By the time Kaden and Wren made it to the Guild, Sara was frantic. “We have to go now. We’re going to be—Wren!”

They were neither late nor Wren, though Kaden took to walking ahead of the group with Trinity on one side, Skully on the other, and Vip in his arms. Vip had four legs and never saw a reason to use them if she could be held.

At the FarPortal, they gathered while Sara handed over coordinates. Kaden pulled Trinity and Vip into his soul and stepped through, emerging in the blessed warmth of the Southern Continent. Here, trees were green and flowers covered a woodland meadow, though in the distance, the crash of waves betrayed the sea.

And a group of six [Mages], none of them over level twenty-two.

And Ignus Malachor, head of the Mage’s Tower in Verona. The head mage wore a deeply impractical hat that rose in a cone high above his head and trailed small wisps of smoke, like he was warming his brain. His robes were decorated with crystaline blue designs. He stood, arms crossed, looking like an angry mage scarecrow more than a Centurion. “Finally!”

Sara rushed to greet him. “Ready and reporting. Is this our escort group?”

“Just so.” Ignus looked to the Mages. “You understand the parameters of your assignment. I expect to see at least one of you alive at Trunistan, but remember, your rewards go up as more of you make it. You won’t always have [Shields], [Summoners] or [Healers] to protect you. You’ll never have another [Beast Master]. They will not coddle you. Your power is the only thing you can truly count on. Go on, go through. If you can’t survive at the entrance alone, you have no hope of the caverns.”

One by one, the men and women stepped up to the FarPortal and disapppeared in a flash of light.

“You took long enough,” Ignus said.

“Sorry, we were busy,” Kaden answered. “Encountering an undead dragon in another dimension.”

“If I had a copper for every time I’ve heard that, I’d have a copper. This group is fragile. I half-way expect them to implode, but if they don’t, any of them could be the most powerful mage of their college for a generation. These caverns are trials, and has been for centuries. Any [Mage] must be able to make wise decisions about battles to survive.”

Trella laughed. “Wise decisions. When they’re tempted with power?”

“Exactly!” Ignus said. “I’ve seen successful groups avoid all combat. They survive, weaker, but they survive. Do not, under any circumstance, interfere with their decisions. Anything twenty-five or over is yours to kill if you desire, you won’t encounter higher than thirty in the caverns this group can reach.”

Trella raised a hand. “What if they do something stupid and get lost?”

“Let them starve. Your job is to protect them from monsters, not poor planning.” Ignus nodded to the portal. “They’ll be eager to take the first monsters, and a basic rule of [Mages] is that anything your power allows is permitted. Perhaps I’ll see you in Trunistan?”

“You will. Everyone through the FarPortal.” Sara brought up the rear instead of Eve, since FarPortalling was handled by the Mage’s Tower in this case. Kaden sent Skully through and followed without hesitation.

You have entered the Fire Domain: Krakatoa Cavern System.

Fire Mana Surge!

All Fire skill cost reduced 50%.

All Fire skill damage reduced 50%.

“Those two seem contradictory,” Eve said as she stepped through the Portal. “Unless it’s for grinding. I supposed first tier mages could raise their skills through repetition alone.”

“Where are our mages?” Sara asked.

Kaden hadn’t stopped marveling. Unlike Omnor, the ceiling was clearly visible and lined with veins of brilliant red. The floors were smooth basalt split by rivers of flame. In the distance, molten rock blazed. The air wasn’t still, but pulsing, the breath of a beast the size of the world, dry as the desert and hot.

“[Create Water] is going to be worth its weight in gold here,” Trella said.

“Found them!” Sara called.

Kaden hurried toward her.

The young mages had gathered around a pool of lava and were working to kill a worm which spat blazing balls of molten rock at them. They truly worked as a team, electrifying the beast, then hitting it with water spells, then stone to shatter the freshly cooled skin. What fun they had with magic. Ashi—

Kaden looked for her. She kneeled by the FarPortal, her skin flaring red. “Sara!”

Sara ran to meet them. “Do you need healing?”

“These wraps are not sufficient,” Ashi said. “I am being overflowed with Fire Mana. This is not like Vichor, it is like drinking from a waterfall.”

“Your skin is glowing,” Sara said. “Get out of here, meet us in Trunistan. This isn’t safe.”

“It is my duty to go with you,” Ashi protested.

Kaden had seen what happened when Ashi went into overload. “It’s your duty to protect yourself, or you won’t be able to protect us. Are there better wraps to shield you from mana?”

“Perhaps. I will seek them. Then, I will seek you.” Ashi stepped through the FarPortal and winked out of existence.

“Sara, they’re on the move!” Eve called.

Kaden rushed with her to try and setup a perimeter—when Trella burst into existence from a shadow. “There you are!”

Trella took a regen potion from Inventory and downed it. “Ignus gave me a Quest, since I’m not second tier and can’t collect Faction Tokens. I have a second [Mapping Scroll] and the Quest is to cover the caverns. There’s no limit or requirement. Whatever we map is good.”

That made perfect sense. It would ensure Trella participated and make her keen on picking up Faction Quests when she hit twenty five. Kaden studied the map. “Is there really no limit?”

“There probably is. We know which way this group is heading. I’ll stay near the group by day, but at night I want freedom to range. I can take care of myself.” Trella said the last like a defense. “This place has one of those things you talk about. An Ecosystem. I figured out the prey in this area and I have decent idea of the predators.”

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“Then we tell everyone else, too.”

Wren was waiting and watching everyone, even though she didn’t wear armor or carry a weapon. “They’re getting too close on the far side. Call them back?”

Sara shook her head. “Only if the mobs are twenty five or over, and then we kill them before they can cause problems. Stay behind Kaden, you’ll be fine.”

“Trella, Sara, come here.” Wren dug in her Inventory and pulled out nickel orbs. “You can only wear one. They won’t interfere with [Stealth]. They’re ranged attack defense and close combat offense. I made them from the corpses of [Mechanion] minions.”

Sara activated one. It glowed a brilliant blue and began to circle her. “Oh, they’re so pretty. Can you change the color?”

“Not without changing the mana. Artificers create enchanted artifacts, but at my level we have to start from something at least moderately enchanted. Like, say, [Mirror Shields.]” Wren said the last to Sara. “You have any idea where I can get one?”

Sara paused. “You have to understand, you’re not active as part of the Party. I can’t just give you ten [Mirror Shields].”

“Ten!” Wren’s excitement was close to exploding. “I’ll do anything.”

“Ten [Mirror Shields.] I need someone to carry something for us. Uh…that stick. Mind you, that stick must make it to the end of the caverns,” Sara said, pointing to a glittering piece of broken tree branch. “Do we have a deal?”

“Hey!” Trella shouted. “Our Mage-Babies have gone off script. They’re heading exactly the wrong direction, and they’re heading there fast.”

Kaden took off sprinting, trusting the others to catch up. He hurdled rivers of flame and when a three foot eyeball burst from the ground to ambush him, a [Shield Bash] from the Eldritch Shield knocked it backards and into fire.

Most of the creatures here were immune to fire.

Not eyeballs.

It exploded in a gout of steam as Kaden caught sight of the mages. He wasn’t aware they could move that fast, until a glimpse of a blue glow gave him a clue. Sara had a buff called [Speeding Wind], and the mages were exchanging buffs.

[Moment of Speed] wasn’t a movement buff exactly, but Kaden poured mana into it. Then dropped into [Stealth Aura] to see exactly what was worth risking permanent death.

After nearly twenty minutes of dodging monsters, the Mages slowed. They’d reached something different. A hole in the floor led downward, and bright white light sparkled upward from it. Kaden slowed, focusing on steady movement and letting [Stealth Aura] do the rest. From a few dozen yards away, Kaden took a tin of [Echo Beetles] from Inventory and commanded one to fly over and cling to a robe. Another went in Kaden’s ear.

“—won’t have long. They’ll find us. When they arrive, say we held the map scroll upside down. Do you all know what to do?” That was the tall woman in the center, some sort of nocto mage.

The group exchanged agreement and one by one, cast [Hover] and dropped down.

Except for the Nocto Mage and a Life Mage.

“Can we really all get a starfire crystal?” The life mage asked.

“You and I can each get three. Everyone else can get one for us. It only works if we stick to the rotation. Don’t collapse the healing until I call for it, or it’ll be obvious exactly what happened.” The Nocto Mage leaped down, followed by the Life Mage.

Kaden studied the area they’d dropped into. White crystals grew from ground like snow in mounds around a fozen lake. At the center of the lake stood a throne of jagged crystal, and hovering atop it was a fairy. She glowed with power and hovered on butterfly wings, holding orbs of power in her outstretched hands. So many stories spoke of their beauty and how their touch would ruin a man for the pleasures of flesh.

The people telling those stories had never stood near a creature that exuded power like this. Whose gaze was not alluring, but alien, measuring each of them not as a person but as a possible snack.

Tavern Tales had prepared Kaden for this moment, and yet he couldn’t help being awestruck. Not so awestruck he couldn’t send the Falcrow to Sara, and will Skully to come to him carefully. If he didn’t add the last bit, the skeleton might surge straight through the fire.

Bones would burn.

Three minutes later, the shadows exploded as Trella appeared. “I’m out of mana but now I know where you are.”

“Out you say?” Kaden opened [Mana Well.] “Fairly sure you’re not.”

“Be right back with the others. Also—oh, this is the edge. This is an edge of the caverns.” Trella drew her map and studied it. “Stay put, if they get killed, so be it.”

Kaden listend to the Echo Beetle as the Nocto Mage began calling out casting orders. The fairy burst from her throne and began to summon crystals the size of Kaden’s arm, blasting them.

Their strategy was genius. Three of the party used [Speeding Wind] to keep everyone buffed. The other three rotated fire and electricity blasts combined with Nocto Mana that lashed out to slice deep into the boss.

“Kaden—Oh.” Sara was out of breath and from her tone, out of patience. “Hidden boss and they knew about it.”

“It grants starfire crystals,” Kaden said. “And those two are going to engineer a party wipe after the boss is burned down to claim all the crystals. The healer will stop healing and the rest will snowball.”

Sara studied the boss. “It’s level twenty five, but they chose to engage. If you’d gone in first, they wouldn’t have been allowed to.”

“So we wait and I rez?” Eve asked.

“Oh, hell no,” Trella said. “That rewards the kind of ass-hattery that will follow them their whole career. Eve, can you tell who’s the tail of the Healer chain?”

“That one, Wind Mage,” Eve said.

“Life Transfusion is messy,” Trella said. “Can you hide it?”

Eve’s smug smile was answer enough. “Look at them. They’re taking crystal shards to the legs. I don’t need to hide it. They’ll be so bloody if they can tell, I’ll give one of them a hug.”

Trella looked to the boss. “Am I clear to move in and observe?”

“Your call.” Sara studied the rotation. “If they detect you, you’re simply doing your job. You’re guarding them. If they turn on you, I will personally educated them on the mistake.”

Trella dispeared in a shadow, while Kaden wrapped Eve in [Stealth Aura], and Wren hid behind a pile of bones. Skully came trudging up and stopped at the edge, staring down. He couldn’t be hidden, but Kaden had a plan.

The skeleton didn’t speak. For all the Mages knew, it had simply been commanded to follow them. Particularly if he didn’t move until they left, the Mages would never know.

*This is a near perfect rotation,* Trella sent. *I’ve recorded every buff and every cycle. Someone knew about this boss and specifically selected skills to defeat it. They’ve been building toward this, which means whatever those gems do is a massive reward.*

*Good, hold your position, Eve’s watching for healing drop.* Sara handled the coming betrayal with perfect aplomb.

“Boss is nearly down,” Eve said aloud. “It’ll be any moment.”

If Eve hadn’t pointed it out, Kaden probably wouldn’t have noticed. The Life Mage simply stopped casting every second heal. Eve began casting more rapidly than he’d ever seen. Small heals, the least heals. She could trigger the lesser versions of her skills, although there was rarely reason to.

“Boss is going Nova!” The NoctoMage shouted out.

Kaden triggered [Mana Drain] and still couldn’t stop the explosion that raced outward, throwing all the mages to the ground. Eve quietly kept healing—then stopped.

The Nocto Mage’s eyes widened as the other six rose and took health potions, followed by Mana Potions. She looked to the Life Mage, who shook her head in fear.

The Crystal Domain Boss Chrysantheum has been defeated.

You have gained a bonus: 2x Starfire Crystal.

*For some reason, I got a Quest Reward,* Kaden sent to the team. Wait. Mana Drain probably counted as damage.

One by one, the mages approached and took a crystal. The moment they touched it, the crystal throne turned solid black, and they shied away.

“There you are!” Sara shouted from above. She leaped down. “You six ran off and—oh, you’ve already defeated this boss. Excellent.”

“I got a [Starfire Crystal],” one of the [Wind Mages] said, holding it up.

Sara took out a messenger bird. “Oh, I bet you all got one. Ignus will be so happy, and you’ve discovered a great resource for other mages. Well done. Now, let’s get back to moving in the right direction.”

If looks were [Grip of Mortis], Sara would be dead, as the Nocto Mage seethed.

Sara waited until all the mages used [Hover] and then leaped up, gripping the ledge with the Cosmic Horror’s tentacles.

Skully turned and lumbered after them, while Kaden dropped down and collected his reward. “You, too, Eve. It says you have one.”

“You may claim it for me,” Eve said. “You’ve earned my trust many times.”

Kaden clasped a second one—then smiled as the corpse flared black, erupting into a dark version of the Fairy.

“Greed will be your undoing. Test me if you doubt this.” The illusion bobbed threateningly.

Kaden didn’t mind. Then it hit him. *Sara. They only did the first boss. There’s a second one if you’re willing to face it. A Tier Two version.*

“Coming!” Sara said. She leaped from the cavern edge, rolling as she landed “Our mages are exhausted. Wren’s having them make camp so she can check for Status effects and offer them defenses. I’ll take this battle.”

“Your challenge is accepted”, the Dark Fairy boss said. “Let it commence.”

Sara leaped—and almost lost her head as a sheet of sheer black crystal exploded across the opening, sealing her inside.

Eve stomped at it—and failed to make a scratch.

“Now, I will test you,” The Dark Fairy said, laughing. Her wings exploded out into ragged butterfly wings that smoked, and she swooped at Kaden.