Three days later, the sting of the abbey still lingered. Sharkie could read it in all of their emotions—especially Kurtis’s. Waves of red agitation, tinged with blue shame and insecurity, were radiating from him, almost constantly.

Her Skills Menu called it Aura Sight, a new development of Acute Vision. Most of the time now the colors were there, just in the corner of her eye. But then she’d get hit with a blast of strong emotion and the world would warp like she was on drugs. And to top it all off, today it was pouring rain—hella hard. At least her pants fit the bill.

A sharp blast of something between disappointment and rage emanated from Matt as combat ended with the basilisk. The creature was the size of a large dog and looked like something between a snake and a bird. Sharkie closed her eyes and let the raindrops slide over them. The water was cold and her hair was plastered to her head. She touched the corpse, ignoring the loot window; she’d look at her inventory later.

Thunder rumbled in the distance. In the real world, she knew better than to stay outside during a storm. She had been raised with a healthy fear of getting struck by lightning. But her party gambled that it didn’t work that way here, and they were running out of time—especially her and Manuele. They had reached Level 16 but were only 12% through the level with four and a half days to go.

They lined up to pull the next pack of murder chickens a minute farther down the treeline. They seemed to be clustered at the edge of the woods. The quest was simple enough: kill 30 basilisks. Matt charged in, so she activated Enshadow.

Dark and cold rushed into her core, taking her back to the cottage and the stars. Her left palm itched as she stalked toward the enemies, the world a blurry deep purple, a dimension outside of their own.

What if I just stay here? The silken thought caressed her mind.

Matt slammed into the enemies before her, commanding their attention. The scene felt so distant, mere feet ahead. He fought with that impressive black bulwark, weaving stuns and attacks. He’d come a long way from the field with the squirrels. She supposed they all had. She rubbed her palm.

Matt slashed with his sword across three enemies, leaving a trail of red light like Manuele did with his swords. Then, as if called by her thinking it, her friend Blurred behind the leftmost enemy and raked across its back with his cutlasses. Blood slicked the swords as he pulled them away; a red smear ran down his jaw. Magic lit the air around them.

Sharkie watched with the strange sensation of it being in slow motion, somehow out of sync with her time. Sounds were muted in this outside realm. Weapons clanked dully; grunts and calls were barely audible. No rain fell upon her yet it was all around. No emotions broke through the veil.

Sharkie delved into the quiet of her mind, allowing herself a final moment to luxuriate in the peace between, then she lunged from the shadows.

She exhaled Dragon Breath across all three enemies. The heavy rain could not douse her flames. Blade Flurry wrapped a whorl of shards around her. She sliced down the beast in the middle, carving twin gashes with Shadow Strike; blood seeped away with the rain.

Then Sharkie whirled on the basilisk to her left, it was under 25%. She flicked her wrist, launching a shadowy Hidden Blade. The attack did 5x damage to an enemy below that threshold. The basilisk dropped with a satisfying slosh. Puddles were forming; it was coming down hard.

Thunder sounded, then lightning flashed. Sharkie dodged a whip of spiked tail. She was one with the storm. Dripping in the daytime darkness, she blew purple fire, then severed the tail. The basilisk screeched.

Sharkie drove her daggers in hard, Shadow Strike, and something more. She twisted them beside where she’d carved two grooves. She cast Lifesteal more for damage than to leach their health. Then she leaped back and used Hidden Blade.

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The final basilisk wheeled on her. Matt must have lost his Taunt. She cast Paralyze, preventing movement for 7 seconds, giving the others time to act. She prowled around the creature, renewing Blade Flurry, slicing with Shadow Strike across its back. The rain pounded down on everything, a cold unifier, absorbing them all in the trance.

Purple flames streamed again from her lips. Clear crystals jutted up around the basilisk. She was vaguely aware of light twining out from the others. Sharkie monitored its health bar: 27%, 26%, 25%. She inverted both wrists and launched Hidden Blades. She launched them again for good measure. The lizard-bird collapsed and the crystals around it fuzzed.

She absently looted and gradually came into her awareness, slick rain running down her chin and limbs, rinsing the blood from her skin and clothing. Then fear and panic hit her like a brick wall. Stunned to peak alertness, Sharkie wheeled on the source.

Fallyn and Valkyrie had not moved closer to loot. They stood, several feet back—likely from where they’d been attacking—and just stared. Val was holding Fallyn’s hand. They stood rigid, orange and red flowing around them.

“Where are the boys?” Sharkie yelled over the rain.

Fallyn shook her head.

"Fudge,” Sharkie hissed.

She turned a slow circle, even though she knew what she'd find. Matt, Kurtis, and Manuele were gone. Their boxes had disappeared from her interface.

“What the heck?”

Fallyn pushed her soaked hair behind one ear and Val held her free hand out to Wiggles. The beaver bounded up to it and she hugged him to her legs. Purple love bloomed between her and the creature, then was engulfed by orange fear.

It was radiating from both of them, two people with such masterful facades. She could see them cracking before her. Was this what would finally shatter these two strong women? If it did, could she hold on?

Fallyn was so outwardly calm it was freaky. Sharkie’s Aura Sight had caught glimpses of her deeper emotions, occasional blips and flares since joining their party, but the wizard was so quick to get even those in check. Not today. Her eyes stared cold and hard like the pounding rain.

Sharkie looked from those eyes to the emptiness in Valkyrie’s. She wondered if the others had any idea of the pain that lurked beneath. It was usually there, a soft sore bubble, even during her flares of happiness. The pink-haired princess wore cheer like a shield—and now that shield was breaking.

Sharkie didn’t want to watch. She could feel it happening. Her instincts told her to run, to escape to that outside realm. She massaged her left palm.

“What happened?” Sharkie called over the rain, stalking up to Fallyn and Val. “I was focused on the fight. I didn’t see.” She wiped water from her forehead and flung it to the side.

“They’re gone,” Fallyn said. Her wet parachute pants clung to her legs.

“Well, no shit,” snapped Sharkie. Then she bit her lip. She’d let the others’ emotions bleed in. “Sorry.”

Fallyn narrowed her eyes and Val seemed focused on Wiggles. Sharkie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow in invitation.

“It’s like what happened to Anika,” Fallyn said. Lightning flashed and her throat bobbed.

Sharkie swallowed. “Tell me exactly what happened that day?”

“We walked into camp,” Fallyn began slowly. “Anika was speaking with Cathleen.”

The rain quickened as she recounted events, just above the din. No emotion showed through her voice, completely steady, but tendrils of aura lashed out. She was furious beneath that calm. Sharkie’s eyes wandered to the white-knuckled grip on her staff. Fallyn leaned the weapon into the crook of her arm and stretched the hand. Val still held the other one.

“Matt was so smug in his new pants,” Fallyn said. “He practically sauntered up to show us. But then she disappeared. A lot of people disappeared. We should get under the trees.” Fallyn nodded towards them.

Sharkie started moving but pressed, “What did it look like though? Were there any sounds? Any, I don’t know, identifiers?”

Val released Fallyn’s hand as they walked under the trees.

“Nothing,” Fallyn said, stopping just inside the forest.

The rain still reached them under the spotty canopy, but more lightly. The patter sounded dulled and multiplied. Sharkie raised an eyebrow.

“No sounds. No identifiers.” An extra hardness crept into Fallyn’s tone. “All that’s left is for them to gloat with that stupid announcement crawl.”

“It’s gonna be okay Wiggles,” Val muttered softly. Maybe she’d been doing so all along, but they could only hear it under the trees. She stroked the beaver’s head and he stared up at her face, lovingly.

“Does it ever end?” Fallyn asked.

“I don’t know.” Sharkie pressed her lips together. “Jesus, this whole thing is insane.”

Sharkie stared out at where the basilisk corpses fizzled. Manuele was supposed to tell her not to say that. He was supposed to tell her how his nonna would be appalled, or how it wasn’t ladylike, or some shit.

“We’re playing their game,” Fallyn said. “Their Megabowl is in five days. It doesn’t make sense. They didn't need to do this again."

“Maybe they didn’t,” Val said not taking her eyes from the beaver.