Their labored breaths echoed through the tight, stuffy corridor. Nar saw green out of the corner of his eyes, and that fueled him to run even faster.

Unfortunately, up ahead, Cen was slowing the back half of the party down, and unless he kicked and shoved the others out of the way, he was stuck behind them.

The green mist reached out to him like tendrils, enveloping him from behind. He covered his mouth and stuck to Jul as much as possible.

“There’s something ahead!” Jul shouted. “Guardians! Two! Both sides!”

“Gad, right! Nar, left!”, Kur said. “DPS, right!”

With a breath of relief, Nar pushed ahead, and the others made space for him to squeeze through.

“Good. Have. You!” Gad said, panting. Somehow, she still managed a smile for him.

Her smile lifted her cheeks, and her eyes beamed at him. She had never been rude to him or anything of the sort, but after their chat, she had been much more proactive in approaching him. Nar had come to enjoy their chats, and her encouragement in his fledgling, and oftentimes flailing, tanking and DPS attempts. However, that only made him worry more that she would one day read the truth of who he was, his plans, and of his thoughts.

Also, he couldn’t help but suffer from his growing guilt.

How could she have so much faith in him? So much trust? That she would grin at him as they ran for their lives, happy to have him by her side?

Even as the thought of kicking down his own party members to escape occurred to him?

He would never do it of course, not even to save his own dad. That much he knew, but that the thought had even occurred to him… It shamed him to no end.

Despite promising himself that he would resolve his messy feelings and thoughts, Nar had yet to do so. He still had found no resolution for the two opposing needs…

“Almost there!” Jul said.

Nar roared mentally inside his own head, trying to drive everything except the thought of the incoming fight away from him.

He gripped his sword in a vice with both hands, and as soon as they exited the tight corridor, he spun to the left, shouting at the top of his lungs.

The guardian cast his blades like a net around him, and Nar jumped madly into its embrace.

His sword rose and fell, and Nar hacked and slashed into the enemy.

His sight blurred, seeing nothing but the flashes of his swords, and the machine’s blades and limbs surrounding him.

Why? Why? WHY?

He threw his weight against the guardian and pushed it back from the door’s entrance to give space to the others.

WHY? WHY?

Blades snapped and cut around him, but his feet danced madly under the onslaught. His voice grew hoarse with shouting and he pounded the guardian, again and again.

It was hard not to use his skills. Kur had made them all promise to wait for his command, or a true emergency, before they spent any of their precious stamina, and so far, weeks later, Nar was still yet to try his new [Quickening] skill.

Not that it mattered. The machine quivered and sputtered under his fury.

Why does she trust me? Why does she protect us?

Nar drew heavy and dumb arcs with his sword, ripping out legs and blowing junks of the guardian’s main body.

Why doesn’t she care about her own damn life?

His mouth tasted of salt.

Someone patted his back.

Suddenly, the guardian vanished, replaced instead by a group of workers. They surrounded him. They laughed at him. One of them grabbed him from behind. But Nar wasn’t weak anymore.

Stepping low and twisting free of that grasping hand, his sword swung, thirsty and vengeful.

“Nar!”

He stopped dead.

The workers disappeared and the yellow lit corridor faded back into view. Jul held her hands up to him, her eyes wide. His sword had stopped just inches from her wrist and past it, her neck.

“It’s… It’s dead, Nar,” Jul said, in a very small but steady voice.

Nar didn’t move. He didn’t even breathe.

“It’s okay,” she said.

The horror of what he had almost done seized him, and he took a step back, tripping over the broken guardian.

“No, listen, it’s okay. Really,” she said, chasing him.

She gently lowered his weapon, her eyes never leaving his.

Something inside him cracked, and his chest seized as an unfamiliar pain spread through him. Hot streaks of shame and fear ran down his face.

She raised her hands to him and quickly, but gently, wiped away his tears.

“Shhhh, it’s okay,” she said. “Turn around, now. The others will see.”

Nar allowed himself to be turned, and clutched his chest. It was like something was trying to explode out of him.

“Crystal, man!” Tuk said. “You killed it by yourself?”

Nar discreetly wiped the remainder of his tears, pretending it was sweat. Then, he looked beyond Jul and found the party staring at him.

“Damn…” Mul mouthed, staring at the broken guardian.

“Did you get hurt?” Cen asked him.

“No… Yes!” he said, letting go of his chest, and hiding the pain that still ravaged him. “But it's fine! More importantly, the poison…”

But the tight corridor they had come from was gone. There was just a blank wall in its place.

“Looks like we survived,” Kur said, frowning at the wall. “It really goes to show that anything can happen.”

“Exploding poisonous guardians,” Gad said, shaking her head.

“That’s some creativity,” Tuk muttered.

The hollow sound of something popping open made them all jump.

“What is that?” Cen asked.

Nar looked behind him, down at the guardian. Something was flashing orange within it.

With a start, he realized that he hadn’t received an experience gain notification.

A shrill sound reverberated around them, coming from the two broken, but still very much functioning guardians.

“Shut it up!” Kur shouted, eyes wide.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Nar swung down his sword at the broken machine until the noise was silenced with a strangled squeak. Gad did the same for the other one.

You have defeated one Guardian Lookout 1. 178 experience points have been awarded.

You have defeated one Guardian Lookout 1. 37 experience points have been awarded.

No level up, and only meager gains. However, that was not the crucial bit.

Lookout? Nar thought, with growing dread.

“What was that?” Mul asked. “What was that?”

“Hush!” Kur said. “You know exactly what it was!”

An identical sound echoed from the darkness behind Nar. And then another, from the front. It grew into a roaring assault that pounded them from both sides.

“We need to get out of here!” Kur said, shouting at the top of his lungs. “Jul? Which way?”

The girl had all four of her hands pushed against her antennae, but at his question, she pointed to the right side of the corridor, where the path led to, with a shaky finger.

“Ok! Let’s go!”

Nar started running, but soon noticed that Jul had fallen behind. She was crumpled against the wall, breathing hard and still covering her antennae.

The noise. Is it getting to her? Or is she just scared?

At the same time, even under assault by the shrill alarm klaxons, he became aware of a rhythmic tic-tic-tic sound quickly approaching them.

“Shit!”

He lunged at her, pushing his shoulder into her chest, and hoisted her up. Then he spun, and dashed after the rest of the party.

The sounds of pursuit grew behind him, and his [Instinct] screamed an incoherent mass of somethings he couldn’t make sense of.

“They must have been scouts!” Tuk shouted. “Maybe that’s why they went down so easily!”

“And here I thought we were just getting better or something,” Mul said. “Fuck my life, eh?”

They reached a triple fork in the road and came to a crashing halt.

“What now?” Kur said, looking back at him.

Nar stared behind them, one arm holding on to Jul, the other, his sword. “She’s out of it!”

So far, he didn’t see any guardians yet, but they were gaining on them.

“But which way?” Kur pressed.

“You fucking decide!” Nar said, glaring at him. He looked past him to the path that turned to the left. “Are we going to run in the fucking dark or what?”

The noise was starting to get to him too. Maybe his [Hearing] wasn’t as perfect as he had thought it was. And his [Instinct] was going mental.

It made no sense. There was nothing attacking him at that exact moment.

“This way!” Gad said, making the decision for everyone.

She stomped to the left and followed along the yellow arrows.

For the second time that day, they ran for their lives. Up and down stairs, through tight and long corridors.

Through it all, Nar held onto Jul with a hold that was gentle, but secure. She whimpered and mumbled of things that set his blood to boil, her limp body bobbing up and down in tune with his steps.

“You’re okay!” he kept saying. “Everything’s going to be okay!”

Soon, the sounds of pursuit got as loud as the sirens.

Nar couldn’t be sure of it, but he felt the ground shaking underneath him.

Tuk looked back at Nar, with a face drained of blood. “They’re getting closer!”

Nar knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help resist looking.

His scream died in his throat.

The darkness behind them was no longer the mere absence of light. It was a living, pulsing mass of tangled limbs and flashing blades. From floor to ceiling, it was all guardians. A dark current about to shred them to pieces.

“Nar… Nar…”

“It’s okay, I got you!” he said. “I’ll keep you safe!”

“No… Ahead!”

Ahead?

The walls disappeared and they ran through an immense darkness.

He looked around him, stunned at the sudden change, but he saw nothing dangerous around them.

Behind him, the sounds multiplied and he knew without looking that the guardians were flooding out of the corridor, expanding like a pileslide about to engulf them.

“Nar!” Jul said. “In front of us!”

Maybe it was her warning, maybe it was his [Instinct].

However, he sensed it.

“Stop”, he said. “STOP!”

But it was too late.

Gad charged head first into it, and only managed a few steps before she dropped to the floor.

She did not move again.

“What’s happening?” Kur asked, coming to a halt.

“Grab her feet!” Nar said. “Pull her out!”

“Out of what?” Tuk asked.

“Ugh!” Nar groaned.

He didn’t have time to explain.

Still holding onto Jul, he stored his sword, and bent down to drag the tank back to him. The heat burned his face, and he pulled with all his [Strength]. Thankfully, Viy snapped out of it, and helped him get Gad back to safety.

He lowered Jul to the floor, as the others flocked to Gad.

The scout clung to his leg, looking catatonic.

“It’s Pressure!” he explained. “There’s a wall of it!”

Even now, the guardians rushed them.

“How do we get past it?” Kur asked.

“I don’t know!” Nar said. “I can’t sense any openings!”

“They’re coming!” Mul shouted.

He stepped in front of the party, his knuckles ready.

Viy too, took position next to him.

Crystal… There’s no way we’re fighting that, Nar thought, staring at the dark tide that grew beyond Mul and Viy.

He kneeled and gently patted Jul’s head.

“Jul, can you hear me?”

“Kur, help me!” Tuk said. “I’m not strong enough to lift her!”

“Jul?” Nar said, focusing only on her. “We’re trapped. There’s a wall of Pressure and I can’t sense a way through. We need your help.”

“Anytime now!” Mul said.

“Lift her up!” Kur grunted at Tuk.

“Jul? Don’t worry. I’m here for you. And I’m going to take you with me. I’m not leaving you behind.”

Her big eyes latched onto his, and for a moment, she just stared at him. The strangest, softest of touches tickled him at his core.

“Jul?”

“That way,” she said, pointing to the right. “You will sense it.”

“Thank you!”

He scooped her into his arms.

“Come on! Follow me!”

He ran along the wall of Pressure, and the heat emanating from the invisible trap burned the left side of his body.

“There!” he said. “There’s a gap! But…”

“That’s it…” Jul managed.

Nar examined the hole with his senses again. They could go in, alright. But there was no way out. The hole was open on one side only. They would die in there, trapped between the Pressure and the Guardians.

“Trust me!” Jul suddenly shouted.

Here goes nothing!

Not like there was anything else he could do.

“We’re getting too far from the light!” Cen warned, from behind him. “We can’t see like you!”

Damn it!

Nar looked from the gap in the Pressure wall, to Cen’s vague outline in the darkness. Her hands were stretched in front of her, grasping in blind panic.

The others were barely visible as outlines. Even to his [Sight], the darkness was too much.

“Just follow the sound of my voice. Walk straight! I’ll tell you when… Stop! Cen, turn to the left and walk ten steps! Kur, Tuk, just five steps for you!”

He searched the darkness around him for Mul and Viy, and found them with their backs to the party, covering them with weapons at the ready. Beyond them, the glistening tide of guardians was about to sweep them.

“Guys! Come on!” he shouted.

“You first!” Mul said.

“There’s no need for that!” Nar said, stepping back. “I’m already inside. Just get over here!”

The two DPS made a run for it.

“What do we do now?” Kur asked, once they had joined them.

“Just wait,” Jul said.

The quam seemed to have returned to her senses somewhat, and so Nar lowered her to the floor, and stared at the incoming tide.

In the darkness, he couldn’t make more than the vague outlines and flashes of their twisting limbs and blades. And he knew that what he saw, was only a tiny portion of the guardians he heard.

The floor rumbled and though he felt his hammering heartbeat, its sound was drowned by the rush of grinding metal and pounding limbs.

“Jul?” Kur asked.

“Just wait,” Nar replied instead of her. If she said to wait, they would wait.

He trusted the girl that held onto him, clutching onto his leg with all four arms as though he was her lifeline in the dark.

It was strange, how quickly she had gone from the strong Jul consoling him, to the terrified Jul seeking his safety.

He balled his hands into fists.

He had almost hurt her. Maybe even worse.

He had to sort out the mess in his head, before he ended up doing something he regretted…

The noise grew so loud, that it reminded him of the Drop, at the beginning of every season.

It grew until it drowned even his thoughts, for which he was grateful.

He was sick of them.

He just wanted to Climb and built a path that was strong enough to save his dad. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

Suddenly, he both felt and sensed the change.

The sweltering heat at his back vanished, moving to in front of him instead.

His [Instinct] confirmed to him that the way they had come in from was now blocked, and the way behind, opened.

There were no words in the warnings. Just sensations. Or maybe promises. Of his skin peeling back. His flesh melting off his bones, and of his bones cracking and blackening, until his skeleton broke and collapsed. His whole being would be reduced to nothing in under a minute inside that wall of Pressure.

He gasped at the promise of his death.

He couldn’t tell whether his brain had come up with the images and sensations, or if it had been his [Instinct]. So far, he had never experienced a warning as vivid as that.

Suddenly, beyond the Pressure, the guardians came to a halt.

It was not a screeching, banging, chaotic mess of a halt. But a complete and absolute immediate stillness.

Nar looked up.

A wall of guardians rose beyond what he could see, high, high above his head. Their limbs were frozen in place, blades glistening and pointing at them.

“Fuck,” Mul whispered, in the sudden silence.

Just how many guardians were there?

Hundreds?

Thousands?

More?

All of them frozen in a perfect synchrony, in a darkness that belayed an enormous space around them.

What am I doing here? Nar suddenly thought.

This was no place for sentients. No place that his eyes should have ever seen.

Was their sin truly that grave, that enormous, that it warranted all of this?

Was all this just to test them, to ensure they paid for their sins in full, and that their faith was real?

Or did the Crystal just hate them that much?

Somehow, he couldn’t bear to believe any of those things… And yet, the sight before him defied explanations. Or any plausible justification for its mind shattering scale.

Jul’s grip tightened around his leg.

Her gaze was locked somewhere above them. Somewhere much further than his own senses and [Instinct] could go. Her eyebrows were pushed apart, and her mouth was a small o in her face.

She looked so small down there, clutching him.

They all looked so small beneath that wall of guardians.

It was a while before Nar noticed that it was brighter. That the light reflecting off the guardians was coming from a single, bright yellow arrow in the middle of that Pressure square.

It cast deep, shadowed expressions on their faces.

“The arrow. Do we follow it?” Kur asked Jul.

She nodded.

“Through the Pressure walls?”

She nodded again.

Kur turned his back to the guardians and regarded the endless darkness before them.

“Alright. Through the Pressure we go, then.”