Time Limit: Two Hours, Seven Minutes
I sprinted away from the contraption we’d laid across the gravel and between the wooden ties. The tunnel wall that was once a platform loomed over me—the Redline Wyrm had been carving it bigger and bigger over the last three days. One garden hose bundle hung over my left shoulder, and one over my right. Tori grabbed them both, and I nodded at her as she started fastening them to the pile of metal and plastic tanks in the pit.
We’d added some gas cans—without the gas, which at this point was less explosive than water. But they’d all add to the fun.
According to our most recent check, the Redline Wyrm would be here in less than five minutes. Calvin and Tori were both plugging hoses into tanks as fast as they could. I pulled the Trip-Hammer out of my inventory, made sure my Lock-Grip Gloves were on, and piled in to help.
We finished just in time. The now-familiar rumbling feeling started in my feet, and before I knew it, the cans and tanks were all shaking. “Alright, wait for it,” I said, climbing over the jagged concrete edge and hanging my head out into the tunnel.
The snake’s headlight flicked as it came around a corner. I pulled back, counting off on my fingers. “Ten seconds.”
Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.
The wyrm’s snout passed over the glorified skateboard ramp harmlessly, two seconds faster than I’d budgeted. If we waited the full ten, we’d lose our chance. “Do it now!” I shouted.
“Now? It’s too early!” Tori yelled back.
“Now!”
Tori nodded and used Crush on the dozens of containers.
Joey, the kid one farm over, had a Stomp Rocket toy. It was just a plastic bladder filled with air, a hose, and a plastic rocket that attached to the hose’s end, but when he jumped on it, the damn thing would take off on a one-way trip to the moon, then back to Earth. Or at least a little way there. The fun had lasted until I’d used Dad’s tractor to drop a hay bale onto the air bladder, which sent the rocket onto the barn roof and broke the bladder.
Tori’s Pre-Class Ultimate spell, Crush, did the same thing. Every tank, bottle, and can we’d filled imploded instantly, sending a wave of gas down the tubes—way more than they could hold. All that air rushed into the two plastic barrels, which—in theory—would inflate and throw the Wyrm off its tracks.
In practice, the barrels inflated in slow motion, almost like a movie. Then, as they started lifting the steel ramp, the first one blew out with a bang so loud it drowned out the Redline Wyrm’s rumbling. The second one gave out a moment later.
For an awful three seconds, I thought we’d failed. The Redline Wyrm rocketed down the track, wobbling a little as it went. Then it hit the far tunnel’s edge, and the whole damn snake came off the rails in a deafening screech. Rails and train-car armor sparked against each other, and I got my first look at the bottom of the damn snake. The crash as it piled up against the wall felt like a massive hand slapping me, but I hardly cared.
I’d been right. It was wheels—hundreds of wheels and dozens of weak spots. The Redline Wyrm had been riding the rails—and hiding its fragile belly—this whole time. That was why the rails never disappeared, no matter how much platform it ate or how big it got.
The Redline Wyrm: Level Twenty Dungeon Boss
Current Difficulty: Extreme
Status: Derailed
The boss thrashed back and forth, trying to right itself and get moving again. Tori hurried into position, using her twenty-four points in Mana to keep it pinned down with Inertia Balls. But as she got closer, the snake’s tail lashed out, launching her onto the rails. She hit with a crunch, and I winced; she hadn’t wanted to put points in Body, and the two impacts looked like they’d hurt.
I didn’t have time to help her, either. I dashed toward a glowing-orange weak spot near the Wyrm’s middle, where its armor had peeled into jagged-looking strips. The scales were already bleeding there, so I figured that was the best place to start.
I swung, firing a Power Surge into the Trip-Hammer as it started its arc.
The motor whirred and screamed. Then, an instant before the whole contraption slammed into the Wyrm’s exposed wound, the ratchets released, and the two spiked hammers split the air.
They hit home.
Last night’s tuning paid off. The wyrm roared, flailing its body wildly across the station as I pulled the Trip-Hammer back and sprinted toward Tori. She was up but wobbly; I shoved her onto what was left of the center platform. “Get to it!”
“Got it!” she said, turning shakily toward the wyrm.
The Redline Wyrm: Level Twenty Dungeon Boss
Current Difficulty: Extreme
Status: Derailed, Sundered
It gave up on trying to get back on the rails. Instead, it rushed me, mouth scooping up concrete as it did. Tori fired another Inertia Ball toward it, and I dodged the other way, but it still clipped me.
The pain was unbelievable. It was like standing between a sow and her trough. Like taking a horse’s kick to the chest. Like being crushed beneath a half-gutted truck as it came off its lift. And that was just a glancing, thrashing blow; the damn boss had reared up over my head like a tower of train parts and scales.
I rolled toward the out of control train-snake and pulled out the Trip-Hammer again. As its weight came down on me, Tori Crushed another part of its armor right over me.
I held up the Trip-Hammer. The Redline Wyrm came down on it as I Power Surged electricity into my weapon. The motor revved for a second before sliding inside its body with a squelch and a torrent of dark, oil-slick-colored blood that covered me from head to toe.
Then the hammers fired, and the Wyrm screamed.
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One thing did go exactly according to plan; the Lock-Grip Gloves didn’t let go. I wished they had, though.
They stayed on the damn Trip-Hammer as the Wyrm reared back suddenly, and I went right with it. It jerked me through the air, back and forth, as I shouted. “Tori, help!”
“Help how?” she screamed back. I looked at her; she was too busy running back and forth on the platform while trying to avoid the Wyrm’s armored coils to help me. I’d gotten into this mess, and the only way out was through it.
I fired the Trip-Hammer again and again, arms aching as the shockwaves rippled through me. The Wyrm dragged me across the ground, through the air, and wherever else it wanted me to go.
Then, at least, it started slowing down. I fired it one more time, and it stopped for a moment, its maw facing Tori. “Now! Hit it now!”
She threw a single Inertia Ball at the thing’s head. It hit dead-on, and a second later, the headlight exploded. Then she followed it up with another, final Crush that caught something in the snake’s head. Blood cascaded from its massive mouth, filling the tracks and swelling over the ruined center platform. I pulled the Trip-Hammer out of its side and ran as blood fountained down around us.
It took the Wyrm almost a minute longer to die, but eventually, its massive bulk stopped moving. I sucked in a breath, hands on my knees, as the System messages rolled in.
----------------------------------------
Hardcore Boss Defeated: The Redline Wyrm
Level Up! Sixteen to Eighteen.
Dungeon Delvers who were not in the arena will receive fifty percent of your team’s experience.
Congratulations! For clearing your Tutorial Dungeon, you have unlocked Class Selection.
Congratulations! For clearing the Hardcore Tutorial, you have unlocked Rare and Epic Classes.
I glanced at Tori; she was getting the same messages I was. She had a smile plastered on her face, and her eyes sparkled.
Classes imbue their user with more focused powers, increased statistics, and modifications to their spellcasting. Your class represents a significant increase in your personal power. Classes range from the common Rogue, Fighter, Healer, and Mage classes all the way to epic and even legendary ones.
Due to surviving the Hardcore Tutorial, your party has been awarded a number of rare and epic classes to choose from. Your class choices are based on your achievements in the Hardcore Tutorial and your current stat point distribution.
Please select one of the following classes:
I half-ignored the Fighter, Rogue, Healer, and Mage classes, as well as a handful of non-combat classes that didn’t feel like they’d be useful for anything the Consortium had planned. The rest of the phases of Integration, or whatever they called it, weren’t going to be any easier than this, and I wasn’t Calvin. I wasn’t going to wait around for the fight to come to me.
Then, finally, the System got to the choices I’d earned during the Tutorial.
Skirmisher (Uncommon)
Skirmishers are jack-of-all-trade fighters, combining traits from the Rogue, Fighter, and Mage classes. With great flexibility comes an answer to every problem you’ll face in your quest for integration.
Requirements: Kill unique monsters in the Tutorial Dungeon in a fight, by surprise, and with magic.
+5 Body
+5 Awareness
+5 Mana
Class Skill: Flexibility - Adopt the basic Class Skill for either the Rogue, Fighter, or Mage. Can switch every five levels.
Demolition Man (Rare)
When the going gets tough, the tough get explosive. The Demolition Man class is built to bring the pain, with an affinity for explosive solutions to problems. They gain proficiency with improvised explosives and can use their mana to re-arm or repurpose inert explosives.
Requirements: Use explosives to kill at least ten Tutorial Dungeon monsters.
WARNING: By default, your class-created items will be unidentifiable by others. You may choose to allow others to identify them on an item-by-item basis.
+10 Body
+5 Awareness
+5 Mana
Class Skill: Bomb Squad - Tinker with defused explosives to re-arm them or to repurpose their parts
Thunder Mage (Epic)
You’ve been…Thunderstruck! The Thunder Mage trades toughness, speed, and flexibility for massive power in its lightning-charged casts. One of the highest-damage mage classes out there, the Thunder Mage excels at solving a problem before it even knows it’s a problem!
Requirements: Use lightning magic to defeat a Tutorial Dungeon boss.
WARNING: This class sacrifices your toughness and speed for power.
-5 Body
+10 Awareness
+15 Mana
Class Skill: Super Cell - Build spells like a storm, then unleash them in a single burst of lightning.
Voltsmith (Epic)
Magic is power. But magic can also provide power. The Voltsmith knows this all too well; they use magic to power their creations rather than cast spells. Drain power from magical equipment and mundane power sources. Use this energy to feed your Charge stat, increasing the number of creations you can keep empowered at once.
Requirements: Create a unique invention powered by magic and use it against a Tutorial Dungeon boss.
WARNING: This class will fundamentally alter your relationship with Mana and spellcasting.
WARNING: By default, your class-created items will be unidentifiable by others. You may choose to allow others to identify them on an item-by-item basis.
+5 Awareness
+15 Maximum Charge
Class Skill: Decharge/Recharge - Drain the charge from magic items to power your own creations.
Skirmisher didn’t feel any better than the common classes had; I tossed that one in the ‘Definitely Not’ pile. That left me with three good choices, but before I could choose, something popped behind me. I whirled, ready to fight.
Tori glanced at me, then looked down guiltily. “I chose Telekinesist. It sounded badass, was Epic, and it’ll let me do what I’ve been doing, but better.”
“Did you look at any of the other options?”
“Not really. I know what I want to do, and Valkyrie sounded dumb.”
I wanted to say something, but I shrugged it off. What was done was done; I’d try to get Tori to slow down on the next big decision she made, though, for all our sakes.
So, Thunder Mage. It could be a powerful combination, depending on what Tori did as a Telekineticist. Grab an enemy, hold them still, and blast them. But the drawbacks were…painful. Less Body could be worked around, but the slowed casting to use its power?
Did I really want to rely on someone else to protect me? I put Thunder Mage on the ‘Maybe’ stack and turned toward Demolition Man. Now, that class could be strong! It didn’t have a drawback, either, and as I’d learned from fertilizer left out on the farm, almost anything could be explosive. Plus, bomb-making had been like a puzzle. What could I do with a dozen or more different ingredients?
Another pop echoed in the cavern; Calvin had picked his class, too.
I sighed. All three classes looked solid, but my mind had been made up the moment I saw Voltsmith.
If it worked anything like I thought it would, it’d be the perfect class for me. I’d already built bombs, the weed whacker, the stomp-rocket skateboard ramp, and the Trip-Hammer, and I’d done it without a consistent power source. Sure, Thunder Mage might be able to copy some of that effect, but for flexibility, I couldn’t see a better class in my list. With the right creations, Voltsmith would let me do anything, from up close fighting to ranged damage to scouting.
And I’d loved tinkering with stuff ever since those remote control cars. I’d fixed my station wagon and turned it into my pride and joy. And I’d never let a car get the best of me at Cindy’s—not until the Explorer, at least. Was I ready to throw that away for phenomenal cosmic lightning powers or bombs? No.
Besides, that class might let me fix my iPod—really fix it.
I picked Voltsmith.
Something popped, and a moment later, the next System message appeared.
Choice Confirmed.
Congratulations, [Hal Riley], on selecting [Voltsmith] as your class. Now that your party has selected their classes, proceed up the stairs and prepare for Phase One of Integration.
A gold-lit iron staircase appeared in the center of the station as Calvin joined us. It circled up in a tight spiral before disappearing into the concrete and steel that hung precariously overhead. I took a deep breath; up there was Chicago—or what was left of it. Then I waved Tori ahead. “Come on. Let’s get you to your mom.”