The intensity of the dungeon’s atmosphere grew with every step we took on the first floor. Though Frey and I could now hear fighting in the distance, it was hard to tell, even for me, whether it was between golems or tamers. My senses were on high alert as I tried to anticipate any enemy approaches, but it was difficult to know exactly what was going on.

  The bulk brace certainly isn’t helping. With my perception stat lowered, I’m starting to not trust my eyes and ears like I used to. It feels like someone is nearby, but I don’t see anything. Maybe I’m just nervous…

  Even the skill couldn’t shake the deep rooted worry I had for being in the dungeon. With the bulk brace weighing me down and Frey preoccupied with protecting his egg, I felt very exposed. Not since my time as a hatchling in the forest of death had I felt so vulnerable.

  “What are the chances we get through this without running into anyone?” Frey asked. I couldn’t tell if he was asking me or some divine entity to step in and give us an answer.

  The chance of completing this dungeon without encountering an enemy is 0%.

  Thanks. You always know just what to say to cheer me up. Luckily Frey can’t see that percentage, otherwise he’d be out of here faster than a Butter Bee flees from melted grass.

  With how many tamers were running around, it wasn’t surprising to hear that statistic though. Something told me this dungeon hadn’t been this busy in years. Meebur had initially brought Frey and I here because it was an easy first dungeon for both of us. But now, on only our second dungeon visit, we were supposed to be as fully grown as those who had run in head first.

  I hardly feel full grown…I’m in my cute form and wearing a brace so heavy it feels like it’s shrinking me even more!

  And Frey didn’t seem ready either. He rubbed his egg through the makeshift sling, and I now slithered next to him, keeping all of my senses focused around us. Though I didn’t feel ready to be amongst these experts, I was ready to defend Frey and his hatchling egg if I needed to.

  After a short walk through the dungeon’s first floor, we finally came face to face with a golem. Just like the ones I had fought the first time we were here, the white behemoth moved slowly and robotically through the labyrinthian hallway. I stepped up immediately to defend Frey and his egg. Meebur entrusted their protection to me, and I wouldn’t let him down.

  “Ah! Ok, calm down, we can do this.” Frey said, stepping into position as the golem turned its eyeless head towards us. “Just like the last time we were here. Right, Nid?”

  I turned back to look at Frey and nodded. He was right. Just like last time, this first floor golem would be no trouble.

  However, as we began to fight, I realized just how much the bulk brace was holding me back. Every move I made took more effort, and dodging the simplest attacks was much harder than it had been the first time we were here. Though this golem had to be one of the weakest any monster could ever come across, I found myself focused entirely on avoiding attacks. It was moving so quickly, I didn’t have a second to center myself and think of a skill to use in retaliation. Frey tried his best to distract the golem with taunts and calls, but even if he didn’t have an egg to protect, he wouldn’t have been much help. He couldn’t even get close enough to use his skill to help increase my damage.

  Not like I could get a hit in any way. Were these things always this fast?

  The golem swiped its long arms at me like flailing whips, leaving cracks in the floor with each near miss. I moved as fast as I could, never stopping for even a moment, lest one of the smashing attacks connect.

  However, with how exhausting dodging now was, I was bound to make a mistake eventually. My cute form’s small body, though once massive in stored power, now seized up under the strain of a single battle. The bulk brace felt tighter and tighter against my scales and I found it hard to even breathe, let alone dodge.

  I knew the next attack wouldn’t miss. The golem’s massive arm swung down and I braced myself for the impact.

  But suddenly, just as the attack was about to connect, it was blocked by someone else.

  “I knew that brace would be too much for you.” A tamer in silk robes stood between me and the golem, one hand outstretched to block the incoming attack with a grab. Astrid, the guild leader of Psion, had her glowing pink eyes fixed on the golem, who was struggling to free itself from her grip. With a slight smirk, unfazed by the strength of the enemy, Astrid crushed its arm in her hand.

  In seconds she scanned the golem for its weakest spot and struck a decisive blow, piercing its massive body with a single outstretched finger. It was over before I could catch my breath as the bulk brace finally began to loosen its grip.

  Astrid strolled over to us, with the golem fading to dust behind her. Her eyes changed back to normal from their glowing pink, but Frey seemed just as worried about Astrid’s presence as the golem’s.

  She was a candidate in the trial, so what if she was planning something against him? I slithered back towards Frey, prepared to defend him if I had to, but knowing full well there was very little I could do to stop Astrid. Whatever confidence I had in my strength was quickly fading the longer I wore the bulk brace.

  “Oh, c'mon. Don’t worry, I didn’t follow you here to fight.” She said and rolled her eyes. “Are you worried I came here to ambush you during a golem encounter?”

  “How’d you know I was thinking that? Are you reading my mind? You promised you wouldn’t do that!” Frey said, covering his eyes under the false assumption she needed to see his pupils to use her power. It was a rumor amongst the new recruits that was how her skill worked. It wasn’t.

  “I don’t need to read your mind to know what you’re thinking. I never do.” She pulled Frey’s hands away from his face. “As I have told you before: I never use my power against a friend without permission. I value privacy. Besides, something tells me if I scanned your mind all I would hear is ‘I’m scared, someone save me, oh man!’”

  “I think about other things!” Frey said, but both Astrid and I couldn’t help but start laughing. She giggled gently, whereas I made several fast hisses in a way that only a snake could call a laugh. “Whatever…”

  “I’m just teasing. You can forgive me later. For now, we can’t sit around. One of those apprentice wannabees could come around a corner and attack us any minute. Let’s go. Sooner we get to the top of this place and knock some sense into that idiot Meebur, the sooner we can be done with all this.”

  Astrid grabbed Frey’s hand and pulled him through the dungeon hall, with me slithering close by.

  She spoke casually, but I could tell there was a seriousness behind her words.

  Even Astrid doesn’t understand why Meebur is doing this…

  * * * *

  It was extremely helpful to have Astrid travel through the dungeon with us. Knowing that the bulk brace not only lowered my stats and speed, but that it could tighten if I moved too much was overwhelming. With Astrid on our side, it meant I wouldn’t need to exert myself as much as I feared.

  Though we didn’t come across any of the other candidates, the three of us didn’t continue through the dungeon’s first floor peacefully. We had to fight our way through a few golems, and the bulk brace continued to prove that it was no joke. Whereas I was able to decimate basic golems last time, each one now felt like a true threat. Even with Astrid, I still found myself hit by more than one golem as I struggled to keep up.

  This is infuriating…I thought we’d use the bulk brace way in the future, when I was too strong to control. Not after leveling up once and being tossed back into a dungeon!

  Eventually, I became frustrated by my inability to take out what felt like easy enemies. I was supposed to be some big and strong deity monster. Something so dangerous that guild leaders feared me, and even Shiv followed us to ensure I didn’t cause any chaos. Yet, here I was, barely able to keep up with weak golems, and fighting to catch my breath because of a piece of metal and cloth around my neck.

  I’m not supposed to feel this weak anymore…I hate this…

  When we encountered yet another eyeless golem, I decided not to depend on Astrid to save us again. I knew I had the power to defeat it with my skills. I just had to unleash it.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “How many of these are on this floor? Fine, I’ll take care of it.” Astrid said, stepping ahead of Frey and I towards the lumbering golem before us. “Stay back and-”

  Before Astrid could jump ahead to take out the golem, I gave in to the beast within me and unleashed the full intensity of my now leveled up . The hallway filled with fire and light as I let loose without care. I smirked to myself as I heard the golem flail and break apart from the damage. The bulk brace couldn’t hold me back completely. Not when I stopped trying to be in control. It felt so much easier to simply let go and watch the hallway around me burn.

  My flame attack melted the golem with ease, but I almost fainted as I saw that it nearly did the same to Frey. Letting out the full force of the fire without control may have done massive damage to the golem, but it also spread back towards Frey and set his leg ablaze.

  “Ahhhh, help! Astrid!” He screeched, lifting his egg above his head to keep it far from the fire.

  Astrid turned and saw what was happening, bolting immediately towards Frey and putting the flame out with deft and experienced hands. Thanks to a few graceful swings of her silken sleeves, the fire was stifled.

  I stood before the fading golem with eyes wide in guilt and fear.

  I could have killed him.

  “Are you ok?” Astrid asked Frey.

  “Y-yeah, I’m ok. Sorry Nid, I must have been in the way.” He answered through deep breaths in and out.

  “No. You weren’t.” Astrid walked towards me. She knew full well I was capable of understanding the gravity of what almost happened. “Meebur didn’t equip you with that brace to punish you. I believe it was to teach you control and humility. To understand how someone feels when facing overwhelming strength. Like, for example, when a monster faces off against you. I’d learn that lesson quickly if I were you. Lest you prove our enemies, and the prophecy, correct.”

  Astrid turned around, and stomped away from us. She bent over the fading golem to ensure it was dead, but anyone could tell from a distance that it had been decimated.

  I felt my heart drop, and a fragmented memory flooded my mind. It was of a time in my past life where I had been like Frey. In a situation where someone older and stronger had hurt me by accident. I couldn’t remember who it had been, but the memory started as happy and playful, but quickly turned to pain and terror. We were in a forest, about to do something dangerous. I was scared, but the other person kept encouraging me to follow. To keep going. To not be a wimp. Whatever we had been doing, it quickly got out of hand, and I got hurt really bad. Enough that I had to go somewhere called a hospital. The bigger kid was mortified. They realized that just because they were capable of something, didn’t mean everyone was.

  And now I just did the same thing, I thought. The guilt they had then was exactly the way I felt now. I’d let impatience lure me dangerously close to disaster. I couldn’t afford to do that.

  I slithered towards Frey. The flames had been put out quickly by Astrid, but his pants smelled like a bonfire. Luckily, it didn’t look like there had been any serious damage to Frey’s skin. Even so, I placed my mouth atop the wounded area and activated the skill .

  Frey flinched at first, subconsciously worried about what I was doing. But he quickly felt the stinging in his leg dissipate and relaxed.

  He flinched because he doesn’t trust me anymore…what have I done? Am I just a dangerous beast to him now?

  My temporary tamer looked down and petted my head gently, fully understanding the guilt I was feeling. As my cure skill helped ease his pain, the pat to my head helped ease mine.

  “Don’t worry, buddy. Everything’s ok now.” Frey said to me as he stood up. “See? I can walk fine. It’s all good!”

  This taught me a very important lesson. One I would not soon forget.

  Never again will I lose control like that. Never.

  Frey and I caught up to Astrid and we continued working our way through the dungeon. Astrid cooled off almost immediately, not needing to read my mind to sense how quickly I’d learned my lesson. We moved forward together, as a team.

  Though I had been able to win against that particular golem immediately using my enhanced , after the few other encounters we’d had, I noticed for the first time that my HP wasn’t full anymore. Astrid was doing a lot of the work, but I had still been hit a few times in our journey through the first floor. Dodging was getting harder and harder the more tired I got. This was likely a part of the reason why I had lost control of the skill so easily. I hadn’t really experienced much damage or challenge since becoming the Withering Wyrm, so I had to learn how to stay calm as my body overexerted itself.

  And if I’m struggling to dodge these attacks, how are we going to stand a chance against Meebur?

  The memory of how my tamer easily knocked me out after I first became a wyrm popped into my head. I also hadn’t been in control of myself then, but even if I had been, I doubt I could have dodged his attack.

  If we want any chance of winning this thing, I need to practice. With Meebur’s attacks in mind.

  From that point on, each time a new golem struck me with their flailing white limbs, I imagined it was instead Meebur’s spear. Even though the golem’s attacks didn’t do much damage individually, I tried to dodge as though each one could take me out. And the desperation in my actions began to pay off. I got better and better at moving with my burdened body.

  But the confidence to face Meebur was still a long way away. If Astrid was reading my mind, she didn’t respond to any of my doubts. She hadn’t spoken much at all since joining Frey and I, and instead seemed totally focused on our surroundings.

  I wonder if she’s worried about Lock…

  That mysterious tamer was weighing heavy on my mind too. Their white cloak meant they could be camouflaged and hiding anywhere in this dungeon. And if they were an apprentice candidate chosen by Meebur, that meant they had to be pretty strong.

  Astrid stayed ahead, guiding us quickly towards the thread room that would lead us up to the dungeon’s next floor. When we came across more golems, she helped fight, but the more accustomed I got to battling with the bulk brace, the more energy she devoted to surveying our surroundings. After a few more golems, most of the fighting was left to Frey and I.

  Though I was technically loaned to Frey and was told to act like he was my tamer, he didn’t have much direction to give me in battle. Every time we turned a corner and found a wandering golem, Frey clutched his hatchling egg and depended on me to defend him. It didn’t feel like the right thing for a tamer to do in this situation, but I couldn’t blame him for being frightened. He had struggled the last time we were here, and now he had an egg to protect. I had to cut him some slack, and do my best to keep us safe.

  It’s what Meebur wanted me to do. I have to prove I can do my part for the guild. Maybe that will help alleviate whatever is troubling Meebur…

  As we made our way through the dungeon, we decided to rest in a quiet corridor. Frey clearly needed it, having still not fully recovered from our last trip here. And it was taking much longer this time to get to the thread room as we were trying to avoid any of the other tamers.

  The second Astrid gave us the ok to relax, Frey nearly collapsed against the wall and sunk to the ground.

  “How are you holding up?” She asked, handing Frey a canteen of water.

  “You’re a guild leader who can read minds, and you need to ask me how I’m holding up?” He said after taking a long drink from the canteen. “I’m exhausted. Let’s be real. I shouldn’t be here. I don’t even know how to help Nid in battle. I'm way over my head…”

  Astrid was about to say something to Frey, but stopped herself.

  Even if I could speak, I wouldn’t have known what to say either.

  He was right. Meebur had taken Frey under his wing, for whatever reason, and the young tamer had made commendable progress in this brief time. But two dungeon crawls in nearly as many days, surrounded by monsters, golems, and now fellow tamers who wanted to knock him out, was way too much for him.

  It didn’t feel like the same Meebur who had taken days to nurse me back to health as a hatchling. Who lined up a dozen different meals to determine the exact food I needed to regain my strength. Who offered me a newberry to level up, but put no pressure on me to eat it.

  Why is he rushing things so much? We’re not under a time limit to get stronger. There’s no reason to push any of us this hard…

  I slithered my way onto Frey’s lap, and tried to comfort him as best as I could. Looking up at Astrid, it looked as though she wished she could help more. Or at least give some kind of reassurance that Meebur had made the right call. She sat down next to us and sighed loudly.

  “Look, I-”

  THWOCK

  My eyes darted ahead just in time to see an arrow pierce the white wall opposite of us.

  With neither Astrid or my eyes surveying the halls around us, someone who had been watching from a distance finally took action. As though it had come directly out of the wall we were leaning on, the arrow had gone straight through Astrid’s shoulder.

  I imagined the pain was immense, but with the skill of a guild leader, Astrid jumped forward and turned to face the wall we had been leaning on. Her eyes gleaned an intense pink as she activated her skill, just in time to dodge a second arrow. One that was clearly aimed for her head. She grabbed it right out of the air and snapped it in two. Even when I fell out of Frey’s lap as he cowered on the floor, I could see that the arrow had come straight out of the wall.

  Like the wall isn’t even there!

  As though to confirm the very odd reality of an illusory wall in the dungeon, a figure burst through it and attacked Astrid directly.

  It was Lock.

  Tossing the bow and arrows they had hidden in their white cloak, Lock began striking at Astrid. Fists made contact with such force that the wind seemed to blow off of Astrid’s body. It was clear to my eyes that even though Astrid's skill allowed her to see the attacks coming, the injury to her shoulder made it impossible to dodge such an onslaught.

  I burst forward, moving as fast as I could with the bulk brace on me, but Lock knocked me back so easily they hadn’t even stopped their attack on Astrid. Whoever this Lock person was, they were clearly beyond the strength of golems.

  If my stats aren’t high enough to match your speed, I’ll rely on my skills!

  I opened my maw and prepared to unleash a against Lock. I held it in, molding the fire as best as I could to ensure a precise blast of flame that would hit only Lock and not Astrid.

  However, before I could unleash the attack, another wall suddenly appeared between us. Cutting the hallway in two, Frey and I were separated from Astrid and Lock. I canceled the , worried that I might hit Astrid by mistake if my fire attack went through the wall just like the arrows had. Swallowing the attack felt a little worse than heart burn as the flame went down my throat. I could still hear Lock and Astrid’s battle rage beyond the wall.

  “What’s going on?!” Frey yelled out, and though I was about to activate every detection skill I could to find out, the answer walked over to us casually.

  “I couldn’t exactly go after you while a guild leader was by your side. But if you can make a friend, then so can I.” A voice from behind us said. “Whoever that Lock person is, their idea to set this trap was flawless. But if Lucus asks, tell him it was my idea, ok?”

  It was Hodi.

  PATREON