~~~Jake~~~

"Patetico," Jake said, staring down at the screaming man with an arrow through his knee.

"Kill him!" the man shrieked.

Jake leaned aside from the thrusting blade that appeared from a hole in the air and then dashed away when a black ball of roiling death exploded where he'd been standing.

He touched the bowstring and grinned as his mana coalesced into a gleaming arrow. It was solid by the time he'd pulled the string back, and he fired it through the window the spell had flown from.

The resulting explosion blew out the walls and sent a man tumbling away in the blast.

Jake spun and fired the next arrow back where he'd just fled from. It nailed the piece of shit's hand to the wall behind him, but didn't explode this time. "Stay out of this!" Jake yelled. "I'll deal with you later."

He vanished ahead of the stabbing sword from nowhere. Then reappeared closer to the caster just in time to blast him with another exploding arrow, forcing the man to abandon the spell he was building in favor of a shield.

The guy's magic was black, like tar. It acted like fire when it exploded, but the shield held up against his arrows. Obviously, the guy learned his lesson after the last one.

Jake blinked forward again, lining up a shot past the angled shield.

Another sword stabbed from a hole in the air, but Jake could feel that spell coming a mile away and easily dodged it while firing at the caster.

It missed when the guy fell into a circle of darkness that appeared under his feet. Jake didn't care. He was busy trying to trace the mana of those little sword portals... It had to be coming from nearby. Probably. Otherwise, the mana cost would be astronomical. Which was still a possibility... all the more reason to track it down before they ran out of mana and he lost the trail for good.

Unfortunately, he couldn't stray too far or their little bitch of a ritualist would start lobbing spells again. Well, he could just kill him... but where was the challenge in that? He'd already broken so many of the fucker's circles, which mostly just involved letting the sacrifices out.

Jake was fairly certain he'd gotten all of them, but there was always a chance he'd missed one. Hence the need to keep the shit-stain from trying anything. So Jake pinned his second hand with another arrow when it tried to free the first.

"I said..." he fired an arrow through the sword portal when it appeared, drawing a line of blood down his own arm but eliciting a scream from the other side. "...wait your turn!"

Then he sprinted into a flying leap off the roof. That turned into another blink when the sword appeared in his path, but Jake was grinning when he reappeared closer to the next building. "Found you!"

The idiot yelped, and Jake adjusted his aim to the next window over. "Boom. Bitch."

A bloodied man tumbled out of a portal halfway down the street, the explosion following him through as he rag-dolled across the asphalt.

Jake had another arrow in the air before he landed, but that black shield appeared in its path. He blinked rapidly to the side, going through a building to reach the alley right as his next arrow was ready.

It flew true down the length of the alley... and blasted into the fucker's leg right as he opened a portal beneath himself. He vanished through it, but his leg stayed behind in a nice pool of blood.

Black fireballs rained down, but Jake was already a block away and sprinting back toward their leader. Legless might not be out of the fight just yet, but he'd be a lot easier to catch now that he was leaking.

Unfortunately, he could feel mana building up atop the leader's little tower. The bastard must still have more circles somewhere...

He poured mana into the new arrow as he ran, more than any of the previous ones. The resulting explosion when it hit the tower blew a hole in the lair wall and gave the follow up arrow a clean shot where it landed between his legs with a much smaller explosion. Perfect.

Little lord Dickless screamed again while Jake laughed, and the building mana spilled uselessly into the surroundings. Then he blinked away from another explosion of dark magic. He still had two monsters to hunt down.

These two were the only ones that he'd never been able to pin down and finish. But that was when he was in F-grade. The tide had turned, and it was game over.

Jake ignored black magic guy and followed the blood trail until it vanished abruptly. Smart. Use a portal to break the trail. Useless, but smart. He was already on the scent, and it took all of two seconds to charge another arrow and fire it into a nearby window.

He followed up with another one that struck the tumbling body and nailed him to a wall through his gut.

Magic sprang up into a black, shimmering wall as his fellow came to the rescue through his own portal. Jake expected it and didn't fire. Instead, he kept charging the arrow.

They both eyed each other through the dark veil, magic building on either side.

Jake smiled at him.

The black magic caster broke first, canceling his fireball and dropping through a portal, leaving sword guy behind.

Jake had already closed his eyes, and he focused intently as the mana in the arrow reached a critical mass on the drawn bow. There!

He turned and loosed.

The arrow left a blazing afterimage in the air, and the building at the end of that line exploded into little more than dust. And red mist. One down. One to go.

Jake rubbed singed fingertips as he walked calmly toward the one-legged man that was screaming and dangling from a wall.

"Please! Mercy!"

"Look buddy," Jake said, not slowing his approach. "I may not care as much about other people as I should... but there are still lines you don't cross."

"I didn't want any of it! I had no choice!"

"Good news, then. Cause you have no choice about this either." Jake plunged Lee's knife through his eye and gave it a little twist.

Jake smiled when he picked up the core. Then went and grabbed the other from the rubble.

He just had one last thing to do in this city...

~~~Lee~~~

Lee returned to the fort for lunch. Mostly since he'd eaten all the food he'd taken with him. Those frail and feeble debuffs were taking a toll on his energy levels.

Luckily, all he needed was food to make up for it.

He'd been so upset about that trait on the first night. Now it was one of the best things he had going for him. Sure, he still needed more cores, but that was nothing compared to the benefits. Like still being alive.

Fighting alongside Maria in the lairs had been an... interesting experience. She was much harsher when he took injuries, probably because of what he'd told her before they left... He still couldn't believe her reaction to the news. She'd cursed at him! The woman who went around slapping everyone upside the head for the slightest foul language...

She knew he could heal. Hell, she could heal him as well. Yet she still demanded he ‘Fight better. No hurt. No die!’

It was annoying, but not unwelcome. At least not at first. Her pestering helped him remember all the training. The footwork and stances. Still, he wasn't that good, and her 'help' got old as the hours went on.

Not that he would complain. She was great in the fighting department and kept everyone else safe while patching up the few wounds they accrued. It meant less downtime and more cores in their pockets. Until they ran out of food. All of them. Lee's stomach was a black hole today.

He found Bradley sitting in the garage, probably regenerating his mana, and Lee realized he'd forgotten to invite the guy back into Three. Oops.

Bradley jumped when he turned and saw Lee. His expression was... afraid. "Lee! I... I heard you were awake. That's good."

He'd been there for the creation of Three. He'd seen the power up close and personal. It looked like he hadn't enjoyed the experience. Maybe some free mana would change that?

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Full Mana Access and Resident Status Granted(Bradley Summers)

"Sorry I forgot to invite you earlier," Lee said. "And thanks for... everything." Bradley had made remarkable progress while Lee wasn't paying attention, including filling in the hole Lee had Mana Blasted into one side of the building. Not to mention the growing walls around the complex.

"No prob..." Bradley's eyes went wide as they shot to the floor. "That's... that's..."

Lee smiled. "Enjoy the mana. Just watch out for mana burn..."

Maria had confirmed that she got the debuff from healing him. Only a few hours for her, though. Nothing like the days or month-long debuff Lee got...

"Thanks... this will help. A lot." Bradley looked around furtively, lowering his voice. "Is this a secret? Or..."

Lee thought about it. Was there any point in hiding it? Lots of people knew already... and it didn't actually mention the Mana Well, so no reason for anyone to think of killing him for it. Hopefully?

He wasn't sure how resident status affected things for the building. Plenty of non-residents had been inside with no reaction. Could he give people the mana without resident status? Only one way to find out. "It's not a secret. Tell anyone who can benefit from this. I just have to be here to give them access."

"I will." Bradley summoned a block of stone between his hands and smiled. "People will love this..."

Lee left him there and had a pretty good idea of what he would find in the courtyard above. Mostly because Mana Mind let him 'see' it before he got up there.

Trees.

Though maybe bush was the better term for the new plants. They weren't very large, likely because they were potted plants with only so much room to grow. Otherwise, Saira could probably have them growing above the rooftop. It made the whole area look far better... more alive. Though giant trees would be awesome...

It also meant Saira had more plants on hand if she needed to heal anyone in here... He hoped it never came to that, because there were a lot of children running around the courtyard.

Lee followed Maria into the center of the storm, where Alejandro was playing a game that involved laughing kids climbing all over him while he tried to escape. It felt strange to see him without armor... though his shield was nearby and Lee could feel the sword runes hiding inside one of the new bushes. So he wasn't totally unprepared.

It was really great to hear all the laughter... so much better from when they'd left that morning. Louder too. But Lee was okay with that.

Jamaal was doing brisk business in front of his apartment, but Lee didn't see many cores changing hands. Looked like most of the food was going to the long stone tables. Probably for the kids.

Lee waited his turn while studying the inside of Jamaal's apartment with Mana Mind. A few runes in his kitchen could use a recharge after his long... nap. But cooking or cooling didn't have the same cost as his more combat focused runes, so they weren't too low.

He felt the runes coming from above, but with so many of the things out there, Lee didn't pay it any mind. Not until Jake landed behind him and everything went to hell.

Jake hadn't even touched the ground before it lit up with surging, blinding power in Lee's Mana Mind, and he felt... Danger!

Cement dust exploded into the air as steel rebar burst from the floor, the walls, and even the nearest pillar.

Most of the rebar speared out toward Jake like a field of striking snakes, while some spikes sprouted directly around Lee, enclosing him in a metal cage as the floor itself dragged him away.

The rebar never quite touched Jake, the archer blurring sideways away from the first volley and then completely vanishing when more came in behind him. The entire time, power gathered. In the rebar, the concrete, the entire web that was Three. All of it glowing brighter and brighter...

Jake reappeared further away in midair... power rose to a blinding crescendo... and Lee yelled, "Stop!"

Everything stopped. The light... subsided.

Jake blinked out of sight again to avoid landing on the rebar that had nearly reached up to his current location and appeared nearby to Lee on one of the few undestroyed sections of the floor. "That's new."

There was a lot of screaming and running after that, from children and parents alike. Lee didn't try speaking over the racket, instead focusing on Three. He'd felt something right before it kicked off. A sense of danger... and protectiveness. It's okay, Three. He's an ally.

At least Lee really hoped he was, because the archer had some new tricks... and Lee had a strong feeling the man was no longer F-grade...

Now he knew how Three had killed the elves. Impressive. Explosive. And quick on the trigger when Jake came flying at him. Lee liked that. Just... Three, no child is a threat. I don't care if they run up on me! Never attack them!

He didn't know if the building understood him or not, but it had responded to him telling it to stop, as well as opening doors when he only thought the request... could it read his mind? Technically, it was built from his soul... at least partially? Was he only talking to himself? His subconscious?

The rebar was sinking slowly back into the floor as Lee watched Alejandro and Maria working to regain calm. From the snippets he heard that weren't in Spanish, it sounded like they were saying this was a good thing. Which it was. They'd all just gotten a firsthand look at how Three would protect them and their children. They should be happy!

"Glad to see you woke up," Jake said. "And you got some new enchants? Pretty potent. Almost caught me."

Lee looked at Jake then. Really looked. The man's clothes were in tatters and he looked filthy, but he had leather armor that looked almost new. It was also dense with mana. A lot like the elves had worn. Clearly enchanted, and not with runes. Interesting.

Jake carried only one of Lee's rune weapons. A knife. Everything else was new, and most of it enchanted. "You've been busy too," Lee said, finally eyeing the bloody and dripping but not quite dead man dangling by the throat from Jake's free hand.

"I brought you something," Jake's smile widened, and he hefted the almost corpse.

Maria blurred next to Jake and put a hand on his. "Por favor, no."

Jake didn't appear at all bothered by her sudden arrival, but he glanced past her at all the children. "This fucker probably killed some of their friends and family. They might like to get a piece too."

Lee remembered a voice in the dark... Jake's voice, telling him he was hunting... "That's... the one who..."

"Blew you up? Sure is. Thought you might like a trophy... a little farewell present. The core's mine though."

"I..." Lee shivered, his knuckles white where he gripped his knife. "Thanks, Jake. I think I would like..." He was picking his way through the slowly receding rebar, when he saw all the scared little faces watching them.

Lee put the knife away, hands trembling with rage or horror. He wasn't sure which. A deep breath later, he opened his eyes.

"I appreciate it, Jake. I really do. But you didn't have to bring him here. So long as he dies, that's all that matters. Just take it outside, this thing can feed the garden. Unless... this is another one of your stupid challenges..."

Jake smiled, his cat-like eyes boring into Lee's own. "No," he said. "I can see it in your eyes. You've got it now. You understand." He turned to Maria. "How about you?"

Maria looked back at Alejandro, then met Lee's gaze with murder in her eyes. Lee nodded, and she snatched the delirious man from Jake's grip, dragging him toward the exit by his hair while he mumbled nonsense and flailed at her.

Lee wondered if Maria would heal him first... make sure he knew death had arrived...

"Core's mine!" Jake called, and she waved without looking back. "So," he said, gaze landing on Lee once again. "Guessing the absolutely insane amount of power in this building has something to do with your new geriatric look? Did you upgrade to an even crazier kind of mana? What's after liquid? Solid?"

Lee didn't question how Jake had picked him out so easily despite the new look, only sighed as he flexed his hands a few times, trying to get rid of the lingering tension. "You hungry?" The commotion had cleared out the line at least.

Jamaal smiled nervously at them when they sat down. Though it looked like his mood improved when Lee dropped a few cores onto the table. "Gonna need another full pack. I'm going through it faster than before."

"Of... course, and... I have good news."

"Please tell me that giant egg-shaped thing in there is what I think it is," Lee said.

"Yes! Come in while you hunt! Have to magic or it will grow, hatch."

"But it's good? An actual egg?"

"Yes," Jamaal turned to Jake. "Welcome back, you eat too?"

"I haven't had eggs in a while, so bring it on."

Jamaal left, and Lee finally asked what he most wanted to know, "E-grade?"

Jake grinned. "That shit-stain was pathetic, but he had some strong muscle protecting him. Would have been more fun if he didn't drop his nukes on me every time I got a good fight going."

He reached out and flicked a creeping piece of rebar. "Guess this means you're settling in for the long haul?"

"Yes... my brother... will come here. You said that was a farewell present?"

"Hope it works out for you," Jake said. "And yea, I'm heading out after I check in with Sandy. Don't know when I'll get back this way, if ever. Time to see what else is out there."

"Well," Lee said. "If you head northeast, maybe you'll see Stanley on his way back. Can't miss him. He looks just like me."

"I should have been a twin," Jake said wistfully. "We'd kick so much ass..."

"Don't think the world would survive two of you."

Jake laughed and then told Lee about a few points of interest he'd found in his travels that turned out to be very interesting indeed.

Maria stopped by with a core not long after. She didn't stay for the meal, but agreed to meet Lee outside later for another lair run.

The rebar was almost all back into the floor when Jamaal emerged with something that had Lee's heart pounding.

He took it into his hands with reverential care, cradling the delicate creation with unabated anticipation, and breathing in the divine aroma.

Then Lee took a bite. "Oh... oh god..." He tasted potatoes, eggs, beans, bacon, and... "Cheese! How?"

"I magic some when you first ask for this. In case couldn't get more."

"I think I might love you, Jamaal," Lee said between chews, doing his damnedest to savor it rather than shoving the entire thing into his mouth. "No, I do love you!"

"Chill out, dude. It's just a breakfast burrito."

Lee stopped eating to look at the alien sitting across the table from him and then stared at him in abject horror. "What are you!? You... you... monster!" He took another bite, eyes closing in bliss. "I would tell Three to kill you for this blasphemy... but it would probably be a waste of power..."

Jake only laughed. The reprobate.

...

Lee didn't go back out. Not only was he feeling guilty for risking himself and thereby everyone depending on him, but he was also feeling guilty about not wanting to join the new expedition.

News of Jake's victory in Tijuana had sparked a surge of people wanting to head back down there. Either to search for loved ones and bring them back, or to do the same but reclaim their homes rather than return.

He didn't want to go back to where he'd... almost died. Just the thought of it had him sweating... Luckily, he didn't need to. Someone had discovered that the old border crossings left gaps in the nightmare deadzone that was the fence. They didn't need his Mana Mind or fence chopping skills...

All the thoughts of that nightmare sent him looking for Saira, where he confirmed that she'd buried the monster responsible. He almost regretted letting Maria have the kill... but not really. Lee didn't want to kill anyone. He just wanted to survive. Wanted his family to survive, both old and new.

So he went to the garage next and told May what Jake had told him. About the new type of lair.