Before Cashius could say anything more, the floor rumbled and the wall split in half. Our eyes met as we braced for whatever was coming next.

  “Not again,” Nefa groaned, clutching her scythe. “It’s been fight after fight so far. Either the Makers hate us, or we’re suffering some incredibly bad luck.”

  Cashius threw his collar up and put his hands in his pockets, taking a step back. Sparks glowed brighter, her wings beating hard near my neck. Through our bond came a rush of emotions, warning, apprehension, then calm, as a shitload of Beetlelords marched out from the slit in the wall.

  “Relax, everyone, it’s just us,” said one of the short creatures, walking out front and pushing his crooked helmet back into place. “No need for aggression. We come with good news.”

  Leaning on my heels, I rested my sword over my shoulder with a calm click, locking it in place. “We’ve killed the Antmarshalls, and now we want the shortcut you promised us,” I said, addressing their leader.

  “We didn’t have to come, you know? We could’ve just opened the path like we did, smooth skin. We came to show our gratitude, and to offer one last gift.”

  Nefa stepped forward. “Respect is shared,” she said, giving her salute before stepping back.

  The Beetlelords looked at each other, confused. “We guess it is,” one said.

  Nefa smiled before the Beetlelord continued. “As a symbol of our appreciation, we present this.” He gestured as a group of Beetlelords stepped forward and placed a wooden crate on the ground.

  “And,” he added, “once you enter the palace, you will meet many of our kind. Neither of us will attack you or cause you unnecessary trouble. Our helmets protect us from Linuux’s mental influence, but we are still pledged to serve him, a consequence of a wager we made with the Antmarshalls long ago. When you defeated their supreme commander, you freed us from that obligation. We have not deserted our duty yet, but we plan to exact revenge on the remaining Antmarshalls in the castle and thwart whatever plans Linuux has been working on. So if you need help, don’t be shy to ask.”

  The Beetlelords then pried open the crate, revealing three neatly folded robes inside. All of them smelled old and musty, like they had been closed up for years.

  Cracking my knuckles, I bent over the crate. “What is this raggedy ass shit?” I asked, peering down at them. “These things look like somebody’s grandmother’s tablecloths.”

  The leader folded his arms. “Disguises, of course,” he said. “With these, you’ll blend in with the other mind-controlled freaks and move through the palace however you see fit. No one will suspect a thing.”

  Nefa crossed her arms, examining the garments. “They look old and smell atrocious. Do you think we’ll wear these clothes?”

  “Hey, miss lady, you can’t be choosy when accepting gifts,” the leader scoffed. “Besides, these were the only ones we could find,” he replied. “But they will do the job. We’re sure of it.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “Are you sure the guards won’t recognize us if we wear this ancient shit?” I held one with gold-trimmed sleeves. “They look hella outdated.”

  “Like you know what outdated is,” Cashius replied. “Just take them and let’s be on our way.”

  We reluctantly agreed.

  Next, we slipped the robes over our clothes while the Beetlelords walked back up the path that brought them. When everyone was finished, I checked the menu and leveled up before stepping through the slit.

  Then, I spread my stat points.

  Level: 35

  HP: 13,500

  MP: 4,800

  Strength: 78 (+24)

  Vitality: 60

  Magic: 60

  Defense: 78 (+24)

  Perception: 59

  Speed: 59

  Wisdom: 59

  Knowledge: 58

  Nefa’s stats were added automatically, while Cashius never leveled up when I did. On the bright side, Nefa learned two new abilities called Flesh ScrapperHonor’s Cry

  Flesh Scrapper

  Honor’s Cry

  The only thing wrong with it was its limitations. It could only be used once a day, which sucked because the enemies we were facing were growing stronger.

  As for why Cashius never gained any experience, I never thought to ask. But it could only mean one of two things. Either the monsters we were fighting were too weak, or the programmers, as I called the makers of the game, had frozen his progress. Maybe during our next break, I’d ask him about it.

  As for Sparks, her missiles gained more power, now boasting a 45% chance to stun an enemy, along with a 10% chance to replenish my MP halfway after every fight.

  For the abilities I got to choose this go-around, I picked Mad DashHeavy Volley Barrage

  So I took out Commando Slice

  Fury of the Unseen

  Now it was time to get back to our mission, taking out Linuux and getting the stone from him. With the new abilities and level-ups, we should be able to pull it off. Still, in the back of my mind, the game being on +1 difficulty gave me a little anxiety.

  But hey, we’d made it this far without seeing the Game Over screen, so there was that. Honestly, if you’d never played the game on regular difficulty, how could you tell the difference?

  I decided to just keep doing what I’d been doing, trying my hardest to survive and praying for the best. Anything else wasn’t worth stressing over.

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  Next, I slipped on the Force Gauntlets, feeling their might for the first time. Clunky at first, but after a while, I didn’t want to take them off.

  Standing before the passage, dressed in the smelly robes, I took the first step and walked on.

  “Sparks,” I said, “when we’re inside the castle, you have to hide. Under no circumstances do you fly around, got me?”

  She gave me a shrug.

  “I mean it, little lady,” I said. “We can’t risk you alerting the guards to what we’re doing here.”

  She threw her tiny hands in the air, then gave me a thumbs-up.

  I smiled and looked down the passage, noticing how much darker it was than the area we had just left. Narrow, too, made for someone much smaller.

  As we started the journey, the farther we went, the more we had to stoop to get through. By the end of it, all three of us were crawling on our stomachs like soldiers in training. And let me tell you, crawling on metal floors does a number on your knees, even if you’re in your late teens.

  All through the tunnel, I thought about home. How the tight, closed space brought me back to cleaning out the crawl space with my dad, making sure there weren’t any vermin hiding out for the winter.

  Just the two of us with a flashlight and cleaning supplies. Me, scared a family of raccoons or squirrels would hop out and scratch my face. Him, determined to keep his property in order.

  We never found any rodents down there, but I still looked forward to our yearly inspection. It was our thing. And in that moment, I missed him even more.

  After crawling through the passage a while longer, I started missing Earth in general. My mom. My sister. Doing deliveries for Uber. Playing video games in my room. Smoking weed on the patio. All of it felt a million miles away.

  Yeah, in Orbralis I was a total savage, carrying a massive sword, running up walls, hacking at beasts. But in reality, I was just a nineteen-year-old kid missing his loved ones.

  I stretched one arm ahead of me and pulled my body out of the tunnel into the sunlight. From the looks of it, we were still in the pocket dimension, the same strange triangular clouds overhead and that green-tinted sun staring down at us.

  Nefa and Cashius followed, with Cashius doing more complaining than necessary.

  Nefa and I laughed at some of his remarks, especially the one about how those “motherfucking Beetlelords” expected anyone, let alone their short asses, to make it through the so-called shortcut.

  “Short-ass munchkins” was the phrase he used the most to describe them.

  Once the laughter died down, we took stock of where we were.

  By the looks of it, we were under a bridge, and apparently, the shortcut was some kind of drainage system we’d crawled our way through.

  Good thing it wasn’t for waste, or Cashius would’ve done more than complain.

  We dusted off our robes, and Sparks flew inside my collar, close enough to breathe but hidden from sight. Next, we unequipped our weapons and instead used our knives, tucked neatly under our sleeves.

  Then we crept up the hill, trying our damnedest to look like we belonged there, even though Cashius stood out like a green hat with an orange bill.

  When we reached the side of the castle, my eyes took in the sheer vastness of it. Even from this angle, it was breathtaking.

  The structure rose at least twenty stories high, with massive stained-glass windows and gold trim glinting in the light.

  Dark granite stones formed the castle’s massive frame, giving it a look of malice. Sinister. A structure built with evil intent.

  With the oddly shaped clouds overhead and the green sun beating down, the scene sent shivers up my spine.

  The physics here were much like Orbralis, nothing floating unnaturally, none of the unnerving silence, none of that feeling of closed-offness we’d experienced when we first arrived.

  In the distance, I could hear the flapping of flags hoisted around the castle, the chirping of birds, and the rustling of distant leaves. Life breathed here. Thrived, even.

  Feeling relieved, I bent down, grabbed a handful of grass, and brought it to my nose to see if there was any difference I could detect. Earthy and normal. I let it fall as a breeze scattered the blades into the wind.

  “Boneheaded boy, are we going to find an entrance, or are you planning to stand here pretending you’re a gardener?” Cashius said.

  I grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a shake. “Sheesh, old man. This place isn’t like anything I’ve ever seen. Forgive me for trying to take it in,” I shot back.

  He smiled. Nefa laughed, and Sparks giggled, the only laughter we’d have for the duration of our time here.

  To our surprise, there wasn’t a single guard in sight, just the giant doors leading into the castle, looming and silent.

  The rusted metal hinges looked like they hadn’t seen water in years, and the wood didn’t fare much better, being rotted, splintered, and warped with age.

  Walking up to those colossal doors, my stomach did a full somersault. My knees felt like overcooked noodles, threatening to buckle.

  But as before, I couldn’t let anyone see the fear screaming inside me. Not Cashius, and especially not Nefa.

  The only one who truly knew how I felt was Sparks. She hugged the back of my neck, sending a wave of reassurance through our bond that steadied me, only a small bit, but enough.

  Before I could open the door, Nefa walked past me and smiled.

  “No worries, Lamont,” she said, placing both hands on the wood and giving it a firm push.

  When it didn’t budge, Cashius stepped beside her, followed by me, and together we forced the massive door open.

  It groaned like a drunk man in an alley before revealing a narrow stone walkway lit by strange yellow crystals that crackled with what had to be electricity. What powered them, though, remained a mystery.

  As we went farther in, careful not to make a sound, a low pulsing hum began to vibrate through the floor and walls.

  It wasn’t loud, but it could be felt from within, a deep, reverberating tone that shook my insides.

  Each step forward made it stronger, almost like the place itself was alive and breathing.

  The old stones used to build this pulsed with an energy you could feel when you brushed against them. If you closed your eyes, you would swear it whispered, a pleading is what it reminded me of.

  Cashius told me I was out of my mind, and Nefa nodded and moved even more carefully.

  What we saw next was even more mysterious than the electric lights and, quite frankly, mysterious as hell.

  Stretching one way was an endless corridor swallowed by shadows. At the end, darkness.

  The other direction revealed a slow-moving line of people, shuffling like zombies.

  Their robes, the same as ours, hung loose from their frames, their faces dull and lifeless.

  “The lost ones,” Nefa whispered. “Those compelled to serve Linuux. If we want to find him, following that line is exactly what we need to do.”

  So that’s what we did. We followed behind them, close and doing the same clumsy shuffle.

  The only thing keeping us safe was the psychic shielding I’d picked up at the Covenant of Blades. With it, Nefa and I were able to shield Cashius and Sparks.

  The people walked without making a sound down the corridor, their blank faces looking way past alarming. Hands by their sides, the line slowly moved until we bent a corner and walked up a set of stairs.

  When we reached the landing, more yellow light greeted us. The psychic hum, now a blinding white noise in our minds, grew louder.

  I turned to speak but was hushed with a hand over my mouth. Nefa, shaking her head, placed a finger to her lips.

  When the line passed an empty room, the three of us dipped inside.

  “What the fuck is happening, and where does the line lead?” I asked barely above a whisper. “The whole place is beyond creepy.”

  “Well, kid, it only gets worse,” Cashius whispered. “And if memory serves, the next floor is all guards we’ll have to fight, then it’s a straight shot to Linuux. But be warned, the minute he knows we’re inside, he’s going to ramp up security and send in the big boys, enemy types you don’t want to face without being prepared.”

  “That’s if it’s the same,” I said. “As before, things may be different this time. But before we get to that, I want to try to find Nefa’s mother and rescue her before we bring the ruckus. Do you have any idea where we should start?”

  Cashius leaned in closer. “If she’s important, she’s part of his personal attendants. I do know Linuux can see through his victims’ eyes, so running around asking folk isn’t what I’d prescribe, or else he becomes hip to what we’re doing.”

  It had to be something we could do to locate her mother without raising alarms. Too bad our current situation didn’t allow us to inspect the people in that long-ass line. If we could, it would make the whole situation much easier.

  Right when I was ready to give up and try to find the flight of stairs to the next floor, two Antmarshalls walked in on patrol. Spears in hand, looking like they found someone to harass.

  The three of us froze, hoping our disguises hadn’t been blown.

  Cashius started rocking on his heels and drooling from his mouth.

  The stupid old man was about to blow our cover, at least that’s what I thought. But when the Ants came over, I realized the act he was putting on might actually be working.

  So I mimicked him, and after catching on, Nefa did the same.

  The Antmarshall jabbed me in the ribs with his spear.

  “What do we have here, Otis?” he said, poking harder. “Looks like a few of the morons got lost.”

  The other one walked closer, looking us over, barely coming up to my waist. He was so short.

  “Always happens, Morvin. One of them walks off, and the other follows,” he said. “Wrangle ’em up and get them back in line for supper before the boss has our hides for dinner.”

  Back into the hall we trudged, our feet scraping against the old, splintered wood.

  “Now get your sorry asses back in line, you filthy idiots, and don’t wander off anymore, or you’ll feel the tips of these pointy spears right up your hind parts,” I heard from behind.

  More drool left my mouth, staining my robe, though what I wanted was to shove the tip of Havoc Maker up theirs.

  Jurassic Rescue 2nd Edition, Book 1: Island of clouds

  by Morbid writer

  What to expect

  Epic adventures, compelling characters, and a story that keeps you coming back for more.

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