Lee grinned at the plate in his hand, or rather the disc. "This is going to be awesome!"

  He finished applying his newest RuneScape and the disc leapt from his grip and hovered on its edge about two feet away from his chest. Lee stood up and it rose with him, maintaining its position relative to his own. Two others rose up as well, spread equally around him. Lee was still smiling until he got to his front door and had to do some careful maneuvering to get through the doorway with the discs banging against the walls and door frame. "Maybe some other bugs to iron out still…"

  He hopped over the railing and sent Mana into the smaller discs inside his shoes, to activate the Runes. Immediately his descent slowed, at least until he lost his balance and flipped upside down. He still floated slowly towards the ground but only now he did it head first. "Damn it! How does Mar make it look so easy!"

  He'd created a similar effect for her that used a bit of her Mana and the Runes on the disc to basically let her walk on the air. It took a lot of Mana to do it without something like [Three] to push against and would only last maybe ten steps before the Runes were drained. But it was something, plus Lee had designed it to use as much of her Mana as it could to prolong the life of the Runes and now that she had something to drain her Mana…

  Mar floated down next to him, only right side up and invisible, though her invisibility was flickering thanks to the Mana being expended from around her feet. Lee could see her evil mocking grin every time it flickered. "I could take the Runes out of her shoes…" But he wouldn't. She could use the shoes almost constantly inside the building, a side effect that had only recently allowed Lee to notice that [Three] would recharge any Runes that touched it.

  Lee caught himself with his hands and canceled the effect on his own shoes before flipping to his feet. "I didn't used to be able to do that… so cool!" He ignored the laughter around him. He was cool!

  "Nice entrance." Alejandro was grinning at him. "Not sure what the practical application is though." He looked at the discs still hovering around Lee. "Got something new?"

  "You'll see." Lee couldn't help the grin as he stepped up to the line for his morning training. Most of the others could do Martin's training together but a few of the more divergent classes like Lee had to do their own custom training.

  "Begin." Martin said while looking curiously at the new additions.

  Lee started sprinting across the courtyard and the demons above shrieked and did their best to murder him with flying discs, rocks, and a hammer! "Who the hell is giving them that!" But it didn't matter. The discs hovering around him launched into motion as the first projectiles arrived, moving in front of the missiles and blocking them. Lee could feel the impacts on his flying shields because in order to make them viable outside of [Three], he'd tethered them to himself rather than the ground. It worked but also meant that each block was felt as a small jolt across his body and each movement tugged against him ever so slightly. It wasn't enough to stop him and Lee sprinted the length with only one minor stumble. He leapt up, touched the Rune on the wall and almost flipped upside down when one of the discs dragged against the wall on the way down.

  He turned to see Alejandro being waved into his path by Martin and carrying one of the practice swords, basically a metal stick. Lee tried to sprint past him as the man took a swing. One of the discs moved into place and blocked the strike. Lee had a moment to rejoice before the impact sent the disc and him by extension, flying across the courtyard and into the far wall. "Ouch." It didn't hurt 'that' bad. The impact of the disc against his body was spread out enough by the tether that it only felt like his whole body had gotten slapped rather than a metal bar shattering bones. It was something to work on…

  Lee dodged around Alejandro on the next pass and this time the man reached out and grabbed one of the discs. He pulled on it and Lee was dragged backwards by the connection until the metal bar was resting against his neck. "Okay… it needs more work."

  "Enough Lee." Martin said. "Leave your toys for later and…"

  "Hold on!" Lee begged as he pulled the Runes from the discs. "Let me try one more time!" He quickly reapplied a modified RuneScape to each disc. He was loving the new changes to his Skill.

  [Create Rune Disc(Apprentice II)](Epic)

  Create a material Disc out of Mana. Disc is primed for Rune application and sacrifices strength and material flexibility to maximize this effect.

  He had gotten an Evolution option after spending nearly an hour creating a single plate with the old Skill, in an effort to make one more durable Rune-wise. It was totally worth it! Now he could put real RuneScapes on them, not just the few Runes to float or explode, but complex enchants that could float around him and block incoming attacks on their own.

  Granted, it wasn't as good as he wanted. While they could handle a lot more now, it still wasn't enough. He couldn't cram enough power in them to fly independently of himself or to make them all work together… He'd been forced to define set areas for each to defend or they would all try to block the same thing and crash into each other. But still… It was a start.

  He started running again and this time when Alejandro swung at him the disc moved closer to Lee before stopping, absorbing the blow much better, like a shock… absorber.

  On the next pass Alejandro grabbed one and pulled. The disc flew easily away from Lee and Alejandro tossed it across the courtyard behind him. The man wasn't watching but Lee could see the disc slide to a stop on the ground and then begin sliding back towards him. Alejandro flinched just a bit when it flew past him and resumed its place in the air next to Lee. "Hah!"

  Martin let him keep the discs but did call for the bombardment to resume. That coupled with Alejandro still hounding him, meant that Lee still gained some bruises. Especially after Alejandro figured out that he could throw the discs behind the railing on the second floor where the children gleefully kept them from escaping back down.

  +1 All Base Attributes

  Lee had his shower and dressed. This time he added his newly modified bathrobe… er Wizards robe. With the help of the weaver in the garage and some beast's hair, he had lined it with his newly created Mana batteries. Once again they weren't quite what he had been hoping for, but good enough for now. With his 'Wizard Robe' on, Lee could maintain around 60% Mana for five hours while outside. That was the optimal point that he had figured out after a lot of testing. In the process of said testing, Lee had found that the Mana drained by his [Mana Mind] scaled exponentially as his Mana increased and with it the effect of said Skill. At 60% he still had a small boost to his intelligence, not that he could actually tell, and his [Mana Mind] radius was still around ten meters. Even with all that, the drain was small enough that he could keep it going awhile.

  He could with effort, still force [Mana Mind] to extend, even at lower Mana. But the cost was high and the last time he had done that, it cost him one Intelligence from the Mana Starvation.

  Of course that 60% didn't leave him with much Mana to actually do anything else. For that Lee had another solution…

  Gabriel knocked on his door and came inside when [Three] opened it. "I did them all!" The boy held up one of Lee's discs that was covered with what looked like individual Runes.

  They weren't actually Runes but Lee had given the kid a pen that would leave glowing lines behind when it wrote. It used Gabriel's Mana to do so and Lee thought that it was a good start for the aspiring Runic. Lee also remembered that when he first gained the class, he had to draw the Runes with his fingers. While the Class gave him knowledge of the Rune Shapes, it didn't train his hands to draw them out. Lee had gotten lucky with the evolution that let him draw them mentally, he was sure that he wouldn't be able to do half the things he did if not for that.

  "Okay, let's check the cheat sheet." Lee told Gabriel and pulled another disc from a shelf. He set it next to the boy's and let the kid compare his work.

  Lee could see a few mistakes at a glance but wanted to give Gabriel a chance to spot them himself. He did and quickly fixed the flaws. "Excellent!" Lee told him. "A passing grade." He pulled another few discs from the shelf and handed them over. "Remember the rules!"

  "I know." Gabriel only sulked a tiny bit. "Only with Mama."

  "That's right." Lee said.

  He'd created these for Gabriel to practice and play with. A bunch of simple and very weak Runes with connector pieces that could be attached in a wide variety of ways to create even more effects than Lee had discovered. All very, very weak, of course. And only to be used under supervision.

  "Thanks. Bye!" Gabriel took the items and spirited away. Lee followed his path with [Mana Mind] to ensure that he did indeed go to his mother. He did and Lee headed downstairs to prepare for his own adventure. After he grabbed breakfast, of course.

  Today was the day! Today he would get outside the walls!

  The garage was its usual controlled chaos. People working in their own small areas on whatever crafting they had Skills for. Lee didn't even know all of them anymore, something he should really change, but they always looked so busy and focused when he saw them that he didn't want to disturb anyone. Instead Lee went to his own area and looked over his creations. The latest addition to his offensive arsenal was a crude table covered with rows of metal sticks, or as Lee liked to call them, Wands.

  Forged from the recently discovered iron, they held Runes much better than the older metal that May had been using before, not as well as his discs of course but he had a solution for that. On the end of each wand he had created a disc at the smallest size he could manage and still have it be useful for something. There he put the focusing Runes that would take the energy from the rest of the wand's effect and make it into something truly special.

  Lee hadn't tested most of them yet… not against real targets, and he was loath to test them against the people here just in case they were more powerful than anticipated. But today he would get to test them all in a Lair… Alejandro would agree, even if he kept trying to weasel out of taking Lee out on a run.

  The only problem was that they were rather bulky… what Lee wouldn't give for a magical inventory right now. His solution was of course more discs! Hovering weapon tables that would float alongside him. He would feel the weight dragging against him but a little iron was nothing to his increased strength.

  "I think I have enough here." He thought as he started gearing up, all while keeping tabs on Alejandro moving around above. He wouldn't let the man sneak out without him. Also he had to have enough because he was once again at his Rune limit, or even a bit past it. He hoped that the constant but minor dull ache wasn't damaging, and also hoped that it would increase his Soul attribute. Kind of like working a muscle to get stronger.

  His Soul had increased almost everyday but he was pretty sure that was Stanley's doing. The Soul Wound was getting better everyday too… He still didn't know 'how' Stanley was doing it, all of his attempts to dive into their [Soul Awareness] had met with confusion and [Mana Mind] drowning out whatever he tried to look at. "Keep it up Stanley. I'm going to have some adventure too!"

  Lee wasn't an idiot though, he still remembered the nightmares that his twin had to fight against. He was not going out unprepared. Lee had recruited Alejandro, Bradley, Mar, Saira, and would have tried to get Maria as well but doubted she would leave the children without one of the parents at least. Alejandro had reluctantly agreed to bring some of the other promising fighters as well. Plus they were going to a Lair that Alejandro had visited many times and knew the monsters and their abilities very well. It was probably over cautious but Alejandro was nervous about letting old man Lee go out and about.

  Lee looked at his hands. He wasn't nearly as bad as he had been. Maybe a fifty year old now instead of eighty. But nevertheless, caution was good, especially when Lee was still perfecting his gear.

  Alejandro entered the stairwell above and Lee found Bradley and Mar just outside the building, sitting very close to each other. Lee suspected they were in a relationship or tentatively working their way up to one. He hadn't seen them doing anything but they did spend a lot more time together. "Good for them."

  Saira was probably outside in her garden. She spent a lot of time there and had been working with the Anubi on growing the seeds that they had brought with them.

  Lee could see most of the Anubi currently inside the Alchemy room with the Chemist. The man had been ecstatic to meet them and spent everyday working with them. Lee hadn't spent much time at all with the newcomers, being busy with his own projects and wanting to let them get to work making healing potions. And from what Alejandro had told him, the potions had been fantastic lifesavers, literally.

  Though the Anubi arrival had also resulted in a new variable. Lee pulled a small key out of his pocket and looked at it again.

  [Random E Rank Dungeon Key]

  Charges 1 of 4 Remaining.

  Uses:

  1 Charge May be Used to open a One Way Portal to a Random E Rank Dungeon

  1 Charge May be Used to Add +5 to All Base Attributes

  1 Charge May be Used to Upgrade an Outpost or Lower Ranked Base. (Insufficient Charge to Create a New Outpost.)

  It was the last use that had gotten Alejandro's attention when he brought it to Lee. Wilson had 'Created' the outpost and had likely done it with an item just like this. Yet he had claimed that it was his Class…

  "Alright Lee." Alejandro said very unenthusiastically behind him. "You ready?"

  Lee put the key away. That was something to worry about another day.

  "Alejandro, have the Anubi gone out on any Lair runs?"

  "I don't… think so? They have been working almost nonstop on potions."

  "Should we ask if they want to come?" Lee said.

  Alejandro hesitated. "I… I want to trust them… but it is hard."

  Lee nodded in agreement. They looked like dogs and talking to them, or rather talking to the one with the only translation amulet, was weird. Likely a lack of visual and facial expressions that humans relied on in communication. It was hard not to feel like you were talking to a pet.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Let's ask." Lee said. "We can take one or two and we'll have some of our best fighters along just in case."

  Alejandro just shrugged so Lee went over and knocked on the door. It was made out of stone and made his knuckles sting without producing any significant sound.

  Lee rubbed his fingers and looked at the Mana on the far side of the wall. It 'looked' mostly neutral with only hints of nature and other things. Lee sent a thought to [Three] and the door opened. Air rushed past Lee and into the room as the Runes kept any of the air in the room from entering the garage, instead sending it outside the walls.

  "Hi…" Lee said awkwardly to the five pairs of eyes that swung his way. He looked at who he was pretty sure was the leader. "We are going on a Lair run, wanna come along?"

  Even before he had finished speaking the Anubi had rushed to stand before him and bowed low. "My Lord! We would be honored to be your porters!"

  That was the other reason Lee hadn't interacted with them much… they got weird around him.

  "Porters?" Lee asked, confused. "Can you guys not fight?"

  The small creature trembled and bowed lower. Lee continued in a rush. "Not that you need to fight! I've heard great things about your potions. That is more than enough."

  The Anubi barked at the others in the room. "Prepare our packs!" He turned back to Lee. "Forgive me my Lord, but we do not have combat Classes and I have no offensive potions prepared. I thought it best to limit such production while so many of your people still see my pack as something to be feared."

  "I…" Lee couldn't fault that logic, not too much. But on the other hand if he was surrounded by people that he was worried would turn on him… "You can still come." Lee told him. "We can provide you with weapons if you want to fight and you can pick up a few more Chips while we are there."

  The dog-like creature froze in place and Lee wondered what he had said wrong now. "Um…"

  "You would give us Cores?" The leader looked wary as he spoke, like he was ready to run away.

  "If you want them?" Lee said hesitantly.

  "You would allow us to Rank Up?" Its tail started wagging just a bit and Lee wondered if that was a good sign or not.

  "Sure? Has no one given you Cores for the potions?" Lee backed up, tired of the incessant wind blowing through the doorway, and waved the leader to follow him. A thought shut the door again and Lee sighed. "That's better."

  The Anubi was still staring at him. "We would not presume to lay claim to your resources when you are providing us with shelter and food…"

  "Don't we all need to get stronger?" Lee asked, wondering why the thing was acting so weird and regretting even starting the conversation. "Do you want to Rank up?"

  "Yes my Lord!"

  "Stop calling me that!" Lee snapped and the damn thing bowed again.

  "Yes my Lord!"

  Lee sighed and turned away. "Bring whoever you want and meet us outside."

  It ran back into the room and Lee stopped before stepping out of [Three]. "Porters… If they can't fight then…" He created another small disc the size of his hand and put a few Runes on it. "Ow… Ouch!" That was apparently a few Runes too far past his Soul limit and Lee quickly pulled some Runes off one of the wands. It was the gravity wand that had been disappointing in all of the tests and he suspected it would be equally disappointing against any monsters. Gravity manipulation outside of [Three] would probably need to wait until his wands were capable of holding much larger amounts of power.

  He modified the Runes on the disc that was carrying the rest of the wands and linked it to the smaller disc in his hand. "One of them can tow this for me!" He had been a little worried about having too many things floating around him and getting tangled up in a dangerous situation.

  The group gathered near the gate. Trak, the Anubi's name that Alejandro had reminded him of, brought two of his pack with him. Each wearing large backpacks bigger than they were, that towered over their heads. Trak was carrying the disc and he would stare at it and run his fingers over the Runes whenever he thought Lee wasn't looking.

  Maria came down to see her husband off, her two children trailing along. Anita threw herself into Alejandro's arms for a hug but Gabriel was completely engrossed in the Runes Lee had given him and had to be nudged by his mother to look away long enough to give a hug of his own.

  Lee felt some of his excitement dim while watching the exchange. How many times had one of them had to watch the other go outside into this new and dangerous world, not knowing if they would run into something that no one had seen before… "I'll make sure he comes back, Maria. I'll make sure all of us do." If necessary, Lee could drain everything he was carrying and create… something.

  "Allow me to stay at your side, my Lord." Trak said from right next to him and Lee jumped in surprise. The Anubi pretended not to notice as he reverently held up a small bottle that gave off a white glow. "This potion, if broken or opened, will take everyone within one meter to a safe location."

  "That sounds really useful!" Lee thought. "I should make something like that!" He thought about the Runes he would need and… "How did you make that? You're an Adept right? Is Adept that much better than Journeyman?"

  "I did not." Trak said, once Lee had run out of questions. "My Great GrandSire was a Master Alchemist and he made this. It has passed through our family for generations."

  "Damn…" Lee said as he gazed at the bottle. "What happened? If he was so strong why are you guys only E Rank? Or nevermind…" Lee closed his mouth and hoped that wasn't taken as an insult. He didn't even know if they were E Rank but that was his guess just from seeing their Mana.

  "I do not know the story, my Lord." Trak said as he tucked the potion carefully into a pouch that looked like it was designed for such things. "Myself, my Sire and his Sire, all lived and died, trapped on the Dungeon World of Ignandal. Only the potion remains to remind us of our legacy."

  Lee wanted to give the somber mood some time but he couldn't hold his questions now that he had them. "Why were you trapped? And what was that world like?"

  "It was a B Rank Dungeon." Trak said simply as if that explained it. When Lee only looked at him questioningly, the Anubi continued. "We were kept inside a city. Though to be fair my Lord, they didn't have to 'keep' us in, for only death awaited us if we left."

  "Couldn't you just Rank up? Cores should be really good at that level, right?"

  "Um… Pardon me, my Lord but you should never attempt to absorb a Core more than one Rank above your own. The energy becomes… It is very bad." He looked at the ground and Lee had a feeling that maybe he had seen just how 'bad' it was firsthand.

  The group started moving and Lee couldn't help a smile as he stepped outside the walls for the first time in… since he'd moved in at least a… month? He couldn't keep track of the days anymore but somebody probably had, he would have to ask around.

  The lack of the towering walls blocking out the horizon was refreshing and Lee frowned… The Mana in the air had decreased. To be fair it had decreased as soon as he stepped out of [Three] but this was even lower. "Is it just the Well? Or is it something to do with the Fort or the Sentient Lair?" He paused at the gate and studied the Mana flows. The Mana did flow, just a bit, and it seemed to be mostly flowing right back through the doorway in the wall that they had just walked out of. "Maybe the… oops, focus!" Lee noticed that everyone had stopped and was watching him expectantly, everyone except Alejandro who was scanning the area warily. "Sorry guys. Just looking at the Mana, I'm good." Lee double checked the two wands he was carrying, one would blast a wave of force and the other would shoot fire. A quick glance at the plentiful brown and green plant life everywhere around him and Lee swapped that one for one that would shoot lightning.

  Alejandro led them north towards the new forest that Lee had seen the giant boar come out of.

  "Are we hunting pigs?" He did like some bacon in his breakfast burrito.

  "You'll see." Was all Alejandro would tell him.

  So Lee settled for talking to Trak while they walked, though he did try to keep his eyes open and roving for threats. "So Trak, is this how you have to Rank up then? By going to E Rank Dungeons?" But then why had they surrendered?

  "We were not allowed to." Trak growled. "Our masters did not want us to Rank up, as long as we could make potions it was better that we were kept weak to avoid us having a chance to escape."

  "That sucks." Lee thought about being trapped in a city. Not quite as bad as being trapped in one building, but how many of the… people? How many were B Rank, could they kill you by bumping into you? Work until we tell you to stop… they were slaves… "How did you escape then?"

  Trak looked away. "I stole that key from the one who… kept me. I gathered who and what I could and we took a mad gamble."

  Lee was still trying to think of how to respond to that when Trak continued, a whine audible in his voice behind the amulets translation.

  "I left my firstborn pup behind… He was too far away and I feared discovery before we could reach him…"

  "Fuck. That's rough."

  "I only hope he understands and will forgive me before they kill him for my betrayal."

  "Holy fuck!" Lee wanted to pat him on the shoulder or something! But once again, different cultures might see that as the wrong move, hell not even culture, this was a whole different species. "I am sure he understood."

  Lee saw something moving in the grass and pointed his force wand at it even as the others started moving. A thought and a touch with his [Mana Mind] sent a ripple through the air. It struck the grass and flattened it down before ripping chunks of grass and dirt up out of the ground. It also revealed the giant Snake's head.

  "Snake!" Lee shouted but other people were already moving into formation around him as the snake's head moved higher and higher. "It's bigger than the one that attacked the building!"

  Lee had his lightning wand raised and sent out the spark, straight towards the snake's looming face. In an instant, a tiny speck of Mana shot across the gap and struck the snake just below one eye, after he nudged it mostly on target with [Mana Mind]. Lee triggered the next part and Lightning exploded in a violent and blinding display between his wand and the snake's face. "I got it!"

  The glare and thunder ceased and Lee could finally see what he had wrought. The snake was still towering above him but wasn't moving. He could see one eye twitching and a small black spot just below it. Then the snake turned directly to face him and lunged, jaws agape and fangs glistening wetly. "What the hell!"

  Alejandro backed into Lee, forcing him to stagger back.

  The snake slammed into Alejandro's shield and then richoched off to the left where it plowed into the ground, digging a furrow with its head. Even before it had stopped moving, the disturbed earth was rising up, climbing over its body. Grass and shrubs grew and entwined throughout and over the moving dirt. A man that Lee didn't know very well went flying into the air, a huge sword clenched in both hands and lifted over his head, he came down swinging on the snake's neck and it was over.

  Lee gaped. "How…"

  Alejandro was smiling at him. "We have been doing this for a bit now."

  "But…"

  "You have acquired promising warriors under your banner." Trak said while nodding at the dead snake.

  Lee looked at his wands. "This is bullshit…" He had barely even hurt the thing! "I'm supposed to be the amazing wizard…" He said the last part under his breath but Alejandro still heard him and laughed.

  "Don't worry brother!" He held up his shield and sword. "You made these!"

  "Your brother is correct." Trak nodded at Lee. "They are mighty tools that wield your spells for you."

  "Hey! Who are you calling a tool?" Mar appeared flickering while poking a finger repeatedly into Trak's head.

  Alejandro just laughed again. Lee grumbled and put away the first two wands, replacing them with a couple more. Someone harvested the Core, a plus one to all, and Alejandro handed it to Lee.

  "Thanks." Lee stared at it. Just like that… "Why does anyone bother to do the workout when you can just get one of these?"

  "Some of the fighters do not." Alejandro said. "Mostly it is the crafter's and other people that want to get stronger but don't want to risk coming out here. Also we usually get the weaker Cores from almost everything so why not gain some free points with a little sweat?"

  "Don't forget the blood and tears…" Lee muttered. He looked at the Core a moment longer and then held it out to Trak. "Here."

  "My Lord… you would give this…"

  "That's why you came here, right?"

  "Yes, but…"

  "Take it. You know you could probably sell your healing potions for Chips as well." Lee looked at Alejandro. "Would people pay?"

  "Yes, many would."

  "I… I… Thank you my Lord!" He bowed again but did take the Core. It vanished into his hands, or paws, and his lips pulled back from his teeth. It was a bit unnerving, or would have been if Lee couldn't see his tail wagging fiercely behind him. "I am honored. You will not regret trusting my pack with this!" He spun and ran barking towards the snake's body. "Hurry up! It is only an E Rank creature, you should have finished harvesting already!"

  Lee only then noticed that the other two Anubi that had come with Trak were inside the snake. They had cut open its side and one was carving deeper there while the other was digging through the flesh near the head.

  "Ew." Lee looked away. It reminded him a bit too much of another giant snake trying to eat him in his own apartment. He did note that someone had given the harvesters some Runed knives. Lee didn't have to look to see that, he could feel the Runes. When they were finished with the gruesome harvest, one of the packs they carried was noticeably expanded.

  "Won't the blood attract more monsters?" Someone else asked and Lee silently agreed.

  "Not to worry, Sir." Trak said. "One of the first Rules of being a Porter. Always clean up and treat your bags." He pulled a vial of something clear from a pouch. "It's not as pleasant as a good wash but it does clear out any trace of blood or meat scent from ourselves and the bags are treated to do the same."

  "That is very handy!" Alejandro exclaimed. "You should be selling that as well."

  They continued through the newly reclaimed natural landscape. Lee could have sworn that there used to be houses right around this area, but now it was all overgrown. The shrubs and trees grew taller as they moved further away and Lee wondered if the Fort was sucking up the Mana around it and thereby limiting the natural growth. Or rather, the unnatural growth that was the new normal.

  The height of the flora grew until he couldn't see much beyond the next bush or tree. His much limited [Mana Mind] could still see farther but he was already missing his full range, feeling almost blinded by the limitations. "I need better Batteries…" Lee had to wonder if he was just wasting his time out here. No, he knew he was wasting time… but one day off was fine, right? He would get back to work after this. After testing his creations and learning from the results.

  Something crashed through a bush and before Lee could even react, a burst of Mana exploded in his perceptions and a bloody carcass slid to a stop in the grass. "What the…" Another man that Lee didn't remember meeting was standing behind the corpse, a sword in each hand. He flicked the blades free of blood and resheathed them both, all in a blur that Lee only followed with [Mana Mind]. Lee couldn't tell what it was that had been killed, except that it was furry and brown. The Anubi looked it over but didn't take anything.

  A few minutes later someone called out, "Above!" and Mar leapt into the sky.

  "I got this." Her voice called as she kicked off the air in a burst of Mana, appearing for an instant. Then Lee saw the bird diving on them.

  "She is off target…" Mar kicked off the air again, this time to the side and intercepted the giant bird. There was a screech and then a thud when it slammed into the ground a dozen feet away from Lee, now missing a wing. Mar landed easily and Lee finally lowered his wand. "Maybe I should just enjoy my lazy stroll through the countryside?" The bird was still twitching and Alejandro made it stop. Lee looked away when the Anubi started cutting and chopping pieces off. He also made sure to stay in the middle of the group when they continued walking.

  Lee heard the rumbling and was looking around when Bradley spoke up. "Down time." And then the ground dropped out from under his feet in a surge of Mana. Darkness enveloped them and the glowing Runes all around him, especially on him, lit up the dark just enough to make out a few faces. He saw more Mana surge from Bradley and into the earth above them. Thunder rumbled overhead and Lee saw… something, running through his mana sight a few feet above their heads. Whatever it was, they were moving too fast for him to make out any details and he couldn't even ask what the hell was happening over the roaring thunder. Less than a minute later, it was over and the earth moved, spitting them back out and onto the surface once again.

  Everyone took off walking and Lee finally couldn't hold his tongue. "What the hell was that!"

  "A herd of Stakshiak." Bradley said calmly. "They aren't very dangerous alone but the herds aren't worth fighting. Better to hide and let them pass."

  "Of course." Lee said dryly. "A herd of… Stakits. I should have remembered those."

  Bradley chuckled and one of the others explained that they were deer or antelope-like creatures whose sole ability seemed to be to run very fast and spear anything that got in their way with the twin horns on their heads.

  "I can stop one easily with this." Alejandro hefted his shield. "But when there's thirty or forty of them…"

  "They move together like a school of fish." Bradley added. "Try to pick one off and the whole herd will come after you."

  Lee let it go. Obviously he'd been missing all the action by being trapped inside. He let his mind wander and idly dreamed of being a mighty wizard, out here smiting monsters with the others.

  "Here we are!" Alejandro held out a hand towards… Trees?

  Lee looked around, expecting a cave or a building, at least from what he'd heard of the Lairs. Nothing. Though there was… He could see the Mana behaving oddly just past Alejandro. It was flowing between two of the trees and beyond that it looked a bit denser. Almost like… the Fort.

  Alejandro walked between the trees and Lee followed.

  You have Entered the [Stakshiak Lair]