The laser beam was drawing closer in that weirdly sped-down world which really was my mind trying to escape the reality of impending doom.

Could I escape it? No, could I repel it?

…

Yes.

The buzzing signaled to me that I would be hit on my right side, at my chest level.

There was only one answer to that.

I pulled my clock-arm in protection, the light ray hit me in the next second.

It washed over my arm’s shield with all the power it was capable of splashing over the sides, burning my forehead, hair, neck, leg, and feet.

I screamed for the burns, but at least the ray lasted only one shot.

I crumbled to the floor, opening and closing my eyes, which were trying to recover from the intense burning light.

“Loke!” Harlow shouted.

“I’m fine! Watch out for the tripod!”

“Stand behind me; it doesn’t affect the armor!” She shouted back.

Blinking and feeling the incremental buzzing of the approaching horde, I hid behind Harlow, who placed herself in my defense.

But this was a serious problem. With Harlow focused only on defending, the horde would undoubtedly overwhelm us.

“Loki! I need you to give it your all!” I shouted.

Loki roared in response, a roar I had never heard him use. It was so powerful that my eardrums almost hurt.

So, Loki ran ahead, and I started releasing all that I could.

The next laser attacks splashed against Harlow’s armor a few seconds later.

She managed to fully reflect it.

“How many times can you do that?”

“As much as I want, but if I move, you’re toast! Like, literally!”

“Then I guess I’m sticking to my favorite bean bread!”

“Was that a joke because of my armor or hair!?” She shouted back.

“Both!”

She shrugged, “I love you.”

“Then you better survive.”

I had destroyed as many creatures as I could with my Blow Arrows, but the creatures were coming to trample us to death, we had to move if only it wasn’t for-

“Har!” I shouted, “We don’t have to wait for them to attack us; let us rush at them!”

“What are you talking about?”

“The energy beam! It will always target us; if we throw ourselves into the fray, we can use the monsters as shields!”

“Alright, but let me do it! Even its splash can hurt you!”

“Be my guest then!”

We started running against the creatures, in sync, walking on the same metal tiles, at the same rhythm.

By the time we reached the creatures, the beam was ready to shoot at us, and just when it did, Harlow and I threw ourselves aside.

The beam hit a gorilla full-on, literally melting it, then digging through it and borrowing itself into the next creature.

“Yes!” She shouted.

Yeah, it was a small victory, but we couldn’t celebrate; we were in the middle of the enemy lines, and Homing Horns and dog tackles flew about all around us.

I kept exploding arrows, knowing that the tripod could shoot every few seconds.

“Why does it affect them, and not your armor!?” I shouted to get past the sounds of the explosions.”

“Because the energy beam is made of Flow!” Harlow answered, uncaringly shooting with her Flow-guns.

“The creatures’ metal is a regular steel alloy; my armor is made with SolarTitanium! It absorbs it to recharge its Flow Capacity!”

“That’s fucking neat!”

“I can show you how it’s built if you want!”

“I wouldn’t understand jack-shit about it, right?”

“Yeah, you would just stare at me and drool like a fool!” she answered back.

“I always drool when I stare at you!”

If I was trying to joke around, it was so because we needed to keep our Willpower powering us through this madness.

Once again, another eye beam reached Harlow, but this time she purposefully but herself in its trajectory.

“Fully charged!” She shouted, then started to unleash another barrage of Flow-blasts.

I shot an arrow right in the mouth of a Technorilla that had gotten too close. “Are you sure all this Flow is not hurting you?”

“That’s for Nova to care about; right now, I cannot stop!” She answered, convinced.

She would likely push herself to cancer if we didn’t get out of the damn Dungeon as soon as possible.

At the same time, I noticed my Agility, Strength, and Willpower spike, Frenzy likely activating too.

I immediately looked for Loki; a Technorhino was pinning him down; it had pushed him to the ground and was about to stomp him.

“Don’t you dare!” I said, then extracted my knife and threw it toward the creature while at the same time preparing the strongest Tackle I could.

When I appeared, conserving my rush momentum, I hit the creature with the most powerful kick I could unleash with my SolarTitanium Crus.

If I had understood it correctly and indeed I thought I had, my SolarTitanium Crus implant, with its fifty points of Augmented Strength paired with my seventeen points of Basic Strength, would double once to take into consideration my Animal Instincts Major Perk, then the result would double again with Nasty Trick’s Perk. If indeed it was so, I would hit the Technorhino with a Strength parameter of approximately two hundred and seventy.

When the attack connected with the rhino’s neck, my leg literally dug through it, but the impact resounded in my Body.

I could feel the whispers from the creature’s death, but my femur had been broken.

I screamed a low fuck, as Loki got up and scrambled away from another incoming attack while I threw my knife in front of me, getting away from the monsters and falling on the ground.

Uncaring of the pain, I kept shooting arrow after arrow at the creatures, whose full attention was now Harlow.

She was blasting them with her Flow-guns as if there would not be a tomorrow.

In a little around thirty seconds after that, we had managed to take out the second horde completely.

Yet, we still could not leave.

“Loke!” Harlow shouted, coming toward me.

“Press here,” I said, pointing at my leg, from which my exposed bone showed.

She did not answer right away, but then she did.

I screamed like a child, but when I felt it in place, I used part of my clock-arm’s shield to fix it and heal the burns on my body.

“Can you walk?” Harlow asked as she defended me from another tripod laser beam.

“Yes… that fucking thing is getting annoying…”

“It’s helping us for now, come on!”

She helped me up, and we started dashing away once more. My leg still felt a little weak, but it would not give in; it was just the newly regenerated tissues' weakness.

I took that time to take in the whispers and for Tracing Loki.

I had likely leveled up both classes.

You've earned 617 (x41) + 1268 (x20) + 2221 (x5) + 1780 (x4) Soul fractions. Soul fractions for next TechnoHunter level: 405,161/440,000

Class TechnoHunter has leveled up to 45. You have gained 1 Attribute point. Where will you invest it?

Constitution.

You have unlocked a Skill Perk: Hunting Tactics Passive Perk

I Traced it right away, already knowing what it could be.

I would have upgraded it right away but hesitated.

Hunting Tactics (Skill)

Major Perk: While hitting your target’s weak points, your Focus (Basic) doubles. Minor Perk: ★, ☆ Your target’s weak points are partially exposed. Passive Perk: Bonus Focus + 3

You've earned 34403 Soul fractions. Soul fractions for next TechnoHunter level: 34043/450,000

I needed to gauge what Red Tamer had gained.

You've earned 1325 (x17) + 2214 (x21) + 4589 (x4) + 3788 (x5) Soul fractions. Soul fractions for next Red Tamer level: 358,294/390,000

Sub-Class Red Tamer has leveled up to 40.

Strength + 1

You have unlocked a Skill Perk: Frenzy Minor Perk

Trace.

Frenzy (Skill)

Major Perk: When your pet’s Health is lower than 30%, their Strength is doubled, but their Willpower is halved (lasts 10 seconds). Minor Perk: After using Frenzy, your pet’s Health recovers up to 70% over a medium amount of time (1 hour); in the meanwhile, their Strength is halved. Passive Perk: Bonus Strength + 3

It was a good Skill; I could spend a Dark Crystal on it.

You've earned 74609 Soul fractions. Soul fractions for next Red Tamer level: 74609/400,000

Loki has earned 1325 (x17) + 2214 (x21) + 4589 (x4) + 3788 (x5) Soul fractions. Soul fractions for next level: 290,671/390,000

Loki has reached level 40.

Agility + 5, Constitution + 5, Strength + 5, Willpower + 1

Loki has earned 6821 Soul fractions. Soul fractions for next level: 6821/400,000

I Traced Loki as well since we were still running toward the end of the path.

Loki (Adult Golden Netherlion), (Titan), Level 40 (6821/400,000)

Health: 31%

Stamina: 74%

Agility: 75

Constitution: 85

Strength: 87

Focus: 47

Perception: 50

Willpower: 50

Strength: Bite, Claws, Dash, Phantasmic State, Senses

Weaknesses: None

Abilities: Fading Dash, Ghastly Senses, Phase

But there they were, the tech horde was already coming at us; there were more than twice as before.

“Many…” Harlow whispered to herself.

Yeah, I could understand why it was disheartening.

I took one of my four Dark Crystals. When I brought it to my head, it disappeared.

The fucking Sun did not manifest, but the Skill I wanted to promote started its Promotion.

I hoped it would be fast. I needed Loki at full strength, and I needed it now.

Skill points for Frenzy Promotion:

- Frenzy Major Perk: 0/2000

- Frenzy Minor Perk: 1/1000

- Frenzy Passive Perk: 0/500

It had already started ticking up; good.

"Loke, I think I see something!" Harlow said.

Alistar?

"Where?"

"Ten o'clock!"

Although her armor, likely her helmet, increased her Perception by twenty-five hard points, I could still see more clearly than her.

Far, at the end of the path at our left, fighting on what supposedly had to be the winding-down platform, where monsters wouldn't attack, a group of what couldn't else be but Kobolds was fighting against massive creatures belonging to the Metal Trenches.

It was likely Horn's party, but that was not the only group of delvers around, not by a long shot.

I turned to my nine o'clock; the tripod had stopped shooting at us, its attention had been taken by another group of delvers coming from the right at him from the outer path.

Farther still, I could see another, "What is going on? There are more delvers than usual!"

"I don't know…" Harlow said, "could it be that-" but she could not finish the sentence because the first few Homing Horns started flying in our direction, and if that was not all, a spike of buzzing signaled to me that something was coming out of the waters, multiple somethings.

"Harlow, stay sharp; we've got incomings!"

I nocked an arrow, taking into consideration my Stamina.

Loke Nightfold, TechnoHunter Level 45 (34043/450,000), Red Tamer Level 40 (74609/400,000)

Health: 100%

Stamina: 112%

I could still continue, didn't for how long, but I could.

I didn't even finish analyzing my Tracing results when the first Technogator shot out of the waters like a giant harpoon.

The only mistake it had made was keeping its mouth wide open.

I immediately stopped running, let it shoot toward me, then I released.

The first Shadow Crystal Blow arrow kept traveling inside the creature's stomach while I rode through the Trick Shot, materializing inside of the creature's useless esophagus.

"I call this: Fairplay," I said to myself as I released another arrow through its stomach.

The subsequent double explosion shook the creature from the inside out; light appeared from behind my back, it opened its mouth.

I immediately turned behind, launching my knife through the open mount and diving through its shadow.

I let the knife keep following its trajectory's course while I took the time I stood in mid-air to manifest another shadow arrow and end the disgusting giant existence.

Harlow was trying to keep the monster at bay by blinding it with her Shade-based destruction beam.

She didn't seem to be able to use it often, likely to give it time to recharge, but its effects were undoubtedly good.

The creature's eyes and forehead had been destroyed.

You've earned 28627 Soul fractions. Soul fractions for next TechnoHunter level: 62670/450,000

“Son of a Moon walker, it’s likely going to give me two thousand Soul fractions by the time I’ll be level forty-nine,” I said to relieve the tension.

“Loke, end the Technogator; it’s not the right time to joke around!”

“No, this blinded creature is going to come to our aide.”

“What?”

“Wait and see.”

The horde was going to reach us; there were likely a hundred or more creatures.

I couldn’t help to admit to myself that if some of the more fragile among us had been here, I honestly didn’t know if we could have been able to do it without losing anyone.

Roana came to mind.

If only she had developed her damn Ethereal Armor, but she hadn’t.

Magicians were fragile things, although extremely scary to fight.

“Loke! What are you waiting for!”

Right.

“Move aside, Harlow-bear,” I conjured Shatter arrows then started taunting the monster’s feet. It took three arrows to trigger the bastard.

“Oh… you are utterly evil, Loke.”

“I know, right? Isn’t it sexy?”

“A little… I thought I told you so already.”

The monster’s scales shot out, and turned toward my direction; I stood at the path’s center; it roared with all its powers; a metal screeching followed.

“Loki’s roar is scarier.”

The monster came at me, following my voice, then just as the horde of creatures approached, it exploded into its Death Roll.

Metal started grinding against metal, producing aerie sounds and almost immediately starting to heat up the path under our feet.

The horde didn’t manage to stop its charge in time; most of them finished against the grinding destruction generated by the massive size and velocity the Technogator was generating.

I exploited that window to recover my knife while Harlow started blasting the creatures away with her Flow-guns.

Taking my time to get back, I took a big breath and started shooting destructive arrows.

Loki started attacking the creatures as the Death Roll stopped.

The gator, unable to differentiate us from its companions, started unleashing the Abyss on the tech creatures.

“Let’s leave, Harlow-bear.”

“Nicely played,” she said as we passed by the remaining monsters and headed to the end of the path.

“We should name it,” I found myself saying. “It could be the first of our many babies.”

Harlow coughed.

“Too far?”

“A little. There’s time for those, but we could indeed name that move. Did you think about any names?”

“What do you say about… the Hallok?”

Loki growled in appreciation.

“See? He likes how it sounds!”

“I don’t know, sounds silly; what about the Loke-low?” she suggested.

Loki growled again in appreciation.

“Oh, you can’t like everything; choose a side!” I shouted at him.

“Alright, it’s nasty, low even for me, and has a nice ring to it. It’s a deal,” I concurred.

“We’ll find something else for the Hallok, something… sillier,” she said.

“Ah, if all encounters were like that, this Dungeon would be a breeze.”

“Loke… you know that Roana says that when you say something like that, you always, always bring something worse on yourself? She says that the Sun might hate you.”

“Yeah… I wonder about that…”

We were barely fifty meters from the winding-down platform; I could still see the group of Kobolds fighting giant creatures when we were surprised by an enormous thing with giant skeletal plates shining in Flow charging at us from our two o’clock.

It came from some of the Trenches, likely left with the exact reason to attack us.

Technostego, Level 135 (5,858,325/13,500,000)

Durability: 100%

Electric Shield: 100%

Agility: 116

Constitution: 275

Strength: 247

Focus: 246

Perception: 175

Willpower: 0

Strengths: Electric Burst, Electric Shield, Tail

Weaknesses: None

Abilities: Electric Burst, Electric Shield, Tail Swipe

The Technostego is a dangerous beast capable of unleashing massive Electrics attacks generated from the plates on its back.

Its plated tail can rearrange its plates to better suit its enemy; the tail can be reinforced by an armor of electrical plates or even use as blades to unleash devastating damage.

Destroying the plates is the only way to remove its dangerous production of electricity.

That was something even I could not fight against; my arrows' strength surely couldn't penetrate the almost invisible yet crackling shield that shifted around with the creature as it moved toward us.

Its spinal plates emanated electric discharges in the air that looked like lightning bolts.

"Loke, this armor is weak to electricity…"

"Yeah, I have no idea how to face that. That's why we will not."

I took her hand, "Come!" and started running toward the Kobold party.

***

“Loke, next time, keep it to yourself, please…” Harlow said.

“I… shall try.”

But we were finally within voice distance of the Kobold party.

"Hey!" we shouted as we approached them, the Technostego still following us, "Where is Alistar!?"

The party was dealing with a giant Technobeast with long, massive legs; it looked like a Technoraptor, but much bigger. However, it had two minuscule, stupid, useless arms that I had no idea what use could ever have.

I did not have the time nor the interest to Trace it; looking for Alistar was our only objective.

Answering us was a big Koboldess; she might have been ten centimeters shorter than Alistar, at best, "What are you doing! Why are you bringing that here!?" She shouted to us.

"Are you Horn!?" I shouted back, "I need to know where Alistar is!"

"Who the fuck is Alistar!?" Said another Kobold by her side as it threw a spear shining in an eerie light that ran right through the uselessly-armed creature's trunk.

Damn, that was powerful.

"Oh, that cute Kob hanging around Horn's group!" Said another Koboldess to the one I was talking to.

"Well. If that," said the one who had thrown the spear, pointing at the Technostego, "is a present for us, I'll tell you where last I saw Horn's party."

"Be my guest!" I said, rejoicing.

The Kobold then turned, pointing its spear toward the Inner Ring, well over the Metal Trenches.

"They had already passed the Trenches before the Eclipse; Alistar might have been with them."

Harlow and I shared a look of disbelief. "Fucking Kob!" We said in a chorus.

"Hey, watch it," said the tall Koboldess.

"I've seen you fight a little, you know?" Said the spear-wearing Kobold. "Those were some good moves; your Skills are still incomplete, I imagine, though, right?"

"Yeah, but now we need to retrieve our friend, sorry," I said.

"Why the hurry? He's with Horn; he doesn’t have any-"

The most powerful and dreadful screech in the story of all screeches ruptured the air.

Soon later, a tremor shook the ground, flaring my Synesthesia with images of death by my body melting to nothingness.

The usual buzzing didn't manifest. Instead, I literally froze like a stone.

But I could see it.

On the Inner Ring, exactly in the direction in which Horn's team were supposedly training themselves, one of the massive metal birds that always flew around the Dungeon castle's peaks had just landed.

It spread its wings, in all its glory, stretched its massive neck, and emitted yet another eerily sharp cry that would have made low Constitution bearer’s eyes and ears rupture.

It was close enough for Trace to take notice of it.

Dark Technodragon of the Right Peak, Level 175 (16,254,220/17,500,000)

Durability: 300%

Agility: 125

Constitution: 325

Strength: 265

Focus: 552

Perception: 315

Willpower: 0

Strengths: Call of the Metal, Flight, Melting Breath, Tail

Weaknesses: None

Abilities: Call of the Metal, Melting Breath

The Technodragon of the Right Peak is one of the two Dragons that circle the Fallen Kingdom’s Castle Peaks.

Its Melting Breath can be released only after charging, and it has a long cooldown; besides that, the Technodragon has no real weakness.

With Call of the Metal, it can control everything that is based on clock-tech.

Running away is usually the best choice if it allows you to.

“What is that doing here!” One of the Kobold screamed.

“I believe we should stop calling things upon ourselves; you shouldn’t have spoken, Drick,” said one of the Kobolds.

“Oh, shut up, focus on the incoming Technostego,” another called.

Harlow and I shared a look of disbelief, or more exactly, she looked at me, for I was frozen like a statue.

But in the middle of this chaos, there were two very clear things. The first one was that delvers were a bunch of crazy motherfuckers, and the second… was that we had just found ourselves in a lot more trouble than we had bargained for.