Icy wetness washed over Dania's feet, running up the length of her legs to soak her clothes to her waist before pulling back. As it retreated, the sand on which she lay shifted, washing out from under her.

She shivered, then blinked against the grit that coated her eyelashes. The water swamped her body again, and spurred her into sitting up.

I'm on a beach? Why am I on a beach?

It was dark out, and have been overcast because when Dania looked up, she couldn't see a single star or any indication of the moon. Still, she could see better than she would have expected, for the white wave-tops glistened as they rushed toward her.

With a groan as sore muscles protested, Dania got up to her feet and looked around. The beach upon which she stood fronted a sheer cliff wall that she didn't think she could climb. She stared out toward the water, but found only emptiness. Not even a single buoy light.

I guess I walk along this beach, then?

Without any better ideas, she shrugged and started that way.

I'm in a dream, she remembered, feeling a surge of triumph that recollection had come that much quicker to her. I'm in a dream and I need to find Jake, and then we can tackle whatever surprises this floor has in store for us. He's got to be just down this strand...

As she walked, the beach seemed to stretch. Dania narrowed her eyes and picked out a particular curve in the cliff ahead, but as she walked, it never seemed to draw closer. Worse, the sand continually shifted under her feet, growing softer and softer with each step, almost as if it were pulling her down under itself.

"Jake!" she called out, more to relieve the increasingly eerie quiet than for any other reason. "Jake! Are you here? Can you hear me?"

Splash.

Dania froze, her heart thudding in her chest. She swallowed against the fear suddenly clawing its way up her throat and turned to look back the way she'd come.

"Jake! Is that you? Don't mess around with me, kiddo!"

Nothing but the beach curving away into the darkness, and the softly rhythmic shusshing of the waves washing up onto the sand.

Something is out there, her mind first whispered, and then screamed. Something is out there! Run!

Dania spun in the sand, tripping on the uncertain footing and nearly falling on her face. She windmilled her arms, throwing her body forward and barely managing to keep herself upright. She glanced over her shoulder as she thought she heard something sliding across the sand, but once again, nothing was there.

Fuck this. I'm out.

"Jake!" she screamed, or tried to. Her words got stuck at the top of her throat, and the only sound that came out was a croaking whisper. She lurched forward, driving her legs against the sand that pulled her deeper with every step.

It was like moving through molasses. She pumped her arms, then bent and scrabbled against the sand with them, as if that might help her claw her way forward faster. She fell to her knees. Once more, she tried to scream. Once more, she failed to break the silence.

There!

That time, she heard it with no mistake. Something slithered across the sand, splashing through the waves as they rushed in. With a wrench, Dania broke free of the paralysis and hauled herself forward an inch, two inches…

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she sucked in air in rapid-fire, panicked gasps. Jake! I have to get to Jake. Whatever is out here can't find him! I have to get to him first, I have to protect him!

Dania sucked in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and with every particle of her being, she willed her voice to work. "JAKE!"

Her cry rang out, echoing back to her off the cliffs.

Something hit the sand beside her, spraying grit into her face. She spat and opened her eyes to see a figure silhouetted against the sky, bending down to help her up.

"Dani," Jake said. "Oh shit, are you okay?"

"Jake," Dania whispered as he hauled her up to her feet. "Behind you!"

Because finally, now that Jake had arrived, Dani could see it. The creature loomed against the featureless sky, somehow even darker than the surrounding monochrome landscape of cliffs, sea, and sky. It looked something like Hush, but its face truly was featureless, no glowing eyes, no jagged shark's grin. A row of pointy spines jutted out from its back, and thin tendrils of shadow hung down from its torso and chin like some demented version of body and facial hair.

Jake turned, pulling his deck and playing his mantle. And just like that, Dania remembered that she had cards, too. She threw out a Scimitar Cat for lack of a better option, and tried to focus on the card for the monster—

"Congratulations. You have unlocked the secret achievement: Fear That Follows. You have gained 50 experience points. You have leveled up. You are now level ten."

Dania willed the words away and snarled as she forced her eyes to lock onto the shifting, not-quite-right way the monster looked. Finally, finally, the card appeared over top, telling Dania what she needed to know.

Fear Monger

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Shadow / Psychic [Dream, Shadowling]

Dungeon Monster

Health: 13

Attack: 1

Defense: 1

Magical Attack: 8[Psychic*]

Magical Defense: 7

Special: Amorphous: Each physical hit to this creature always inflicts exactly 1 damage

Special: Dream Eater: Every hit from this creature to a deckbearer, mortal, or sentient card that does at least 5 actual damage will steal a fear from the user. They will lose the fear, but the creature gains 1 to all its stats (including health) from each hit. If the creature is not destroyed within a week of stealing a fear, a deckbearer will lose 1 level.

Special: Fear Feeder: If this creature has stolen a fear, and it strikes the same target, it may return the fear voluntarily—empowered. The target loses a round of action for every 3 damage taken as they are overwhelmed by their own magnified fears.

Special: Dream Card: If this creature is slain, it will drop an uncommon card 20% of the time, and a rare one 5% of the time. If that card drops, 50% of the time it will be a [Dream] card.

Special: Nightmare Embodied: If a target that suffered at least a round of Fear from the Fear Feeder ability destroys this card, there is a 10% additional chance any gained card is upgraded to legendary.

“Even the bad things that make up you are still you.”—Machairi, son of Nyx.

#

Panic crawled up the inside of Dania's throat again, but she shoved it down, gritting her teeth until she could think straight.

"This thing's got the same fear-stealing ability as the Dread monster outside," Jake said. "Only it's worse because it only takes chip damage."

"I can't fight it." Dani swallowed hard against the panic as her Scimitar Cat yowled in pain and disintegrated back into tawny light. "I don't have any magical attacks."

"I do," Jake said, and touched a card. Machairi leapt forth from the deck, knives flashing in the odd flat light, and drove both blades upward into the crouching Fear Monger's chest.

The Fear Monger grabbed Machairi. Its clawed hands raked down the young companion's back, rending his skin in great shadowy furrows that leaked darkness in a nightmare parody of blood.

Dania gritted her teeth. I can't do anything! She scanned her cards again, and threw out one of her Dire Wolf Trackers. Maybe it could only do chip damage, but maybe that might give Machairi or Jake time for another magical attack?

One of Jake's Shadow Goblins appeared beside them and took off in a low, skittering run as it maneuvered to get into position for its backstab attack.

The monster didn't seem to notice either of the new cards. It raked its claws down Machairi's back again, eliciting another scream that clenched Dania's insides. She half crouched, ready to attack the thing herself when Machairi's scream morphed into something else.

Laughter.

With darkness flowing like water from the deep rents in his body, Jake's companion raised his knives again and drove them deep into the creature's throat. This time, though, Machairi didn't just stab, he then pulled his blades apart, ripping them to the sides and severing the Fear Monger's spine—or whatever equivalent it used. The featureless head wobbled, and then fell to the beach as the looming figure toppled and dissolved into purple-black mist.

Machairi, too, collapsed into a swirl of black light and spun back to Jake's chest.

Everything stopped. Time stood still. Even the waves rushing up onto the beach paused for one long, silent second.

"Congratulations. You have defeated the Fear Monger. You have gained 50 experience points."

The sounds of the ocean returned in a rush. Dania let out her breath in an explosive exhale and bent from the waist as her entire body shook with tremors.

"Dani?" Jake asked, concern heavy in his voice. Dania felt his hand come down on her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay? Did it get you?"

"N-no. Maybe. Not physically. I just… I couldn't move fast enough. I couldn't get to you! And when I tried, I couldn't scream."

She took a deep breath and straightened up, willing the trembling to subside.

Jake nodded. "I experienced something similar. But I wasn't paralyzed, I was just slow. And it broke as soon as I heard you scream. All of a sudden, I could run…and there you were, in front of me."

"I'm so glad," Dania said. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone. How… did you escape it, though? Did Machairi kill whatever second monster waited for you?"

"No, when I landed in the sand, Machairi was back in my deck. I didn't send him there. I think the dungeon reset me. I had to do the same thing when I first arrived at the frat party." As he said it, Jake nodded his head at the companion card now floating in front of him. The black spiral of light followed, resolving into Machairi standing on the sand, hip cocked, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Nice work, Creepy. You okay?" Dania said, relief washing over her as he seemed to be just as he should.

"Of course," Machairi said, as if being shredded to death by a nightmare monster was simply a minor inconvenience. "That was fun. What is next?"

"Onlllly one monsssssterrrr lurksss herrre," Hush said, stepping out from the gloom at the bottom of the cliff. "It issssollllatesss itsss preyyy byyy illlussssionn. Youuu werrre togethherrr the whollle time, youuu jussst couldn't ssseee it untilll my deckbearrrerrr brrrokee the illusssion with her willll. Byyy turrrning to fiiight, youu both unlocked the floor'sss ssssecret."

"Then why didn't I feel the same paralyzing fear as Dani?" Jake asked.

"I shhhielllded youuu."

Jake frowned, his eyes narrowing. "Why me? I thought you liked Dani better?"

Hush's face split in his shark-toothed grin. "I knew prrrotecting youuu woulld make herrr happiesssst."

Dania's eyebrows shot up, and she turned to look at Hush. "You… protected Jake because you knew I couldn't?"

"Nooo."

She shook her head. "I don't understand."

Machairi stepped forward. "What my mother's servant is trying to say is that he knew you could protect my deckbearer, but it would be more difficult for you. So he did it until you could, guardian."

"But why?"

Machairi shrugged. "He likes you. Right, Hush?"

"Yessss."

"I—" Dania started, but then broke off with a shrug. "You were right. I will always choose for you to protect Jake instead of me, Hush. Thank you."

"You are welllcome, my deckbearrerrr."

Dania met Jake's eyes and shrugged again. She wasn't sure about the "my deckbearer" bit, but she figured she could deal with that later. She wanted off this creepy-ass beach.

"So, can we walk now? Because I'd really like to move on—"

"Hold up, Dani," Jake said. "What level are you now?"

"Um…ten?" She concentrated for a moment, bringing up her status summary. "Yeah, ten."

"Me too. I leveled when we turned to fight the monster. I think we should be halfway to eleven, which is awesome. But we should spend our pips before we go any further. Since we've defeated the floor. Plus, we've got three new cards and a card pack to look at."

"Are we safe to do that here? Hush?"

"Forrr the momennntt."

"Okay." Jake dropped down to the sand and sat, cross legged. He reached into the inner pocket of his winter coat and pulled out the three cards he'd gotten from the Drunken Frat Bros on the previous floor. "Dani," he said. "You should probably be the one to go pick up the card pack from the Fear Monger. With your Fossil Bloom benefit, you might be able to gain something that fits your Lost World cards if you open it."

"Sure," Dania said, suppressing a shiver. Jake is right. Better to level up and get stronger now before moving on. Better the creepy beach you know, right?

She pushed these thoughts away and went over to where Machairi still stood. A foil-covered pack lay half-buried in the sand next to his boots. Dania bent to retrieve the pack, and then met Machairi's eyes.

"Thanks," she said. "For the assist. Earlier. I had nothing that would work against that guy."

Machairi inclined his head. "My pleasure, guardian. We are a team."

Dania smiled, surprising herself. "So we are, Creepy. So we are. But teammates can show appreciation, right? So thanks."

"You are welcome."

"Dani! Come see!" Jake said, excitement threading through his tone. Dania rejoined him, crouching down on the sand to look over his shoulder at the cards he held.