Selena was afraid. Not afraid for a loved one or worried about a foe who might be too powerful to defeat. No, this was a type of existential dread, as though she’d just seen into the untampered schism.

  I started to tell her that it was all going to be okay, but I didn’t know that to be true. The words felt hollow. I’d felt insignificant when compared to ascendants, primordials, gods, and even systems, but the owner of that whisper had spoken to me in a way that made it clear that even the systems were beneath it.

  My entire view of the multiverse shifted yet again, not that I had a firm foundation when it came to such topics. Mostly, I was learning as I went and making up the rest when I needed to. Perhaps the oddest aspect of those whispered words was that, unlike every system I’d dealt with, this voice hadn’t asked anything of me.

  Choice. I’d come to feel like most of what we called choice was an illusion, and yet this time I felt like it was really there. No pressure, no judgment, just a desire that I help make things better than they were before I got there.

  Maybe I was making that all up in my mind, but it seemed like it fit. “Okay, I won’t talk about this any longer. You can let go of your distortion. Even if it keeps a system from hearing us, it will also draw attention.”

  She nodded and the strain on her face relaxed as the little bubble we’d been in rejoined the rest of the universe around us. “I think that gives me some explanation, but you still need to understand it.”

  I nodded. “Mostly, I think I have to stop taking for granted the idea that I can make it through any situation if I just give it my all. The stakes are getting bigger than ever. That said, I’m not going to let it ruin this little vacation. Yes, there are things I need to learn here. And Samvek is right. We need to train to adapt to our upgrades.”

  “He usually is right, but if you tell him that, I’ll make you pay.” The glint in her eyes promised wonders and terrors, so I nodded along. “Do you think he’d mind if I joined your training session?”

  “Probably. He’d likely say something about not being able to learn from two masters at the same time.”

  She was silent for half a minute. “Perhaps, but I think there might be something else to it. I just realized that it might be time for your relationship with him to evolve.”

  I arched an eyebrow at her.

  All she did was laugh. “Sorry, hon. The mighty Silas Renner needs to figure that out for himself. Now, tell me more about how you plan to grow from what you’ve just learned.”

  The rest of the night didn’t go anything at all like I’d planned, but it turned out better than I could’ve hoped. It was refreshing, being able to speak freely to her about the arrogance that had been building in me and the matching insecurity surrounding all my decisions. She soaked it all up without judging, but still called me out if I was moping or feeling sorry for myself.

  I truly was lucky and blessed, but with that came responsibility. I needed to recognize my blessings and never allow myself to grow numb to just how good I had it. The conversation and the admissions ended up being medicine for my soul.

  At some point in the night, we fell asleep in each other’s arms for a couple of hours. A knock on the door woke us, and both our eyes opened in alarm. Our faces were mere inches from one another, and I was seeing her first-thing-in-the-morning face. It was different— good— but it made this all so much more real.

  “I’m coming, Samvek,” I called out. “Just give me a minute.”

  His voice came clearly through the door. “Monsters wait for no man.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three: Just Like Old Times

  I slipped out of the room after pressing a quick kiss to Selena’s lips, noting that she gave no sign of getting out of bed. She cocooned herself deeper into the thick blanket, resuming the soft snore that I had quickly found so endearing. So much for wanting to join practice. But it was a vacation, so she should probably get a break. For a moment, I stood there just taking in the sight of my bride-to-be, before finally forcing myself to move. Samvek wouldn’t appreciate being made to wait.

  The common room of the inn smelled like fresh bread and strong coffee, a welcome anchor after everything we’d faced. Samvek was already seated at a table near the wall with a plate of food in front of him. He seemed to be perfectly at ease, but I knew he was ready to get started. He glanced up as I approached and gave a single nod, acknowledgment without ceremony. I took a seat across from him, and a waitress soon brought a full plate to my table. Eating wasn’t a necessity, but it was a pleasure I never intended to deny myself. Besides, I couldn’t get fat now if I tried.

  We ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, broken only by the scrape of cutlery and the low murmur of other guests starting their day. Finally, Samvek spoke, his voice even. “It seems you resolved some of your issues last night. Perhaps she really is good for you.”

  “I think she is. She brought my attention to some things. It helped me process a lot, although I get the feeling it was only the tip of the iceberg.”

  “And part of what you talked about is the trauma of what you experienced?”

  “Uh, yeah. How’d you know?”

  His expression told me the question was silly, and that I should have expected him to have thought of it already. “Okay, okay. Maybe it was obvious. In my defense, we realized there was a reason for it. I can’t talk about it now, but Selena created some kind of reality bubble just so we could say two sentences about it. Suffice it to say, I’ll need to visit Priest Bahran when we get back.”

  Samvek took the explanation in stride. “Good. I’m not exactly the best at teaching people how to deal with their own mortality, but I can help you… help us, regain some balance with our increased power. That does bring up another subject, though.”

  I had a sense of what he wanted to talk about. Selena had hinted at it, and it was logical. “The nature of our relationship needs to change.”

  He nodded. “Good. All those points in Mind aren’t going to waste. Most of my trainers were epic tier, with the occasional legendary. The epic tiers wouldn’t have much to teach me, as many of them were stuck at that level and couldn’t progress for one reason or another. The point is, while deference to them was hardwired into me by years of training, our relationship would be different now.

  “The same is true for you and me. There’s still plenty for me to teach, but I’m not the only one in your life who can do that. Selena will help you continue to acclimate, and I suppose that Lana will likely want to help as well. In fact, if you need a mentor in the future, you should probably seek out Abel Kalestian. I’ve never heard of him training anyone, but as his adopted son, you’d stand the best chance of anyone.”

  I nodded. “You’ll always be my teacher and mentor, but I’d like to think that we are first and foremost friends. Even brothers.”

  He smiled, and I could read his genuine satisfaction. “Very well. As soon as you finish eating, we’ll head into the dungeon.”

  “I know this isn’t the point of what we discussed, but the idea that some people are stuck at epic tier has got me thinking. I wonder if there is a way for us to implement something like their awakening process here to break those limitations?”

  “Trust you to be the one to wonder about that. It’s worth talking about, but that’s a subject for another morning.”

  I quickly scarfed down the rest of my food, and we clasped arms before he teleported us to the guild hall, where we picked up our official adventurer tags. They were silver tags—far higher than a starting adventurer, but also far from the highest. I’d have to speak to Clay about his reasoning for that.

  I didn’t have long to think about it, though. As soon as the tags were in our hands, Samvek teleported us to the entrance of the Endless Dungeon.

  The area around the entrance to the dungeon had changed since yesterday. It was still just a large open stone clearing, clearly ancient. The entrance to the dungeon was massive, like a mouth in the side of the mountain, although now I knew the physical presentation was only a small part of it.

  The adventurers were still in charge of the area, but there were now what could have passed for armed camps spaced within sight of the entrance. The smallest contingent was marked as the city guard, while the next largest was a couple dozen Lawkeepers.

  Adventurers moved in small groups while guards watched the flow with practiced vigilance. Our sudden appearance in an open space caused quite a stir. Members of every group were looking at us, but it was a pair of the adventurers left in charge of the gate that reached us first. I would have placed their power at around peak uncommon, but I didn’t bother to Identify them. “You just had to go and teleport in, didn’t you? Now the Order’s gonna be all worked up again.”

  The second of the guards held out his hand. “Tags,” he said, his voice flat but not hostile.

  We passed over our newly obtained metal badges, and he looked at both. A grin crossed his face when he flipped them over. “Silver badges already. And what floor do the two of you intend to tackle today?”

  The first guard seemed confused. “You know these two?”

  He nodded. “They were here yesterday for an admission test.”

  Now the first guard’s expression darkened even more. “And silver already? Must be a mistake.”

  “You aren’t taking the time to ask the right questions. Remember what Whit said. If we want to get off guard duty, we’re gonna need to learn to be more observant. I’ve been keeping my eyes and ears open. Their tester was none other than the guild master.”

  “The guild master? For noobs?”

  “Kinda makes you wonder, huh. Especially after all the rumors about the guild master this morning.”

  Curiosity got the better of me. “What rumors?”

  “About how he apparently hit grand master tier yesterday. No one seems to be able to identify his level, but everyone was talking about how powerful his aura felt. Sorta like the two of you.”

  “Well, are you going to let us through? We’ve got a crystal we’re going to use.” I pulled the key crystal from Save for Winter and held it for him to look at. He took it and glanced at it. “This doesn’t appear to be keyed to a specific level.”

  I shrugged. “Clay was there when we got it, and he knows we’re going to use it today.”

  The first guard crossed his arms. “Still doesn’t allow you to break the rules. Only full parties are allowed onto deeper floors. You’re gonna need two or three more with you.”

  The second guard handed the crystal back to me, then flipped over my tag and showed it to his partner. “Guild master already cleared them for special operations.”

  The first guard gave me one last look. “You’re clear to proceed.”

  A Lawkeeper standing nearby snorted. “Two adventurers,” he said loudly, stepping closer. “Alone? That’s irresponsible. The deeper levels aren’t meant for stunts like this.” Another Lawkeeper murmured agreement, though his eyes kept flicking to Samvek’s spear, which had suddenly appeared from spatial storage. The dungeon guard turned on them sharply.

  “Guild jurisdiction,” he said. “They’ve got authorization.”

  “There is only one authority, and that is the Lawgiver. You won’t like it if an Inquisitor comes down to inspect…”

  I didn’t want these two getting into trouble for us. A part of me said that I should keep my mouth shut, probably the smart part, but maybe Tad was rubbing off on me. There was something wrong about these Lawkeepers. “Oh, that would be great. I’ve always wanted to meet an Inquisitor. I hear such great things about them.”

  Before the Lawkeeper could snap a response, I let the full intensity of my aura rush over him. Trailblazer’s Aura carried a heavy weight with it now. Whatever words were about to come out of his mouth had transformed into a raspy gurgle. I saw a spiritual energy surge within him in response, almost as though something alive had been implanted there. It was fascinating to watch.

  Trailblazer’s Aura has encountered a divine aura not of the Heavens. Trailblazer’s Aura is now ready to evolve to legendary tier.

  He quickly regained his composure. “I don’t know what kind of tricks you’re trying to play, but you’ll be reported. Then you might just get your wish to meet an Inquisitor. I promise you, you won’t like it anywhere near as much as you think you will.”

  A number of other adventurers surrounded us now, along with some of the city guard. The standoff ended quickly enough, and they allowed us to proceed. I knew that was far from the end of it. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?” Samvek whispered.

  “What, fighting for the small guy? Standing up to bullies? Guilty as charged.”

  He chuckled. “I was going to call it stirring crap up, but I suppose that’s really how you see it. Remember what you told me about your conversation with Selena. You aren’t invincible, and sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but as a wise man once said, I am who I am.”

  At the threshold, the crystal pulsed and unfolded a choice into my awareness.

  This crystal may be keyed as follows:

  Safe level: Twenty floors below the lowest level of current party members

  Normal level: Floor will match the average level of current party members

  Challenge level: Floor will match the average assessed power level of the current party members

  Samvek said, “Choose normal. The training today doesn’t require us to face monsters that push our limits.”

  I nodded and triggered the crystal, although my curiosity about what he had in mind for training continued to rise.

  The dungeon accepted the decision, space folding inward as the platform vanished beneath us. A heartbeat later, we stood on Floor 277. The world stretched wide in all directions, a broken expanse of black stone and toppled pillars under a dim crimson glow leaking from deep fissures in the ground. The air pressed heavy against my senses, hostile and alert. The dungeon seemed more alive here than at the lower levels, but maybe that was just my imagination.

  I was about to ask if I had time to evolve Trailblazer’s Aura when I felt movement in the air. Something was headed toward us. No, several somethings. Wayfinder flashed into my hands, and I returned the crystal to storage. “Any specific instructions?”

  “For now, melee only. Get used to your new stats and what it means to be legendary. I’ll be doing the same. Only use spells or abilities if absolutely necessary.”

  I nodded in understanding as I felt a grin spread across my face.

  Chapter Twenty-Four: Stone Foes

  Movement caught my attention from the far edge of the broken plain. At first, I thought I saw the stone pedestals shifting, getting ready to collapse, but then shapes peeled free instead, massive figures unfolding from the crouched poses they’d held for who knew how long. There was only one word for monsters like this—gargoyles. Although they were nothing like the crude statues people carved to scare birds. These were living things, shaped from stone, ten feet tall at their largest, with thick torsos, powerful legs, and wings that folded tight against their backs until they snapped open with the sound of rock on rock.

  Despite being made of stone, they moved with unsettling fluidity. Their joints flexed like muscle rather than grinding like hinges, and their weight shifted smoothly as they stepped forward. Faces that looked carved at first glance twisted into expressions of predatory focus, eyes lighting up from within with a pale, unnatural glow. Their mouths opened unnaturally wide, revealing throats lined with the same light that burned in their eyes.

  When Identify went off, I was surprised to find that even here in another universe, a dungeon could borrow from my memories. I could split the gargoyles into three types. There was the largest, in a class of his own, standing head and shoulders above the rest. Others seemed lean and fast, and another group moved on four legs with obvious strength.

  Gargoyle Goliath—Legendary tier equivalent. Estimated level: 277

  Gargoyle Demona—Legendary tier equivalent. Estimated level: 274

  Gargoyle Bronx—Legendary tier equivalent. Estimated level: 270

  The resemblance to the gargoyles from the old cartoon was unmistakable—broad shoulders, hunched posture, wings built for sudden bursts of speed rather than sustained flight. Smaller ones flanked the larger brutes, moving faster and darting ahead with claws extended, while the biggest among them held back, watching and waiting.

  I would have loved to talk about whether the dungeon floor had always been like this, or if it had been customized for us, but I didn’t have the time. The attack was already incoming.

  The first gargoyle hit the ground hard enough to crack normal stone, but the dungeon remained unmoved. It unfolded from a crouch into a towering shape, wings snapping open as it let out a grinding roar that sounded like boulders being dragged across one another. Its eyes burned with a pale luminosity, and a second later, a beam of brilliant light tore from its mouth, carving a glowing line across the ground where we’d been standing. Samvek and I split without speaking, boots skidding as we moved in opposite arcs.

  I met the creature head-on. Wayfinder bit into stone as easily as flesh, the blade punching through its chest in a spray of shattered rock and glowing fragments. The gargoyle barely slowed, its clawed hands slashing down toward my shoulders. I twisted inside the strike, letting the talons scrape across my armor instead of tearing through it. I drove my shoulder into its torso and felt the impact reverberate through my bones as the thing staggered back then fell.

  Samvek was a blur, spear flashing as he took another gargoyle off its feet. He hooked a wing mid-swing, tore it free with a brutal wrench, and rammed the spearhead up through the creature’s jaw. The gargoyle convulsed, light spilling from the wound like molten glass, then collapsed into a heap of rubble that still twitched for a heartbeat before going still.