"Os Infirmare! Rusticias!" Veti cried simultaneously with Drakes "Forsvaga!" And how bright his eyes gleemed with fierce triumph when his Power Word seemed to echo louder through the opening in the wall before him, where not one but multiple Death Bears desperately scrabbled to break free.

Limbs now slowed and clumsy, flesh radiating a flicker of vulnerability Jack had never sensed before.

He reveled in the fierce looks of pride shared between his friends, their constant practice and the specialist points they had put with their level ups giving them control and penetration power that Veti had assured mundane wizards could only dream of.

Even if Drake's focus was just to master for now one or two critical shouts, and Veti dare not attempt higher order spells until she had mastered the use of close quarters fighting, limited space, and murder holes, as they all were, now focusing on the formation of basic strategies that would incorporate all their strengths and hopefully became increasingly polished as time went on.

"Glacio Effusorium!" Jack shouted in time to his friend's power words and curses, their three arts so different as to be at no risk of overlapping, though Jack had delayed half a heartbeat, hopingf that this time his iced shards might actually penetrate.

No such luck, Jack thought, seeing how they either shattered against or were deflected from the thick glossy black hide of their monstrous opponents, a few icicles shattering against the rim of the murder hole as Jack increasingly sought to improve his proficiency at casting and directing the flow of ice, with as much power as he could summon forth.

Yet his shotgun blast of ice, for all that it had done little more than make their foe flinch had still served its purpose as Elof, Aroust, and now Chu Hua as well took advantage of their foe's momentary stagger as the creature's desperate attempts to squeeze itself in the hole Jack had formed into the rune reinforced barrier blocking the hallway was met with curses, power words, and razor sharp chunks of ice, and before their foe could finish blinking away the assault, now lifting his elongated scythe-like limb to unleash a devastating assault of his own, it was already too late.

As three deadly variants of Naginata and Glaive struck their foe at precisely coreographed angles perfected over hours of practice with the girl's training staves, now showing off the virtue of diligent reputation combined with a warrior's feats and increasingly powerful delver's physiques.

And in the blink of an eye, their foe's scything limb had been cleaved through in two places, it's massive ursine skull decapitated in one.

"You're up, Jack!"

Not that Jack needed to hear the words, already moving forward, with the same well-rehearsed syncopatic grace as instilled in them all by a fiercely focused Ah Lam who took no more pity on her lover than Chu Hua and Su Li did their own, all three glaring at the men they had claimed in the deep as they taught the boys just a taste of the rigid martial discipline that had shaped every day of their lives for years. The only reason why they had survived the deeps they had been ill prepared and under-leveled for, as long as they had.

Practice that had earned wry chuckles from Aroust, who made it clear he had trained much the same way once upon a time, and a game smile from Elof, Jack alone having groaned a bit with their intensity, for all that he was practicing spells, still forced to weave and move and block and dodge as an increasingly drill-sergeant like Chu Hua had demanded.

When Jack had inhaled once to protest during a rest break earlier that day, Chu Hua's challening gaze said all that needed to be said. Gone was the sweetly smiling girl gazing at him with a look of adoration and rapture, so sweet, precious, and vulnerable in his arms until getting up with the softest of kisses.

"We're going to train today, Jack, okay? Before we risk our lives with any more hunting." Her smile had widened when she clasped his hand, pressing it against her chest. "Now that I have claimed you, I will do all I can to keep you safe."

"And I you," Jack had said, surprised by the huskiness in his own voice. And the way she had kissed him, so fiercely, so sweetly, he had thought they would spend their day in bliss.

And how wrong he had been. All three sisters making it clear they took the well-being of the men in their lives extremely seriously, and they would do all they could to make sure they all lived to see the light once more.

Which, for a surprised and rueful Jack, had meant training to exhaustion, for all that he knew he was already faster, stronger, and more coordinated than he had ever been in any life before, at least from the brief flickers he sometimes recalled like recalling a favorite novel or scene in a movie or play that just happened to be his own... he was now sparring beside a party that, much to his profound awe and rue, had just crested level 9... and were well on their way to level 10.

But what had humbled him more than anything else, humbled and shamed him and filled him with a fierce desire to prove his worth, were the almost pitying glances he had sensed behind their genuine smiles, all of them now gazing at him as a precious pet or mascot they would protect, not like their equal they had respected as such, not that long ago.

The difference in their status had been made painfully apparent with the Dawn Warrior's training session over a grueling 48 hours as they strove with supernatural resilience to hammer their strategies and techniques, almost all of them, even Veti, showcasing a stamina and grace that was almost superhuman.

Leaving Jack, with what would be for any mundane, very respectable stats of 14 and above, feeling like the frail kid always picked last on in gym class, desperate only to prove himself to his team.

As he did now, feeling a fierce sense of triumph and vindication as, for all his friends and yes, loved one's growing martial prowess and near superhuman strength and finesse, it was his tier 3 spells, his ability to shift the impossibly dense stone of dream, now almost effortlessly, that was crucial to survival.

So long as he didn't let them down.

So long as he didn't fuck up.

"Ignis Ventus!" Jack roared the abreviated chant for his Tier 3 spell, flashing a fierce smile of vindication when his dying foe was instantly pushed back from the force of that roaring blast he released, and the roaring Death Bears just a heartbeat from scrabbling through were once more bathed in killing flame.

"Thank you for giving us the hope of another day, Jack," said none other than Chu Hua in his arms after countless hours that blended together, none of them having had access to time pieces or sunlight in what was for Jack months, and for the girl in his arms at least weeks that now felt like forever.

Jack smiled as the fierce task mistress of the last 3 days was once again the soft spoken girl who enjoyed poking him at unexpected moments, silly jokes, and the sweet heedy joy of passionate kisses that in the depths of night led to so much more, the soft girl so hungry for his love, pliant and crying out sweet surrender in the fierceness of their passion, such a contrast to the woman who had pitilessly pushed him to exhaustion for days on end.

Of course he knew why.

For all their incredible growth, they needed to get stronger at all costs.

Him, perhaps most of all.

Jack chuckled softly. "It's you I should be thanking. They way you guys move and strike as one, the way you communicate so much information in the blink of an eye, instantly adapting yourselves so fast I swear it's near the speed of those Shadow Bears, while I'm just shouting the final word to one of my spells."

Chu Hua sighed, kissing his cheek and snuggling next to him, both of them savoring the sweet, languorous release that was the passion they had shared, as well as the fuzzy warmth of being safe and snug in the arms of another. "It's because we're leveling up, Jack, and investing our points carefully, prudently, to assure we're physically balanced. As fleet as we are strong, as vibrant as we are coordinated, with any points left over making us quicker at picking up shifts in the battlefield, thanks to Perception."

She flashed a winsome smile. "Even if in my heart of hearts, I'd love to be able to put points in Charisma and Appearance, to be so strikingly beautiful that I'd be the equal of the emperor's own daughters, and you'd never want to leave me, Jack Evergreen, no matter how many years pass between us."

Jack chuckled at that, squeezing her close. "I'm glad you're not so foolish. Because we need to survive, above all else." His gaze grew intent. "You need to survive, Chu Hua, and my heart will beat easier knowing you might actually have a chance, should one of those nightmares actually manage to break through. And if I'm such an idiot as to let the hardworking gorgeous warrior in my arms go as if you were nothing... then I'm not worth the investment of a single point, if I can't appreciate you just the way you are."

Chu Hua flashed a relieved grin. "For such sweet words as that, my beau deserves a reward. But I'm just a naked defenseless girl in the heart of the deep," she said, rubbing her hips against his own, under woolen covers. "How can I possibly reward the hero of my heart?"

And with a growl Jack showed her, as chuckles and throaty laughter became so much more and Jack held tightly the vision of light and beauty that made this nightmare ordeal so much easier to endure.

And the fact at leasthis skills were leveling at an insane rate certainly didn't hurt, he thought with a smile, flashing a fierce grin of exultation as Icy Blast hit Journeyman Rank 1 with their first kill the next day, and he selected the perk that just might give him a chance to mark their foes with something besides flame.

It was a distraction that almost cost him everything.

"Jack, look out!"

And it was a credit to their constant struggles and training that Jack was already leaping back, snapping closed his interface and jutting out with his fist, the words on his lips fading for a perilous second as a cthulian horrors spurted out of the murder hole so perfect for enticing and trapping Shadow Bears, like a scene out of nightmare... Massive gleaming white maggots as long and thick as he was, with scaly epidermises covered in wicked ridges and hooks that would tear open naked flesh that dared touch it and, for all Jack knew as he gazed in stupefied horror at the open mouthed monstrosity showing off it's serrated tooth-like projections from its maw as it burst through the murder-hole, its entire body had been designed to burrow through unthinkably titanic monstrosities, though it's funneled lamprey-like mouth filled with multiple rows of spiraling hooking teeth made it clear it was more than capable of devouring smaller prey, say Jack-sized prey, as well.

And Jack, momentarily frozen in horror at the nightmarish apparition bursting forward at that very moment, had only a split second to realize what an utter fool he had been, to think that Murder Bears would be the only threat they faced.

"Glacio Sanguis!" Jack screamed, by some miracle uttering the spell far faster than he had any right to, and it was still too slow, the horrific six foot long lamprey maggot of the deep having already launched itself in the air, the deadly saw-toothed circular maw opening wide to clamp down upon his arm entire.

Even as Jack shouted out the final word to his spell, and the room was filled with the spatter of bloody icy shards and gore.

You have been struck by Midnight Lamprey! Your foe has successfully latched on to... Crimson Armaments!

Mithril Mail plates and Crimson Armaments reduce damage 2 full wound tiers! Mithril Plates prevent loss of limb! Mithril plates prevent necrotic infection! You have suffered 1 Wound Tier of crushing damage.

Willpower check made: spell successfully cast!

You have automatically pierced your target's defenses, as your arm is currently being swallowed by your target.

Blood Shard variant ruptures multiple internal organs.

You have fatally struck your foe.

Experience earned!

"Those maggots are poisonous! Be careful!" Jack shouted, even as the murder hole began swarming with worms.

"Formo!" Jack screamed, putting his now Elite Artisanal Manipulation skill to good use, sealin up the hole with a burst of his will faster than he ever had before.

But not before 4 more of those disgusting horrors had slipped inside, all of them springing for the adventurers in near perfect unison.

And a stunned Jack gazed at his friends in surprised disbelief.

In awe not just of how perilous was their situation, with massive lamprey deathworms whose funneled toothy maws would have chewed right through any panicked mortal, but by just how adroitly his friends moved, spinning about, weaving and chopping with their weapons in movements so perfectly coordinated, it almost seemed choreographed, like the most glorious of staged performances, polearms whipping through the air with near supernatural speed.

Jack swallowed, momentarily stunned, having been so terrified they would even now be screaming in pain, suffering horrific wounds... only to find 5 Dread Polearms flicking through the air, near effortlessly cleaving the worms in half in the middle of their trajectories, showcasing just how quick and deadly his friends had truly become.

Jack's cheeks blazed under the concerned gazes of his friends.

"You have to be careful, Jack. We could have lost you there," chided none other than a worried-looking Elof, having moved so fast it was clear his speed was at least 18. 3 Points above his own, to say nothing of whatever warrior's feats he had used to transcend all mortal limits, tapping into his Qi, as according to Chu Hua, or Warrior's Stamina, as Aroust termed it, with their power strikes and cleaving blows, bursts of magical or spiritual potential unleashed in a fraction of the time it would take Jack to unleash any but a fast-cast spell.

And Aroust and the girls?

Had moved even faster.

Jack forced a smile, bowing his head. "You're all getting better and better at this. I, for one, am impressed as hell."

Barlton snorted, shaking his head, glaring down at the maggots. "At least now we know ta suspect the worst when the Death Bears aren't hammerin' on the walls ta be given a chance ta swipe their claws at us. A swarm of these would probably scare anyone away. Easy enough ta swing through with yer artifacts, but I sure as heck don't recommend eaten' em."

Jack nodded in solemn agreement, and when Chu Hua made it clear they'd spend hours drilling strategies for dealing with those worms before they dared open the hole again not a one of them dared complain, the haunted looks in their eyes mirroring the anxious twist in Jack's gut making it clear they were all freshly aware of just how perilous this delve truly was, and they couldn't risk falling into a lul or taking anything for granted, not ever.

Jack's heart was hammering when he slowly eased open the murder hole slit now adorning their latest push forward with their increasingly long sheltered tunnel, that tiny piece of the dungeon they had claimed for their own, thanks to Jack's Artisanal Mastery and extensive use of blood wards and earned experience to make sure those walls were near indestructible and as permanent as any structure in Dream could possibly be.

And sure enough, the dialtion of their whole was met by a massive frantic swarm of massive Midnight Lampreys, as his interface put it, and it was all Jack could do to force the cavity closed once more when not one but a double handful managed to pour forth with such furious frenzied strength it was long seconds before a panicked Jack could fully close the portal.

But as terrifying as those moments were, Jack still flashed a fierce smile that his preparations, or more accurately Chu Hua and the girl's preparations, gaming all the possible scenarios at least as well as Jack and Aroust were able to, for the swarm of shrieking lampreys slammed maw-first into thick stone bars Jack had purposely made 5 feet past the hole entrance, carefully and thoroughly covering all of them in blood runes to make them that much harder for any monstrosity to burst through.

And of course, the swarm of worms fell right into the shallow pool of universal solvent, thanks to prudent use of a single Acid Arrow spell as he didn't want to flood their chamber, but definitely wanted to give any guests a warm bath to remember him by.

A caustic bath that even now sent the near dozen shrieking monstrosities in a furious churning froth of whipping bodies and snapping mouths now hissing and smoking at contact with the caustic agent as lamprey mouths seemed unable to help but ingest at least a portion of that deadly brew.

For all that Jack's heart was pounding, hand firmly pressed against the wall as he actively used Artisanal Manipulation to send a surge of resilience into the stone bars, afraid they would shatter under the mad frenzy of the swarm of lampreys as his friends hollered out Power Words and Spells.

"Rusticias! Sicco Impetus!"

"Forsvaga!"

"Os infirmar! Tarda!"

"Bedova!"

Drake and Veti alternating stunning shouts and spells, doing all they could to disorient, drain, slow, and weaken their prey. And different as the origins of their powers were, together they struck to brilliant effect, and Jack almost sense how those increasingly specialized and mastered spells and Power Words were piercing resistances that would normally be unassailable did they not strike together in perfect concert, like a boxer being forced to take blows from front and behind, the pair stunning their targets, and setting them up for the coup de grace.

The warriors of the party now put the reeling, weakened, smoking worms out of their misery for good, impossibly sharp blades that seemed to flicker and vibrate even when still, were now slicing between the bars with almost surgical precision. And where near a dozen frenzied lampreys had burst forward to assure grizzly deaths from the murder hole just moments ago was now a mass of chopped meat sizzling and smoking in the caustic pool Jack used his gifts to drain away.

For long moments all of them gazed at the sight of their mangled foes before trading fierce, satisfied smile, Chu Hua most of all.

"Excellent! All of you moving and striking as one, just as we had practiced! And the bars worked brilliantly, thank you, Jack," the strikingly beautiful warrior he was increasingly falling for flashed a warm smile with those words.

Barlton nodded. "Because without that stone grate, and yer mastery of this realm as a hole, Jack, I think things would have been a might bit more hairy than what we've enjoyed so far."

And Jack couldn't help but smile and nod, pleased with the acknowledgment as his friends commended his role in their endeavor before discussing their own tactics at length, even Barlton having consented to making use of a wonderfully deadly maul that was a cross between a two handed war hammer and a sledge hammer that Jack had helped forge and reinforce with one of their neglected practice spear shafts and a head forged of the scrap steel armor Jack still had stored from his kills in his soul pouch, Jack's ability to shape everything from mithril to stone to base metals as if they were clay, or even liquid that flowed as he willed, thanks to his now Elite tier Artisanal Manipulation, allowed him to achieve feats of metalwork that would make even 3-D printers envious. And once Jack had reinforced the whole thing with his blood runes and capped it with a micro thin layer of mithril, in Barlton's now massively powerful hands it became a weapon that was absolutely perfect for crushing rock, or the skulls of their foes.

And best of all, unlike the naginatas and glaives the rest of the warriors of their party used, Barlton could tap into his Ore Strike ability with his maul, as well as the other feats miners had that bridged the gap between mining for ore, or for the hearts of their enemies.

Jack had of course made his trap with the bars wide enough that even Barlton's maul could be wielded with devastating force, the ceiling more than high enough to allow for vicious windmilling chops with all their polearms, though his friend's final wry observation made Jack wince.

"And the caustic glop was a nice touch, Jack. For a certain, it's saved our collective arses more than once before. But maybe next time let's try it without? It would allow ya to practice with yer less dangerous Tier 1 Bloodflame spell, at least, and would allow me to pound those oversized leaches flat, without having to worry about splashing us with caustic goop!"

"Bars without the solvent next time. Got it," Jack quickly agreed, before flashing an arch smile. "Besides, how do we know these leaches are that bad tasting? Now now, don't look at me like that. All I'm saying is man and dwarf can't live on Shadow Bear and phase spider meat alone!"

His friends gazed thoughtfully at one another before finally shrugging as if to say it was worth a shot, and much to Barlton's surprise, they found it to taste surprisingly good after the last fight they dared that day, Jack blown away by just how much they tasted like grilled calamari.