Sabas jumped to his feet as the two intertwined monsters crashed back into the sea. The spray rose so high it was indiscernible from the rain. Ranvir still winced and raised his hand to shield his eyes. Without physical enhancement, the saltwater would sting.

“That’s not good,” Ranvir groaned and levered himself up. Despite not feeling much in the way of pain, his body still struggled to get him standing.

Sabas jumped and slashed at something. Ranvir couldn’t tell if he connected, but the creature at the very least fled. It was big enough that the splash back pushed Ranvir a step forwards. Sabas landed next to him and grabbed his good arm. “We need to get out of here, now.”

Ranvir coughed. “I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, unfortunately. Do you feel that?”

Sabas paused to fully extend his tether-sense. Ranvir felt it sweeping over him before spooling out to his full reach. It wasn’t as far as Ranvir could, nor was as detailed. Fortunately, neither was needed to sense what was coming.

“The boss,” Sabas groaned, his hand squeezed his spear so hard flickers of silvery light rose from it and the tane-infused wood twisted in his grip.

“You don’t happen to be seated on some secret power-up or trump card, right?” Ranvir asked. Already, he could see the water rising in the distance. The creature was massive, and Ranvir felt no particular tension coming from it as hundreds of thousands keys of water rose into the air.

“Not for an enemy like this,” Sabas replied. “I don’t have the exact details on this variant, but the last one wasn’t that strong compared to its estimated level, but tough as all hell. Maybe if I was a full Tier 15, then I might be able to bring it down.”

“Right,” Ranvir muttered. “I guess, you should run for the entrance before it gets there.”

Sabas gave him a long look. “You’re not coming?”

Ranvir looked down at himself. The hole in his stomach had opened at some point, Loce unable to keep it closed. His waistband was soaked, turning a darker color than the rest of his pants. A watery mix of blood and water ran steadily from his stump, though it the storm locust appeared to keep it mostly closed for now.

“I don’t think I’ll survive moving at the speeds needed to get there in time,” Ranvir said. Admitting it felt oddly hollow. Part of him registered the horror of the moment. Though Latresekt was fighting a losing battle, it was still subduing the heights of his emotions. Like forcing down an air-tight seal over boiling water. Eventually, the pressure would force it off, but for now, it held.

Ranvir glanced down at his bracelet. He had no idea what time it was outside of the fold, but he just wished he could see his daughter again. Hear her voice one more time. He gently caressed to the symbols imbued with power. The glyph of space that he’d used to fuel the original effect, then the fyla stone subtly inlaid in the roots/canopy to repeat it and slowly accumulate power.

“I can’t allow that,” Sabas said. The tone of his voice had changed. When Ranvir’d first met the mercenary, he’d sounded confident, but ultimately there’d been an undertone he didn’t recognize at the time but now knew as exhaustion. Then, as they’d spoken within the fold, that exhaustion had taken the forefront. He’d been tired, old, and guilty.

Now, Sabas didn’t speak with pride, or even free of exhaustion. But there was purpose in him. Ranvir could see it in his eyes, if not the way he held himself.

“You’d risk your own life?” Ranvir asked.

“What’s one worn soldier’s life worth compared to a child?” Sabas reached out and closed Ranvir’s hands over the bracelet. “I’ve spoken with your daughter on quite a few occasions now. She’s a remarkable girl. There would be no shame in trading my life for happiness in hers.”

In the distance, the water breached the surface and the first protrusions of some enormous creature appeared, covered in a sheen of reflective water. The layer constantly rippled as the rain struck it, causing the creature to gain a wavering appearance.

The monster had an unreal appearance to it. The face reminded Ranvir most of a crocodile. Its snout was thinner and protruded further from its face. Spines grew from its brow and down the spine all the way into the tail curling in on itself. If not for its belly, Ranvir would’ve called it serpentine in form.

“Go,” Sabas said, stepping forward. “And don’t complain. I’ve seen the way you fight. You’ll find a way, so long as I can buy you the time,” and then he leapt. The pillar, already slanting, wobbled slightly with the force.

Ranvir watched him for a moment. Seeing the light rush towards the monstrous creature. His space powers struggled with estimating its size, but seeing Sabas closing in granted him the reference the fold was too unstable to supply. It wasn’t just the size of a building, nor the size of a manor. It was the size of the Masters’ Tower back at the academy.

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He blinked once, then dismissed the massive monster from his mind. “Latresekt,” he called, sending a needle of his attention inward. The spirit jerked and turned away from its work.

Ranvir woke up on the cold stone, the sound of carapace on stone his only warning. He rolled away to see one of the scavenger crabs approaching him.

“What happened?” he asked out loud as he backed away. Immediately, one of his legs gave out a flash of pain, nearly knocking him out again. Violently, Ranvir became aware of the pulsating mind-ripping agony in his arm. Or where it should be.

It’s gone, he realized. It’s really gone… he faltered on the stone looking at the stump, it wiggled and bled.

“Now’s not the time,” Latresekt reprimanded him. “We need to hurry. What’s closest? The knotting point or the entrance?”

Ranvir winced and forced his tether-sense to scout about as he scooted away from the crab on his rear. “Knotting point.”

“Not great, but it could be worse,” Latresekt said. Ranvir hesitated, wondering what was going through the spirit’s mind. “Don’t stop or the little water rat will kill you.”

Ranvir glanced at the crab scuttling towards him. Latresekt was right, Ranvir couldn’t muster the power to kill or enforce himself and the creature was still high-kistios.

“What do I do?” Ranvir asked. His hand slipped on the wet stone. Landing on his back, the world doubled as darkness encroached on his vision. There were so many pains. The small injuries, scrapes he’d got during his flight from Sabas, the dozens of lesser cuts he’d otherwise come upon over the last horrible week. And the big ones. The hole punched through his stomach and his missing arms were nearly so overwhelming that he couldn’t understand how to move forward.

“We’re going to need to trade control,” Latresekt growled. “You’re in no state to do what comes next.”

“No…” Ranvir groaned, fighting to regain his seating. The crab was rapidly closing on him. “We’re not.”

The water burst high into the sky as a sea serpent roared its glorious victory. Lesser injuries marked its throat and belly, as well as a couple broken scales along its side. In other words, none the worse for wear.

“Yes, we are.”

Ranvir blinked hard. “Just until we get safely out of the fold.”

Latresekt shoved forth tendrils of its self into Ranvir’s spirit, reaching for both tether- and Amanaris-space. They hurriedly wormed their way inside, reaching for the cores of both his powers.

“Let go,” Latresekt said, then. “Locust, I need a little more help from you,” and then Latresekt took control of Ranvir’s powers again.

Drawing from both Amanaris and tether, Latresekt first summoned a spike of sand. The power flowed effortlessly, unlike Ranvir’d ever seen it before. Using his Veil, Latresekt didn’t simply use absolute. It was an Ability in its own right, more potent than any of Ranvir’s own and, at the same time, far less consequential. If given the time, Ranvir could’ve spent years breaking down every detail of Latresekt’s casting and still find tiny details he’d never have guessed.

The crab died unceremoniously, the spike of sand as dense as stone. The serpent struck a shield Latresekt summoned, so thickly laced with small techniques and tricks that Ranvir at first mistook it for simple. Bone crunched, the serpent looking and sounding like it’d run into a solid wall.

Sand created a cushion underneath Ranvir, lifting him into the air as power was also channeled into Loce, and his pocket-space opened up before him. “Digest and feed,” Latresekt commanded, creating another cloud of thólos gunk. Loce eagerly set to the task, swarming the mass and working on it. “Open your mouth, Ranvir.”

Ranvir, still stunned from Latresekt effortlessly belittling every single technique, Ability, or individual skill he’d ever seen, simply did as ordered. It felt odd to have access to his body, but not his powers. Like someone else puppeting just his fingers.

He opened his mouth, a stream of locust latched onto it. Eyes widening, as Ranvir realized their intentions, he tried struggling but Loce was too many and too tough. Soon, thólos already chewed flowed into Ranvir’s gullet. He gagged, but despite his best efforts, he could not get the once mushroom gunk out again. He could only struggle helplessly as he filled up.

Finally, the locusts blew away from him in a burst as they finished their force feeding. Ranvir lurched forwards, gagging violently. “We will make you eat it again,” Latresekt said calmly.

Ranvir shuddered through another convulsive retching, but kept it down. He would rather not go through such an experience again. He caught the tail end of a Sand Barrage that looked like nothing more than a perfect pillar of sandstone blowing a fist-sized hole into crussor’s skull.

“If we’re this strong, can’t we go help Sabas?” Ranvir gasped, finally regaining enough control to speak. Not that he felt better. Ranvir felt terrible, cold sweats, and occasionally experiencing flashes of encroaching darkness.

“I’m violating your soul,” Latresekt replied. “We don’t have long before something else comes loose. That tear in your Fundament could come undone and you have to close it again, but you could just fall over and die.”

“Then hurry!” Ranvir barked, clenching his bracelet, the four symbols cutting into his palm painfully.

“I am,” Latresekt replied, setting them down on another pillar. “Now, you need to stand exactly on the right spot,” silvery light lit up the entire fold, like a second sun momentarily appearing within the fold. Ranvir glanced in Sabas’ direction, seeing a massive cut appearing on the monstrous boss. Cracks of purple energy sparked in the air, outlining the edges of Sabas’ Ability. “That’s your clue.”

The sparks started spreading, cracks widening rapidly. Ranvir took a few rapid steps at Latresekt’s command, then stopped. “Lean forward a little.”

“What are you doing?” Ranvir said, shakes and shivers racking his body. Whether from his soul or his body, Ranvir didn’t know. He just didn’t feel well. Latresekt reached into the last Discipline Ranvir thought it’d ever use. Flesh, which was when he realized where he was, just as the knotting point came undone and took the entire fold with it.