I lay on my back, breathing in water through my gills, weary beyond belief and unable to form coherent thoughts as the confused status remained. The pain in my body was almost gone, just some soreness remaining.

Some timer must have ticked down to zero because my mind suddenly cleared up, like the sun poking from behind the clouds. Memories from the last few hours suddenly made sense again, and I felt like a computer that had been rebooted, as my faculties seemed to return one at a time.

I didn't move but quietly stayed where I was as the insanity of the moments just after returning to my body played through my mind. Pain, convulsions, and confusion, barely restrained by the fiery demonic energy radiating from my Mindscape. Battling against it all, it had seemingly taken an eternity to cast Share Lifeforce without fumbling. When I did succeed, the gush of energy from the massive demonic mushrooms and plants that covered the tiny cavern closed my wounds. Only moments later, the confusion had returned, without the unconsciousness this time.

"Man… chaos poisoning really sucks," I muttered, turning my head around to see Casiron's head on the ground nearby.

His wooden body was blocking the entire entrance, but I could still hear the distant screams of the still demon battle. He didn't speak but stared at me unblinkingly while weary trepidation came through our connection.

"So… an Ulixer'sin tree?" I asked, pushing myself up and drifting to the center of the tiny cavern.

"Est," Casiron said, his voice a low, deep, and slightly apologetic rumble. "There were only bad choices, and this was the only one that might be reversible."

"It's fine," I said, trying to sound understanding, which wasn't exactly how I felt. If a demonic tree that could potentially warp the essence of my being, that which made me who I was and how I thought, was the best option, I wasn't sure I wanted to know what the bad ones were.

"How long did all this take?" I asked, a sudden worry rising as I recalled Libidi's spell. Without it, I'd likely be dead within moments.

"You've been like this for almost a day," Casiron said. "How do you feel?"

Although his voice was normal, I could sense worry trickle through our connection.

That bad, huh, I thought.

Somewhat worried, I closed my eyes and focused on myself, trying to find something wrong… some changes to how I remembered I was versus how I felt now. I didn't find anything, but who knew if I would even notice the difference?

"I don't feel any different," I said after a while, starting to examine my body.

A jagged, partially still healing scar sat on my arm, long with two round puncture wounds on each end, while eight more dotted my chest. Two sat dangerously close to my heart, and I shuddered at what would have happened if they had been a few inches to the side. I traced my face, finding more partially healed wounds across my cheeks and one that ran along the edges of my nose, past my left eye, and all the way to my hairline. They were healing while I had my hands on them, the welts fading until a thin bumpy line was all that remained.

The line on my arm took a bit longer, but eventually, the healing stopped, leaving a thin, white line behind. So far for not getting too many scars.

"Well, I guess I'm not winning any beauty contests," I muttered.

"Be glad you are still alive," Casiron said with a humorous snort.

"Just a joke," I said while wondering what Eliandra would think of them.

My hair stood on end as soon as I thought of her. I pulled up the Mindscape Messenger and saw dozens of new messages asking how I was, those lower rapidly going from worried to panicked.

> Est, please, just answer me as soon as you read this! Are you alright?!

I immediately sent a response, saying I was alright but had run into some trouble. A new message ticked in moments after I sent mine.

> Don't you dare make me this afraid again, Brewcanon! I almost fought with Rathica's partition to make her find you!

I grinned, wondering how Rathica had enjoyed being verbally assaulted by Eliandra. Then my grin faded as I imagined how worried I'd be in her situation.

> I'll try! Now, I need to check some things. I'll let you know more in a few hours.

I sent.

After a few more insurances and warnings, I closed the window and looked at Casiron.

"So, what do I do now that I have that Ulixer'sin tree?"

Casiron's massive head lowered, his eyes narrowing. "Nothing. Don't use it again. Raparion will likely try and get you to use it again, stating all the benefits, but I still think he has ulterior motives."

"Won't its mere presence be a problem?" I asked.

"I don't know," Casiron said as his eyes narrowed and a wave of annoyance came through our connection. "I only know the consequences for my kind, and I have no way of knowing what it would do with a mortal."

I hovered in the cave's center, absently spinning around, looking at the nooks and cracks, while thinking about what to do. I hadn't had any quick ways to increase my Mindscape before, only the slow and arduous training. But with Libidi gone, that wasn't something I wanted to consider.

"It might be better to use it," I said finally, holding up my hands when Casiron's eyes flashed.

"Let me explain," I said. "If we somehow fail to return Rathica, I will probably lose my class, yes?"

Casiron blinked in surprise. "Probably," he finally said.

"And Rathica's realm would fade and eventually wither, with Elliandra inside, right?"

The wave of worry grew from Casiron, and he looked at me for so long that it made me uncomfortable. I was about to continue when he began speaking.

"I understand what you are saying, but if you go on this path, you might end up not wanting to help anyone and turning into a danger to those you love," he said.

I instantly thought of Eliandra, Haltir, and the others I'd met during my travels. It would suck if I changed into some demon they had to put down.

"Then we have two uncertainties," I said after a while. "We might not be able to save Rathica, and I might change into a demon from using that tree."

Casiron didn't respond, and after mulling it over some more, I decided to leave it for now. No matter if I wanted to use it or not, I couldn't do so now. We had stayed at this spot for far too long, and it was a miracle nobody had found us yet.

"Let's go and find some more lone demons to interrogate," I said, moving towards Casiron while scanning the Boltcasters on my wrist. One was in tatters, while the other three probably had a few good shots left.

"Yes," Casiron said, and I could hear the but in his voice.

"What? More happened?" I asked.

Casiron quickly regaled the series of events until now, and when he reached the spot where Par said he could have increased my chaos resistance, preventing my almost dead, I growled.

"Alright," I muttered, moving back a bit. "Let's deal with this first, then."

"Don't take too long. You were right that this isn't a good spot to remain for much longer," Casiron said.

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I'll be quick," I said, closing my eyes and stepping into my Mindscape.

Unlike the many times before, this time, I thudded onto the ground, my feet sinking into the soft, wet grass.

"Par," I shouted, deciding that appreciating my Mindscape would have to wait until we reached a safer place.

A child-sized, red blur rushed down the tree, and a moment later, Par stood on the ground twenty or so feet from me.

"Mortal, you are back! Here to thank me for saving your life?" Par shouted. "There is no need, I-"

"You can increase my chaos resistance with karma?" I asked, unable to keep the annoyance from my voice.

"What? Yes! That might be a good thing to do as soon as your Karma fully refills," he said, sounding surprised.

"It didn't occur to you to do it before?" I asked.

Par put his paws on his hips, glaring at me.

"Like I told that serpent, I can't remember everything I knew. If you want something, think of it, ask, and I'll see if I can find it!"

I glared at the ground, angry but having to agree with him that it made sense. That was, if I believed he didn't recall, which I hadn't really decided upon yet.

"Alright, level it to two as soon as Karma allows it," I said, my mind spinning ideas rapidly.

"I want you to think up any way you can improve the other spells and skills I have. Those that don't involve my class," I added belatedly.

If Rathica did perish, which I hoped wouldn't happen as the mere thought angered me, I would need all the strength I get.

"What? All of them?" Par shouted, surprised.

"Yes, and start with the body evolutions, Gills," I said. "Right now, we are too deep, and the only reason I'm not crushed is because of a spell Libidi cast. It'd be in your best interest to find something for that."

Par blinked at me, shaking his head angrily. "Treating me like some lexicon, bah. Can't you just leave now?"

"No. We need to figure out what is happening here so we can stop it. Whatever it is, it must have something to do with why Rathica is locked away."

"Fine, any other wishes?" Par asked snappily.

I thought for a moment, then frowned. "How high can you increase a resistance?"

Par blinked, then shrugged. "With your Karma? No higher than two."

Too bad, I thought. I'd hoped to increase my Chaos resistance to three, and then perhaps my Demon Blood resistance to four and after five.

"Fine, focus on Share Lifeforce, and see if you can somehow make it ranged," I said after quick thought. "Then look for ways to improve Controlled Conflagration."

"Yes, Master, anything else, Master?" Par said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Don't act coy," I snapped. "We need to keep me alive and make me stronger, remember?"

"Well, if that's the case, you should bloody well start using that tree," Par said as he pointed at the ugly black and warped tree I'd been trying to ignore.

"I'll think about it," I said. "Message me if you have something useful on those spells, and keep the Karma for that unless there is another burst."

Par threw his hands in the air, but I disappeared before I had to listen to his hissyfit.

--

Half a day later, Casiron and I were even deeper into the chasm. Some of the larger shafts that ran parallel to the main one seemed almost bottomless, and I wondered if they went all the way to the planet's core. The water was heating up the deeper we went, and by now, I was glad I didn't have any clothes on.

We should be close, I mentally said, scanning the brightly colored plant-covered walls around us. Casiron and I had stopped speaking out loud after we almost alerted a large carnivorous plant and barely escaped its tentacles.

Thin cracks filled with glowing mushrooms and fish-like demons sat everywhere, while a few giant chasms, big enough to fit Casiron, led away in different directions.

You do know we are taking a considerable risk, right? Casiron said.

I didn't respond as I knew he was right. Still, if the information we had gleaned from the last demon were accurate, it could prove invaluable. My thoughts drifted off for a moment as I recalled the conversation.

"No know that!" the dull-witted demon had roared, just like each time I'd asked a question. Only when I mentioned, The Vile Snake had it said anything useful.

"Dumb name for ship," the demon had rumbled. "Ship is ship, not snake!"

My attempts at gleaning more information had only dragged up a location, but after that, the stubborn demon had remained silent, and I'd killed it in the end. Although I couldn't be sure, my guess was that The Vile Snake was likely Lark unless another demonic ship was roaming around. Unlikely at best. So, while hoping I was correct and interested in having some more muscle and information, we had headed to this slightly off-track cavern.

It's a bit quiet for a spot supposedly filled with demons, Casiron muttered as he quietly swam forward.

Yeah, I replied, constantly looking around for anything that might ambush us from the dozens of chaotic hiding spots.

There! Casiron hissed, immediately stopping and leaving us hovering close to the ceiling.

Ahead of us was a long narrow opening, probably large enough for him, beyond which lay a dark, shadowy region.

I smell demon blood from in there—the strong kind, he said.

Alright, let's try this then, I said, raising one of my arms and inspecting the armguard. It resembled a demon, wrapping its arms and legs around my arm, snarling sideways.

I focused, pulling a Vengeful Spirit towards it. It was like I'd opened the bowels of hell as a screaming mass of tiny entities raged everywhere. I almost canceled the spell in shock as dozens rushed at the armguard. One reached the armguard before I could blink, and the swirling mass of entities faded, then disappeared. The tiny demon unwrapped from my arm, hovering in the water. It was using a long, flat tail to resist the current, while fins along the back of its arms kept it upright.

The spirit inside felt strange and different from those I'd felt before. Its mind was a writhing mass of chaos, primarily jumbled hungry thought fragments that made barely any sense. Still, it abided by my orders and hung there gazing at me until I would command it.

I commanded it to investigate that cavern, projecting what I wanted into its tiny mind.

Come back if there is something inside.

The Vengeful Armguard, as I decided to call it, turned and shot through the water, sticking to the wall.

You might need to make a new one soon, Casiron said, and I nodded. Not that it mattered, I could probably carve one from the underwater plants. The Demon Blood poison in them wasn't any more dangerous than in the water.

I followed the Vengeful Armguard as it swirled along the wall, easily dodging the plants and their purplish tendrils. When it reached the dark trench, it shot in without hesitation, only to rush out a second later as a weary growl came from the cave.

"More weaklingsss! Come, I'll devour you all," a slightly familiar voice came from the darkness.

The Vengeful Armguard returned rapidly, then hung back before me, waiting for new orders.

Yeah, I know that voice, I thought as I swam towards the hole until I could see partially inside.

Careful, Casiron hissed, following close behind me.

My night vision showed a cavern, wide at the start before rapidly narrowing to a point. Nestled in the bottom lay a long serpentine form, with a familiar, black wooden shape beside it.

"Lark?" I hissed, staring at the ship, ready to run back if I was wrong.

A shiver ran through the serpent, then a single, burning red eye opened, staring at me, and I pulled back while Casiron hovered beside me.

"Massster?" a surprised voice came from the serpent.

I looked at the serpent in surprise, then slowly swam back a bit. Although it seemed like Lark, that didn't mean everything was safe.

"Massster, you came save me! But… couldn't you have come sssooner?" the serpent hissed.

Yeah, something like that, I thought, now positive the serpent was Lark. Somehow.

As the serpent moved its head to the entrance, it revealed long wounds across its back and neck. The movement of the water jostled the ship next to it, and I saw a crack in the hull and what seemed like bite marks across the side.

"Lark, can you come out of there?" I asked, not interested in going inside.

"Are the weaklingsss gone?" Lark asked. "They hound me, constantly trying to sssteal from my prize!"

"When was the last time you saw them?" I asked, looking around, a sudden weariness growing.

There wasn't any movement, but perhaps something was hiding?

I don't see, smell or sense anything, Casiron said. But, there is something odd about that thing you are talking with.

What? I asked, focusing back on the body in the cave.

There was no response, just uncertain confusion through our connection.

"There is just Casiron and me here," I said. "I don't see anything else."

The eyes narrowed as they peered into the cave behind me.

"Good! So they all fled for the mighty Vile Snake," Lark hissed, and the long serpentine shape uncoiled from below, swimming forward.

I backed up as Casiron swam beside me.

Get ready, just in case, I said.

Casiron didn't respond, but his eyes remained on the entrance.

Lark stopped at the entrance, gazed around, then focused on Casiron.

"Who isss that?" he hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"He is a friend," I said.

Lark didn't say anything, quietly gazing at Casiron, and I could almost feel the tension rise. Then Casiron sniffed.

"Come out, youngster," he rumbled. "I won't eat you."

I expected Lark to snap back, but instead, he remained where he was, narrowing his eyes.

"Lark?" I asked, wondering if the demon was afraid, which somehow seemed funny.

"Why doesss he smell like wood, but also like something else?" Lark hissed. "Something... old?"

I had no interest in answering that and just shrugged. "Does it matter? Come outside, or are you afraid?"

My jab had an immediate effect as Lark hissed and swam outside, stretching to his full size. He was longer than Casiron but not as massive, and he had rudimentary front legs. They reminded me of those of a t-rex. Horrible wounds covered every inch of his back, some so deep I could see bone. A thin layer of gunk had oozed across it, ruddy and translucent like plastic.

"I don't fear anything, Master," Lark said as he squared off with Casiron. Still, I could hear the weariness in his voice.

"Who did you fight? And how did you get that body?" I asked, trying to distract him.

"I made these wounds," Lark hissed, still glaring at Casiron. "When I wasss still in that horrible wooden contraption. The body you gifted me! This? This is the body of my enemy, and now mine! It is different from my old one but much more powerful."

A happy glare appeared in Lark's blood-red eyes, the black vertical pupil widening to fill half of the snake eyes.

"Is that why you came here?" I asked.

From what I could tell, Lark had managed to gain a demon body only recently, so what was up with that The Vile Snake name.

Wait, is it even a name? I abruptly thought.

"Lark," I whispered. "Why do you call yourself The Vile Snake?"

Lark turned to me, finally ignoring Casiron and his jaw opened slightly as a hissing laugh followed.

"Puil Da gifted me with a title," he said with a derisive snort. "That pathetic excussse for a demon thought that he could win my favor with it! Fool! Still, it hasss a nice ring to it."

Damnit, do even demons have status screens? I thought, suppressing the need to begin questioning Lark about it. We had more important things to do, and I only had a few days left before Libidi's spell would stop working.

"Lark, what do you know of Belegh?" I asked.

“An interloper,” Lark snapped. "Scum from Leralion trying to claim the Spawning Trenchesss!"

"Do you know where he is and what he is doing?" I asked.

"He is battling with Puil Da, Qylox, and Pursssor," Lark hissed.

I frowned. So what did all of this have to do with Rathica and the other Deities? She said I had to stop something, but what? This fight?

"Demons are coming," Casiron rumbled.

Lark turned to him, eyes narrowing.

"Let's get out of here," I said. "Lark, do you know somewhere safe we can talk?"

"Yesss, master," Lark said before laughing in his hissing laugh. "Follow me!"

He snapped his long tail, pushing himself through the water so fast it started me. I quickly grabbed onto Casiron, who followed Lark.

"Why were you hiding there?" I asked as we followed the wounded demon through the overgrown cave system. Had he been afraid of the small demons he spoke about? As wounded as he was, perhaps he wasn't up for even a small fight?

"I wasssn't hiding! I was biding my time," Lark said. "Waiting for the right moment to head back to my lair!"

"Is that where we are going now?" I asked.

"Yesss, if we can reach it," Lark said. "I need to make sure nobody tried to usssurp my territory!"

"How far is it?" I asked. I still had no idea where to go, but I was slowly starting to worry that Lark didn't know anything useless. If he brought me to some even further off place, I might be wasting even more time.

"Not too far," Lark said. "Puil Da's territory is clossse."

"Is that safe?" I asked, the image of an encounter with a hostile demon lord flitting through my mind. Anything capable of ruling such a large area was probably big and nasty.

"Yessss, Puil Da's main body isn't there! Only a sliver, to keep control, and a watch over what is his," Lark said. "He won't even notice you, essspecially not inside my lair!"

If you say so, I thought, not reassured.

I fell quiet, looking around for anything that might attack us. Still, I might get more information from someone in Puil Da's territory. Perhaps one of the demon lord's other lieutenants knew something? My mind churned as I trusted Casiron to warn me of anything.