The vines were faster than before. Nathan could hear them whistling as they dived toward him.

  Nathan tapped his foot once, and in response, a glistening shield appeared in front of him. The vines bounced off it, shredding themselves on the coral outlines that dotted the translucent material.

  Nathan then tilted backward, tensed his muscles—

  and broke into a dead sprint in the opposite direction. Behind him, he heard the tree wrath roar as it consumed the buildings, consumed the concrete—

  But he had time.

  His legs beat the ground relentlessly. His eyes tilted up toward his destination: the gigantic tree in the middle of the urban pocket.

  He squinted. In the distance, he could see that spreading out from the center of the tree, roots and plant material were consuming the ground like a rock through an old house.

  That's what was meant by a two-pronged attack. The giant tree in the center would spread out, as would the forest at the outskirts of the urban pocket. And from the sound of it, the wanderers were planning to keep going until the entire urban pocket had been consumed.

  Nathan continued running until he finally spotted a friendly face.

  Bree.

  She was directing people, urging them to move further into the pocket.

  But it was only a matter of time until they were consumed.

  Nathan ran up to her.

  "Bree!" he shouted. "What's going on?"

  She looked over at him. The moment she did, her eyes widened, and the tension drained out of her.

  "You're okay!" she said. "I had to leave the portal, I'm sorry—it was just… When that thing appeared—"

  "You mean the giant tree?"

  "It's the fourth Dungeon, Nathan." Her left eye twitched. "They just dropped it here."

  Nathan looked toward the top of the giant tree. He pulled up his quest menu and glanced at the description:

  The Elderbark Sanctum—A massive, hollowed-out tree that serves as the final resting place of every ancient guardian that ever failed their duty. The spirits of old warriors whisper through the bark, and the wooden sentinels inside don’t take kindly to intruders. At the very top, wrapped in sacred vines, rests the Verdant Heart, pulsing with the last echoes of a dying age. You just have to climb up there and take it.

  Easy, right?

  Nathan felt like screaming.

  "This is all my fault," he muttered. "They wanted me—of course they’d do something crazy like this."

  Bree turned and looked at him. "Nathan?"

  Nathan looked down at the ground.

  He knew what he had to do.

  His head shot up.

  "I need five minutes. Start gathering as many people as you can toward me. I'll be able to put them somewhere safe."

  "How?" Bree said. "Besides—Nathan, we're in shambles. We don't have the manpower. It's… We can't save the people, we can't get into the dungeon. There's too much happening—"

  "I'll take care of it."

  Bree blinked. "What?"

  "I can take care of the manpower. I can do it. Just get as many people as you can, and try to organize them. Whoever can fight, group them to hold off the Tree Wrath and another group to head into the dungeon."

  Bree took a single step to the side. After a moment, she nodded. "Understood."

  Nathan glanced around. There were few people here. There’d be no going back after this.

  He shut his eyes. The portal started to flicker to life behind him; he could sense it. Everything else faded away. The screaming, the crying—all of it.

  Instead, he focused on the portal and nothing but the portal.

  It shone to life behind him.

  Footsteps echoed out.

  "My Lord," a familiar voice said.

  "Fuge."

  Someone glanced at Fuge in confusion.

  "Why is there a mushroom woman?"

  Nathan ignored them and focused on Fuge. "I have orders for you."

  She snapped her heels together.

  "What are they, Commander?"

  "We have a situation. Thousands of people are in imminent danger of being killed by a bunch of crazy plants. I need you to organize two teams—a special operations team that will go into the heart of this and stop it, and a defense team to hold back the killer trees and evacuate all the people on this level to my soulbound town. Understood?"

  Fuge nodded. "Understood."

  She turned around and marched into the portal. In the background, Nathan heard Bree running up, several dozen people behind her.

  "I did the best I could, Nathan—"

  She stopped.

  Her jaw dropped.

  One after another, mushroom people and werewolf soldiers came streaming out of the portal. A few of them were medics and immediately ran over to the injured. Most of them were soldiers and charged toward the oncoming tree wrath.

  The mushroom people led the way, pressing their fungal arms to the ground. At first, it seemed like they were having no effect. Then there were two of them doing it. Then three. Four. Ten. Twenty. As if by magic, the tree wrath ground to a halt.

  "Okay," Nathan turned toward the developers. "Everybody, through the portal!"

  Nobody moved.

  Nathan furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you all waiting for? The portal's big enough to allow two rows of people in."

  Someone looked at the mushroom people streaming through the portal.

  "What the hell is happening right now?" a man said.

  "I'm about to go into some mysterious glowing portal?"

  "This is insane!"

  Nathan's left eye twitched. "Are you serious right now?"

  "Who the hell do you think you are!?"

  "I say we take our chances with the tree wrath—"

  Nathan's left eye twitched again. Behind him, lightning cracked and smashed the concrete next to him.

  "My people are currently risking their lives to make sure you escape. Several of your fellow Delvers are doing the same—trying to buy time for all of you who can't fight. And you have the audacity to question me?"

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Nathan glared at the man who'd spoken last. The man took a single step back.

  "You can stay out here for all I care. But if any of you want a chance to live—no, to thrive, to become stronger and escape the Nine Circles—then enter this portal."

  There were a few beats of silence. Then—a child. The one Nathan had saved a long time ago. He dashed into the portal without a single word.

  As soon as that happened, several people started running for the portal.

  "Order!" Bree shouted.

  The people stopped and began shuffling their way in slowly.

  Bree walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

  Nathan rolled his eyes and brushed her hand off.

  "We have bigger priorities," Nathan said. "Remember, there's some kind of time limit on the dungeon. I think when the tree wrath consumes everything, we won't be able to get the fourth item anymore. We need to get to the top and grab that Verdant Heart."

  Bree glanced back at the portal.

  "You're right. We’ve got to stop this at the root. I don’t have any people, though—Derek and a few of his friends, but all the other Delvers are too low-level for a raid."

  "I already said I’d handle it."

  Fuge marched through the portal, followed by Kason and a few of the other orcs.

  "I would've grabbed a few more werewolves," Fuge said, "but I need them on standby in case of an emergency."

  Bree blinked. "Where did they come from?"

  "I picked them up on the last circle. Don’t think too hard about it." Nathan paused. "Wait, I have a few more people who can join in."

  “More people—?”

  "Summon Fish."

  A portal flickered to life behind Nathan, and four fish swam through the air.

  "What’s going on, boss?" Finny said. "You got a job for us?"

  Bree squinted. "Why is that fish talking?"

  "Yeah, that one’s new to me, too,” Kason said.

  Nathan ignored them. "We’re going to be raiding a dungeon. It’s a giant tree, and we need to get to the top as quickly as possible. Are you up for it?"

  Finny snorted. “You know it. Whatever the job, we’re your fish.”

  "Then let’s get going."

  Bree rubbed her eyes.

  "Ignoring the absurdity of what I’m seeing," Bree said, "what about your friend—Chad? And Derek?"

  Nathan's eyes shifted toward the tree. In the distance, he thought he saw a flash of energy.

  "If I know Chad," Nathan said, "and I think I do at this point, he’s going to be right in the thick of the action. That’s where the best content is, of course."

  "All right. I guess we don’t have time to waste."

  They broke off and ran toward the giant tree. A sudden pain crashed into Nathan's spine. He jolted and nearly fell before stumbling forward.

  "Nathan?" Bree said, stopping.

  Nathan held up a hand. "It’s nothing."

  He took a step forward and continued to run.

  During the flash of pain, he received a vision. A light, and a number:

  B32.

  He heard the sound of his arm screaming as well.

  "Hold on a little longer,” he whispered.

  Nathan stopped and stared up at the tree.

  From a distance, it was already imposing. But up close? It was like staring into the eyes of eternity. It went up, and up, and up. For miles and miles.

  Nathan glanced to his left and right. The forest was consuming everything else, but a single road remained untouched—a direct path straight to the tree.

  "This is a trap," Bree said.

  Fuge nodded. "Yes."

  The two looked at each other. Fuge raised an eyebrow. Bree raised one back. Fuge shifted her stance, resting her hand on the pommel of her sword. Bree's fingers slipped into her knuckle dusters.

  Then they gave each other a nod.

  Kason, who'd been watching the interaction, laughed. “Kindred souls."

  Nathan scanned the tree. "I don't see an entrance," he said.

  The sound of thunder cracked, slamming into Nathan's ears. The trunk of the tree in front of them exploded into thousands of splinters, loose pieces of wood flying through the air, smoking.

  A figure fell to the ground in a heap right in front of them.

  Derek.

  Nathan's eyebrows shot up. "What is he doing here?"

  Derek groaned, and Nathan ran over to check on him.

  When Derek saw him, he winced. "Fancy seeing you here…"

  Nathan held out his hand, channeling Ocean's Kiss into his fingers. "What are you doing here?"

  Derek’s eyes fluttered. “Chad yelled about how he couldn’t find you and said that I'd have to do for backup."

  Nathan groaned. That sounded like a very Chad thing to do.

  "He's in there right now?"

  Derek nodded and pushed himself up. "He was slicing through the wanderers like they were paper. He's already made it a quarter of the way—but—"

  "But what?"

  "But he's running out of steam—" Derek jumped into the air. "—Wait, was that ability used on me? I'm not just healed; I feel better than ever."

  "It's just a healing ability. Don't worry about it."

  Derek's eyes darted back toward the tree. "We need to get back in there."

  Nathan raised an eyebrow. Looks like beneath all that revolutionary fervor and teenage angst was someone who's actually willing to risk their life when lives are on the line.

  Nathan gave the group a quick glance before he ran forward. He tensed his legs, pushed every ounce of energy he had into them, and jumped in—

  Behind him, a sudden gust of wind slammed into him, throwing him toward the hole. He glanced back and saw Bree get thrown forward by an earth pillar. Finny and the others swam through the air at lightning speeds.

  Meanwhile, the orcs and Derek were forced to run and climb up the tree trunk.

  Nathan was approaching the hole rapidly. He passed through, revealing a dark interior, ghostly lights flickering and illuminating the hollowed-out tree. Vines and plant matter stretched from side to side, covering the walls.

  A bright flash of light caught Nathan's attention.

  Chad.

  "What's up, chat!" he shouted. "About to save Pocket Chad from imminent destruction—single-handedly!"

  Nathan glanced around. Not only were the vines attacking him, but there were also mysterious figures holding weaponry. Nathan sliced through one with a quick slash.

  But there was one behind him. Nathan pulled out his harpoon and aimed it at the figure. Suddenly, his stomach lit up with pain. Inside his mind, he saw another flash of the battle waging within him. The words repeated over and over again: B32. B32. B32.

  Instead of his harpoon being thrust forward, he crashed into the ghostly apparition, shattering it—and probably his collarbone.

  B32 laughed as his attack scorched the delicate chimera rose, its peculiar half-black, half-white petals curling under the assault of system energy. Behind the rose, Nathan's unconscious body laid on the ground—the poor fool had no idea of what was happening, did he?

  "A flower? This is what stands between me and my target?" His laughter rolled across the tranquil beach soulscape. "How utterly quaint."

  The damaged rose swayed slightly on its stem. Despite the burn marks marring its petals, it turned toward B32 with an almost defiant tilt.

  B32 adjusted his flickering form. "Business, little bloom. Just business." He circled the flower. "The System has determined your friend is an anomaly requiring correction."

  The flower's petals rustled, though there was no wind on the beach. It bent its scorched head toward Nathan's prone form, then back to B32, vibrating.

  Mine. The word appeared in B32's mind, childish and simple.

  "Your preferences are irrelevant, little bloom. I'm afraid that my will as administrator is absolute."

  With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent another wave of energy crashing toward the flower. It struck with devastating force, tearing the rose from its stem and scattering petals across the sand.

  "Too easy," B32 sighed, disappointed. "I expected more of a challenge."

  He strode toward Nathan's unconscious form, geometric patterns rippling across the sand with each footfall. "Now for the primary target—"

  The beach trembled.

  B32 paused, frowning. "Seismic anomaly? Unexpected."

  The trembling intensified. Beneath his feet, the sand began to shift, tiny grains forming intricate patterns that spread outward from where the flower had stood.

  "What is this?" B32 said.

  The scattered petals on the sand quivered.

  You hurt me.

  B32 spun around, scanning the soulscape. "Where are you? Show yourself!"

  A giggle—not heard but felt—seemed to vibrate through the sand beneath his feet.

  The sand erupted three meters from B32. A tendril of root thick as a human arm pushed through the surface. It was followed by another, and another, each undulating with fluid, serpentine movements.

  The roots swayed, rising and falling in no discernible pattern. One of them pointed toward the remains of the flower, then jabbed accusingly at B32.

  "Distributed consciousness. Fascinating." His eyes narrowed. "You've rooted throughout his entire soul, haven't you?"

  More roots erupted around him, forming an irregular circle. Some were thin as thread, others thick as tree trunks. All pulsed with an inner light that shifted between black and white, mirroring the flower's chimera petals.

  A thinner root emerged near Nathan's head, brushing his hair. It coiled protectively around his shoulder.

  B32 straightened his tie, regaining his composure. "A tactical error on his part, allowing a foreign entity such access."

  Not foreign. The childish sentiment pushed into his mind.

  "You're an invasive parasite," B32 corrected, stepping back from a questing root that prodded at his shoe. "A data corruption that has somehow achieved sentience."

  The beach trembled again, more violently this time. The root nearest B32 suddenly whipped forward, striking like a serpent. B32 dodged, but not quite fast enough—the tip grazed his side and drew a line of code-like light from beneath.

  The attacking root withdrew, its tip wiggling.

  B32 touched the tear. "You... damaged my shell." His surprise turned to cold anger. "That was poorly advised."

  He raised both hands, and the sky of the soulscape darkened. System windows appeared, floating in the air, displaying scrolling code and authorization protocols.

  "Protocol Override," he said. "Execute."

  Lightning-like bolts of energy rained from the sky, striking the flower's exposed roots. Where they hit, the roots blackened and withered, retracting beneath the sand with spasmodic jerks.

  The soulscape filled with a sensation of pain.

  Hurts!

  "It's meant to," B32 said. "System protocols are designed to eliminate threats efficiently."

  The lightning barrage continued, scorching the beach and driving more of the flower's roots beneath the surface. For a moment, it seemed B32 had gained the upper hand.

  Then the sand beneath his feet shifted abruptly, causing him to stumble. A massive root erupted directly beneath him, catapulting him several meters through the air. He landed with a loud thud.

  The roots around the beach began to sway, rising and falling in unison.

  B32 rolled aside as a root thick as a pillar crashed down where he'd been lying. "This is such bullshit!" he shouted.

  Roots burst from the sand in erratic patterns. One minute they'd be still, the next they'd lash out without warning. Some coiled tight before springing forward. Others slithered beneath the surface only to erupt elsewhere.

  The roots began to close in, hemming B32 in from all sides.

  B32's eyes narrowed. "Your connection to Nathan's soul gives you power here," he said. "But I have contingencies for every scenario."

  He touched his skin, and the inky black surface began to change, flowing like liquid mercury across his form. It hardened into a gleaming exoskeleton of perfect geometric patterns, each segment pulsing with system energy.

  "Protocol Override," he said. "Execute!"

  The air around him distorted as reality itself bent to the System's will. A wave of destructive energy exploded outward, tearing through the flower's roots like tissue paper.

  A visceral wave of agony swept through the soulscape.

  Pain. Pain. PAIN.

  B32 smirked.

  Victory would be his.