The striker exploded into a storm of deadly shards after I smashed Roq through its torso. I ducked, fragments pinging off the Scuttler plates reinforcing my shield.

  “Two more from the left!” Eryn called out, already loosing another arrow.

  I spun, my shield raised to intercept, just as another striker burst into the large chamber through a narrow gap between two crystalline formations. A vanguard followed close behind, trudging along.

  Eryn's first arrow shattered the striker's leg and it stumbled, sliding to a halt in front of me.

  “GET THE KILL!”

  “Roq!”

  The vanguard charged in right behind.

  “Duck!” Eryn shouted.

  I dropped to a knee, and as the fallen striker reached for my legs, I brought the hammer down on its head, smashing right through it.

  “VIOLENCE!” Roq screamed as the monster exploded, but I was protected by my shield. “I condone it!”

  Eryn's arrow whistled over my head and struck the vanguard square in the face. Cracks spiderwebbed across its domed head, but it didn't seem to care.

  The monster was nearly upon me, and I only had one way to break its charge. It had just too much mass and power to block with my shield.

  “Armor Break!”

  Red light burst from Roq, and I could feel the power resonate through him.

  “TASTE OBLIVION!”

  I'd seen what it could do several times now, and trusted in it, so as the vanguard reached for me, I swung Roq into its chest. The monster was rocked backward with a big hole in its torso. A moment later, it was reduced to glittering dust.

  “Oh, by the forge and fire, that's the STUFF!”

  “Any gems?”

  “A shiny one in the vanguard.”

  “We got one,” I said to Eryn with a smile, shaking the fatigue from my arms.

  “That's two in the last nine kills,” Eryn said, retrieving her arrows. “Three gems in total for the hunt. How many more are we going for?”

  “ALL of them!”

  Roq's shout sent a shudder through my body, and I took an involuntary step forward.

  “Calm down, Roq.”

  Our spatial storages were filled full with carcasses, and three gems was a fortune. But we'd only met duos and trios after killing the group with two healers, and the fights had gone decently well.

  “Let's look a bit deeper? One more gem and we get two each. If we're already taking risks, might as well go the extra mile. Which reminds me, you will need a whole lot more of those special arrows. Need to see if Pa ordered them.”

  “Okay, and yeah, you're right. We definitely want more arrows,” Eryn said. “I could be killing more monsters.”

  “Stop counting corpses and let's find something stronger to kill! I'm... actually enjoying.”

  I swiped the vanguard into storage, swapping it for an ungemmed striker and took a moment to catch my breath. Even with my new strength combined with Roq's impossible lightness, the constant blocking and striking took its toll. The shield wasn't that light, and with every time I blocked an explosion or deflected a vanguard, my arm would go numb.

  “You need a break?” Eryn asked, touching my shoulder.

  “I'm good. Just tired.” I winced and she could see very well that I wasn't in the best state, but still, I wanted to go on for a bit longer.

  Noise from up ahead in the same tunnel made me look up as two strikers emerged, followed by a weaver.

  “Oh, come on! Freaking weavers!”

  I charged, moving slightly right, giving space for Eryn.

  Her first arrow caught the left striker in its chest, knocking it down. I angled for the one on the right. I'd carve through it fast and get the weaver before it could cause any trouble.

  To my surprise, when the weaver touched the wall and light flowed through the crystal formations, it didn't go to the wounded striker. Instead, it flowed to the other, and its limbs stretched, forming blades of living crystal.

  “Thinly sharpened crystals!?” Roq scoffed. “WITNESS THE SUPERIORITY OF THICK AND FLAT STEEEEELHUSK!”

  I parried the striker's cut, but Roq didn't stop it. He crashed straight through the crystalline blades and its body alike.

  The striker's chest exploded, and while I covered my chest and face, they peppered my legs. If any shard had made it through the armor, Roq would have to heal me.

  Eryn's next arrow struck the weaver, buying me enough time to step forward and bash its face in before it could fill me with white crystalline spikes.

  “ME! MINE! GIVE ME!” Roq said, and I felt my hand warm and my chest filled with eagerness to claim the final striker.

  I lunged forward, swinging Roq down on its head before retreating behind my shield.

  “Yes! Oh yes! Rift blessed BELLS, this feels so GOOD!”

  “Relax, Roq,” I said. “You—”

  “I am level SIX! Now I am truly undefeatable! Now I am a GOD!”

  “Holy shit! You hit level six?” I said, looking wide-eyed at Eryn.

  “Oh, wow!” she said. “Congratulations, Roq. Well done!” She rushed forward and patted the hammer's head. “See? You can still level up pretty quickly even without pushing us into suicidal battles.”

  “I... umm, yes. Thank you. Please extend my gratitude, and my belated approval of a touch.”

  “Of course!” I said, grinning, and told Eryn.

  “Oh, sorry, Roq,” she said. “I'll ask next time. But you leveled so fast! And... wait, don't you like girls? Since you're a boy and all? I just figured you might appreciate the soft touch of a fair maiden such as myself.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  I rolled my eyes at that and chuckled, knowing very well what she was doing and she winked back at me.

  “Well... umm naturally. My powers should evolve to match my magnificent potential. I am, after all, the greatest soul weapon ever forged... And umm, wait, why are we even talking about—well, yes, I mean... help me out here?”

  There was a note of pleasure in his voice that had nothing to do with bloodlust or destruction. For a moment, he actually sounded happy rather than just murderous, and that had quickly turned into confusion and embarrassment.

  “He says thanks.”

  The moment was cut short by a crash sounding from deeper in the tunnel where the monsters had come from. It was followed by a rumbling sound like that of a crystal avalanche.

  “What was that?” I asked.

  “More monsters?”

  “I think it's our clue to get going,” Eryn said, swiping in the Vanguard in place of a Striker. We'd agreed the likely value of the carcass was Vanguard, Weaver, and then Striker, considering Pa being more likely to make things from the heavier monster.

  “Just a quick peek,” I said.

  “Ash?”

  “Come on.”

  “Fine. But be extra careful, okay?”

  I nodded and moved in between the crystals and into the winding tunnel. It widened gradually, but the crystal formations grew denser, leaving the same slim space in the middle.

  “I don't like this, Ash,” Eryn said. “We can barely see ahead.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Maybe it's time to head back. Let’s me just peek around here.” My breath caught as I stepped forward and the passage suddenly opened onto a ledge overlooking a vast cavern.

  Hundreds of crystalline figures moved through the open space below us. Strikers walked in pairs while Weavers gathered in small groups, their chests pulsing, and Vanguards stood watch at key points.

  But it was the thing at the bottom of the cavern which made my blood run cold. A massive crystalline giant, easily five times the size of a Striker with the bulk of a Vanguard, sat on what looked like a stone throne. The monster looked to be tall enough to climb up Sentinel Station's walls.

  “Ash,” Eryn said, voice shaking slightly as she leaned past my shoulder.

  “I see it.” I put a hand on her arm and we stepped backward. “We need to leave. Now.”

  “LEAVE?” Roq's voice thundered through my mind. “Now? Do you not see the glorious prey? Imagine what treasure it holds! There's enough enemies here to see me to level ten!”

  Heat flooded my arm, and suddenly my whole body felt too light, too strong. The massive creature below would make a perfect trophy. Yes. And with Roq's Armor Break skill we could—

  No!

  I fumbled for my spatial storage, fingers trembling as Roq's bloodlust pounded through my veins.

  “Think of the glory! The power!”

  “Ash?” Eryn grabbed my shoulder as my feet carried me forward, drawn toward the edge.

  With the last of my willpower, I swiped Roq into storage and gasped for air. The bloodlust dimmed, but it didn't vanish completely. Whatever bond we shared had grown, and his influence over me had grown with his rising level. This wasn't good, not at all.

  “We need to go,” I said, heaving for a breath. That had been way too close. “Before I do something stupid because of that idiot!”

  Eyes wide with concern, Eryn grabbed my hand and pulled me back in between the crystals. She wasn't wrong to worry about me, as even without Roq in my hand, I could now feel his pull. The urge to prove myself. It was strong.

  I wanted to test my limits and become stronger.

  She didn't let go of me until we were out of the cave and halfway back to Sentinel Station, when the urge finally receded and I could think straight again.

  * * *

  “These will do nicely, kids,” Pa said as he probed a small gap in the Striker's crystalline body with his narrow blade. A section cracked wide open, revealing an inner chamber filled with porous material. “No idea what to make of it yet, but it sure is pretty. Wonder what we can use it for.”

  I leaned over the workbench, watching him work. Monster parts covered every flat surface of the smithy — the four Crystal Strikers, three Resonant Weavers, and six Crystal Vanguards we'd brought back were spread across tables or piled carefully on the floor. The smell of iron, coal dust, and leather mixed with a sharp, dry scent coming from the carcasses.

  Ma stood beside me, taking notes in her ledger. Eryn perched on a stool near the door cradling her bow. She hadn't taken her eyes off me since we'd returned, and I knew why.

  “The outer layer could make excellent reinforcement for armor if we can find a way to mount it,” Pa continued, “But look here.” The tip of the blade clinked along the leg of the Striker. “I'll have to run some tests, but if these don't chip too badly, imagine the cutting edge it could hold. Arrows, daggers, maybe even a spear.”

  “What about Roq?” Eryn's voice cut through Pa's enthusiasm.

  My hand instinctively moved toward my spatial storage, but I stopped it. We'd all agreed it was better to keep Roq stored for now.

  “We can't go on like this,” Eryn continued. “You nearly charged off that ledge into an army of crystalkin.”

  “I know.” The memory made my stomach turn. “Roq is trying. I can feel it. But it's like—” I struggled to find the right words. “Like a child who knows what they should do, but can't control their impulses. I need to be the one in charge, but how? It's not like there's a manual on how to use soulforged weapons, is there?”

  Ma set down her ledger and crossed her arms.

  “Perhaps if you limited yourself to hunting smaller groups? Or kept to areas closer to the station? Don't go anywhere close to where stronger monsters might appear.”

  “No,” Pa said, placing down his blade and putting both hands inside the chest and pulling it apart with a crack. “Too risky. What if Roq gains another level during a fight? Rift knows what he'd do or how far he'd take Ash.” He looked up and shook his head. No gem. “And what if he managed to find a way to take over permanently?”

  “No one knows if that's even possible,” Ma protested.

  “Exactly!” Pa argued. “We don't know, so I recommend we sit tight for now.”

  “We're dancing around the real solution,” Eryn interrupted. “We all know what needs to happen. Ash needs to level past Roq and see if it helps. I've got a feeling that the bigger their level difference, the more Roq can influence Ash.”

  “You're right,” I admitted. “Roq was supposed to be this amazing blessing. Not something trying to get me killed every time I step out to hunt.”

  Eryn stashed her bow on one of the free workbenches, crossed the room, and wrapped her arms around me.

  “At least Roq wants to kill monsters. It could be worse. What if he wants to bash my head in next?”

  I couldn't help but laugh.

  “Yeah, not going to happen. I'd get rid of that little shit before I'd ever allow him to hurt anyone.”

  Or he could lust for human blood. What if we accidentally killed a higher-level adventurer? Would that create an addiction in him?

  “And it does change our approach,” Ma said as she picked the ledger back up and tapped her quill against an empty page. “The problem isn't stopping Roq, it's getting Ash enough mind gems fast when he can't safely use Roq. Once Ash catches up in levels, you can go out and test your theory. See if there's any truth to it.”

  “I need five gems to reach level five, and I have one from before. Plus, if Roq's count was right, we should find three in these carcasses. Two of those should be for me.”

  “Hey!” Pa said. “No spoilers, please.”

  I chuckled and rolled my eyes.

  “Take mine, too,” Eryn said firmly, ignoring Pa’s joke. “Plus the extra one I've been saving.”

  “Eryn—”

  “Don't you dare refuse. You're worth it, and we both know you'd do the same for me. Hell, you will do it for me once you've hit level ten and have classed up. It only makes sense to pool resources together where they can be used best.”

  “Yes, but—”

  “No buts. You are leveling to five today. We can think about level six tomorrow.”

  I wrapped my arms around her, too, and pressed my forehead against hers.

  “Thank you, babe.”

  “That should hopefully reduce Roq's pressure to what it was before the hammer hit level six,” Pa said.

  He had moved on to examining one of the Resonant Weavers, his knife tracing the channels where light had flowed.

  “That's only an assumption for now, but it might work. He never tried taking over when he was just level one, right?” Ma asked.

  “Right,” I said. And it was the truth the more I thought about it.

  “You know, these internal passages might be of some interest to the mages. I'll check them for gems and then sell them to the guild or the staff maker. Whoever gives us the best price. I'm not sure I can make anything out of them.”

  He put away the carcass and turned, wiping his hand on a piece of cloth.

  “But yes, you all are right. We should get you to level parity with Roq before you do any more hunting. Just to make sure we've done everything we can.” He rapped his knuckles on the Vanguard's chest plate. “You see this one?”

  “What about it?” I asked.

  “Well, the outer layer on these would reinforce armor beautifully.”

  “So?” I asked, confused at his mix of subjects.

  “I think it's time you did your job, son.”

  “What do you mean?” Eryn asked.

  Pa's weathered face split into a broad smile.

  “You two have brought me so many wonderful materials that our storage is filled to bursting.” He gestured at the crystal-covered workshop. “Stay home for a few days, help me craft enough equipment to make the gold we need. You’ll need six mind gems for level six.” Pa looked at Ma. “You still got one saved up, right?” She nodded. “That makes it five. Ten gold a piece, we are looking at fifty gold. Easy to make with the materials we have on hand. All it'll take is some elbow grease and sweat. And who knows? Maybe we can haggle directly with some adventurers, see if we can offer them the gear directly for a better price.”

  A weight lifted from my shoulders as I realized that we still had an easy way out of this mess. Or rather, one that wasn't going to break us. “Now, Eryn, grab a leather apron and listen closely. It's time to teach you a thing or two about forging. And Ma, get the word out we'll be selling some adventurer gear in a few days.”