"I've had enough internal training," says Bones at the dawn of morning. He stands and begins stretching his limbs. "How you can sit for so long and internalize everything is beyond me. You're not still stewing about death, are you? You better not be.

I’m not — at least not at the moment. Death schemes ended seven hours ago. Right now, I'm juggling rocks behind trees — well, I think I am. However, I can't see behind the trees to confirm whether I'm succeeding or not. I'm also afraid if I look, I will lose my focus, and there's no way I'm asking Bones for help.

"Jim… Stop brooding."

"I'm not brooding. Besides, you told me to brood more."

"Not even about Gene or Lana?"

"No, why would I be?"

"Isn't that why we are here?"

"We’re here to cultivate." I strain my concentration, trying to keep the rocks suspended. Even with my split and passive focus at work, mentally visualizing myself picking up the stones in the distance and tossing them around is tolling. Not only do I have to maintain the image of four versions of myself performing the task, I have to fortify my will and channel my mana to make it a reality.

"Jim…"

I'm doing it. I'm actually doing it. The rocks are moving. I know it. They are also moving thirty to fifty feet away and out of sight. This was the godly power I desired when I woke up in the desert. Now I'm close to locking it in.

"James…"

Guided by my specters, the rocks move up and down, crossing paths and weaving between trees. I speed them up and slow them down. I have my specters throw the stones in the air to elevate them. One of the rocks I drop, unable to track it as it falls. My specters catch the other two. Things get real spicey when one specter lifts the other, keeping my rock suspended higher in the air. I add one more spector to the equation and feel like a champion magician.

Now, the last trick is to keep the spector suspended on its own. My specter isn't real, and the laws of this realm don't apply to it. It can accomplish what I demand. I lock my focus, determined to complete my miracle.

"T'am… I'm bored. Let's make another bet." My miracle falls. I keep silent and wait. Only when I hear a thud in the distance do I open my eyes to confront Bones. As much as I want to be annoyed, I can't be. I'm too excited about my accomplishments. I'm feeling like a real winner.

"A bet, huh… Another spar?" I ask.

"No. I want something I can win.

"No, Bones, you're getting close."

"You cheat… and you withhold training. I don't know if I'm comfortable around you when you think no one is watching. No more sparring. I want something I can win."

"That doesn't sound like a favorable bet for me."

"The prize will be in your favor. You get to kill and absorb three people from my dungeon."

"I don't think you can make that deal."

"Sure I can. I'm the boss."

"You might actually have to check with the guild master first… and probably get consent. No, you definitely need consent. I'm no longer comfortable with this conversation."

"You can kill Fury twice."

"Deal."

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"One condition." Bones summons a spear and scratches a line in the dirt stretching from one tree to another. "I get to kill you first." His smile turns wicked. My comfort flees down the mountain." Bones raises the spear and advances.

"What?"

"The race starts in the desert and ends here. The fastest way to start is for me to kill you."

"You'll just cross the line while I'm gone."

"That's if I'm still alive."

“I… you…” Call me crazy. This isn't a bad deal. I have a solid fifty-fifty chance of becoming a three-time dragon slayer. "Deal."

"You have to resummon me before you cross the race."

"I already said deal."

"Summon me in the desert, or I will not kill you." I let out a breath, deflating a little. I guess I can summon him and kill him real quick. That should be within the boundaries of fairness. No, I'll just cut off a leg. Oh no, he can grow it back. He's way too independent these days.

"Fine. Deal." Even in a fair race, I'm much faster these days. Mountains may slow me down, but maybe I can use my specters with rope and climb faster.

"Excellent. See you on the other side." I close my eyes as Bones strikes. I should probably be comfortable with him killing me by now, but I don't want to risk making eye contact with my minion as he does the deed. Mad cackles are my lullaby to sleep, though I'm unsure if it's from me or Bones.

LIVE.

I wake up in a cold sweat on a familiar bed. Sand is still the worst, and the recycling process could be better. No matter how many times I die, that will never be comfortable. Immediately, I check my connection to Bones. He's been recalled upon my death. I check Gene next. She's in shadow, but not my shadow. So, my death doesn't seem to have the same effect on her. Next is the dungeon. I hold my breath as I examine it. Thankfully, our experiment did not wipe the dungeon again. Whatever upgrades Bones made earlier seem to apply even to my death. This is excellent news. He must have spent a fortune of mana to obtain the disconnect.

With a quick glance, I see everything the desert has to offer. I pay my respects to the scorpion graveyard, which is not far from my recycle point, and acknowledge the boost of mana it supplies my second core. Even if it isn't a hot day, racing through the desert induces a slight panic. So, I stroll through the desert at my desired pace. Only at the last grains of sand do I summon Bones.

Bones manifests with a grin. I dodge his ax throw aimed at my leg. Shadow step, close the gap between us, and cleave through his leg as I step out of my realm. I withhold a laugh as the skeleton's imbalance brings him to the ground. With quick haste, I summon webbing and attempt to tie up my companion while parrying all his attacks. Naturally, Bones' prone position gives me the higher ground, and I exert every advantage I can get. The more rope I can add to the pile, the slower Bones' attacks become. Before too long, he is tied up, I'm laughing, and he's calling me a cheat.

I barely hear him as I step into shadow, boost my strength and agility with mind mana, and begin the long race home. Dunes are skipped, and trees are passed by in a blur. I jump the river in a single bound. My breathing is calm as I pass by the general vicinity of Base Camp and even when I summit the first mountain. I hit breakneck speeds on the descent, keeping my momentum going through the next climbs. Only when I get to the summit of Mount Tall do I feel a shortage of breath. Even then, I'm not gassed.

There have been no signs of Bones, and I can't sense him within a mile of me. I'm not foolish enough to think I have the race in the bag, but I can taste victory, and it is sweet. There is no stopping on Mount Tall or the next mountain. I keep my dead sprint to the finish.

On Nette's Nipple, I hear the worst sound possible: light strums of a fiddle wafting in the air. I almost quit and head home alone. However, bravery prevails, and I walk into camp, where Bones sits playing his instrument with the grimiest of smiles. Bundled at his feet is singed rope. His dragon wings are flapping tauntingly.

The fault is my own. I was too caught up in my strategy to think much of Bones'. That won't happen next time. I smile at the victor, assume the losing position, and prepare for another trek through the desert.

"What are you doing?" Bones interrupts my last moments of peace. "Put your arms down. You keep doing that. Why."

"I'm Letting you take your reward. Get on with it. I probably need to return home tomorrow, and I still want to cultivate more here."

"Jim, I think you need to get some sleep, my friend. I already collected my reward at the very beginning. I actually can't believe you agreed to that." I follow Bones' words, doing the math in my head. Yeah, it all adds up. He already got to kill me.

"So what power did you take? Shadow?"

"And risk being upstaged in my absence? I'm the main act. If I leave, there is no show. No, I wanted your magic rope, and now I have it," he says with a satisfied grin. "Now help me figure out how to weave it like you do. I'm ready for some finer clothes."

"The loser in me wants to refuse, but I'm excited to cultivate my mind mana. The faster I help Bones figure out the weaving, the faster I can get to cultivating. Come to think of it, the hours Bones spends perfecting his attire will give me so much peace that I can't think of a better turn of events, though dragon wings would have been sweet.