The next thing Orion knew was pain.

Everything hurt.

Every inch of his body felt lanced by hot iron, and he struggled to open his eyes. It felt like there was gravel underneath his eyelids—he slowly blinked as tears flooded in. His vision cleared, and he saw something that swept all the pain away.

Arika was looking down at him with worry and tears in her eyes, but she was alive.

He smiled.

“Are all the moths dead?” His voice came out hoarse and dry.

“The moths? Who cares about the moths, you idiot! What did you do?”

“What do you mean? I used my swap on you and Gizmo. I got—” Orion’s explanation was cut short by a racking cough. “I got you both out of there because I couldn’t stand the thought of you dying…”

“That’s not how your Swap is supposed to work, Orion. You used it on yourself, then both of us? That is way out of the scope of that ability. I was watching you. Before I got teleported, your body looked like it was being pulled into strands. The air around you distorted, and the outline of your body unraveled.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I thought you were being pulled apart.”

“I feel like I was pulled apart.” He tried to sit up, but she pushed him back down. “It was probably just a trick of the light.”

Arika narrowed her Eyes. “It wasn’t a trick of the light. I could feel it, Orion. Something was trying to pull you apart. Tell me what you did... now.”

“She’s right, Orion.” Honeypot knelt down to look the still prone Orion in the eyes. “That was super cool, though. Can you tell me how you did it? Talk about a cool party trick.” Honeypot stood back up, puffing his chest out and putting on a deep voice. “For my next trick, I shall defy the very nature of reality and unravel myself from existence!”

“Shut up, Honeypot. This isn’t a joke.” Arika slapped Honeypot on the leg lightly. “What did you do, Orion? I know this world is full of magic and wonder, but that was unlike anything we’ve seen so far.”

“Honestly, I don’t really know…” Orion trailed off as he sat up and realized his head had been resting in Arika’s lap. His traitorous body was in so much pain he couldn’t even feel her beneath him. He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the rising blush. “Time slowed to a crawl for me after I swapped myself to Honeypot and Shadow’s position. I could feel the surrounding magic. Your Explosion swelled into existence, and I felt the lingering strands of my ability. I got so angry at the thought of you dying…” Orion felt the blood rushing to his face increase as Honeypot wiggled his eyebrows at him. “… at the thought of you and Gizmo dying. I kind of just… grabbed the strands of spatial magic I felt lingering, then I pulled both of you to me.”

“Spatial magic?” Shadow asked. “I thought we only used abilities. Did you unlock something else? How can you feel magic?”

“No. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Magic is the only word to describe it. I could feel whatever force it is that lets us use abilities, and I didn’t let it go. I grabbed onto it, and I forced it to do what I wanted.” He remembered the strange sensation of the void. “I accessed the power of the orb I chose in the trial—the same thing that powers my class. It helped me… somehow.”

“And almost pulled yourself apart as a result,” Arika accused.

He shrugged. “You were going to blow yourself up…”

“Th-there was no other choice.” She blushed. “I—I didn’t know what else to do—”

“I’m not telling you off,” he said with a smile. “I did the same thing with the gorilla, Gileal, remember?”

“Can you feel it now?” Shadow interrupted. “The Magic? Or the ‘void’ power you mentioned?”

“Nope. Nothing.” Orion smiled as Femera jumped into his lap and be began petting her.

Gizmo hummed oddly, drawing his attention.

“So it was you that relocated me out of the range of that no doubt painful and deadly explosion, Daddy?”

“Yes.” Orion was in too much pain to even be bothered by the nickname. “I swapped you away from the moths and the Explosion.”

“I presume that was to save my life, and thus help the party advance. Is that correct?”

“More or less.”

“My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined. Please do not talk to me for the foreseeable future, as I am currently disdainful of your very existence.”

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

The party watched as Gizmo strode away and into his tent, which was now just a sheet of canvas laying on the ground. They could see the outline of his form lay prone under the sheet. He let out a low, sad hum.

“Man, that little guy must have been really enjoying the beat down from those moths, huh?” Honeypot rubbed his chin. “It’s almost like you ruined his big climax.”

“Stop that.” Arika smacked Honeypot again. “We’ve already spoken about your phrasing.”

Honeypot grinned.

Orion slowly stood from his sitting position as the pain began to fade. He took in the surrounding clearing. The advancement of Arika’s Explosion to seven, alongside the augmented Invoke, had come with an unbelievable increase to firepower.

Not that it needed it…

Where it had previously left stone and rubble behind at the scene of her ability, there was now nothing left in an almost-perfect sphere from the point of the blast.

The earth beneath the explosion was smoothed of almost any blemishes, the pond removed from existence. Some rock and stone were visible, with only rounded nubs poking out of the earth. Most of the offending stone had been disintegrated.

He was glad no trees had been within range of the Explosion, as he had no doubt the trunks would have been similarly disintegrated—leaving a few metric-tonnes worth of tree to come crashing down. He stared at the staghorns still attached to the tree and narrowed his eyes.

“None of those are moths… right?”

“Not to worry, supreme leader. I already stabbed every single one of them while you were taking a nap. I can assure you, each and everyone one is a plant… I think.”

“I can’t believe we got tricked by plants…” Orion thought back to the single plant Honeypot had stabbed earlier. “We just happened to stab one that wasn’t a moth.”

Honeypot shrugged. “They’re great at camouflage. Lesson learned, and all it took was for you to almost accidentally unmake yourself.”

Orion looked for signs of any remaining moths in the crater. A wing, a leg, or even a leafy appendage… anything. There was nothing to be found, however. Not even a single drop of loot...

Almost seeming to sense Orion’s train of thought, Shadow stepped forward with a sheepish look on his face.

“There was a rare drop. While you were still unconscious, I couldn’t help but loot it. Here.” Shadow held out a pile of green dust.

“You don’t need to apologize. Loot away.” Orion smiled at the big man as he inspected the pile of dust.

Moon Dust

Epic

A microscopic, lightweight powder used by Moonleaf Moths to create illusions and bend light. This reagent can be combined by alchemists with other ingredients in order to make their effects airborne.

You would probably need to contact a skilled alchemist, though, on account of your talent… or lack thereof.

“Just out of curiosity, Shadow… when you inspect this, does it say anything about Alchemy… or imply that you have a lack of talent?”

“Uhhh… no?”

“Thought so.” Orion sighed. “No matter. I might be able to make something out of this to help against the Queen of the Forest. Can I see one of those fish, Honeypot?”

“Oooohhh, I don’t know.” He breathed in sharply. “These could be an extinct species now.” Honeypot gestured at the clear absence of the pond that had contained them. “Arika just committed fish-genocide, and I have a handful of intact specimen of said fish on my person.” He adopted a ponderous look. “I wonder how much I could get for them in town?”

“I’m too tired and sore for the song and dance, Honeypot. Please. Can I just see one of the fish?”

Honeypot pouted, but he handed Orion a fish. He took it gingerly, scared of being stung by the poisonous spines.

“Thank you. I might need the rest of them for a potion, but I’ll use as little as I can.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, man.” Honeypot waved his arms in an exaggerated gesture of dismissal. “I’m going to get some sleep. Wake me when it’s my turn for watch.” Not bothering to set his tent back up either, Honeypot strutted over and lay under the sheet of canvas that was previously erect.

Shadow and Arika set up the three remaining tents as Orion looked on, trying not to feel useless. It didn’t take long for pegs to be rammed back into the earth and ropes to be tightened.

“I can take first watch,” Arika said.

“Forget it, Arika. I’m still wired from that damn Stim leaf. You and Orion get some rest. I’ll wake Honeypot if I run out of energy.”

They both thanked Shadow. The Warrior walked to the center of the crater, carrying a chair with him and sitting down, looking up at the stars.

“Well… goodnight,” Orion said, turning and walking toward his tent.

“W-wait.”

Orion turned back to Arika. She was blushing and looking down, doing her best not to meet his eyes.

“Please don’t do that again, Orion. I was terrified thinking I had lost you. I-I don’t want to conquer this world without you.” Realizing what she had said, she rushed to continue. “A-and the rest of the party!” Her eyes looked up to meet Orion’s before they darted away again.

“Arika… why do you think I did it?” He sighed, running his hands through his hair. “I was so distraught at the thought of you dying that I accidentally broke the rules of this world and almost pulled myself apart as a result. I won’t lie to you and say I wouldn’t protect you, regardless of the cost. If that ever happens again, I would do the same thing. Even if I knew I would die, I would do the same thing. Call it selfish, but I can’t handle the idea of doing all of this without you.”

“That’s not good enough!” Arika’s outburst took Orion aback. “I don’t want to do this without you guys! Killing yourself to save us—it-it’s not fair…” Arika looked up, a single tear running down her cheek. “We have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. Together.”

Orion’s heart broke seeing her cry, and he would have given anything in that moment to cheer her up. Instead, he smiled.

“We will.”

She rushed forward, wrapping him in a fierce hug. Orion was shocked but pleasantly surprised, and he returned it. His body hurt where she squeezed his ribs, but he would sooner pass out from the pain than cause this moment to end. She was warm, and smelled of something floral. As quick as it arrived, it was over, and Arika untangled her arms from his. She pulled back, either unwilling or unable to meet his yes.

“Goodnight, Orion.”

“Goodnight, Arika.”

He watched her disappear into her tent before he turned and made for his own.

“Goodnight, lover boy,” Honeypot whispered into his ear.

Orion jumped and whirled on Honeypot.

“Are you ever not creeping?” he hissed.

“I will always be here for you.” Honeypot mimicked Arika’s voice and fluttered his lashes.

Orion felt embarrassment welling up as blood rushed to his cheeks. “I hate you so much.”

Honeypot was already crawling back under his collapsed tent. “Love you, babe.”