The boy rushed to the spot. There was a small hole in the rock, no larger than a punch bowl. In it, curled up, was a small panther-like cub. Sensing Dallion, the cub opened a lazy eye, then suddenly jumped up, hissing with the ferocity of a YouTube kitten.

“You’re the last beast?”

The boy blinked. He knew that the creatures were bad—a representation of the cracks and decay in the well’s surface. Killing it would be a good thing, not to mention earn him a hundred percent mending rate. Even so, he had mixed feelings about this.

“Hey, hey, little guy.” He extended his left hand. As expected, the panther cub bit a finger. Also, as expected, the pain was so insignificant that it made the creature’s efforts to fight cute. “Don’s be like that.” Dallion petted it with his left hand. A hundred percent or not, he wasn’t killing it. “I’m not here for you. Just get back to sleep, okay?”

The question made the cub pause. For several seconds, it remained still, reducing what little pressure it had on Dallion’s finger, then it let go.

“That’s right.” The boy petted it on the head. “Just curl back up. I’ll be gone soon and you can get back to whatever you want.”

Faint purring came from the creature.

“Yeah, yeah.” Dallion laughed. “I don’t suppose you know where the guardian’s at?”

The cub tilted its head, then curled back in its spot, still looking at the boy.

“Guess not.” That would have been too easy. “Anyway, get back to sleep. I’ll deal with this on my own. Just please don’t do too much damage when I’m gone.”

Hardly had he taken a few steps away when a series of mew-like squeaks filled the air.

Are you serious? Dallion looked over his shoulder. The cub increased the intensity of its mewing, clearly indicating it wanted him to return. Being in a family that had three cats and a Labrador, Dallion was well versed in the wants of creatures. This cub might well be a theoretical embodiment of damage in another world, but in many ways it remained a kitten.

“Fine.” Dallion returned to the cub and tapped the top of its head with a finger. “Serves me right for not fighting you, right?”

The purring resumed.

“Right.”

After everything he’d been through, the last thing Dallion imagined he’d be doing once at the top was to be playing with a panther cub creature. The saddest thing was that this creature was better behaved than all the cats Dallion had, and the vast majority of the one’s he’d seen. The only thing it seemed to want was to remain curled up, eyes closed, and be constantly petted.

“You’ve never been petted before, have you?”

While petting, Dallion looked in the distance. The ring of surrounding mountains was perfectly visible, marking the end of the world. They rose just as high as before. Even with all the skills in the world, Dallion doubted he could reach their peaks, and even if he did, there was no telling what he might see beyond.

“This is one crazy place. And to think it’s just a well. Out there you’re probably a crack in a stone, and here…”

Dallion’s words trailed off. The cub had reduced in size. Still purring, parts of it would vanish into the night each time Dallion’s hand passed over it. A short while later it was all gone.

Realm fully mended!

The WELL is now flawless!

The rectangle came with a large dose of bittersweetness. Dallion had fully mended the realm, which means that the village wouldn’t worry about their water source. It also meant that the cub had gone.

ALTERNATIVE APPROACH!

Finding an alternative way to a problem always leads to choice, though choice sometimes comes with danger.

A philosopher, or someone with a lot of time, would have come up with a lot of questions on the topic. Were cracks alive? Or were they merely a representation of the Well’s inner pain and fears? Was getting an alternative approach a good thing or not? What was the meaning of it all? As it turned out, Dallion was neither.

With the disappearance of the last creature, the dark patch beneath it vanished as well, but that was not all. The rock surface also started to go. A small hole emerged continuously growing larger, pulverizing everything around.

COMBAT INITIATED!

Dallion jumped back and drew his sword. In the second he’d done so, the hole had grown to the size of a dining table. Perfectly round, it kept growing until it reached half the diameter of the mountaintop.

For over a minute Dallion stood there, anxiously waiting for something to happen. Some guardians waited to be challenged, others—like the sand dragon—made a grand entrance. After another minute, curiosity and lack of patience shoved him to the edge of the hole.

“Hello?” Dallion peeked down.

Surprisingly, the core of the mountain wasn’t dark or empty. Blue shimmering water shone from the bottom.

“A well,” the boy laughed. “The arena is a well.”

Why did it have to be the inside of a well?

As if in answer, the water rippled, then burst up. Green markers emerged, indicating how the boy should hold his shield in order to protect himself from the torrent of water. Dallion followed them on instinct, taking a few steps back.

The jet of water burst on by him, reaching up to the sky like a truck of mentos falling into a cola lake. Dallion could swear that the blue moon was almost hit. As the water fell back into the well, a new creature had appeared right across on the other side of the opening.

WELL GUARDIAN

Species: GOLEM

Class: STONE

Statistics: UNKNOWN

Skills

- Water Jet

- Rock Throw

- UNKNOWN

Weak Spots: Tendons

Dallion swallowed. The golem wasn’t terribly large, in fact it was about the same size as the Colossus he had faced a week ago. Polished ovals of stone formed its head, hands, and legs, surrounded and held together by glowing blue water in the form of a body. In any game, movie, or miniature store, this would have passed as cool. Having one as an opponent… was less cool.

“Any chance you’d go for a draw?” Dallion asked.

The golem shook its head.