Milestone Pending

“Nathan, you screamed very loudly,” Cal stated as they descended another staircase. “Were you scared?”

“No!” Nathan retorted. “Also, that was not a scream. I… yelped in surprise.”

“Sounded like screaming to me,” Zam blurted.

“No one asked you, Zam!” Nathan’s voice rose, as did the color in his cheeks. “They were so gross, like floating leeches… so many, all over me.”

Nathan shuddered.

“Somebody get them off. Burn them,” Meru mocked in a high-pitched voice. “Sounded like you were calling for me.”

Nathan stopped on the next step and looked back to glare at a smiling Meru.

Meru winked at Nathan.

“You…” Nathan didn’t finish the sentence. He shook his head and started descending again.

Join our party? Yeah, right. Still can’t believe he asked that.

“It was definitely a scream,” Kieran added. “They were disgusting.”

“Fuck’s sake,” Nathan grumbled.

The map updated, the floor number sliding into place as he stepped off the last stair.

Floor twenty-five.

Wipe Squad Anonymous and Meru Oglivos, burning through Rennick Dungeon at an alarming pace.

Apparently.

Did it open new floors because we are in story mode?

There was no chance that any other parties would be catching up to them.

Seriously, how many floors are there?

He checked the overall progress.

Eleven percent.

Nathan had been worried another Mal memory might trigger at ten percent.

It hadn’t. That didn’t mean he felt better.

He breathed out slowly.

The quest objective hadn’t changed.

[ Objective: Complete the Dungeon ]

Which meant the next milestone would come when they finished it.

One that might trigger another memory.

How do I prepare for the next one?
I can’t be useless for days.
Can I even prepare for it?

There wasn’t anything he could do about it now.

How long has it been since we came through the seam?
Three months?
No. Closer to four.

It still felt like the overall progress was moving too slowly.

Is it because I’m not training with Cal efficiently?

The world map remained stubbornly fogged.

We probably have to clear all of it to get out.

His shoulders slumped.

Kieran gave the hold signal from the front.

They halted.

Rats?
Big rat things.
Lots of them.

Nathan took a step back.

Nope.
Kieran’s got that.

[ Level 30: Gnawers ]
Behavior: Carnivorous swarm

The corridor filled with wet scratching and the sound of teeth chattering together.

That’s disgusting.

Hint: They have tough hides.

Oh, fun.

Kieran stepped forward, blade already in motion, glowing white.

He had learned an offensive spell word that worked for him.

“Lance,” he said.

Mana surged from the tip of his sword, binding to the blade and stretching it outward in a clean line of white. He sliced through three of the creatures in a single sweep, his momentum barely slowing.

Nathan watched him adjust instinctively as another Gnawer lunged from the side.

He’s learning quickly.

Kieran pivoted, the light steady as he drove the sword through it. Using mana like this took effort. Nathan could see it in the tension of his shoulders.

Still, it didn’t stop him.

Whether the mana was extended or channeled through his augment, Kieran was powerful either way.

Zam took on another creature.

He stabbed it and then sliced.

He's really been improving.
Hard not to, with a group like this.

Still can't sense traps for shit, though.

Meru hit a cluster at the rear with several fire spells in quick succession, adjusting between casts.

He seems more motivated lately, for some reason.
That worries me.

"Are you going to join the fight?" Cal asked.

Nathan sighed. "Yeah, I suppose."

"I suggest you take Zam’s flank," Cal said. "He needs the most support."

Cal had started offering battle tips to Nathan a few floors back.

Still off-putting.

Nonetheless, he backed Zam up.

They cleared their side quickly.

Meru handled the stragglers that slipped past Kieran.

Fire rained down on them.

They didn’t make it far.

Nathan glanced toward the front again.

Kieran held it a little longer this time, before the mana retracted on its own.

Looks like his Lance already faded.

Kieran brought his blade down on the last monster.

Its head split from its body.

The head hit the stone.

Thunk.

It rolled.

Then both head and body dissolved.

Silence settled back over the corridor.

They collected the loot and continued forward.

Meru taught Kieran how to meditate at one of the rest stops. He had him sit with his eyes closed. The instruction itself was simple. Feel the mana.

Nathan had laughed at the phrasing.

Feel the mana, be the mana.

Kieran's spell word or mana wasn’t tied to any element that Nathan could identify. Just shaped mana. Similar to his construct mana.

It suited Kieran. The blade had always been an extension of his body anyway.

Maybe it was because Kieran was already adept with augmented weapons, already used to channeling power through his weapon. Or maybe it was simply because they had opened mage pathway on his interface.

Nathan wasn’t sure which.

Maybe it was both.

Nathan felt the familiar twist in his chest.

Kieran's mana ability reminded him of his own thought-casting with his sword. It had started to become so natural. Even using it with his hands.

Now I can’t even access it.

Nathan huffed a quiet sigh.

“What is it?” Cal asked.

He's really been doing well at curbing his emotional questions until after the fighting's finished.

"What's what?"

"You sighed."

Nathan hesitated, then decided there was no harm in saying it. “I wish my mana would work here.”

“Mana,” Cal repeated. “Your type is listed as Hollow.”

“Sort of.”

“Anomaly,” Cal said.

Nathan missed a step.

Cal really didn’t miss anything while he was on mute.

“Yeah,” Nathan said. “Anomaly.”

“Why can’t you use mana now?”

“Not sure. Haven’t been able to since we arrived here,” Nathan laughed softly. “You think you can unlock it or whatever for me, Cal?”

“I don’t have that capability.”

“Yeah,” Nathan sighed. “Didn’t think so.”

“I’m sorry, Nathan.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault,” Nathan said, then added, “I don’t think so anyway.”

“I don’t have access to anything like that.”

“Okay,” Nathan said. “Probably doesn’t matter without Bob anyway. I’m probably running on empty.”

“Who’s Bob?”

Nathan smiled. “My blob. My charger.”

“You sound… affectionate.”

Nathan chuckled at Cal’s tone.

“I miss the little guy. Actually, bigger,” Nathan said. “Or really, I don’t know what size he is now. Or if he’s even all right.”

“You don’t know his size?”

“Nope. He can change it.”

“That’s unusual.”

“Yeah. There’s also the stag. Nyx made it big.”

“You have lots of friends,” Cal said quietly, then added, “you’re my only friend, Nathan.”

Nathan cringed.

“That’s not true, Cal. You have Kieran, Zam, and…” Nathan glanced toward Meru near the front with Kieran.

Meru looked back as if he’d heard their conversation.

He slowly waved, like a homecoming queen on a parade float.

Nathan pretended he didn’t see and swiped at his interface.

“You have me, Kieran, and Zam,” Nathan concluded.

Let’s not make Meru an option right now.

“You are the only one I need.”

“O-okay. We’ll work on that, buddy.”

"I mean it."

"Got it."

Fuck, he creeps me out.

***

They camped on floor twenty-seven at the end of the third day in the dungeon.

Their target for today was ten floors.

They made good time at first.

Floors twenty-eight and twenty-nine blurred together. The traps were simpler, the monsters fewer, and nothing slowed them for long. Kieran took point, Meru burned anything that lingered, and Zam stayed just far enough back to avoid getting bitten.

On floor thirty, Nathan paused at the bottom of the stairs.

Something seemed... off.

He couldn't place it.

The map had updated smoothly.

Nothing else appeared out of place.

"Hmm."

"What is it?" Kieran asked.

"I thought we were going to complete ten floors today," Meru said.

"My spidey senses are tingling," Nathan said.

"Your what?" Zam asked.

The other two stared at him.

"I dunno, maybe it will be fine. Let's just go," Nathan said. "Let's stick close today."

"Aw, you want to get closer to me?" Meru purred.

"Fuck," Nathan sighed. "You know what? You can go to the front."

"So harsh." Meru laughed.

"What are spidey senses, Nathan?" Cal asked.

"I just feel like something’s—"

[ Peripheral Awareness +1 ]

"Ah, come on," Nathan huffed.

The stone shifted.

The sound was low and sudden, a grinding groan that reverberated through the corridor before anyone could react. The floor lurched beneath their feet as walls slid down from the ceiling, slamming into place with heavy finality.

Zam yelped as the floor gave way beneath him. He vanished through an opening that snapped shut the instant he disappeared.

“Oh, shit!” Nathan shouted.

The last thing he saw was Kieran and Meru lunging toward him before another wall dropped between them.

The floor tilted.

Nathan slid down a narrow chute and landed hard on his ass.

“Ow!” He coughed.

Stone dust hung thick in the air.

He was alone in a small chamber.

The map flickered.

Then redrew itself.

A maze.
Or something.
Not good.

Nathan groaned. “Please tell me that didn’t just happen.”

“Nathan,” Cal said softly. “We’re alone.”

“Yeah,” Nathan muttered. “I noticed. Don’t sound so happy about it.”

“I am happy, Nathan.”

Nathan sighed. “I need to find my way back to the others. Or to the end of this.”

“We will make a great team,” Cal cooed, then added, “we are a great team.”

“Yup.” Nathan pushed himself to his feet.

“Zam’s on his own,” he muttered. “I don’t love that.”

“You always care about the others,” Cal said.

“They’re my friends. Of course I do,” Nathan replied, looking over the map.

Something was glowing gold down the route that stretched out in front of him, past a cluster of red, orange, and yellow dots.

Fun times.

He started walking.

“I’m your friend too?” Cal asked.

“You are with me,” Nathan muttered. “Always with me.”

“Always,” Cal echoed.

“Do you really like me that much?” Nathan asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

“Of course.”

Nathan shook his head.

Notifications popped up.

[ Loot Added to Party Inventory ]

[ Giant Toad Acid x3 ]
[ Giant Toad Tongue x3 ]
[ Party XP +2 ]

“Looks like we need to catch up. Somebody’s already fought and won. At least we can keep tabs on whether they’re alive this way.”

Probably Kieran. He and Meru looked like they got stuck together. The two who least needed it.

“Nathan,” Cal said low.

“Yes?”

“You have many enemies ahead on your map.”

“I see that.”

“May I offer you voice-activated updates?”

“What now?”

“I can read the notifications to you,” Cal said, rushing now. “It may improve your reaction time.”

“How’s that different from what you’ve been doing?”

“You won’t have to read the notifications.”

Something squelched ahead of Nathan.

He slowed, lifting his sword just as a mass of green slime peeled itself off the wall and dropped into the passage, wobbling as it reformed. Thin tendrils dragged behind it, leaving a faintly smoking residue where they touched the stone.

The notifications flashed.

[ Level 35: Acidic Sludge Vines ]
Behavior: Restricts, constricts, and dissolves its prey.

Hint: Avoid the vines!

“So… an acidic slime with vines?” Nathan murmured.

“Gelsie,” Cal corrected him. “This monster has multiple cores, though.”

“How do you know that?”

“I do not know. I just have the information now.”

“Like a schematic?” Nathan asked, advancing. “Never mind. Where?”

“There are two located in its main body, and one in a vine.”

“How the fuck is that helpful?” Nathan hacked through the main body, pulverizing it. “Might as well just say, obliterate it.”

The creature didn’t dissolve.

“If you do not eliminate the core in the vine, the monster will quickly regenerate, and a core will be added to another vine.”

“Of course it will,” Nathan muttered.

The monster did come back together, and it looked even larger.

“What the…” Nathan tried again. “The vines first then, yeah?”

“You must quickly destroy all the vines.”

“Got it.”

Nathan stepped forward and slammed the flat of his blade into the thing, driving it back against the wall.

Some of the slime splattered onto him.

“Ah!” He hissed as the acid burned through his sleeve.

He resisted the urge to pull his arm back.

“Stomp on the vines!” Cal yelled. “The tips.”

Nathan stomped the vines until the creature slumped, then destroyed the body.
He cut through any remaining vines for good measure.

“Left,” Cal said.

A second shape slid out from the shadows near the floor.

“A friend?”

Nathan pivoted, bringing his sword around just in time to catch a cluster of vine-thick limbs, whipping and slick, mid-lunge.

This time, he cut the vines off quickly and destroyed the body.

He grabbed the loot.

[ Loot Added to Party Inventory ]

[ Vine Rope x2 ]
[ Sludge Vial x2 ]
[ Party XP +1 ]

“Yeah. Awesome.”

He checked his arm.

The burn wasn’t too bad.

“Are you okay, Nathan?”

“Yeah. Nothing I can’t handle.”

I’ll put something on it later.

Nathan exhaled and rolled his shoulders.

“That was good,” Cal said. “Your response time did improve.”

“It was better, I suppose,” Nathan said.

“May I disable notifications during combat?”

It might help us calibrate without the mind synchronization.

“Let’s give it a trial run.”

“That is a yes?”

“Yes,” Nathan said. “Go ahead and disable the notifications for now.”

“Okay!”

Nathan chuckled.

He’s so happy to finally get a yes out of me. Even extras.

“Oh, don’t forget to update me on party loot,” Nathan added. “Let me know if it’s been a while.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s keep going.”

“Sounds good,” Cal said cheerfully.

Nathan followed the map and took a right at the next corridor.

“You know, sometimes you sound like me.”

“Of course,” Cal replied immediately. “I have been learning speech behaviors from you.”

Nathan shuddered. “Yeah, I get that.” He paused. “Why only sometimes?”

“Because I am me.”

“Ah. That makes sense.”

He walked a few more steps.

“If you would give permission—”

“Stop. I know what you’re going to say, no. And frankly, I don’t need you sounding even more like me.”

“Okay,” Cal said, and after a moment, “Nathan?”

“What?” He snapped more harshly than he intended.

“More loot has been added to the party inventory. Would you like a description of the items?”

“Oh. Thanks. And no.”

“There are Gel Spinners approaching.”

“Gel Spinners?”

“The monsters you fought on floor twelve.”

“No,” Nathan gasped. “The… the green goo things?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck. Why me?”

“This time, they are not being controlled.”

Ahead, webbing clung to everything.

“How many—” He stopped, because he could see them.

At least eight.

He exhaled.

“Cal, you’re my wingman.”

“I will assist.”

The corridor he was in was already pretty narrow.

“Cal, I figure only two can get through at a time.”

“I agree.”

“That’s somethin’, at least.”

The first one dropped from the ceiling with a wet slap, directly ahead of him.

“Another on the wall,” Cal said.

Nathan lunged forward, slicing cleanly through the first one, then immediately pivoted toward the second.

Green goo erupted like geysers.

“These things are bigger than I remember!”

Another hit the wall beside him and surged forward, limbs stretching too far, too fast.

“Right,” Cal said.

Nathan twisted, bringing his blade down hard. The Spinner burst apart, green insides splattering him.

“Do not stop moving,” Cal added. “They will coordinate.”

“Yup.”

Two more dropped in quick succession. Nathan stabbed one, drove it back with a kick, then ducked as the other climbed the wall and swiped at him.

Nathan moved forward out of its reach. The first one lay on its back, writhing.

He sliced it in half.

“Front.”

Another was moving in fast just beyond.

“Behind.”

He turned back to the wall-crawler and drove his blade through its head.

“Turn!”

He spun back just in time to cut off a front leg of the incoming spider.

It hissed. Another geyser of green splashed across his chest. He managed to jump back before it hit his face, then stepped forward and swung at a clean angle, lopping its head off.

“Another. On the ceiling.”

Nathan charged forward, blade raised, splitting it open through the underbelly as he went.

The goo poured over him.

“Aghhh, fuckity fuck,” Nathan spat. “It’s in my—”

He kept spitting.

“Mouth.”

Nathan stood there, dripping, breathing hard, coated head to toe in slime.

“…I need a bath,” he muttered.

“Yes,” Cal agreed.

He retrieved the trunk with the rags and fumbled with the latch before popping it open. He rummaged inside until he found something soft.

Nathan wiped his face.

He went through three rags, then returned them to the inventory separately rather than putting them back in the trunk.

It probably wouldn’t have mattered.

He just didn’t want to risk contaminating anything else inside.

“…Okay,” he muttered. “I can see.”

“Your execution was efficient,” Cal said, pleased.

“Yeah. Great. I stink,” Nathan muttered as he collected the loot.

“Your route seems clearer for a short while,” Cal said.

Nathan glanced at the map. A few sparse yellow dots remained between him and the golden one.

Hope the others are okay.
Zam. I hope Zam is okay.

He started walking again.

Corridor after corridor.

In one section, he had to squeeze through a narrow shaft.

Thank God I’m not claustrophobic.

Smaller swarms followed.
Easy kills.

After a stretch of quiet, Nathan spoke.

“Cal.”

“Yes, Nathan?”

“You know that memory thing that happened,” Nathan said.

“The Mal memory,” Cal replied. “I was muted. I did not see it. But I heard you talk about it afterward.”

“Yes.”

“You were happy,” Cal continued. “Then your voice changed.” He paused. “You were not yourself. I was scared. Then you were quiet for three days.”

Nathan exhaled slowly.

“Yeah,” he said. “That must’ve been hard on you.”

“More hard on you,” Cal said. “Are you okay now?”

Nathan walked a few more steps before answering.

“Well… about that,” he said. “If you can turn off notifications, can you do other things?”

“Other things?” Cal asked.

“Like… stop it,” Nathan said. “Or delay the emotional transference.”

Cal was quiet.

“Possibly,” he said.

Nathan grimaced. “Possibly?”

“Through permitted mind synchronization,” Cal said, then added quickly, “I know you do not want that.”

Nathan sighed. “Figured you were going to say that. And you’re right. I don’t want that.”

“I’m sorry, Nathan,” Cal said. He sounded genuinely remorseful. “I do not know another way. And even then, it would only be a possibility.”

“Okay,” Nathan said quietly. “Thanks, buddy.”

“Of course.”

Nathan kept walking, checking the map, and the same thought kept circling.

I don’t want Cal’s voice in my head.

The thought spiraled, looping around the same thread.

Part of him wondered if keeping Cal out was holding him back.

Him.

And Kieran.

The system had given him options.

That was the strange part. Being able to mute the interface. Cal having to ask for permission for the truly invasive things. Even the tutorial had synchronized them, but not fully. Not irreversibly.

Mal hadn’t had a choice.
Neither had the others in the memory.

Their interfaces had been forced on them.

Violently.

It had been painful.

Even Kieran had flinched when the system removed his suppression.

Nathan swallowed.

Why did his interface feel like it had been designed with his free will in mind?

Like it valued him as an individual.

Or maybe that was just something he wanted to believe.

Maybe he was projecting meaning onto a system that didn’t care.

But even so—

Why show him what Mal went through?

Nathan exhaled slowly.

To show him he had a choice?

A say in the matter?

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t slow.

Cal had stayed obedient. Maybe a little pushy. Clingy. But he had never crossed a line.

That did matter.

Nathan knew Cal wouldn’t force anything on him.

Not without his consent.

It almost made him want to trust it.

Almost.

The fact that mind synchronization might help. Might get them through this faster. Might benefit him.

But once he let something all the way inside his mind, his thoughts, there was no taking that back.

No silence to retreat to.

No place that was just his.

Or…

Maybe there was more to it?

An off switch.

A do not disturb sign.

Nathan tightened his grip on his sword.

I don’t know.

Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

He hated that he was even considering the synchronization at all.

***

Nathan followed the map until a well-lit chamber came into view ahead.

The room opened wide, smooth stone floors etched with faint channels of light. At the center stood a pedestal, and on it, a pot. Harmless-looking.

Someone was sitting beside it.

Zam.

Legs stretched out. Hands behind his head. Completely intact.

Nathan stopped.

Zam looked up.

He blinked once.

Then burst out laughing.

Zam wheezed, pointing. “What happened to you?”

Nathan stared at him.

“Yeah, laugh it up,” he said flatly.

Zam wiped at his eyes. “You stink.”

Nathan ignored him, scanning the room. “Where are the others?”

Zam shrugged. “No idea. I’ve been here a while.”

“You look fine,” Nathan said.

“I am fine,” Zam said cheerfully. “It was the strangest thing. I just walked down one really long corridor. Had a few Gelsies. Nothing else.”

Nathan’s eye twitched.

“Then I found this chamber,” Zam continued, nodding toward the pedestal. “That pot was at the end of the corridor.”

Nathan looked at it.

Then back at Zam.

“…Anything inside it?”

“Nope, empty,” Zam said.

Nathan nodded. "Anything else?"

Zam shook his head. “I figured I’d wait until someone showed up. Don’t have a map.”

Nathan closed his eyes.

He took a breath.

Then another.

He opened them and looked at Zam. “Shall we go find the others?”

“Seems only right, don’t ya think?” Zam said earnestly.

Well duh! You’re clean... Unharmed...

Nathan let the scream stay internal.

“Yup.”

He looked around.

Multiple corridors branched out.

“Which way did you come from?”

Zam pointed to one that was brightly lit and looked completely safe.

Nathan shook his head.

Unbelievable. I was worried about this guy.

“So. Not that one.”

Nathan checked the map. “Let’s go toward the one with the most red dots.”

He picked a corridor and started walking.

“Sounds good to me,” Zam said, following.

Nathan stopped short, still in the chamber. “Oh.”

“What?” Zam asked.

“Cal,” Nathan said. “Make notifications available again.”

“Okay, Nathan,” Cal replied, sounding faintly disappointed.

[ Loot Added to Party Inventory ]

Nathan coordinated the notifications with the red dots.

He watched them vanish on only one route.

“Well,” he muttered. “That solves that.”

He turned sharply toward the far-left corridor.

Zam glanced at him. “You sure it’s this one?”

“Yes.”

They hadn’t gone far when Meru’s voice echoed faintly ahead.

“…I’m telling you, it was already unstable.”

Nathan and Zam waited in an intersection.

Kieran appeared first from the right corridor, coughing.

He was dusted head to toe in gray ash, hair dulled, armor streaked where something had scorched too close. He looked fine otherwise. Annoyed, but fine.

Meru followed, brushing at a sleeve that was very clearly singed.

They both slowed at the sight of Nathan and Zam, but kept approaching.

Nathan waved. "Hello."

They stopped a few feet away.

Kieran gave Nathan a once-over. “…You smell like something died on you.”

“I had to deal with more of those spider-slug things!” Nathan shot back.

Meru wrinkled his nose. “It’s almost worse than when Noise got covered. I thought Asset here smelled bad.” He hooked a finger at Kieran.

Kieran caught Nathan's eye, a faint smile crossing his lips. "Glad you’re all right."

Nathan stalled for half a second.

He looked away. "Yeah, well...you too."

"What about me?" Meru looked at Nathan. "Aren't you glad I'm okay?"

Nathan ignored Meru and pointed at Zam. "This guy only had to deal with some Gelsies!"

“You all smell bad now.” Zam chuckled.

Everyone turned toward him.

Zam was beaming with delight.

Nathan wasn't sure about the others, but at this moment, he really wanted to punch Zam in the face.

He closed his eyes for half a second and turned back to Kieran.

“Wrong turns?” Nathan asked.

Kieran nodded. “A couple. Mostly monsters.”

“And something exploded,” Meru added.

Kieran slowly turned his face toward Meru. “You, nearly exploded us.”

"As I said, that was not my fault."

Kieran started to open his mouth to retort.

Nathan held up a hand. “Enough. Argue on the way to the chamber.”

"Chamber?" Kieran and Meru said in unison.

They looked at each other and then away.

"The end of this godforsaken floor," Nathan said, already walking back.

They reached the chamber together a few moments later.

The pedestal stood where they had left it, the pot resting at its center. Smooth. Unmarked. Completely inert.

Zam crouched beside it, peering inside. “Looks hungry.”

Nathan frowned. He circled the pedestal once, eyes flicking to the stone floor around it. There were pictograms that didn’t seem to translate for him.

He pointed at the ground. "Anyone know what those mean?"

"Not a clue," Meru replied without hesitation.

Nathan shot him a look. "Helpful."

"I am not all knowing," Meru said flatly.

Nathan looked at Kieran.

Kieran shook his head.

Nathan didn't bother to look at Zam.

Nathan circled again.

"What's it want?" Nathan placed his fingers on his chin. "A blood offering?"

"What was that?" Zam asked.

"No, no," Nathan muttered. "Cal?"

“Yes, Nathan?”

“What's this pot want?”

"I cannot say for sure," Cal said.

"There are pictures. On the floor, around the pedestal."

"Can you describe them to me?"

Nathan stared at them.

He crouched down.

Can I?

"Uhm, a little guy in a wheelchair holding something. There's another one with a round thing, and maybe... the sun? The next one-"

"Nathan," Cal interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"Your descriptions are... not good," Cal said quietly.

Nathan feigned a gasp. "Cal, did you just insult me?"

This is a first.

"No!" Cal practically yelled. "Though! Based on a few words you said, and the arrangement, and the pot..."

Nathan laughed. "I was just teasing you. What is it?"

“The symbols could represent contribution,” Cal said.

Nathan straightened slightly. "Contribution?"

“Items,” Cal continued. “Things you give up to move forward. The small figure suggests limits. The round one is containment. The sun means advancement.”

Nathan blinked. “You got all that from my garbage explanation?”

“Yes,” Cal said simply.

Nathan huffed a laugh. “Okay. So it wants stuff. Dungeon stuff,” Nathan clarified.

“Correct. Recent combat materials,” Cal said.

Nathan nodded once. “An offering.”

Zam clapped his hands. “I knew it.”

Nathan shot him a look. “You know nothing.”

“Cool,” Nathan said. “Our murder souvenirs from today.”

"If you mean your loot, yes."

"Gotcha." He opened his inventory and paused. "Something from each of us?"

"Yes."

“Okay, let’s see, I’ve got Gelsie cores.” He pulled those out and handed them to Zam. “Those must belong to you.”

Zam accepted and tossed them in the pot without hesitation.

The pot pulsed softly.

"Ooohhh, it did something." Zam stepped back.

“Good start,” Nathan said.

Nathan pulled out giant toad tongues.

He looked at Kieran.

"I believe these are yours." Nathan handed them to him.

Kieran took them and dropped them in the pot and stepped back.

The glow brightened.

"Last but not least, some vine rope and sludge vials, take 'em all."

Nathan dropped in his offerings.

The pot glowed again.

And... that was it.

"Is something else supposed to happen?" Zam asked.

Nathan turned toward Meru.

Then Kieran and Zam turned as well.

Meru hadn’t moved.

He was staring at the pot like it had personally offended him. He glanced up.

"What?" Meru asked as if he didn't know.

“…You’re up,” Nathan said.

"You can't expect me to put something in there, shouldn't the party loot suffice?" He looked hopefully at the pot.

The pot continued to glow.

Waiting.

Meru sighed dramatically.

He opened his inventory.

After a moment, he begrudgingly produced something he kept clasped in his palm.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been looking for this item?" Meru said.

"What. Is. It." Nathan demanded.

He produced what looked like a claw.

[ Red Wyvern Talon ]

“Wyvern?” Nathan exclaimed, then looked at Kieran. "You had wyverns?"

Kieran nodded. "A few."

"I got really lucky, huh," Zam said.

"No, shit," Nathan barked at him and looked back at Meru. "Cough it up, Meru."

"Can't you try putting the rest of today's loot in the pot?"

"Like hell," Nathan growled. "Stop being stingy."

Nathan looked at Kieran.

Kieran arched a brow at him.

I know, I know. It always works on me when you call me stingy.

Meru didn't budge.

Fuck.

"Why won't you give it up?"

"It's rumored to be one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs in the world," Meru almost whined.

"Oh for," Nathan grabbed his hand. “Sir, when I have his hand over the pot, whack it.”

"With pleasure."

"No." Meru protested.

"Zam! Help out." Nathan yelled.

"Yeah," Zam said.

All three of them eventually wrestled it out of Meru's hand and it plopped into the pot.

"Beasts." Meru looked into the pot. "It's gone."

The pot flared.

“Alright,” Nathan said. “Let’s see what that bought us.”

The chamber hummed.

Something shifted.

A panel of the floor toward the back right side of the chamber slid open, revealing the stairs.

The pot chimed softly and went back to dull inertness

"That's it?" Nathan said disappointed. "Just more stairs?"

Meru glanced up. "There is a time and place for manhandling, that wasn't it."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. “Why are you even picking up loot like that?”

Meru looked offended. “Why shouldn't I?”

“We have a contract,” Nathan said. “You get a cut at the end. Party loot goes to the party.”

"I'm not in the party," Meru smiled, slow and unapologetic. “None of you stopped me before.”

Nathan gave him a long, pointed look.

Kieran cleared his throat.

Nathan exhaled. “…We’ll discuss your definition of teamwork later,” he said.

Meru winked. “Looking forward to it.”

"Someone bounces back fast." Nathan shook his head. "Diva."

He started to walk to the stairs when notifications appeared.

Bought us something else, too?

[ Passive Skill Unlocked: Integrity ]

Nathan almost gagged at the sight of that one.

[ Information Reward ]
[ New Dungeon Feature Detected ]
[ Mana Core: Unclaimed ]

Mana core?

Nathan stared at the words longer than he meant to.

He liked the sound of it.

***

They camped on thirty-one, nowhere near their ten-floor goal.

Nathan wanted to be closer to the end.

He felt irritated more than anything.

No large water source nearby.

Their drinking water was limited.

There was no way he was walking back up to the lagoon.

They had enough to rinse. His skin stayed tacky. The smell lingered.

Zam, infuriatingly, was fine.

At least all of their clothing and equipment was cleaned once it had been placed into inventory.

That was something.

“I still think it was a mistake,” Meru muttered for the third time that night, staring at his Pogo board. “A Red Wyvern talon is not something you just throw away.”

“We didn’t throw it away. We offered it,” Nathan said. “Big difference.”

“Check your inventory,” Meru pleaded again.

“I’m telling you I didn’t see one,” Nathan said.

He glanced at Meru and wished he hadn’t.

Meru was staring at him intently. His eyes actually looked… wet.

Nathan gaped at him.

I’ll never be as good an actor as half the people I’ve met since I ended up here.

He shook his head and held up his index finger. “One more time.”

Meru clapped his hands together.

Nathan checked his inventory, just to be sure.

“No Wyvern talons,” he said flatly.

Meru scowled, and immediately his whole demeanor changed. “They’re rare!”

“What are you, ten?” Nathan said, dismayed.

Can’t believe I let him play me into opening my damn inventory again.

No one felt like arguing after that.

Zam served them what would be their last hot meal in this dungeon.

After dinner, Kieran meditated.

Nathan played his obligatory rounds of Pogo with Meru.

He lost every round.

Not that he was surprised.

It seemed to cheer Meru up. Every time he could gloat about winning was one step closer to him forgetting about the Wyvern talon.

That night, Nathan didn’t dream.

They pushed on the next day through traps and puzzles that no longer slowed them the way they should have. Kieran adjusted on instinct. Zam suddenly knew where not to stand, like he’d been doing it all along. Meru burned what lingered and complained while doing it.

They ate dried meat to stay moving.

They found a muddy little pond not long after. It wasn’t much, but it was water, and Nathan was eternally grateful for it.

After the bath pit stop, everything shifted.

They cleared twelve floors faster than he thought possible at this stage. Traps triggered and failed to damage or stall them. Monsters fell before fully surrounding them. Even the puzzles were thinner and offered less resistance than he'd expected.

They rested on the forty-third floor for a few short hours. Then they were off again. Nathan kept moving along with the rest of them, barely thinking about it anymore.

The thought of the mana core surfaced unbidden. Not clearly. Not fully formed. Just a vague sense that whatever waited ahead wasn’t just an exit. Possibly an opportunity.

He didn’t want to let himself hope too much.

He kept waiting for something to break.

Another memory.

A message.

Neither came.

Somewhere in the high forties, progress slowed again. Not because of danger. Not because of resistance. Just… friction. A floor that took longer than it should have. A corridor that looped back when it shouldn’t have.

No one could quite explain it.

They were stuck on floor forty-seven for hours.

Looping and looping.

By the time they reached forty-nine, no one was talking much anymore. They decided they would clear it after a well-deserved rest.

Nathan didn’t even know what the others did after he pulled their gear from inventory. He didn’t bother setting up his tent. He just grabbed his bedroll and crashed until someone nudged him awake.

Floor forty-nine should have slowed them.

It didn’t.

It was a giant’s floor, and the first roar shook dust loose from the ceiling before Nathan even saw what made it. A group of cyclopes appeared, bigger than the last ones they’d fought, and they weren’t alone. Minotaur-things surged in behind them, horns scraping stone as they tried to force their way through the corridor. The kind of fight that should have turned into shouting, scrambling, someone getting clipped, and everything falling apart.

Instead, they moved like a strike force.

Kieran met the first charge head-on without hesitation. Meru’s fire sealed off angles before the monsters could flank. Nathan slid into gaps where he was needed without thinking about it. Even Zam didn’t trip them up. He didn’t wander into the wrong place or panic. He just moved when the group moved, blade up, exactly where he needed to be.

Cal’s voice carried clearly through the fight, steady and precise.

“Left.”
“Behind.”
“Duck.”
“Now.”
“Push.”

No one but Nathan seemed to question it.

How does Cal know?
And how does anyone know who he’s addressing?

Nathan didn’t know if exhaustion had made them sharper, or if it was simply that no one was talking anymore. Instinct and intuition. Motion without debate.

Cal’s voice.

Whatever it was, it worked.

The last giants on the floor, giganto dinos as Nathan’s brain had labeled them, put up the biggest fight.

Pack predators, fast and coordinated.

By the time the dinos hit the floor and dissolved, notifications flickered past, and Nathan and the others were already searching for the stairs to the next level.

***

They descended another staircase.

The map updated.

Floor fifty.

A notification flashed.

Hint: Mana core access available.

His breath caught.

So this is it.

“What?” Kieran asked.

Nathan tightened his grip on his sword.

“I think this is the last floor,” he said.

“You think so?” Zam asked, surprised.

“I don’t doubt you,” Kieran said, without hesitation.

“More than this being the last floor, the mana core sounds interesting,” Nathan said, looking at each of them in turn.

Meru glanced at him. “Let’s talk on the way. You can explain it to me.”

Nathan nodded.

Relief hit him first.
Then the weight of it settled in just as fast.

Let’s just get through this floor first.