual for me. I only had to focus on feeding some mana to the quiver. Once I did, I could feel a kind of reservoir within the quiver itself. As soon as it was full, silver light flared inside the quiver and dimmed, revealing a fresh, empty Silver Scream arrow.

Awesome.

I produced two arrows. My best guess was it cost me about a fifth of my mana. It was maybe more expensive than I would have guessed, but I supposed the benefit of these arrows was more than worth it. I also assumed I wouldn’t have time to regenerate them in the middle of combat, anyway.

Since I hadn’t actually rested a full hour before being woken in my Cursed Bedroll, I didn’t get the added bonus of increased mana regeneration. It was fine, though, as I was able to recover it pretty quickly when I wasn’t in danger.

I projected Viperlilly into one arrow, but hesitated before putting Bombroot in the other arrow.

Did I really want to load a Silver Scream arrow with Bombroot again?

I could see we would still be fighting in the tight confines of this tunnel for the time being, and that meant the Bombroot would continue to be too much of a liability. When we reached the larger corridor at the end, I could swap some Bombroot into one of my arrows. I imagined it would be my arrow of choice for any larger, boss-style enemies.

I had been thinking of the challenges ahead like a game until I thought about a “boss-style enemy.”

I felt cold fingers close around my insides. If the nightmaw was a glorified trash monster on the way to some sort of boss or mini-boss, could we really handle whatever was in that final chamber?

Then again, it wasn’t as if we would be forced to enter the final chamber. We could always prowl around, training up on the relatively easy fights and gathering strength. But the idea of passing up the likely reward of beating some kind of mini-boss was tough. I wasn’t sure I would be able to walk away from it if we made it there.

For now, I had figured out how to feed my bedroll. The only catch was that we needed to keep killing creatures down here and hoping I could salvage some of the dark mana crystals from their bodies. Unless we discovered a huge cache of crystals I could stockpile, it also meant I still hadn’t found a long-term solution to my hungry bedroll problem.

I ran a hand down my face, considering our options from here.

I didn’t just need to feed my bedroll regularly. I also needed to hide the fact that I only slept an hour a day on a creepy, bug-infested sleeping bag. Sleeping in other places wouldn’t be an option, because my curse still limited me to one hour per night. That meant I needed to at least spend an hour on the bedroll, no questions. I imagined creeping around all night, every night, would eventually raise questions in a party.

I also needed to be careful with my two class corestones. Was it possible to have a single class that could project elements, duplicate my weapon, and make mana shields and heal people with their own mana? I wasn’t sure, but I felt doubtful.

I sighed.

For now, it felt right to keep progressing with just Lyria for a while, if I could help it.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Maybe once I was an Iron myself, I could risk teaming up with Bloody Steve again. At that point, I might be able to manage to keep him in line a little more, and I would have a better handle on how to explain my weird abilities.

With my path forward settled, I stared at the third, still-empty Silver Scream arrow.

Which potion to choose?

I could fill it with Potion of Life, which I assumed would let me fire it into the wall and either raise a small army of chaotic dirt and stone golems for two minutes, followed by a final, larger creation. Or maybe it would lie dormant for two minutes and raise some horribly huge creature when Silver Scream detonated…

It was too risky to test right now. If the effect created one of those rolling rocks, but the size of something from Indiana Jones, I could easily be killed by it.

That left the Healing Potion.

I doubted Lyria would appreciate getting shot with an arrow, but if I fired this into her before a fight, it would…

I grinned. It would be fucking amazing.

She’d be constantly pumped full of healing, followed by a final burst of massive healing after two minutes. After a moment’s thought, I decided we might want to avoid the massive burst of healing at the end. The razormaw had Bombroot potion practically oozing out of its pores and eyeballs when Silver Scream detonated. Healing potion or not, I doubted Lyria would be in fighting condition if she was oozing that much liquid.

I projected a drop of Healing Potion into the arrow and watched the clear glass fill with cherry red liquid.

With that handled, I decided to perform a very small, very reasonable test. I needed to know if there was a way to use a small amount of Bombroot potion to create more controlled explosions. If I handled my experiment correctly, the biggest risk would be creating another cave-in further down the tunnel.

So I set to work.

I walked as far as I dared, heading deeper in the tunnel but keeping enough distance from the next red dot on the map. Once I was sure it was a safe distance, I projected a single drop of Bombroot potion on the ground from a vial in my belt pouch.

I used a torch on the wall to keep track of the position of the small drop. Next, I used Forge Echo to project a vial of Dragon’s Tail just to the side of the drop of Bombroot—if I lost the Echo by mistake, I didn’t want the Echoed liquid to detonate it while I was still standing so close.

I jogged back, focusing on keeping the Echo intact. Once I thought I was far enough to be safe, I mentally tugged the echo to the side slightly, then tipped it and shook it around, hoping some of the flames would land on the—

Pop.

I smirked. The sound was like a small firecracker, and it happened almost instantly.

Once the Dragon’s Tail finally stopped burning, I approached to see the damage. I found a crater no bigger than a pool ball surrounded by scorched dirt.

Alright. That was good to know. Time to scale up the experiment.

After a few more minutes, I had a rough idea of how much Bombroot would be safe to use in the tunnel. My last test, which had been projecting maybe a small cup's worth of Bombroot potion, seemed to be the limit of safety. The explosion was violent enough to shake dirt from the ceiling and cause a very minor collapse of part of the wall.

I guessed it wouldn’t be safe to stand within twenty or so feet of an explosion like that, but I also knew how shockwaves could cause horrible internal injuries. I wished I had the internet to refresh my memory on pressure waves and the types of explosions. All I could really remember was the logical parts—like how a closed environment like this tunnel would likely amplify the effect and speed of a shockwave.

For now, I would still consider the Bombroot a weapon of last resort. If I couldn’t find a way to use it from a few hundred feet away, I wouldn’t use it at all.

It was a shame, though, because the little kid inside me really wanted to know what would happen if I sprayed a high enough arc of Bombroot above open flames. Would each little drop explode like a wave of small cluster bombs? The effect could be devastating if I covered enemies in flames first.

But this was hardly the place to test the idea, so it would have to wait.

I glanced through the hole again to make sure Lyria was still okay and found her sleeping soundly. Every minute or so, I checked the map, making sure no people or enemies were approaching either of us.

All my experiments had drained my mana, and I was doing my best to stay above half, just in case something unexpected happened.

I sat cross-legged and focused on my meditation techniques. For now, I was dividing my efforts between the two I knew. I spent a little while simply seeking peace, like Circa taught me. It was definitely my favorite method, because it left me feeling refreshed and clear-headed and seemed to refill my mana quickly.

But I also saw the benefit of using the other method, and wouldn’t shy away just because it was unpleasant. I mentally reached out and pulled the mana inward. If I focused, I could even force it outward from my center, feeling the odd spiritual stretching sensation as the mana pathways within me widened.

It left me feeling slightly exhausted and sore, but once I recovered, I had the distinct feeling that I had improved somehow.

Just a few more things to test, I thought, feeling somewhat giddy with eagerness.

#

Lyria

I blinked awake, stretched, and yawned before remembering where I was.

I saw the rows of torches and the caved-in section of the tunnel. Rocks and rubble were strewn all over the ground.

Dim awareness spread through me.

We had won. I remembered that much. I had seen the horrible dog thing explode after Brynn’s arrow struck it.

I could hardly believe how quickly he was gaining strength. It was only a few days ago that I watched him nearly get himself killed by a rootling. Now he was blowing up things like that creature.

“Brynn?” I whisper-yelled. I jerked my head from side to side, looking for him. Where was he?

I got to my feet, surprised to find I wasn’t sore in the slightest. I vaguely remembered Brynn holding me after the explosion. Had he figured out how to use his new abilities already?

But where the hell is he? If he got himself hurt while I was sleeping because he was being reckless, I’d kill him.

Booming panic thumped in the back of my head. I looked back the way we came and saw only darkness.

Had he gone for help? But I felt completely healthy. Wouldn’t he know I was only sleeping?

I looked back at where I was laying and saw his cloak bundled up under where I had been resting my head. I gave it a long look. He took his cloak off to give me a pillow?

It was surprisingly thoughtful of him, but it also meant he probably hadn’t left me here in a hurry. So where was—

I heard a crackle, then a sustained bzzzzzz sound from the other side of the cave-in.

I noticed the small hole near the top. “Brynn?” I asked a little louder this time. I raised my Basilisk’s Shield anyway, just in case something nasty was about to crawl through that hole.

There was a sound of something scrabbling over stone. I raised the shield higher, bracing myself. Dammit, Lyria. Next time, crawl up quietly and take a peek for yourself.

Then again, I could probably stand a good chance of beating something if I caught it right as it was trying to squeeze through that hole.

Unless it’s a giant, killer centipede…

A simple metal helmet appeared in the hole. I saw Brynn’s sharp eyes and smile on the other side. “Good! You’re awake. Do you feel okay?”

“Brynn?” I whispered, coming closer and half-climbing the rise of rubble toward him. “What are you doing over there?”

“Practicing. Why are you whispering?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“The map is clear. We’re good,” he said. “Anyway, I didn’t want to wake you. And I figured out how to feed dark mana to my bedroll. All we have to do is keep finding monsters with dark mana crystals on them.”

I made it to the hole. I was on one knee with my hands rested on the rock, looking through the little window at Brynn, who was two or three feet away on the other side. “Is this safe to climb through?”

He pointed to a large, flat rock above the hole. “Unless that randomly decides to crack in half, I think we’re fine. Come on, I can pull you through. Do you have everything?”

“Just a minute,” I said, sliding back down the cave-in and grabbing his cloak. Everything else I needed was in my slip space. I climbed back to the top and handed the cloak to him through the hole. “Here,” I said.

“Oh, thanks,” Brynn smiled, which I could actually see when he wore this new illusioned helmet. It had a “T” shape that let me see most of his mouth, nose, and eyes. Voidgaze, on the other hand, made him look like some kind of demon incarnate with shadows pouring out of the eye-slits and no part of his face visible.

“Here,” he said, sticking his arm through for me to grab. I took it and let him tug me through the hole. My armor scraped against the rock, adding to the already growing number of blemishes on my once-pristine set.

Guarding Riverwell hadn’t done much to batter my armor. Following Brynn, on the other hand, was apparently very tough on the wardrobe.

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw his little set-up on the other side of the cave-in. He had his three Silver Scream arrows laid out neatly. The bow was beside them. A few of his potions were out as well. There were scorched craters all over the tunnel, as if he had been setting off explosions. About 200 feet down the tunnel, a small fire was raging. Dried blood covered everything, but it looked like he had taken the monster parts and neatly laid them out a little distance down the tunnel. Several of them had holes in them or burn marks.

I squinted at the monster parts. “Let me guess,” I said, getting my footing once I slid down the rubble. “Target practice?”

“That’s right,” Brynn said. “Watch this.” He picked up the bow, drew with terrible form, and fired an empty Silver Scream arrow. It slammed into part of the dead monster’s leg, making it twitch and roll over.

“Oh,” I said, vaguely surprised. “That was actually a good shot.”

Brynn lowered the bow, lips pursed. “I was aiming for the hand,” he said.

I studied the parts and saw a severed hand a few feet to the side of the leg. “Your aim is that bad? What were you aiming for when you shot the monster?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “I think I do better under pressure. So, any tips for me? How’s my form?”

He drew the arrow again, right elbow sticking toward me like a chicken’s arm. His left hand was also in the wrong spot on the bow.

I sighed, moved closer, and started giving him some pointers. “After this, you’ll help me with my Shield class?” I asked.

“Oh, definitely. I think I can help you get the hang of it quickly. Watch this.” Brynn’s eyes flashed a glowing blue, then a snapping, vibrating barrier of blue appeared over his chest. It was the size of a shield, but took his shape perfectly, seeming to stick to him like armor.

“It’s kind of small,” I said, frowning.

Brynn relaxed his grip on the arrow, looking down. “Yeah, but it’s only Tier 1. I assume I’ll be able to improve on that.”

“Of course you will,” I said. “Now show me the correct way to hold that thing.”

For a god, he was a surprisingly willing and attentive student. He nodded, raised the bow, and fired.

The arrow landed about a foot short of the hand. “Is that where you were aiming?”

“Sure,” Brynn said.