The gremlin mother was surprisingly big—as far as gremlins go. Only a foot shorter than Theonix, her wrinkled skin was tinted red. Looking lazier than her offspring, she sat in the middle of a large chamber at the end of the mine, her legs spread out to either side, saggy teets hanging from her chest like sad squashes. They were so long that they almost touched the floor. In her meaty fist, she loosely gripped a large wooden cudgel. The only intimidating thing about her was the fact that she Analyzed as yellow—a challenging foe to defeat. Theonix had fully expected her to Analyze as orange, since this was a hard quest.

“What’s our plan of attack?” he asked as they hid behind the bend that separated them from the path to their enemy.

“Yew take tha gremlin mother, an I’ll handle anything else that approaches,” Rygn told him.

It seemed simple enough. They’d had the good fortune of not running into any additional gremlin underlings on their way to the boss’ location. Then again, there wasn’t exactly anywhere they could have come from but behind.

“Are ya ready, lad?”

“She looks slow,” Theonix noted.

“That's cause she's restin'. It's gotta be hard nursin' a full brood a gremlins. She'll become more lively when we attack.”

His eyes raked up and down the Rusted Pitchfork in his hands, still feeling that it was an inferior weapon. Maybe he should have kept the Worn Battle Hammer after all.

“It won’t be much longer before more gremlins come this way. We should make it quick,” Rygn urged him on.

Theonix nodded. His uncle was right; it was now or never.

Summoning the Mana inside of him, Theonix activated Armor Up. His skin grew thicker, becoming an armor of its own. Feeling the added protection gave him courage.

Taking a deep breath, he rolled around the corner. As soon as the gremlin mother saw him, she stirred, her bat-like ears perking up. Despite the oncoming assault, she was slow to stand, using her cudgel as a cane to help her rise from the floor. Pulling her ears back, the creature hissed at him, lifting her weapon.

Theonix wasn’t exactly sure how to approach.

One thing he did like about the Rusted Pitchfork was that it gave him a longer reach, which seemed necessary in this fight due to the gremlin mother’s sheer size. Her limbs were long and lanky, providing a good distance between her weapon and her body. Landing a hit with the hammer would have put him at too close-range to her.

Theonix held up his pitchfork, taking a few cursory stabs. The gremlin mother was able to block them easily enough. She looked at him as more of a nuisance than a threat, though she wasn’t particularly hostile either. More than anything, she just hissed at him, perhaps taking her time to find an opening instead of attacking blindly.

“Get in there,” Rygn enjoined impatiently, and Theonix soon discovered why. The familiar sound of footsteps padding their way meant that more foes were coming.

Theonix turned for a split second to see how many. That one distraction was all the gremlin mother needed.

There was a searing pain in the side of Theonix's head followed by a sharp ringing noise as the cudgel made contact with his ear and sent him stumbling to the side.

Level 7 Gremlin Mother delivers 35 damage.

It was a near fall, caught at a kneel with his hand on the ground. Using the same overhead swinging tactic that Theonix favored, she hit him again, this time square in the back, knocking the breath out of him with an oomph as his chest made contact with the ground.

Level 7 Gremlin Mother delivers 35 damage.

The next thing he saw was the cudgel flying towards his head. Survival instincts kicked in, and Theonix rolled out of the way. Dirt flew up into the air from the force of the swing.

He quickly pulled himself to his feet, but not before the gremlin mother was on him again. Theonix had to leap to the right to avoid the cudgel slamming into his side, though he lost his balance when dodging and ended up on the floor again.

The Rusted Pitchfork lay a few feet away. He rolled for it. Not the smartest move, Theonix realized a second later when the gremlin mother kicked him, sending him off course.

Level 7 Gremlin Mother delivers 35 damage.

His fingertips grazed the handle of the weapon, and he had to army crawl a foot to finally reach it. By that time, the gremlin mother was preparing to swing down at him again. Using all of his strength, he plunged the fork up into one of her teets. It was an awkward angle with not much force behind the stab, but it still did the job. The monster screamed, waving her cudgel above her head. Milky blood leaked from the wound when Theonix pulled back. His stomach turned from the sight of it, but this was no time to be a pussy. He needed to use the distraction to get away and heal.

Retreating to the other side of the chamber as the gremlin mother took time to register the pain she was in, Theonix dug into his bag for three Potions of Minor Healing. It was a difficult task since running with the pitchfork tucked under one arm was awkward. He shakily downed all three potions in quick succession, thankful that his foe was too fixated on her wound to attack. By the time he had tossed the three vials aside, she was over it, and she looked pissed.

Shit. If only he had had time to drink one more. His Health was only healed up to 110 points, but that would have to be enough for now.

Grunts and the soft clanking of metal came from the direction where Rygn was now engaged in battle with the gremlin underlings. It took everything in Theonix not to be distracted by it. His instincts made him want to keep an eye on his uncle to make sure that he was all right, but Theonix had his own fight to worry about.

Now that he'd struck a blow, the gremlin mother seemed much more engaged. She took slow steps toward him, her lips peeled back in a snarl. Theonix shifted his weight, holding his weapon in front of him, refusing to give up ground. Clearly not afraid of him, the monster used her cudgel in a surprising move to knock his pitchfork aside, then swiped forward with a long, clawed hand. Her nails raked across the front of Theonix's shirt, digging into the soft skin beneath his chest and causing him to wince.

Level 7 Gremlin Mother delivers 11 damage.

The advantage Theonix had acknowledged in the reach of the Rusted Pitchfork now seemed a disadvantage as he found himself retreating toward the wall. He had no choice but to back up if he wanted to use his weapon. Jogging around the gremlin mother, Theonix tried striking at her side. This time, the prongs pierced her right shoulder. Again, she cried out, pulling away.

For all the damage that Theonix was doing, none of the hits were critical or even anywhere near a vital organ. He needed to go for the monster's neck. It was the most vulnerable spot on her body that was easily reachable.

Unlike before, when her pain had stunned her, the gremlin mother rotated as Theonix tried to round her. Holding her injured shoulder with her left hand, she didn't seem willing to switch her weapon over to her non-dominant hand. Theonix stabbed at the creature again, this time going for the sweet spot, but she raised her cudgel in time to block.

The first set of gremlin underlings had fallen to Rygn's ax, but a second wave was already approaching. Theonix wondered how long his uncle would be able to hold the gremlin offspring off before he gave in to exhaustion. He needed to finish this quickly.

Damn it! Maybe if I... Theonix activated Rupture, but the gremlin mother was ready for it. He had hoped the attack would break through her defense. With her cudgel held in front of her to block, it only pushed her back. The saving grace was that the sheer force of the attack made her fall over.

Taking advantage of the situation, Theonix dove in and used Stun. It was a hit! The gremlin mother laid there paralyzed, looking up at him in a panic. Three seconds was all that Theonix needed to right himself and plunge his Rusted Pitchfork into the monster's throat. A gurgled cry erupted from her mouth, and the second that Stun wore off, she flailed her arms. Theonix put all of his weight into driving the prongs in deeper, pushed through muscle and sinew and skin to come out the other side. He kept the pressure as he waited for her to choke to death on her own blood. It was a slow death—one he might have felt guilty for had she not landed so many hits on him at the start of the battle.

Blood oozed from the corners of the gremlin mother's mouth. As she coughed, her body convulsed. Finally, after what seemed like a short forever but was probably closer to thirty seconds, the monster's chest heaved one last time before her body went limp, the glow in her red eyes dulling from the surrender to death.

Defeated Level 7 Gremlin Mother. 140XP rewarded.

Exhausted from the fight, Theonix continued to lean on his pitchfork to catch his breath. Moments later, he heard heavy footsteps plodding up behind him. A quick turn of his head showed Rygn coming to join him, his armor blood-stained from fighting.

“Ya did it, lad!” Rygn slapped Theonix on the back.

Congratulations! Quest: Defeat the Boss of Ponoisle Mine has been completed.

You have defeated the Gremlin Mother. The rest of the gremlin underlings and whelps will now flee the mine from fear of the loss of her protection. The mountain king will surely be grateful for your efforts. You have earned 2 silver, 5 copper, and 300XP. You have also received the following items:

Potion of Minor Mana

Quantity: 5

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Uses: Restores 30 Mana.

Sell Price: 7 Copper each

TRING!

Congratulations! You are now Level 6! Your base stats have been boosted. You have earned 3 points to assign to your characteristics. Please note that adding points to some characteristics(Vitality, Intelligence, and Strength) will further boost your base stats. You may also advance any 1 skill of your choosing by 1 level.

Congratulations! You have learned the ability Pummel II.

Mana Cost: 10

Cool Down: 5 minutes

Adds 20% of your remaining Health to an unarmed attack.

Upon seeing the level up notification, Theonix remembered that he hadn't even used his last skill leveling ability. Perhaps he'd save this one too since none of his skills had leveled during the boss fight. There was no harm in waiting to use the perk.

"That was a bit tough," Theonix admitted as he pushed the notifications away and stared down at the body.

"Ey, but I think ya handled it like a champ. Yer father will be proud." Rygn beamed at him.

"I hope so." Theonix offered a soft smile. "This will bring me one step closer to working for the king."

"Indeed. But," Rygn cocked his head to the side, "ya still have a little way ta go before ya get there. There will be more quests in yer future, an ey won't always be around ta protect ya."

"No, you won't. But you've taught me well. I think I can handle myself from this point on."

"That's certainly good ta hear." Rygn patted him on the back a few times before dropping his arm to his side. "Ya just have one more piece a business ta take care a before we can leave here."

"What's that?" Theonix glanced over at him.

A smirk crept across Rygn's face. "Ya gotta collect yer boss loot."

When Theonix looked back down at where the gremlin mother's body had been, there was now a large gold chest in her place. Excitement and greed welled up inside of him as he knelt to unlatch it. This was where all of his efforts finally paid off. This was the good stuff.

Protector's Cudgel

Attack: +2-4

Type: Two-Handed Weapon

Durability: 35/35

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Sell Price: 3 Silver

Linen Cloak

Defense: +2

Type: Light Armor

Item Class: Common

Quality: Average

Sell Price: 1 Silver, 9 Copper

Teleportation Pendant

Uses: Can be used to instantly teleport to towns you've already visited. Can only be used once every 24 hours. Soulbound.

Durability: Limitless

Item Class: Epic

Quality: Average

Nothing was as fascinating to Theonix as the Teleportation Pendant. It lay at the bottom of the chest; its long silver chain snaked beneath a teardrop-shaped piece of silver about half the size of Theonix's palm. In the center was a sparkling amethyst. He picked up the pendant to get a better look. Stamped into the metal was writing in a language unknown to him. There were cursive-like qualities to the text mixed in with hard, blocky edges.

"Is this a type of Elvish?" Theonix turned his head slightly toward his uncle, not taking his eyes away from the pendant.

"It's said that Teleportation Pendants were forged by the gods themselves. Tha language belongs ta all a us but is readable by none, though I'm sure the elves would tell ya otherwise." He grunted, then continued to mutter about how the elves pretended to know everything. "Anyway, ya should put it on. I'm relieved that was in tha box. Now we don't have ta walk back."

"How do I use it?" Theonix asked as he placed the pendant around his neck. Instantly, he felt like he would never be parted from it again. This was the item's Soulbound quality.

"Simply think about home, and ye shall be transported there."

"Think of home," Theonix parroted, grasping the pendant firmly in his palm as he held it over his chest.

"Ya might want ta—" Rygn's words were chopped off as Theonix closed his eyes and became lost in thought.

Home should be the small village of Starpoint up in The Motionless Mountains. That's where he had been born and raised. Yet it wasn't. As he tried to remember his home, his mind became warped and confused. A staticky image of his straw mattress was replaced by a strange bed of metal and memory foam. As the image began to clarify, Theo realized that it was the former of the two that was strange. Why would Theo ever sleep on a straw mattress? What were these remnants of a memory where he lived in a hovel filled with earthy scents and the chill of mountain air? That wasn't his reality at all. He lived in a high-rise in Austin, Texas. It was hot as hell in Austin and smelled more of exhaust than clean air.

Oxygen sucked into Theo's lungs to the point that they burned, and he shot up into a sitting position. His head felt heavy, and there was a stabbing sensation in both temples that quickly spread into a full-blown headache. The sound of beeping to his right amplified, and a woman in a nurse outfit quickly rushed to his side.

"Calm down. It's going to be okay. You're okay." The nurse soothed Theo as she helped him take the helmet off.

He glanced over and recognized the Radical Interactive logo on the front of her stark white scrubs. Then everything came back to him in a whoosh of information. What he had just experienced hadn't been real at all. It had been The Realm.