Ayn took another sip of the bitter concoction in her hand as Tal looked over the calcite she’d picked up on the last floor. Her drink, kept in the same wooden tankard as all Cristak drinks, was for energy, but not the stat. Instead, it was for keeping Rebirths awake when they’d rather be sleeping. In yet another lifelike addition to the game, The System required all Rebirths to sleep, or suffer the consequences. Eight hours for a full night’s rest. Ayn had got zero. The concoction combined the strongest of Cristak’s energy herbs that she could afford, yet it barely took the edge off her burning eyes or pounding head.

  “It’s too soft for weapons and armor,” Tal said. His rough voice grated against Ayn’s ears. He added insult to injury by dropping the calcite onto his cluttered counter and dipping down to dig through the pile of tools on the other side of his stand. “I’m not sure I have small enough tools for jewelry-making, either.”

  “I’ll get you iron, then,” Ayn said. Her jaw relaxed a little as the merchant stood up and quit making a racket.

  “Are you sure you want to do that? The other villagers—”

  “Who else am I going to go to?”

  Tal shut his mouth. Ayn knew where he was going. He wasn’t concerned about her so much as his shaky position in Cristak.

  “If you get kicked out,” Ayn said, “you can go somewhere else. I can’t.”

  “That’s not what I meant. Why do you think I’ve stayed so long? Your father was a friend of mine, remember?”

  She didn’t want to. She’d done far too much of that recently. “Yeah. Sure. I need the equipment, and right now, you’re my only supplier.” While her other party members might still be able to wheedle out some equipment from other villagers, that number was dwindling fast, and any equipment they bought couldn’t be traded to her, anyway.

  “And if they do kick me out for helping you?”

  “I’ll figure it out.”

  Tal sighed and shook his head. “Fine. But even if you get me iron, I can’t make high-quality tools.”

  “Anything’s better than nothing.”

  “One of these days, I hope you realized you deserve more than the bottom of the barrel.”

  *****

  Ayn’s mood, and headache, had worsened by the time she stormed into the Crawler’s Guild. Who did Tal think he was? It’s not like she aimed to be shunned. Now that she was, what was she supposed to do, forget the promise her father had made? Let Miit die so she could start over elsewhere? Wasn’t happening.

  As luck would have it, the guild was nearly full. Four parties, including hers, sat at separate tables, and every head swiveled her way as she slammed the door.

  “You all right?” Bren asked after she sat down.

  “Tal still going to smith for us?” Kayara asked before Ayn could answer Bren’s rather loaded question.

  Ayn quickly fixed her face. “Uh…yeah. still need to get him iron, though.”

  “Well, we’ve had two weirdly water-related floors, so the next one’s bound to be dry land, right? A cave might even be in our future. Lots of metal in caves.”

  Bren frowned. Ayn expected him to ask why they weren’t taking a break while Miit healed. Much like his first, it was a proper question, but one that couldn’t be explained without dumping her problems on him as well. No matter how tired she was, she knew all that awaited her at home were more haunting memories. But to her surprise, he stayed silent.

  Kayara broke the awkward tension in the air by sliding three tankards at them. “Drinks for the next floor.”

  The coughing fit from Bren told Ayn his drink was likely another Mana Spit. Hers, on the other hand, was another energy drink.

  Bren shook his head as his coughing calmed. “You’re really into those drinks today. How many have you had, four?”

  “Five,” Kayara said with a wide grin.

  Ayn’s eyes widened. The energy drinks were as strong as coffee, and if Kayara had downed five of them…. Now that she was paying attention, the ranger was being a lot more fidgety than usual. Her legs tapped out a rhythm on the floor, while her fingers drummed on the side of the new tankard. Her grin, usually impish, had gained a half-crazed look to it.

  “Is that healthy?” Ayn asked.

  “What’s better than more of a good thing, eh? Here, you want more? I’ve got more.”

  “No.” Ayn waved away Kayara’s enthusiastic offer. “I’m fine. Just let me apply my stats and we can head out.” Before you explode, Ayn added silently.

  Since she’d needed to talk to Tal, and she and Kayara had been up all night, she’d already turned in the last floor’s quests, got new placeholders, and sent everyone out to shop with what little was left of their funds. Despite all the extra time, she hadn’t thought about her new level.

  All in all, it was quick. Twelve stat points, and no new skill or ability, as that would come with level five. With The System already supporting her agility tank build, she didn’t see a reason to alter her stat spread. Five points went to Agility, five points to Strength, and two to Health.

  “Finished.”

  “Good,” Kayara said. “Now finish that drink before it gets cold.”

  *****

  The second energy drink cleared most of the mud from Ayn’s head, a fact she regretted as the fifth floor materialized around her. Fenced pastures stretched out in front of her, with a silo and a barn at her back. For a horrible moment, she was transported to the night Tayla died. Then the rest of the details sank in.

  Ice, rock and snow made up the entire place. Her feet sunk ankle-deep into a layer of pristine snow which spread as far as the eye could see. The fences were just like the ones at Kasson’s farm, just simple poles and planks, yet where his had been made of wood, these were pure ice. The silo and barn were the same. Every structure looked carved from frozen blocks. Ayn could almost appreciate the austere beauty of it all, if not for the intense glare from the sculptures reflecting the clear blue sky.

  QUESTS UPDATED

  QUEST ONE: COLLECT SIX KISI ICICLES

  QUEST TWO: COLLECT ONE FROZEN FISH

  QUEST THREE: KILL FOUR SNOW SNAKES

  “Oww, damn,” Kayara said as she appeared. “Should have brought some charcoal. It would have helped—”

  The ranger went silent. Ayn didn’t have to ask to know the problem. She wasn’t the only one with a bad connection to farms.

  “You know what? It’s fine. I’m fine.” Kayara crossed her arms and glared into the distance. “If The System wants to keep playing games, let it. I’m done being its entertainment.”

  Bren popped into existence as she finished her sentence, Sheyric on his heels.

  “What entertainment?” Bren asked.

  “A Winter Wonderland,” Kayara said without missing a beat. “Isn’t it nice?”

  “A bit cold.”

  Ayn had to agree with him. Where the underwater floor avoided the downsides of being submerged, such as suffocating, the temperature on this floor matched its theme. The cold had already seeped under her armor, and her nose stung. She missed Miit’s warmth around her shoulders.

  She’d checked on him that morning. He’d been awake, but very groggy and weak. It’d take a while for him to heal, and in the meantime, he’d be unable to help in the Dungeon. Ayn sighed. She’d wanted Kayara to get used to him, so he’d stay like he used to. Now she wouldn’t see him in the Dungeon at all.

  Kayara grunted and bounced foot-to-foot. “Yeah, I’m not dressed for this. Ayn, what was that about The System not allowing unbeatable floors? Does that include things like freezing to death?”

  “I…I think so.”

  In all honesty, she didn’t know. But she’d never heard of such a thing, which meant there had to be a way to get through the floor, although Kayara was right. The chill now seeped into her bones. They needed something to ward it off. “There are probably supplies in the barn.”

  The barn and silo stood next to each other. They looked like every old picture of a red barn and grain silo Ayn had ever seen, except instead of red, various shades of opaque silver-blue ice covered them both.

  Bren raised an eyebrow. “Inside an ice sculpture?”

  “Move and talk,” Kayara hissed through her teeth. She trotted toward the barn and silo, discomfort apparent in every step. Ayn followed on her heels, and the mages had no choice but to do so as well.

  The activity took the edge off the biting cold, but any warmth it generated was stolen as soon as Ayn touched one of the icy barn doors. Kayara shoved the other door, and together, the doors creaked open. A gust of hot air rushed out. It engulfed all four of them, immediately thawing the layer of frost forming over Ayn’s armor. An eagle’s head, nearly as big as she was, stared out from the barn’s interior.

  Ayn tried to yell, only for the giant bird to do the same. Kayara shoved Ayn away and slammed both doors shut. The bird’s angry scream shook the entire barn as a thin white mist trickled from the doors’ edges and coalesced around Kayara.

  “Sorry to interrupt!” Kayara yelled back. She backpedaled, the mist dissipating as she moved. “I think we’re about to get a lot warmer, so get ready!”

  The four of them pulled back as the barn shook harder. With a loud crunch, hairline cracks appeared across the building, spider-webbing up the walls. The bird inside let out another ear-splitting scream, and the barn collapsed, sending a cascade of snow blasting in all directions. What warmth Ayn had felt from the barn vanished in an instant. Her veins turned to ice only to thaw as the giant bird launched from the wreckage and enveloped them all in a hot air.

  Ice and snow turned to water, which dried in a flash. The bird rose into the air. While its head most resembled an eagle, the rest of it did not. Bright red, purple, orange, and blue feathers covered it in a fluffy coat, giving it the roundness of an owl. A long feathered tail waved behind it, and the entire creature emanated so much heat, the space around it blurred.

  “Our source of heat dosn’t look like it wants to help,” Bren said from behind Ayn.

  “Then we’ll have to change its mind,” Ayn said. “Do you have any water spells?”

  “Only Create Water. It’s for making puddles, not attacks!”

  “Then splash it if it gets close. The steam might distract it.”

  Kayara nocked an arrow. Maybe it was Ayn’s imagination, but the movement seemed a bit slow.

  The bird, having finally got its bulk a decent way above them, turned and flew away. It alighted on top of the grain silo. The top of the silo promptly melted.

  Kayara dragged her aim after it.

  “Wait,” Ayn said.

  “Why? It’s distracted.”

  “Look, we might not have to fight it.”

  Ayn pointed at the spot the barn once stood. The entire area still radiated heat, and where there was once ice and snow, only bare earth remained. In the center of it all lay four brightly colored feathers as long as Ayn’s arm. The air around them blurred, just like around the bird.

  Kayara rushed forward with a bit more enthusiasm than Ayn expected. She plucked up a feather, frowned at it for a second, then collected the others and handed them out. Ayn took hers.

  “We have to hold it,” Ayn said.

  Kayara nodded. “Which means it can be knocked away, stolen, and probably destroyed.”

  Ayn understood why Kayara looked perturbed. The heat from the feather felt like a radiator, almost burning to the touch. With how quickly Ayn had grown cold, she, and all of them, needed the feathers to survive the floor. Having the possibility of them going away was less than pleasant.

  Sheyric rolled his feather around in his hands for a minute, then slipped the whole thing into his robes. He noticed Ayn looking and pointed to his waist. “Belt.”

  “Fair enough,” Kayara said. Neither she nor Ayn had a robe to hide a feather in, so after some wedging, they both ended up with theirs sticking awkwardly out of their belts like some sort of ridiculous third weapon.

  Bren snorted. “Fetching.”

  “Better than freezing to death,” Kayara shot back.

  Ayn smiled, less from Bren’s jab and more by the fact he wasn’t wrong, even if he hadn’t intended it as a good thing. The brightly colored feather went well with Kayara’s hair and eyes, and Ayn could almost imagine what she’d look like in an outfit of the same colors. Ayn caught herself and looked away. She hoped no one noticed the blush crawling up her face.

  The bird, a Kaneake she assumed, had thoroughly melted the top half of the ice sculpted silo, and now busied itself with pecking at large mouthfuls of silvery grain.

  If the feathers could be destroyed, it would be best to take as many as they could. As Ayn contemplated their chances against the beast, a much smaller dark brown animal scrambled up the remaining silo, growling all the way, and latched onto one of the Kaneake’s toes.

  The giant, sharp-beaked puffball screeched, raised its assaulted foot, and kicked. The animal sailed through the air. It growled the whole time, plopping onto the bare ground a few feet from the party.

  With a massive wingbeat, the Kaneake took to the air. It locked on to their position, and dove.