1

Armando woke up and saw that the fire was still blazing. Damon or Zack must have topped it up overnight, he thought. As he inched out of the huddle, Rachel stirred in her sleep. He had enjoyed sleeping beside her, pressed against her soft skin. He tucked the canvas blanket back against her shoulder. The pale-skinned zoologist still looked out of place among the gamers and Marines. He squatted beside her and brushed his fingers against her long, dark blonde hair. It felt like silk, feathering across his skin. She continued to sleep, her breathing quiet and steady. He stood up and walked to the fire. After warming his body, he strolled to the shower, extended his hands into the downpour, and used the water to refresh his face. He ran the excess through his long, black hair.

Walking to the center of the room, Armando peered up at the face in the ceiling. Its turquoise eyes glowered down into the darkened space like a macabre nightlight. Through its opened mouth, he could barely see the outline of the sculpture on the next ceiling, in the room above.

“Good morning.”

He turned toward the sound. Harper was standing beside him. “Are you so sure it’s morning?” he asked.

She snickered. “Yeah, I know. It could be day or night and we would never know.”

Armando smiled. He glanced back at the shower. Most of the water that poured into the room continued to filter down through cracks in the floor, but some of it streamed across the limestone and rained down through the hole in the floor.

Armando stared at that water as it descended through the stone mouth, falling deeper into the dungeon. “Do you think the lower floors have flooded?”

Harper shook her head. “I think all the water goes into that Crusher monster.”

He considered the theory for a moment, then glanced at her steel scaled armor. It was damaged on the front, exposing her breastbone. He could just see the top edge of her canvas bra. Above that, the long, pink scar gleamed in the dim light.

He nodded to her injury. “Does that still hurt?”

The mage shook her head. “No, but it just itches like hell.” She flicked her finger against her damaged steel armor. “And with this cut open, it also gets cold.” She tugged at the enchanter cape that was draped over her armor, pulling it closer to her exposed skin.

They stared up at the opening as they heard other members awakening behind them.

“I wonder what it’s like out there, on the surface,” Armando said. “Have those glitches corrupted more of the landscape? Is there more flooding?”

The veteran mage shook her head. “I asked Keshon about it, and she said that she hadn’t noticed any changes. Just the same crazy river blowing through the landscape.”

Armando grunted. “Maybe it hasn’t reached them yet.”

Harper nodded, then glanced at the many streams of water that trickled through the stone walls, floors, and ceiling. The sound was constant and very loud, like something you would hear being caught in a heavy rainstorm. The humidity in the room was almost palpable.

“We won’t know until we get to the top,” she said.

2

While Zack got the food ready—the breakfast special that morning was cooked salmon from Jordan’s inventory—Harper gathered the team around the fire. “We need to allocate your attribute points,” she said, then called over to Zack, “Hey, Blondie, tell us about your kills, levels, and points.”

The Marine glanced at her and grunted reproachfully. “Seven of those tunnel worms,” he grumbled. “It wasn’t a very productive day for me.” The kills secured 210 XP for the veteran, which was just shy of his level-up marker.

Silo went next, saying he had 240 XP from the eight worms he’d killed. That upped him to level 49, and he divided his 36 attribute points evenly into dexterity, endurance, and strength.

Damon bagged four worms and two Phyllis Diggers, earning 590 XP, which boosted him to level 64. He dispersed his attribute points as 3, 3, and 2 into dexterity, endurance, and strength.

“Why are the veterans not leveling up as much as we are?” Zahra asked.

Harper shook her head. “It’s a lot tougher when you pass the level 50 threshold.”

Armando nailed nine worms and three Diggers, receiving 975 XP. That moved him past the threshold to level 55. He dumped his 48 attribute points evenly into dexterity, endurance, and strength.

Hammer scored ten worms and two Diggers, collecting 770 XP, which rocketed him to level 52. He applied his 68 points as 23, 23, and 22 into dexterity, endurance, and constitution.

Jordan had the most worm kills at fifty-six. Along with one Digger, that gave him 1915 XP, which put him at level 70. He dropped his 12 points evenly into dexterity, endurance, and constitution.

“Wow. All that XP and you jumped only three levels,” Thao remarked, before telling the group that she’d nabbed twenty-four small ants (which were worth 26 XP each), three soldier ants, and seven worms. That garnered 1221 experience points, which lifted her to level 56. She deposited her 52 points as 17, 17, and 18 into dexterity, constitution, and endurance.

Angie had killed thirty-two worms and one Digger, acquiring 1195 XP, which bumped her to level 61. She dropped her 16 attribute points as 5, 5, and 6 into dexterity, endurance, and constitution.

Harper bagged all twelve wallflowers, twenty-three worms, and ninety-nine of the mini stucco monsters (which were worth 7 points apiece). That got her 2991 XP, which upped her to level 71. She placed her 20 attribute points as 7, 7, and 6 into endurance, intelligence, and wisdom.

Sierra nailed one Digger, sixty-five small ants, three soldier ants, eight worms, and one hundred forty-seven mini stuccos, gaining 3581 XP, which rocketed her to level 64.

“Holy crap, Sierra,” Silo muttered, astonished by the jump.

She just smiled and dropped her 124 attribute points as 41, 41, and 42 into intelligence, wisdom, and endurance.

Vlad went next. He scored two Diggers, twenty-seven worms, and one hundred thirty-eight mini stuccos, which gave him 2246 XP. That boosted him to level 60. He invested his 68 points as 23, 23, and 22 into endurance, intelligence, and wisdom.

Rachel bagged four worms, gaining 120 XP, which bumped lifted her to level 46. She dispersed her 16 attribute points as 5, 5, and 6 into intelligence, wisdom, and constitution.

Zahra had killed four worms and the queen ant, which gave her 375 XP. That bumped her fifteen levels to 47. She divided her 48 points evenly into intelligence, wisdom, and endurance.