Alex knew he probably shouldn’t be lying to Berin and Isabelle. But the problem was that he’d committed to it now. It had been a spur-of-the-moment prank that was beginning to drag on to an uncomfortable – almost dangerous – extent.

I’ll just keep them from going to a lower floor, he rationalised. Isabelle can solo most of the stuff around here anyway. While Berin had been keeping the pair of them topped up on HP, that simply reduced the frequency with which they needed to rest. Neither he nor Alex seemed essential for survival so far. In the aura-rich environment of the depths, it took a few hours to recover back to full stats at any rate.

“Relax – he’s still learning how to use the skill,” Berin had reassured Isabelle last time Alex had fired off a seemingly ineffectual missile. The goblin he’d been aiming at had leapt out of the way of the flash of harmless light but tripped and fallen over in the process. That had almost felt like a genuine contribution.

“He’s useless,” the rogue had muttered back. “Actually useless.”

“He probably just needs an MP efficiency skill. [Magic Missile] is pretty mana hungry as far as I know. The level of control means it takes a lot of skill and practise to use well. We can ask Iril when we get back.” Berin had directed that last bit at Alex, rather than Isabelle. “You’ll have plenty of time to work on optimising it. Really getting to know your skills is very important.”

“Where would I get an MP efficiency skill?” Alex had replied, sounding as hopeful as he could. He even tried his best puppy-dog eyes as he asked. He doubted he would ever actually take an efficiency skill – his illusions appeared to be far cheaper than the real thing.

“Hmmm. Usually, you wouldn’t find something like that until floor fifteen or twenty,” had been Berin’s reply, dead serious and contemplative.

Isabelle had snorted. “You might as well admit to having one, Heals.”

“My progression is my own business.”

With just under twenty hours remaining on the countdown timer, the party had ceased their search for trap rooms and instead now wandered the halls of the depths looking for a portal back to the nexus chamber.

They would have to be near the obelisk to return to the overworld, and there was no point in cutting it close when they already had everything they’d come for. The plan was to return to the chamber and rest. Of course, this meant more encounters with monsters in the corridors, especially goblins.

They were engaged with three of them currently. Alex leaned out of the way of an incoming blade, noting its chipped surface as it whooshed through the air to his left. He knew the weapon would evaporate when the goblin warrior wielding it did, but the fact that it was made of realised aura didn’t make it any less scary. Experience told him that those blades would cut, and if he ran out of HP then the damage would be permanent without Berin’s healing.

Alex swiped back at the goblin warrior with his club as one of Isabelle’s knives flew past to take out the shaman at the back of the small raiding party. She’d used her [True Strike], and the knife landed right in its eye. Berin had engaged the remaining warrior with his own club and was waving it around with significantly less grace than Alex was managing.

It’s my DEX score, Alex realised as he jumped back from his own combatant’s swing. My reflexes are far better than his. In a way, he was appreciative of the DEX bonus that had come with the [Charlatan] class. It seemed to have high utility for both offense and defence in physical combat, and he enjoyed the sensation of speed and balance it lent.

Far quicker than I ever was before. He vaguely remembered his basketball days, where he’d spent most of the playtime on the sidelines socialising – a situation he and their long-suffering coach had both appreciated.

Dead, dead, dead. They’re all dead now. Sorry, Coach Maxwell.

Alex moved with the grace of a professional sportsman as he ducked around a clumsy thrust which had been aimed at his chest. He shoved the goblin back with the end of his club, feeling the resistance as the stubby green creature stumbled backward in front of him. Then, while it was off-balance, he brought the club down on its sword-arm, causing it to drop the weapon.

Higher STR would be helpful here. With moves like this, no wonder I got offered the blunt weapon skill.

But for level six goblins? Eleven strength would suffice. Quickly glancing around to ensure his teammates were still engaged in their own duels, Alex used [Lesser Illusion] to make his eyes flash red as he bared his teeth at the goblin. He’d been working on smaller intimidation tactics over the last two encounters – red eyes, fangs, even spikes along his club when he’d been able to get away with it.

Of course, his skill wasn’t nearly good enough to manage a full-face disguise. It took significant concentration to make his illusions move dynamically, and the more complex they were the more difficult it became. The flashes of light for his magic missile were easy enough, or basic manipulation of something small like a rock, or lacking in detail like a shadow. But a moving face? Even a convincing stationary one felt beyond Alex at the moment.

The goblin in front of him flinched at the display, creating an opening, and letting Alex bonk it again with his club. Noting that its aura was flickering and weak, Alex blasted a ‘missile’ from his left hand as he brought the club down again for a final blow. Hopefully, the others would see the flash and attribute the kill to his skill.

I really should tell them…

But no, he was in too deep now. They’d be angry at him.

Why the fuck did I decide to do this, again?

Well… because it had been fun. And he’d been excited. And his higher WIS had made him a better liar – who could blame him for wanting to try it out? Over the last day, he’d obviously thought more deeply on the situation. It wasn’t lost on him that the most effective illusion mage would be one who no one knew was an illusionist, and he was still playing with that particular idea.

It’s still a bit stupid, though. But hey – he was feeling reckless. Everyone he knew was dead.

But not too reckless. When they’d encountered a staircase to the seventh floor, Alex had been the one to insist that they stay on the sixth. He didn’t want to get his teammates killed, after all. Just to lie a little. Or a lot? He still wasn’t sure.

It took the party another six hours to find the portal back to the obelisk chamber, during which time they only encountered three goblin raiding parties. Most of the time was spent wandering the halls aimlessly and expanding the map Isabelle was keeping. From his brief glances at it, it was clear to Alex that the depths were incredibly dense. More of the space down here seemed occupied by rooms and corridors than by walls.

“Is there any way of punching through the walls?” he’d enquired.

“Yes. But not easily, and some rooms are protected. It’s complicated,” had come Isabelle’s terse, whispered reply.

Something for the earth mages to look into, then.

“Ugh! Finally!” Isabelle had exclaimed on seeing the return portal. “I was worried we were going to get stuck down here.” She’d snort-laughed a little as she’d said so, impressing on Alex that they’d left plenty of time for a safe return.

“Nonetheless,” Berin replied, “it’ll be good for us to be back well before the final waves.” The healer turned towards Isabelle. “What do we think? Head through now or farm this area for a bit?” They had the map, and the portal wasn’t going anywhere.

The rogue paused to consider, but only briefly. “Let’s head through now. There’s fuck-all on this floor anyway, and I’m sick of shamans. If it weren’t for those credits the boss is paying us, this would’ve been my least profitable run all year.” She glanced, somewhat derisively now, at Alex.

That isn’t fair, he thought to himself. Even without using my skill, I’ve taken out seven goblins with my club. And even more crabs. He’d been of limited assistance, sure, but far from useless. Plus, he’d landed the final blow on the fifth-floor boss!

They barely seem to care about me. Even Berin is only being courteous. The healer was a nice man but had hardly gone out of his way to be supportive. He seemed a little intimidated by Isabelle and tended to follow her lead socially as well as in combat. He’s a bit of a Nice-Guy, Alex thought to himself. Mediocre but kind, and desperately seeking approval. At least Isabelle being here for the money is respectable. He knew the disdain was unfair, but after all he’d been through he found he had very little respect for suck-ups.

Berin (of course) nodded at Isabelle’s suggestion. “Alright – let’s go. I’ll head through first in case there’s friendly fire.”

Yeah, definitely a suck up. Also, friendly fire?

Isabelle snorted. “They’ll notice the lights. They almost always do.”

“Almost always,” came Berin’s reply, his tone slow and cautious. He walked up to the portal, muttered something, and then placed his hand on it before vanishing.

“Alright, come on – look out for traps when you pop out; don’t move too quickly,” Isabelle moved to follow Berin.

“The lights?” Alex enquired before she could touch the inky black surface.

“Oh – the nexus portals flash a different colour when reborn come through. Sometimes the guards aren’t paying attention and miss it. Don’t worry though – I’m pretty sure Berin used a skill. They won’t kill him if they hit him accidentally. Probably.” The rogue winked at Alex, turned, and touched her own hand to the portal before vanishing.

This left Alex alone in the corridor.

Now if I were feeling really stupid, I’d stay and practice my illusions, Alex thought to himself.

It was tempting.

If I were feeling incredibly stupid, I’d keep exploring the depths by myself.

It was very tempting.

Alex let his aura pool in front of him, more than he’d ever tried before. He pushed it to his hands, watching with his [True Sight] as it took the form of a giant sword. Then, he willed the illusory sword into existence, using more of his MP to give the aura substance in the physical plane.

Alex grinned. He was sitting on a comfortable 141/180 MP and now holding a gleaming golden claymore. The entire thing seemed to be made of solid gold, so he focused and the cross guard and hilt both turned a crimson red. They gave off just enough sensation for him to feel the weapon in his hand.

Wait, no, that’s not quite right. They still look and feel like metal.

Alex shifted his focus to making the bottom of the sword more realistic, and as he did, he noticed the top of the blade beginning to fuzz a little.

Ok. Focus. Keep the entire image in your mind at once.

His skill primarily allowed him to manipulate his aura in a specific manner, but he could feel it had also improved his visualisation abilities. Unfortunately, the improvement wasn’t enough to realise his current ambition.

I guess it is only ‘lesser’. I need a higher-level version… Iril got her upgrade on what, the twenty-fifth floor? Too far.

Alex glanced at the portal. Would he abandon his new comrades and spend the last fourteen hours in an attempt to descend to level ten? Part of him longed for it, but he knew deep down it was too risky. Even if he could defeat another boss, the time limit meant he’d end up stuck down here if he didn’t find a way back in time.

Nope. I’m not THAT stupid. Nonetheless… the others can still wait another few minutes.

Alex swung the golden blade. It moved weightlessly through the air, flickering slightly as it went. It was hard to keep the detail right when the blade was in motion, so he spent a few minutes cementing a clear mental image of the object. By the time he was done, he could swing the blade around and have it look passable… as long as no-one was paying too much attention. That became impossible once he started adding colours and different ‘engravings’ to the blade, as the level of detail was too difficult to maintain.

Guess I’m sticking with simple stuff. No flaming swords... yet.

His best innovation was to interpose the image of the blade over his existing club. It didn’t quite fit, as the club was quite large, but having a reference point made the physics of moving the illusion easier to wrap his head around.

Alex dismissed the blade, noting with pleasure that much of the mana he’d spent to cement the image flowed back to him on its disappearance. He fired off a few more ‘magic missiles’ to celebrate – glorified light flashes more than much else.

Hmmm. Light? Would he be able to blind enemies? Alex closed his eyes as he willed a bright flash to appear. Hmm. He was surprised to find he couldn’t see a thing through his closed eyelids. That should have been pretty bright.

He tried again, with his eyes open this time. The resulting flash was strange. It looked bright but had no impact on his actual eyes. In fact, it didn’t even cast shadows on the walls around him. He tried conjuring a black box around his own head with the intent of blinding himself that way. But of course, he could see through it with [True Sight]. Alex glanced at the portal again.

This is really dumb. But I need test dummies.

His next illusion was quite deliberate, and it was a loud, booming sound.

“Come and get me!” the disembodied voice he’d created was barely coherent – more of a “cuuuuhm ag eme”. Alex supposed either a lot of practice or a higher-level skill would be required before he could properly mimic voices. It was good to know his limitations, though. Frankly, he was surprised he could produce that level of complexity in the vibrations in the first place. He followed up the attempt at speech with a series of loud bang noises.

Alright. If I don’t have some testing goblins arriving here in the next few minutes, I’ll head through the portal. If they’re too much for me to handle… which they probably will be… I’ll head through the portal. Alex stood right next to the glowing black veil, hand raised and ready to zip out at a moment’s notice.

I hope the others aren’t getting too worried about me. Wait, can they return to come and get me? But there were many nexus portals on every floor, and it seemed unlikely that Berin or Isabelle would pop back out at this particular one. They’re probably still waiting.

There were no goblins coming down the corridor and Alex was getting properly anxious, as well as slightly worried about any potential combat. As usual, he may have let his excitement get ahead of him.

Alright. I’ve screwed them around enough already anyway. Sighing somewhat defeatedly and glancing around the empty corridor, Alex reached out and tapped the portal back to the obelisk chamber. He’d been stupid enough this run. With that said, he was still getting really sick of following others around this new world.

“What do you mean, you left him there?!” Edrick was trying to wrap his head around the sheer idiocy of the two guilders who’d accompanied Alex. “He was at the portal. You both went through the portal. What, are you suggesting he chose not to follow?”

“Uhhhh… maybe?” Berin responded. The healer’s trepidation calmed Edrick a little. He had a lot more patience for Berin than he did for the rogue, Isabelle. At least the man’s clinic represented a valuable service for Linosa. Isabelle was here on rotation; just a typical, power-hungry reborn. Edrick remembered his own days as one of those fondly, but it didn’t mean he had to appreciate the qualities associated with it in others.

Edrick rested his hand on his forehead. “Ugh. Fucking hell. Ugh.” He’d rested earlier but having spent several days in the defence party fending off monsters had taken a mental toll. The excitement he’d felt before they’d entered had been replaced with a creeping fatigue – he was looking forward to sitting at his nice, wooden desk again. At least they’d have their third healer back in time for the final waves of monsters. Those were always the worst.

The only interruption to the alternating slaughter and boredom had been the arrival of their other special guest, who was resting now near the obelisk. Edrick had spent hours questioning her, mostly in amazement. But that had been some time ago, and the novelty had quickly worn off. He was ninety percent sure she wasn’t a spy, but he’d told Iril to keep an eye on her anyway. Things were harder to verify with Eliza dead.

The layout of the chamber around him had changed significantly since the delving parties had departed. Rows of solid defensive stakes and trap pits sat in front of all four portals, and Amaz had been working the stone in the area to create choke points and blockages. It was impossible to block the portals fully without risking the lives of those who returned through them – besides, many types of monster had some capacity to tunnel or cause explosions. No, the chamber had instead been trapped and moulded into a monster-killing factory, all centred on the enormous pillar of the obelisk in its centre.

Linosa’s reborn would rest next to the colossal pillar to recharge their resource points as quickly as possible. The aura around the tier-two structure was as thick as on the twentieth floor, greatly assisting recharge rates. Some would sleep, in shifts. The system meant that defenders were well topped-off to deal with the waves of monsters that would flood the portals occasionally.

“Alright. Berin, you go over and relieve the other two healers.” Edrick pointed the man toward the support group, who seemed to be loitering and chatting near the obelisk. He directed his next comments to the rogue. “As for you, go and make yourself useful on gateway three. Eleanor will be hearing about this fuck-up.” Then, he leant on the long handle of his axe and fixed his gaze on the portal in front of him, waiting to see if the boy would show up.

Thankfully for Edrick, Alex emerged from the portal only a minute or so later. Sucked through the void, he blinked his eyes clear and found his footing on a narrow ledge of stone. Remembering Isabelle’s instruction, he avoided stepping forward into a nasty-looking pit, and instead slowly made his way along a narrow path of safe stone.

The mayor seemed to be waiting for him personally, glowering at the end of the stone path. Oops. Probably should have come through with the others. Berin was visible in the distance near the centre of the chamber, and Alex gave him a wave. Isabelle wasn’t in sight, but Berin waved back. The healer seemed relieved to see him.

The mayor seemed in a less friendly mood, although not necessarily angry. The large man was leaning on his massive axe just beyond the fortifications.

“So,” the mayor stated once Alex was closer, “care to explain the delay? Needed to piss?”

Alex had prepared for this one. Carefully, he deployed his lie. “I wanted a closer look at the portal frame. I thought I recognised one of the glyphs on it.”

The excuse must have been plausible, because the mayor raised both eyebrows, looking almost curious. “Did you?”

“Uhhhh, no. I didn’t recognise the glyph, and it just made my head hurt.” Alex did his best to look sheepish.

Ha ha. I’m just a stupid foreigner from some other primitive world.

“Hm. Well, I don’t know what I was expecting.” Amazingly, the lie seemed to have flown. “Well – you shouldn’t have waited like that, but those two idiots should have sent you through second.” He paused. “Or not rushed you. Ah well, no harm done, thank the gods. Welcome back. Try to make yourself useful watching over a gate, otherwise you can sleep near the obelisk. We’re expecting the delving parties back at five hours remaining, so take care not to shoot the guildmistress if you’re on the gate.”

Wait – does he think I have magic missile??

“Ummm…” Alex went to speak up, but the mayor was already walking away.

“Do what you want, kid. You haven’t been drilled and you’re not on any of the rosters. Just stay out of the way for the final waves.”

Ahhhh fuck. Ok. Do I run after him and tell him? I mean… I’m safe now, so there’s no reason to reveal myself. No. Berin and Isabelle will hate me for it if I do. They’ll say I put them in danger. Ok. I’ll tell the guildmistress when she gets here. She can help me work this out.

Otherwise, I guess I’m moving to a different town out of embarrassment.

Two reborn were leaning against the outer chamber wall by the gate he’d come through, chatting casually but on guard. Alex ignored them, choosing instead to head toward the obelisk. He could apologise to Berin for making him wait at least, and he was exhausted. A nap might do him some good.

Several hours and one beleaguered apology later, Alex was woken from his light sleep by the sounds of commotion around him.

“Huh? What’s going on?” he glanced around, directing his question at the nearest reborn, a woman who looked around his own age with shoulder-length brown hair. She was leaning against the hanging tip of the obelisk a metre or two away.

“The delving party are back. Calm down. They’re right on time.” Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him. “Are you new or something?”

This guilder’s aura was almost black, flickering with silver stars. But that wasn’t what threw Alex off. No – he didn’t recognise her. Assassin!

Still lying on the stone ground, Alex scrambled back from the stranger, knocking aside the knapsack he’d appropriated as a pillow. His body was shaking as he pointed at her and made out to shout. Instinctively, he’d shifted his aura to form around his upraised hand.

Wait. Hang on. Part of him was still waking up, and the incident a few days ago had clearly shaken him. He was being unreasonable.

No one else was reacting to the stranger’s presence, but she didn’t appear to be invisible. Although… the woman looked like she was laughing at him now. Not nefariously… no, more as if his reaction genuinely amused her.

She grinned and waved at him jokingly. “Away for three months, and I’d forgotten how funny you could all be. It’s good to be back around other humans.”