I was so tired, I rolled into a blanket cocoon and passed out hard, regardless of the hard rock under me or how lumped the wad of clothes I used as a pillow was. It had been a long, long day and I just wanted it over.

The torch orb was still on when I woke up sometime later. There was no way I’d turn it off until I was out of this cave. Nope, not going to happen. According to the Guide, I slept on the cold, hard ground for twelve hours. I didn't think I was that tired, but facts proved otherwise. I guess I just finally felt safe enough. Unfortunately, I doubted there was another safe place to sleep anywhere between here and Boulder.

Ding! [Daily Task: Kill Two Monsters.]

“Time for reality.” I got up and picked up my blanket to fold and put away.

A little blue snake flopped out of the wool folds. Levi paused, stunned at the sudden action, then gave me a stink eye.

I blinked back, a little stunned myself. When did he climb into my bed?

He turned his head and darted into the dark without a second glance, as if I really offended the slithery little highness.

I wasn't too panicked. By now I knew that he was hissy, didn't actually hate me. Instead, I packed away the blanket and got ready for the day.

Then I paused and picked up one of Levi’s discarded scales. "Will it make you mad if I have something made with these?" I asked, holding up a large scale and moving it slightly, watching the light shimmer back and forth on it.

Levi didn't move, but I could feel his curiosity peak.

"Like armor of something," I said and looked at him to gauge his reaction. If we were going to be together for the rest of our lives, I didn't want to majorly offend him right off the bat. Well, any more that I already have.

Levi stuck out his tongue, his thoughts mocking my paper-thin skin and the fact that I needed to wear clothing at all. But he didn't actually object to what I suggested.

Maybe he didn't understand just yet. I'll ask him again if – no, when – we get back to Boulder. If he did care, well, I'll just lock the scales away in a safe deposit box for my posterity to use. After all, dragon scales were too valuable to just throw away. With that in mind, I went around and collected every one.

Once I was ready and packed, I stood at the edge of the stone slab and stared at the inky ripples. I admit, I didn't want to get back in, but that really wasn't an option. I was just glad it gave me a safe place to sleep for the night.

Levi slithered over to me and looked up.

Since I didn’t want my armor to get wet, I was in my normal clothes right now. The plan was to change after I got out of the river. But Levi needed something to hold on to, to guide me through the water. I wasn't sure, but I bet the current would mess with the torch orb enough that it would turn off by itself and I didn't want to get lost underwater. And there was no way I could hold on to a slippery little snake underwater.

I smiled at him and waved my right hand, which sported my glove and arm bracer. He managed to guide me just fine with it last time, so I figured it was worth soaking them again. "Are you ready?" I asked.

He simply slipped into the water.

I braced my hand against the side of the rock and slipped in right after him. And couldn't resist the gasp as a cold shiver wracked my body. A second later, the shock faded enough to manage. Once I acclimated, I took a couple deep breaths and plunged underwater.

The torch orb followed me under, staying exactly over the crown of my head, but the current pressure caused the light to wobble and flicker. Just like I worried about. I took advantage of what little time I might have with light to look around. The underwater tunnel was bigger than I thought. I knew it needed to fit a leviathan, I just didn't expect it to be over thirty feet wide and shaped like a bathroom sink drain.

Levi swam to my side and gripped my arm bracer in his mouth. He only paused for a second before he shot forward, propelling me down through the tunnel.

The light glinted over the sharp edges of the rocky wall, causing intimidating shadows, and my ears filled with the sounds of rushing water. God, was it better to see what was going on around me or not? Suddenly, I didn't know. As scary as it was the first time I went through this tunnel, it was more nerve-wracking now. I kept waiting for a monster to pop out of the shadows and attack.

Before my blood pressure could go up, I shifted my focus to Levi. This little blue snake was my only anchor. I watched how the water swayed and moved with his body, independent of the current. Instinctively, I knew he was manipulating the water.

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I had that ability now, too. After thinking about it, I activated the ability. At first nothing happened, because I didn't want anything to happen. Levi glanced back at me, obviously aware of what I just did. I, however, was watching the water ripple around his body. From there, I pushed out my senses, feeling the cold water that encased my body. Slowly, I began to manipulate the water while coordinating it to Levi's actions, so that I didn't disrupt his magic.

Each one of my kicks cut through the water with more force and every time I paddle with my left hand, I felt like I was grabbing onto something solid, propelling me through the current. The more I worked the water around me, the less the undertow dragged at me. Instead, Levi and I cut through the tunnel at an unbelievable pace.

Ding! [Skill Learned: Power Swim].

I glanced at the System screen only seconds before it winked out of existence. I was too distracted to bother with it, anyway.

Faintly ahead, I could see the water's darkness begin to lighten – the end of the tunnel. I was almost free, and because of our speed, I wasn't dying for air. That was a good thing. The unfortunate part was, the closer we got to the river, the stronger the current was. Since I was using Power Swim, I wasn't in danger of getting swept away.

But my skill didn’t protect the torch orb. It wobbled and flickered worse with every passing second. At the speed we were going, the light flashing off the pale gray rocky walls was dizzying. I had to focus on the tunnel opening so that I didn't lose my concentration. Just before we exited the tunnel, the torch orb flickered dimly. Then sent out entirely.

Instantly, I was smothered in pitch-black, wet darkness. The sudden change sent an anxious jolt through my body and my movements stalled. The current immediately grabbed me and tried to drag me down river.

Levi jerked my right hand impatiently, single-handedly fighting to drag us forward.

The reassurance that I wasn’t alone calmed my nerves. That's right, I actually didn't need to see. Levi could guide me just fine, I just needed to trust him. I steeled myself and started to swim again. I couldn't see how he moved the water now, but I could feel it with my aura. It took a little bit of fumbling, but I was able to coordinate our swimming once more.

Levi guided me out of the tunnel and up the side of the river's cliff.

My lungs started to burn for air, but I continued on. Stopping to panic now was stupid, especially when I could see the sunlight shining so close, yet so far above. Instead, I put more effort in my Power Swim, forcing my body to go faster. To get to the air sooner.

Levi accommodated by swimming faster as well.

We breached the water surface and I gulped in a big breath. Seriously, I didn't know how wonderful the air was until the last twenty-four hours. I slumped back into the water, and drifted on the surface, gently paddling my hand until I felt fine enough to go ashore.

As soon as I stood up on the river's shallow shelf, Levi let go of my arm bracer and swam out of the water. He disappeared into the tall grass as I waded out. "Thank you, Levi," I called after him.

He was back to his normal grumpy self and didn't respond. But I also knew he wasn't far away. I could feel his relaxed emotions. Taking that as an indicator, I assumed there wasn't a monster around. I still tried not to make too much noise, but wading through water wasn’t a quiet activity.

Once on dry land, I stopped and examined my surroundings. I was worried a bunch of monsters would move back over night and the place would be teaming by the time I resurfaced. That didn't seem to be the case. At least, not that I could see. The unknown dragon's carcass was in the exact same place and I couldn't see any obvious signs of gnawing on it. Then again, a weak monster wouldn't be able to even bite through its flesh. It was possible there were monsters around, hiding in the wrecked city, but they weren't strong enough to mess with the carcass.

The other thing I didn't see were signs of Hunter activity. It was already 9 a.m. and it would be another hour before a Roc could fly here, if it left first thing at seven.

The question was, do I wait for a rescue party, or do I just start walking home?

I knew that Star and her party were going to report me dead. That was a given. After everything that happened yesterday, by all rights, I shouldn't be alive. It was even more unlikely that I survived the night. It would actually serve them better if I didn't return, because I’d throw a wrench in Star's distorted little play.

So the question was, would Uncle and Dad send out a search party? And how fast would it get here?

I was too far to contact Uncle with a Guide message, so they wouldn't know what really happened yet. Just what Star reported, if she stated anything about my death. So many Hunters die in the Wilds, especially during their first month, that they rarely investigated the deaths. Dad would need to get permission to access my file – which took time – then get the file – which took time – and finally hire someone to search for my body – which also took time. But if there weren't any Rocs available to send a team out, he'd have to wait for one to come back. That was, of course, assuming that they refused to accept my death. If they did, and went right to grieving, I'd never get a rescue party.

I opened my Guide and set the GPS to Boulder. I was a hundred and ten miles away from Boulder and almost a hundred and thirty from Mist Haven. According to GPS, it was a forty-hour walk, but I couldn't walk continually. And traveling through the mountains on foot was just as daunting, even without the monsters. Nor was I banking on Levi having more underwater hideouts along the way.

But if I could survive it, think of the EXP I could get. Dad couldn’t coddle me anymore, not after I showed that I could cross a mountain alone. You know, given that his PTSD didn't get worse.

I'll wait for a rescue team until noon, then I'll start walking, I decided. If I was quick enough, I'll be able to get close enough to message Uncle by nightfall and let him know I was okay. Then I'd work it out from there.

But first things first, I needed a piece of that unknown.

*****