As Kaden Birch lay back in the sun of a southern continent island, he couldn’t help thinking that the greatest things in life were free. For instance, the golden dragon egg he clutched had been a gift from a solar mana dragon. The suit of chain mail dripping blood into the grass beside him and the longsword had been a gift from a [Poacher].

  The corpse that had ocupied the chain mail was currently being devoured by a pair of juvenile [TriTerrors] who hadn’t hesitated to snack on their would-be poacher. So, the meal for them had been free, too.

  A green parrot sailed down and landed beside him, speaking in Sara Scylla’s voice. “Everything is arranged for tomorrow’s mine purge. We’ve got adventurers coming in from every continent, sixteen parties, backup healers, and a [Priest] ready to be onsite. Captain Blanco will be there to direct the effort.”

  Good. It was time to resettle the town demons had tried to take over, and to do that, they needed to purge the Mana Ore mine of monsters. So many—

  The egg shook again, growing hotter and hotter. He’d come here because the [Druids] said it was rocking and shaking and the baby kept piping, meaning it was time to hatch.

  That was three days ago.

  Now, [Beast Soul] told him changes were happening. He tried to store the egg in Inventory and it wouldn’t go. That meant the beast inside was alive and just waiting to break free. “Come on, little guy. Or girl.”

  He’d sent the [Falcrow] with a message to Lord Suridev, the solar mana dragon asking for how to help the hatchling, and gotten no answer, so he waited as it soaked up sun and grew closer by the day.

  The slightest click, and a split formed in the shell.

  A flurry of motion inside led the split wider, and wider, and with a puff of solar mana, the shell dissolved into dust. In Kaden’s palms, a dragon the length of his forearm unraveled its tail and stretched. Every scale was the deep gold of summer sun, each was the size of kaden’s pinky-nail. The dragon closely resembled an inguana except for the eyes, which were intelligent blue eyes with vertical pupils, and the sharp spines on its elboes and row of narrow bumps down its back.

  [Solar Dragon Hatchling]

  Solar Dragon eggs form where solar mana condenses, and a clutch will break out when long days promise strong sunlight. They don’t need to eat to survive, but choose violence, consuming their hatch-mates to obtain the mana inside, just as their elders will consume them when they are larger and tastier. This one isn’t surprised it has hatched in a place where it is protected and adored. That’s the natural order of things, after all. *Curious.*

  Skills: Claw, Spike, Bite

  Talents: Ray of Sunshine

  [Ray of Sunshine]

  Any light which strikes you is converted to Solar Mana and then absorbed into your core. You may release mana as sunlight to draw others to worship you. This skill does no damage and may not be used in combat.

  Kaden gently soul-bound the dragon. “You are going to be fun, I can tell.”

  Trinity’s blind head roared out an answer that was basically *Like you need another lizard. I’m three lizards in one.*

  On Kaden’s collar, the [Match Lizard] who rested there flared up and hissed.

  “Now, children. No need to be jealous. Burney, you’re the king of the [Match Lizards]. This guy is no threat.” How did he know it was a male? It felt that way. The dragon stretched and yawned and worked its limbs one by one, then climbed up Kaden’s arm to rest across his shoulders.

  It radiated warmth, not heat, but the power of solar mana, and the scale on Kaden’s hand responded to the presence. The soil beneath Kaden rippled and exploded as a green root rose from the ground to tap the dragon’s side tenatively, then caress its back.

  “Rooty, meet the newest solar mana dragon.” Kaden didn’t mind the worldboss plant, because it was a pure cannibal, eating only other plants.

  Rooty began waving in complex motions [Beast Soul] translated.

  “I’m not going to devour him for solar mana powers. And neither is anyone else, he’s soul-bound,” Kaden said. And he’d stay that way. “Suridev entrusted him to me.”

  The next set of motions was shorter and more to the point.

  “He did not expect me to eat him,” Kaden said, his face growing red. “I have to get to the town. Sara’s been working on this for three weeks, and yes, she planted your cutting. It isn’t large. Or intelligent.”

  Rooty’s vine shrugged and retreated.

  Kaden collected the loot and headed for the FarPortal. Six islands later, he finally passed the huts that made up this Grove, and waved to Marcus, the giant man with the world’s longest beard. Marcus, like most of the druids on the continent, wore as little clothing as possible, which highlighted the scars where he’d been slain. “Marcus. Where’s Ydra?”

  “There’s a [Purello] giving birth, she’s guarding it,” he said. “Four new capuchins born this year, we’re expecting another eight. You want to take yours?”

  Kaden had earned a crystaline monkey by helping them identify what was devouring the troop. “Not yet. Killed a poacher who did a damned good job of trying to kill me. Want his armor?”

  “Keep it. Anyone who dares attack the Mother of Monsters knew what they were up against. The Warden’s communing with Nature to help with a plan for the Life Dragon,” Marcus said. “We’ll let you know if we figure out a way to balance it.”

  That would let Kaden use the scale he’d taken from the life dragon and unlock more Beast Form slots. “See you around!”

  But as Kaden reached the FarPortal, a brown messenger bird landed on him. The contact info it came with was the GuildMaster of the Adventurer’s guild, and the bird spoke in his voice. “I know, you paid your debt. There’s rank three dungeon that was showing signs of being erratic. That’s really early for a core to go haywire, but the party didn’t come out, and a whole horde of level fifteen insect monsters is spawning and trying to leave every ten minutes on the dot.”

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  Level fifteen.

  Kaden could wade through them without fear.

  Still, he sent the [Falcrow] to Trella with the FarPortal coordinates and wrapped his arm around Trinity, who had grown rounder and taller every month. “Duty calls, girl. Dragon, you have a name?”

  *Curious*. The dragon’s claws sank into his [Needful Cloak].

  Kaden took that as a no. He sent a messenger bird, and the Portal Mages activated the FarPortal. “Bugs. Why is it always bugs?”

  ###

  Several things clued Kaden in to the dungeon misbehavior. Most of them had to do with the six foot tall cockroaches devouring buildings as he emerged with Trinity at his side. Normally, the responsibility rule meant he would need to let weaker adventurers handle it but with none in sight, he had freedom to act. “Trinity? Kill ‘em all.”

  Her shriek was *We get to kill the humans, too? Finally, he’s come to his senses!*

  Followed by a groan as he communicated by Soul-Bound that that was definitely not what he meant.

  While Trinity stomped, speared, poisoned and ripped six-foot tall bugs, Kaden casually punted the monsters, careful not to kill them. It wasn’t like he could make much xp from the level fifteen bastards.

  The FarPortal flared to life, and six women dressed in unimaginative black surged through, drawing daggers as they arrived.

  Followed by the woman Kaden loved. Trella arrived surrounded by her Dark Deceptions, shadowy versions of Trella. “Move out, work together, gauge your damage, focus down targets. If two of you alone can’t kill one, work three to one. If three of you can’t kill one of these, go home, the world is too scary a place.”

  Her Deceptions moved out, luring giant roaches away from commoners, while Trella [Shadow Stepped] to him. “Hello, handsome. And lizard.”

  “Dragon,” Kaden said, as the solar dragon raised his head to hiss. “He’s a solar dragon. We’ll probably need to take him to Suridev.”

  “Suridev will eat that little guy. All dragons eat their spawn to gain power,” Trella said, then spun to shout at the nearest group of initiates. “Focus! Do you or do you not have bows? Why are you not using your Deceptions? I swear…”

  Kaden watched as the [Shadow Blade] initiates slowly cleaned up what Trinity didn’t. “I haven’t scouted, but with the monsters surging out there can’t be many inside. If we go in, two of them have to stay outside. If it’s erratic, I have to go in.”

  “Let them take first run at it, I already briefed them and this is about as straight forward as any mission will ever get,” Trella said, whistling. “Gather up. You know your target, you know the criteria. Smash that core without coming to get Kaden and I will personally put your corpse in an incinerator.”

  “Moving!” One of the initiates said. “On me, [Shadow Step] clear of the entrance and be prepared, we could be heading into a swarm.”

  One by one, they entered the dungeon, leaving Trella and Kaden alone while Trinity roved, searching for bugs. Trella sighed and brought out a travel alchemy kit, brewing in miniscule flasks. “Thank you. They need opportunities like this to make them prepared for later.”

  Trinity gave a cry of triumph as she found a hiding giant roach and dragged it out, carrying it back like an oversized toy, where she flipped it over on its back.

  “Oh, kitty wants to play,” Trella said. From the black of her cloak, a shadow panther emerged, batting at the upside down roach. “Eve drugged Sara. She hasn’t slept in forty hours and I caught her attempting to write with a dagger, while her Horrors devoured each scroll as she filled them out. She said it was impossible to sleep. It wasn’t.”

  “Where did Eve get sleeping potions?” Kaden asked, but had a suspicion.

  “Eve has her ways.”

  Minutes stretched into hours as midnight came and went. The sky had gone from black to blue when the dungeon door swung open. One of the initiates staggered out. “Spawned on top of us.”

  She dropped a [Corpse Inventory] on the ground and lay bleeding.

  While Trella administered health potions, Kaden removed the other five from the inventory and fed them resurrection potions one by one, then health, then turned and headed to the dungeon. “If it respawns it won’t be here. I’ll wait for them.”

  Trinity rushed to Kaden’s side, projecting a question.

  “You’re not level fifteen. Not in any way that counts.” Still, Kaden couldn’t say no. He had, after all, denied her the right to eat and kill villagers. “Fine. Just until they’re ready to finish this.”

  Trella spoke in hushed tones. “Very often the system will be unfair. Very often, dungeons will unleash horrors. It’s no shame to fall in battle. What is a shame is to let it turn you from a path you desire. Get up. Get ready.”

  One of the initiates hadn’t spoken. Or sat up. She lay curled in a ball, hands over her ears.

  Trella looked to the dungeon. “Follow me. Do as I say, stay one room back, engage when I tell you.”

  Her word was law. All but the comatose one followed Trella as her Deceptions diverged. Kaden sat on the ground next to the one initiate, and set the solar dragon on the ground. “Some deaths are worse than others. Some battles you know you can’t win but you fight tooth and nail and claw and spear-tail and spine-knee. Some you just get torn to pieces. It’s ok to take time from those.”

  The hatchling crawled closer, tasting her with its tongue, then perching on her.

  The woman stopped sobbing and bask in the glow.

  Twenty minutes later, an initiate dashed out, followed by Trinity. “Sister Sonos says it’s time. Also, I’m supposed to wait outside for disobeying.”

  “Watch her.” Kaden picked up the hatchling and headed into the dungeon.

  Bug nests were the worst.

  Slimy pools, discarded exoskeletons, dead bugs. The worst.

  As Kaden made his way through the rank three dungeon he didn’t worry about getting lost. At rank three it just couldn’t have a lot of rooms or monsters. Oh, there was a swarm room, there was a trap that would catch adventueres in coocoons. There was the boss room with Trella and the others gathered around a pair of dungeon cores.

  That was new.

  Kaden had never seen twin cores, ever. One was greenish brown, the other golden yellow with streeks of blue. “Which one is erratic?”

  Trella put the yellow core into Inventory. “Wait for it. Everyone ready.”

  Half a minute later, six giant cockroaches spawned in a circle—and the intiates killed two before they could move, then focused, one at a time, on the others.

  “Good work,” Trella said. “They don’t spawn if that one’s in Inventory. Time is faster here, we’ve been through six cycles.”

  Good enough. “Did you kill every mob?”

  “Place is cleaner than an inn in Deshun.” Trella studied the initiates. “You survived. More importantly, you escaped with your sister’s corpses. Smash the core, it’ll give you a battle title.”

  The girl struck quickly, smashing the core against the pedestal. “I got a title called ‘[What Bugs You].’ I do additional damage against targets I don’t like.”

  The dungeon plunged into darkness, and this time, Kaden found the floating entity seed. A [Burrowing Beetle]. Some days it just wasn’t worth the effort.

  Node selected for relocation. Deactivating Node.

  “Hold on.” Kaden waited as the earth heaved and the door fell off its hinges. What had been a dungeon was now just a small cave. “All right, everyone out.”

  The Sisters rushed out as shadows, using [Shadow Step] to surround the other two and talk about how wonderful a title could be. Trella stayed with Kaden. “Do you want the core? It’s not talking to me. Or interacting. I tried.”

  “We’ll have to relocate it. I would have put it back in the node if I’d had warning,” Kaden said. “We need to get to the town. Sara will be there at dawn, clean sweep is right after, parties stage at seven and I want the mine cleared by noon.”

  “You make administration sound sexy.” Trella’s hand found his. “What’s Trinity doing?”

  She’d blocked the initiates from leaving, and herded them back toward the dead roach. Which wasn’t dead. No, she’d pulled all the legs off, but left it still alive. One by one, as Trinity hissed and pushed them, the sisters stabbed it. Frustrated, Trinity grabbed one initiate and smashed her against the roach until bones and carapace cracked.

  Then she slammed her tail down through it, killing the monster.

  “She’s trying to teach them party tactics. To share experience,” Kaden explained. “That everyone should get damage in. Even if that damage is a unintentional head-butt”

  Trella cursed under her breath. “I told them that. I explained. I went over it again and again. And your TriTerror just bares her teeth and forces them to do what they should have been eager to do.”

  “There’s more than one way to lead,” Kaden said. “That’s the TriTerror way.”

  He signaled the FarPortal, and it blazed to life.

  It was time to take back something Demons had stolen.