I settled into position below Eryn's perch, my shield ready. Above me, she made a soft clicking sound with her tongue, which was our signal for a target spotted. I clicked in return.

  She scraped a nail against her bow, twice.

  Two targets.

  I nodded, adjusting my stance. The light crunching of my boot against stone was all she needed.

  Go.

  “This is it!” Roq vibrated with anticipation. “One more kill and I achieve new heights of magnificence!”

  The Viper's Arc sang, and a Shardfang's stone-like hide cracked as Eryn’s arrow perceived into its side. The beast stumbled, its packmate instantly alert.

  I moved to intercept.

  The second monster met my charge, exactly as expected. I sidestepped its lunge, Roq coming down in a perfect arc. The Shardfang's skull shattered and the creature fell to the ground face first.

  Warmth surged through my arm as Roq trembled with power.

  “Yes! Level FOUR! Witness the RISE of a new GOD!”

  The wounded beast attacked my exposed side. I pivoted, bringing my shield up and letting it bounce off. It landed, spun, and fell dead as Eryn's arrow lodged in the side of its head.

  “Feel my power!” Roq crowed. “I'm even more magnificent than before! Though I must say, I always expect more fanfare. Perhaps a choir of flying infants? Or at least some dramatic lightning?”

  “Did he finally level up?” Eryn asked as she slipped down from her perch, having learned to read my wincing as a sign of Roq's louder outbursts.

  I nodded and held up four fingers.

  “Congratulations, Roq!” she said.

  “The girl shows proper respect.” Roq's voice softened to what passed for modest in his case. “Maybe we should keep her around. Just to sing praise.”

  “You know, when people level, we usually celebrate,” Eryn said.

  “Celebrate?”

  “You have piqued his interest,” I said with a wink.

  “A high five, a hug, or a free drink is common,” Eryn said. “Though I understand you are a little touchy about being... touched. Still. Would you like a pat on the head to symbolize and celebrate your new level of awesomeness?”

  “Her words are honeyed. Maybe you are not as blind in your search for a partner as I previously assumed, Ash.”

  “Well?”

  I did my best to keep a straight face.

  “You may tell her she has my permission to pat my head. Once. Gently. As befitting a weapon of my stature.”

  I couldn't help but laugh.

  “He says you can pat his head. But only once, and you have to be gentle about it.”

  “Oh, and remind her of how honored she should feel.”

  Eryn's eyes widened.

  “Really? I'm honored!”

  “She just IS THAT good. Wow. Color me impressed. With blood, preferably.”

  With exaggerated reverence, she held out a hand.

  “Now see, this is the proper way to treat a superior being such as myself. You could learn some proper etiquette from her, Ash. Manners maketh the man, and all that stuff you bipeds say, no?”

  “Don't encourage him,” I said, but held Roq out so Eryn could gently pat the hammer's head. “He's already impossible to live with.”

  “I am exactly as magnificent as I should be, thank you very much. And speaking of magnificence...” Roq's tone turned eager. “Just think how much more impressive I'll be at level five! I can feel real power waiting there. We should continue hunting. IMMEDIATELY. There are more Shardfangs just waiting to be crushed beneath my mighty head!”

  Eryn caught my eye and grinned.

  “I take it he's ready for more?” she asked.

  “Oh, yes.” I hefted Roq. “He's already talking about reaching level five. And considering we're still a way out from having full spatial storages with gemmed monsters, maybe we should listen to him, just this once.” I winked at her.

  “Of course I am ready! I’m ALWAYS ready. Now, less talking and more hunting. Those Shardfangs won't crush themselves. Or will they? Maybe I should have a talk with them. Once they see my magnificence, every single Shardfang will prostrate themselves before me, banging their heads against the ground until all we need do is gently tap them in the back of the head and they will get to experience the divine JOY that is to power my rise!”

  I shook my head, but couldn't hide my smile.

  “Let's just find something to kill, Roq.”

  Eryn was already climbing back up again to scout.

  “Try to keep up, mighty ones,” she said.

  “The audacity! Quick, Ash, find me something to crush. I need to restore my dignity.”

  And so our morning continued, settling into a rhythm of efficient violence. If such a thing exists.

  * * *

  Time passed in a dance of precision and death. Spot, find a perch for Eryn, signal, strike. Each kill was smoother than the last, and Roq's enthusiasm only grew, as if level four had somehow made him even more theatrical than before.

  My shield arm became heavy, but the weight felt earned, like the satisfying ache after a good day at the forge. Pa would be excited by all the carcasses, too, so there was that.

  Roq cracked into a Shardfang's neck, killing it.

  “Eighteen!”

  Eryn's arrow dug into another’s rear, slowing it down enough for me to safely de-head it in a spray of stone-like fragments.

  “Nineteen!” Roq's voice rang with satisfaction. “Did you see how that one practically EXPLODED? Though I suppose that's to be expected from someone as AWESOME as me.”

  I didn't get the feeling that Roq did any more damage at level four than he had at three, but I wasn't going to point that out. I had a feeling soul weapons improved in bursts, just like adventurers, which only made me want to see what he was going to turn into once he hit level ten.

  A flash of movement caught my eye—a third Shardfang had circled toward Eryn's position and scrambled up to her perch, where she whacked it with her bow, sending it tumbling down. I killed the monster before it could rise.

  “TWENTY! Only ten or so more until level five! Unless it's another twenty. Or thirty. Who knows. Just keep smacking them dead!” Roq's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. “Why isn't there a manual for these things and why don't they give the same experience? You'd think someone would write down the important details about soul weapon progression.”

  Above us, Eryn took longer between shots now, each arrow placed with careful precision. Conservation of energy. We'd been at it for hours, and even with our improved technique, the constant tension wore at us. Every approach had to be perfect. Every kill clean. Yellow-threat monsters didn't allow for sloppy work, and we'd already seen what just a few of them could do. Both Eryn and I'd been dead if we hadn't been lucky.

  “Wait!” Roq's voice jolted through my tired mind as I approached our latest kill. “This one... oh yes, this one has a surprise inside. I can feel it!”

  “You sure?”

  “Do not doubt me, mortal!”

  “Roq says this one's got a mind gem!” I said to Eryn.

  “That's two gems in twenty kills,” Eryn called down, her voice carrying a note of disbelief. She made her way down from her perch, movements careful on the loose stone. When she reached me, she sat heavily on a nearby boulder, muscles tired from the climbing and shooting. “That can't be normal, can it?”

  I passed her my waterskin while considering the question.

  “Should be one gem in twenty or thirty kills, sometimes more. We've nearly doubled that rate.”

  “Clearly they weren't using a weapon of my caliber,” Roq declared, though even his mental voice held a note of curiosity. “Though I must admit, even I am surprised by our success rate. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. Quality recognizes quality, after all.”

  “Could be the area?” Eryn said, wiping her mouth and handing back the waterskin. “The ravine itself might have better drops. All these mineral deposits, the metallic terrain... maybe it affects the monsters somehow? And no one's hunting here, so that means...what? Maybe these monsters have been here long enough to grow mind gems at a faster rate?”

  “Wouldn't it be crawling with adventurers despite the heavy armor of the Shardfangs?” I rotated my shield arm, working out the growing tightness. “Or it could be because we're hunting yellow-marked targets? They're far above our level and the only real reason why we can kill them so easily is Roq.”

  Eryn pulled her legs up, resting her chin on her knees.

  “True. Or maybe it has something to do with the party size? Most would be fighting at least five together. They'd kill more, faster, but also be splitting the gems. To have one each like we do now, they'd have to kill over a hundred monsters. Even Edwin's party would struggle to do that in the time we've found these two gems.

  “We are moving fast,” I agreed, the thoughts coming together. “Most parties have to coordinate multiple people, split attention between several targets. We're picking them off carefully and making sure the risk is manageable.”

  “No rushed retreats,” Eryn nodded. “No fighting over loot rights or arguing about tactics. Just clean kills.” She paused, a slight frown crossing her face. “Though if word gets out about drop rates like this, we’d never be left alone. The ravine would be flooded and they’d inspect every piece of gear we have.”

  “The only way it would come out is from us, though,” I said.

  “If anyone finds out, they can come!” Roq's voice boomed in my mind. “By then I'll be level five, and we can show them all what true magnificence looks like! Speaking of which,” his tone turned wheedling, “We've rested long enough, haven't we? Level five awaits!”

  “He's getting anxious to continue,” I told Eryn, smiling. “Apparently level five holds great possibilities.”

  She stretched, wincing slightly.

  “He does realize we have no idea what, if any, abilities he'll get at level five?”

  “Details! Minor details! The point is to get there and find out! And unless you two plan to chat all day or do that smoochy-smoochy stuff, I believe I feel more targets begging to be crushed beneath my magnificent head, which I do not hesitate to remind you both that she was graciously allowed to pat.”

  I shared a look with Eryn. Despite the fatigue settling into my muscles, I felt the pull of the hunt. We were doing well, better than anyone could have expected. And I couldn't help but feel that same hint of curiosity.

  I took out one of the two mind gems I had gained from the scuttlers, held it up and nodded to Eryn. She smiled and nodded back, bringing out one of her own. We popped them in our mouths, and sighed as they dissolved, refreshing us as if we had slept for an entire night.

  “Ready for more?” I asked, offering her a hand up.

  She took it, pulling herself to her feet and checking her remaining arrows.

  “Let's see if we can find another gem before we need to head back.”

  Her smile turned wry.

  “That's the spirit! Though I still say there should have been choir music when I hit level four. Perhaps for level five the rift might explode into a beautiful display of light?” Roq sighed. “No, I guess not. Let us focus on the hunting and find out. But would it kill you to hum a little victory tune when I level up?”

  I shook my head, but couldn't hide my smile as we continued hunting, Eryn moving from perch to perch, bow ready. I followed below, adjusting my grip on my shield and hammer.

  “There.” Eryn's whisper carried down from her new perch. “See the one sitting amongst four 'rocks'?”

  I nodded, studying the 'lone' Shardfang as it smelled the air. Four rocky shapes blended perfectly with the terrain, face and paws hidden. If we hadn't learned their tricks the hard way, we'd never have known them for what they were.

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  “Ah, the eternal strategy of the mediocre,” Roq commented. “Pretending to be less than they are. Though I suppose when one is made of such brittle material, their options are limited.”

  “You calling us mediocre?”

  “You feel attacked?”

  “We had to pretend to get out of the camp.”

  “I was merely commenting on these monsters. Any splash damage is entirely of your own doing.”

  “Five total,” I confirmed quietly to Eryn, deciding to ignore Roq's latest jab. “Just like working the bellows. One moves, the others wait.”

  “Mhm.” Eryn's bow creaked softly as she drew. “Let's put an arrow through the beasts head and see what it has on its mind.”

  “Tell her to be precise with her shot. A clean break is so much more satisfying to watch.”

  The arrow smashed through the shardfang's temple, dropping it dead. For a moment, nothing happened and not a single one of the other shardfangs moved.

  “Outstanding,” Roq purred. “Nearly like watching monster materials bend beneath my force.”

  Then the others raised their heads, and a low rumble filled the air as they searched for the threat. Eryn's second arrow bit deep into the haunch of one, its leg buckling. The remaining three spotted us then and charged as one, but I was ready and Eryn was out of easy reach. With my back against a rock face, my shield covered my left while Roq waited eagerly on my right.

  “Come see what a proper hammer can do,” I growled and glared at the ugly monsters.

  “'Proper hammer?' I am an exemplary instrument of destruction, thank you very much. The audacity to just call me a hammer. Pfft!”

  The first shardfang leapt high. My shield caught its attack, and Roq slammed into its exposed flank with a resonating crack, smashing it in two.

  “Think it felt that before it died? The precise application of overwhelming force? Though I suppose such subtleties are lost on mere beasts.”

  An arrow struck the second beast in the shoulder, sending it stumbling. I shifted my weight, dodging to the side, and letting the third's momentum carry it past me. At the last moment, I brought Roq down on the wounded one's skull.

  “DOUBLE KILL!”

  The third shardfang spun for another charge, but Eryn's arrow caught it in the flank. It twisted, confused between targets, and I ended its hesitation with a swift strike, bits of stony neck raining across the ground.

  “UNSTOPPABLE!”

  The hobbled one from earlier finally reached us, dragging its wounded leg. I offered my shield and it swiped desperately at it. I rewarded it with an almost casual bonk on the head, crushing its skull.

  “Clear,” Eryn said, already climbing down.

  “Great shots. Killing three was no problem, but five might have been.”

  She smiled and glanced down at the carcasses, raising an eyebrow.

  “Roq?” I asked.

  “Yes, yes. Great killing. Go find more.”

  “Of course, but—”

  “I am closing on level five. Imagine the power, an ounce of which will belong to you. What skill might I unlock? How fast can we slay?”

  “Yes. But—”

  “Think of the mind gems we will find. We really do need to get you to level ten. Being wielded by an unclassed feels—I don't even want to say it for fear I might hurt your feelings.”

  “Roq!” I shouted, and Eryn jumped.

  “What!?”

  “Any mind gems among these which we just risked our lives to kill?”

  “You interrupt my musings for such a... well, actually, yes. The one Eryn sniped. There is a faint sound from it.”

  I grinned at Eryn.

  “Roq says there is a gem in the one you killed.”

  After retrieving the mind-gemmed carcass, I handed it off to Eryn.

  “Three gems in one hunt. This is insane, Ash.”

  “Imagine what we'll do when we get our classes!” I said.

  “All the way to sixty!”

  “Ash.”

  I held up my hand. Something in his tone sent tingles of danger down my spine.

  “The ground vibrates.”

  “Like with the scuttlers?”

  Eryn's eyes went wide.

  “This is different.”

  I shook my head and pointed to the monsters.

  Eryn nodded and set about retrieving the rest of her arrows.

  “A deeper rumble. Not communication. There is just a strange presence.”

  “Is it the voice?”

  “I just said not communication! Pay attention, you damned biped!”

  I took a slow breath, not wanting to explode on Roq.

  You are the adult. He is but a nasty child.

  “This is more like... not like me. But, it's powerful. Exciting. Magnificent. We need to go see what it is.”

  “Or we need to leave it the hell alone and get out of here.”

  “Without knowing what makes this type of sound? Think, Ash. Use the mush between your ears! We HAVE to know what it is.”

  “Why?”

  “It could be related to the voice, or a treasure, or even a threat. Riftside, Ignorance is DEATH.”

  I glanced at Eryn.

  “He says something powerful is here. But it's not communicating like the scuttlers did, nor is it the voice. He... suggests we go take a look, find out what it is.”

  To my surprise, she just nodded.

  “Let's go.”

  And we did, ascending the ravine and wanting the advantage of height. For a while, we crept along the top of the Ironclad Ravine. Eryn kept a lookout behind us and towards the forest in case of any sneaky monsters, while Roq and I searched below.

  “It's so close.”

  I duck-walked onto a ledge, careful not to let my shield scrape the ground, and peeked down.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Now that—” Roq's voice dropped to an eager whisper, “That is a proper test of our capabilities.”

  A wave of warmth pulsed from the hammer's grip, and I felt my heart rate quicken with excitement.

  The monster was massive.

  I engaged my sigil and found it was something called a Platemaw. The creature had just as an impressive outline. Dark orange.

  “ATTACK! CHARGE! We must SMASH it!”

  “Quiet, damn it!”

  I raised a hand for Eryn, indicating she should approach silently.

  The monster shifted below us, steam venting from gaps in its armor as it pawed at the ground, splintering a rock. Then its neck extended and it snapped up a piece the size of my fist and started chewing loudly. Even from our perch, I could see how its metallic plates overlapped perfectly, like an organically grown set of master-crafted mount armor, if knights rode something that looked like a cross between the mythical rhinoceros and a snapping turtle.

  “No. Just no,” Eryn said as she stared down at the monster. “Look at the size of it. It's larger than a horse and covered in armor!”

  The last part was said in a hiss.

  “Orange threat.”

  “What are you waiting for?” Roq breathed in my mind. “This is worthy prey. Not these pathetic stone dogs we've been crushing all day. Go! Make me proud!”

  “Those plates give perfect coverage, Roq. There are no weak points.”

  “I MAKE the weak points, you foolish cretin! Just listen and do as you are told!”

  Eryn had nocked an arrow, but she didn't draw.

  “I doubt regular weapons would scratch it. Even my new arrows is unlikely to penetrate.” She shook her head. “We should mark the location and report it to the guild.”

  “Report it? REPORT IT? When we have the perfect opportunity to prove our worth? To show what we're truly capable of?”

  “We should kill it,” I said, the words coming out before I'd fully formed the thought.

  Eryn turned to stare at me.

  “Ash, you said it's a dark orange threat. We're not even classed adventurers yet.”

  “Exactly.” I gestured at the beast below. “And what happens when we are? When we're out adventuring with a party, and something like this shows up? We won't always get to pick our battles, Eryn. No matter how foolish it sounds and how afraid I am, chances like these are what brought us here.”

  “The danger is precisely why we should wait until we're classed,” she said. “Until we have proper backup and new abilities.”

  “Listen to her hesitation,” Roq's voice slid through my thoughts like honey. “She doesn't understand. Can't understand what it means to truly test oneself. To prove your worth and reap the rewards.”

  A pleasant warmth rose up through my arm.

  “We're out here to gain experience, and to become classed adventurers in record time,” Eryn said when I didn’t reply. “What we're doing with the Shardfangs is dangerous enough, Ash.”

  “You'll be safe on the ledge,” I argued, feeling Roq's warmth pulse through my arm. “Your arrows might not hurt the monster, but they'll distract it. Give me an opening or two. Worst thing happens, I'll throw Roq at it and run.”

  “I'm not worried about myself, you know that.” Her voice softened. “Ash, please. We don't need to do this. Not today. Take our wins for what they are.”

  “She thinks you weak,” Roq whispered. “Thinks you need to be protected. Show her. Show them all,” the hammer whispered in my ear.

  His words were like a sweet poison.

  “It's not a single monster I need to fear.” The words felt strange in my mouth, yet somehow right. “What happens when word gets out about Roq and what he can do? How long before higher-level adventurers come, thinking they deserve a soul weapon more than some smith's apprentice turned scavenger?”

  Eryn looked away.

  “They won't just take Roq,” I continued, pushing away the part of me that squirmed at playing on her fears. This was to protect her, too. “They'll kill anyone who knows about him. Pa. Ma. You.” I met her eyes. “It might sound safe to come out here and grind levels, but it's not.”

  “Yes,” Roq purred. “Now you understand. Safety is an illusion. Only power is reality.”

  Eryn was quiet for a long moment, studying my face.

  “I hear you, but I'm not sure this is about protecting us,” she said.

  “I need to know I can handle threats like this,” I said. “Need to know I can protect—”

  “Protect everyone?” She sighed, but I saw understanding in her eyes. “You're not alone in this, Ash. Whatever's coming, we face it together.” She turned back to study the grazing Platemaw. “If we're really doing this, we do it smart. We scout it properly, set conditions for retreat, and you swear to me you'll run if I call it. Not Roq.”

  “Who does she think she is? We are carrying HER! Charge in, now! Demonstrate our superiority.”

  “Alright,” I said, ignoring Roq's words. It was as if a haze had fallen over me, and every suggestion just seemed...right. “We do this together.”

  Eryn let out a slow breath, staring at the grazing creature below us.

  “First rule. If I call 'bail', we bail. No heroics.”

  “We will splatter it like a ripe egg!”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, ignoring Roq. “That.”

  She nodded, then raised three fingers.

  “Three more conditions. One. We scout first. Thoroughly. Make absolutely sure nothing else can show up mid-fight.”

  “Why fear more blood? The more monsters we kill, the faster I level, and the sooner we can take our rightful place!” Roq grumbled. “Go! Now! Crush it!”

  I felt my eye twitch but kept ignoring him.

  “Two,” she continued. “We find a weak point, or we don't engage.”

  “I require no weak point! Walk in and let me smash its head in!”

  I nodded.

  “Those plates will have gaps. Nothing's perfectly armored,” I said.

  The beast lazily crushed another rock between its jaws. Steam hissed from vents along its sides, and its head swung in a slow arc.

  “Three is the most important.” Her eyes locked onto mine. “We set a time limit. Two minutes. If we don't make significant progress by then, we retreat. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it is. Exhaustion can get us killed just as easily.”

  “Two minutes?” Roq's indignation rang through my skull, followed by a surge of confidence that made my muscles tingle. “Do you have any idea how many things we could crush in two minutes? All I need is a single good swing, and that monster will drop dead!”

  “I agree,” I said.

  “And?”

  “And nothing. I said I agree.”

  Eryn relaxed slightly, but I could see she wasn’t on board, not like I was.

  “Then we scout. Properly. And figure out how to kill an orange-level monster without dying in the process.”

  The part of me that had squirmed earlier tried to surface again, but I pushed it away. We had a Platemaw to hunt, and hunt it we would.

  We split up, with Eryn circling the area, her gear much better suited to stealth, and she would stay high on the ravine walls. Below me, the Platemaw continued to eat, seemingly content with its rock munching.

  “Notice how the joints flex?” Roq's voice held an unusual note of analysis. After a while, he'd given up trying to make me attack and resigned to us doing this as Eryn had proposed. “The way the armor segments slide? Beautiful creation, really. Though of course, that just means it will be much more satisfying when we break it.”

  “You actually sounded impressed for a moment.”

  “Know your enemy, Ash. The better we understand how it works, the more effectively we can make it NOT work. Besides, it seems you won't be carrying me into battle before we know how it ticks. God knows how I'm going to accomplish that.”

  I studied the beast's movements. The plates did slide with remarkable precision, especially around the neck and shoulders. But whenever it extended its neck to bite, it left a gap, like the armpit on plate armor.

  Two clicks of a tongue drew my attention. It was Eryn's signal for 'clear'. I responded with a single click and didn't have to wait long before she rejoined me, having completed her run around the area.

  “Nothing else nearby,” she reported. “And the tracks are all its own. Been here a while, looks like.”

  “It'll take a while to run out of rocks,” I said. “We aren't in a hurry.”

  “Maybe this is its territory,” she said, nodding. “And we won't have to worry about other monsters wandering in.”

  “This area's apex predator,” I said. “Seems like others are staying away.”

  Her eyes narrowed.

  “Did you spot any weaknesses?”

  “The neck joint,” I said. “When it extends to bite, there's a gap.” I demonstrated the angle with my hand. “But it's small, and only visible for a moment.”

  “I saw that too. There are also gaps behind the front legs, but only when it moves them forward to walk.” She drew in the dirt with an arrow. “The steam vents might be vulnerable, but they're protected by overlapping plates. I'd need a perfect angle, and even then we don’t know what’s below.”

  “So we have no idea if it would do anything. Got it.”

  “The head,” Roq interrupted. “Do you see how heavily protected it is?”

  “Yes, Roq. Its head is very protected.”

  “Means it's vulnerable.”

  “You want us to hit it where its protection is the strongest?”

  “Only way to prove my superiority. Anything else is unacceptable.”

  I relayed this to Eryn.

  “You want us to leave, Roq? Because that's the type of monster crap that'll have us walking away,” she said.

  Roq growled in my mind.

  “Listen, Roq. We're going to need every advantage we can get. If it was a green mob, sure, I'd be happy to test you against its forehead, but for now, let's focus on stacking the deck as much in our favor as we can.”

  “Fine.”

  I nodded to Eryn.

  “Thank you, Roq,” she said, being the adult. “Let's focus on what we know from fighting Shardfangs. High ground advantage is key. I’ll stay up here, try to score a hit, and at least distract it with arrows. Make openings if I can.”

  “Hopefully the special arrows can pierce the armor. We would just need one or two to screw with the monster. Pain is universal.”

  “Sure is,” Eryn muttered. “Maybe we can make it look right at me? I could try and hit its eyes. Most importantly, it looks like the type to charge its prey. A charger.”

  “Like the shardfangs, but much slower. If I can disable a leg, it would be simple,” I said.

  “This is taking forever,” Roq complained. “Though I suppose there is a certain artistry to the planning. Still, I vote we charge in and show it what real armor-breaking force looks like.”

  “What's he saying?” Eryn asked, catching my eye-roll.

  “Nothing worth repeating.”

  “I resent that! I simply appreciate the direct approach.”

  “Then we have a plan?” Eryn asked.

  I nodded.

  “You stay high, try to force it to move how we want. I'll wait for it to charge, dodge, then strike at the weak points we spotted.” I patted my shield. “The Heartguard should handle any glancing hits.”

  “Glancing hits,” she emphasized. “Don't try to block it directly. You've seen what it can do to rocks with just its mouth.”

  “It will be the one learning about crushing force once we engage,” Roq declared. “Now, can we please begin? This magnificent weapon grows weary of talk.”

  “Ready?” I asked.

  Eryn's expression softened for a moment, and she leaned in to kiss me quickly.

  “Stay alive,” she whispered. “None of this is worth a damn if one of us is gone.”

  Then she moved, taking up her position on the ledge above.

  The Platemaw still hadn't noticed us as I moved down into the ravine, and I found a spot where I'd have room to maneuver. Eryn's clicks confirmed she was in place, too.

  “Now?”

  “Now!” Roq's anticipation sang through my bones, and I felt a rush of eagerness pushing aside my earlier doubts.

  I clicked back.

  Eryn's first arrow struck the Platemaw's shoulder, close to its neck, but pinged off harmlessly. The beast's head snapped up, steam venting from its sides as it oriented on the threat.

  A second arrow pinged off its face, and the Platemaw let out a roar that set the ground trembling. Rocks clattered down the ravine walls as it pawed the gravel, reminding me of angry bulls I'd seen at the summer fairs.

  I swallowed and stepped into plain sight, gently tapping Roq on my shield to get the monster's attention.

  “Oh, yes,” Roq purred. “Let's show it what real power feels like.”

  The Platemaw moved, slowly at first, but built up speed as it headed straight for me. I adjusted my stance, timing my dodge, waiting for it to fully commit to the charge.

  Just like the Shardfangs. Wait for it to get close, then dodge.

  “When it gets close, we strike! Right in that smug armored face!”

  “Focus.”

  I tensed, ready to jump as Roq hummed in my grip. A small voice in my head questioned why we were fighting something this dangerous, but Roq's presence drowned it out with waves of warm confidence. He was really looking forward to duking it out with the oversized monster.

  The Platemaw's head snapped down, and it sprang forward, covering the remaining distance as if launched ahead by tremendous force. I tried to dodge, but it was on me far faster than any Shardfang. If my shield had not been up, it would have slammed straight into my chest.

  As it was, it hit the shield like a charging bull and threw me backward, my arm cracking. Ravine walls blurred past as I flew through the air. I hit the ground hard, tumbling, dropping Roq to hang from his new strap.

  “Well,” Roq said, his voice drowned out as if talking from the bottom of a barrel, “That was unexpected.”