The goblins crouched around their leader, still chanting and waving their weapons in the air. They were all lost in some kind of rhythm and dance, their eyes glazed over while their arms pumped upward.

  As we closed the distance, a cool wind churned, rising from the floor along with a fog that coalesced around their ankles, their words growing clearer.

  Listening closely, I could now make out the chant they kept repeating.

  “Come near and kneel in flame. Taste pain, unleash the rage. His name we call to kill them all, unlock your hellish ways.”

  It looped over and over, low and garbled, like a rap being repeated underwater.

  Nefa shouted at them to stop, but their eyes were white now, and their bodies swayed from side to side in a haunting rhythm.

  I gripped Havoc Maker and tried to put a stop to them with some good old-fashioned violence. Raising my sword high, I brought it down, hoping to end their chanting once and for all. But in the end, an invisible barrier stopped the strike cold.

  My muscles locked as the vibrations rocked me to my core, and a loud, discordant sound filled the cave.

  I glanced around, chest tightening, partly embarrassed and honestly a little frightened by the sick tone the greasy little goblins were emitting.

  Taking a deep breath, I swung again, harder this time. With more force. Hard enough to shatter bone and crack skulls. Fierce enough to shatter stone and bring a stop to the awful chorus of sounds.

  But when the same thing happened, I froze. The goblins stayed locked in their twisted reverie, chanting mindlessly, completely unaware that Nefa and I had even moved against them.

  That’s when the leader’s body began to swell, twisting more grotesquely with every passing second. His bulbous stomach ballooned outward, shredding the rags that barely clung to him. His arms stretched and dragged along the floor as if his bones had turned to liquid.

  The smaller goblins clumped together, huddling and scrambling over one another in a sick frenzy. All the while, their chanting grew louder and more out of tune.

  The longer I stared, the more my face twisted in disgust, yet I couldn’t look away. “Nefa, what the hell is this?” I shouted over the chant. “And why do I feel sick?”

  “In all my travels to the fort, this has never happened, nor have I heard this demonic chant,” she said, backing up. “Maybe it’s tied to what my ancestors sealed away with their magic ages ago. Either way, we should leave them and get out of this cavern before it’s too late.”

  I turned on my heels. “Sounds good to me. Besides, whatever they’re calling, I don’t want to be here when it arrives.”

  We backed toward an opening and retreated deeper into the cave. The chant still echoed behind us, its rhythm crawling under my skin. I paused. The wet stone beneath my palm was sticky and warm, only adding to my worry.

  Sparks floated to a stop, her glow casting pale light along the passage walls.

  “Listen,” I said quietly. “Are they still chanting?”

  Nefa held her breath, tilting her head toward the tunnel we’d come from. “That’s strange,” she murmured. “It sounds like their words have followed us, like they’re in this passageway now.”

  I listened closer.

  “Come near and kneel in flame. Taste pain, unleash the rage. His name we call to kill them all, unlock your hellish ways.”

  The words were louder now, reverberating against my teeth. Each repetition was a spike of agony, quickening, doubling. A choir of nerve-wracking goblins clawing into my psyche.

  Nefa’s form blurred in the darkness. She doubled over, clutching her ears, tearing at her hair as if she could rip the chant out of her head. My knees buckled under the pressure, my thoughts a kaleidoscope.

  Then nothing.

  The chant ceased. The passage fell into absolute silence. No dripping water. No loose stone clattering in the distance. Just a suffocating stillness that ate at me.

  Sparks’ glow flared, sensing what came next.

  It was something born in hell.

  The explosion hit first, shaking the world apart, followed by the cave collapsing around us. I shoved Nefa forward, sprinting blindly through falling stone.

  Behind me, shapes tore free of the rubble, faces and limbs mashed together, bloody and broken. Grinning too widely. Cackling through shattered teeth. Reaching with bent fingers and jagged nails.

  A cloud of death.

  Purgatory’s symphony.

  The game had shifted into a full-blown horror sequence, and the only thing I wanted now was to escape this suffocating cave and taste fresh air again. To give thanks to the Makers, as Nefa called them, and pray this chapter of the journey was over.

  In my mad dash, I made the mistake of glancing back, looking at filth and destruction rushing at us.

  The mass of death latched onto my leg and yanked me into its choking cloud. Blackness swallowed me whole, pain surged through every nerve, and my health bar plummeted to near zero.

  Just when I thought it was over, something forced potions down my throat, flooding me with the sweet taste of regeneration. I wasn’t being pulled out. I was being shoved forward so fast the collapsing cave blurred into streaks of stone and shadow.

  Ahead, a thin light widened into a doorway. It grew larger, brighter, until I was spat out into the purple dusk. Behind me, the opening slammed shut with a quake, locking whatever horror that was inside away for the night.

  Nefa panted, dropping to her knees. “Respect was more than shared today; it was earned.”

  I lay on my back and took that breath of fresh air I had desperately needed moments ago. I let it fill my lungs while Sparks plopped down next to me and gave my neck the mightiest hug she could manage.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, then closed my eyes and gave thanks.

  When I opened them, Nefa sat beside me, hair a tangled mess, staring straight ahead.

  “I thought I was dead, you know?” I pushed myself upright next to her. “When that cloud swallowed me, I figured I was done. What happened?”

  “I saved you and your little fairy from death,” she said calmly. “You would’ve done the same, no?”

  “For sure,” I nodded. “I guess what I’m asking is how?”

  She turned to me. “Oh, that? I fell back, used my speed to get us out. And you probably don’t know this yet, but when you move fast, objects feel lighter. Easier to lift. So I slung you over my shoulder and ran. The rest, well, you already know.”

  “Damn,” I whispered, bewildered by her heroism.

  Wiping the sweat from my brow, I looked at her deeply. “You saved my life, Nefa. Without you…” I paused. “I don’t know what I would’ve done.” I inched closer, reaching for her hand. “How will I ever repay you?” I tried to hold her gaze.

  She stood suddenly, a smirk tugging at her lips. “By not getting near death’s embrace again.”

  Looking down, she dusted the purple sand from herself. “Now, are you setting up that wooden shelter of yours, or should I go find us a safe place to sleep?”

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  I stood, feeling stupid for thinking we were having a moment. “Oh yeah,” I muttered, scratching the back of my neck. “I was just trying to repay you for saving me, that’s all.”

  She batted her eyes once and folded her arms beneath her chest. “Hidden meanings won’t get you far with me.” Then she turned and walked away, leaving me sitting there feeling like a dumbass.

  Sparks buzzed toward me, gave me a look of rejection, and went back to circling overhead.

  “You too?” I moaned, glancing at the map to make sure there weren’t any enemies nearby. Spotting a couple not far from where we were, I stalked off to take care of them, my mind on the harrowing adventure we had barely escaped and on falling madly for Nefa, the Assassin.

  * * *

  When I came to, Nefa was oiling her scythe under the double moon. No expression, just her sitting cross-legged with the weapon in her lap, a rag and oil in hand.

  She looked up as I approached, her voice calm. “Are you ready to erect our place for the night?” she asked without looking at me.

  “Yeah. I had to make sure there weren’t any enemies lurking around. Here.” I tossed down a couple of potions. “These will come in handy later.”

  She set her scythe to the side and scooped up the potions. “Gratitude,” she said before they vanished.

  Out there while I was hunting, I came to the conclusion that Nefa and I were just too different to ever be a thing.

  I mean, I came from another world, and she was a character in a game-like one. Even though Cashius said everyone here was real, it was still hard to think about without getting a headache.

  By the time the last beast was slain, it was settled. I’d give up trying to get this woman to notice my affections and focus on the mission.

  I pulled out the cabin and threw it onto the sand. The small cube expanded, and in seconds, our cabin stood there.

  With none of the careful inspection she’d done the previous night, Nefa walked straight through the door. She glanced at me, a smile tugging at her lips, then continued on. I followed behind her, thinking to myself that this woman was the epitome of mixed signals. But no, I wouldn’t feed into them.

  By now, the awkwardness of my trying to get closer to her had worn off, which was a relief, because I didn’t know how much longer I could go on without making a fool of myself.

  I fell onto the couch, checked my stats, and went to the Character screen. The words Level Up glowed with a green arrow pointing upward.

  Level thirty-two.

  Anticipation swelled in my chest as I mashed the icon. My 3D-generated version of myself sparkled, and my stats appeared before me.

  Level 32

  HP: 10,500

  MP: 1,800

  Strength: 77 (+22.5)

  Vitality: 58

  Magic: 57

  Defense: 76 (+22.5)

  Perception: 58

  Speed: 58

  Wisdom: 58

  Knowledge: 58

  I put one point into Magic and the last one into Knowledge. For abilities, I scrolled the list before picking Commando Slice and Fury of the Unseen.

  I had to unslot both Chain Lightning and the other one, since I never even got a chance to use it.

  Commando Slice

  Fury of the Unseen

  Both badass abilities that would get plenty of use.

  After I got dinner started, a culinary masterpiece of dried Brindlehusk rehydrated in boiling water, with thick chunks of vegetables and a dash of spice, we sat at the table talking about our more-than-full day. From our run-in with the goblins to the larger-than-life cloud of madness that had nearly killed me, there was plenty to cover.

  Sparks sat in her usual spot, this time more accepting of Nefa, even nodding along with her at certain points. It seemed that having her life saved by the woman was all she needed to trust her.

  To be honest, I thought it was cool, but I kept that to myself. Talking about women and their emotions was a surefire way to get screamed at by both of them, and in Sparks’ case, emoted at very harshly. Better to let them heal in their own way while I minded my business.

  We enjoyed our dinner, hand to bowl to mouth, dipping bread into the stew and repeating. For dessert, we ate taffy that Nefa had brought along.

  The taffy was made by slamming a sweet fruit against a stone and stretching it until it turned into a gooey, sticky cube of sweetness. She told me how she used to make it with her mother as a child, a tradition passed from mother to daughter. She said she would’ve lived a regular life if Linuux hadn’t broken through her mother’s defenses and taken her against her will.

  When she spoke of this, her tone grew bitter and cold, but a few jokes, courtesy of yours truly, warmed her up again.

  Now full, we moved the conversation to the couch. She sat on one end, I on the other, with Sparks between us, still chewing on a chunk of taffy Nefa had set on a scrap of paper to keep the furniture clean.

  The conversation was so good that I forgot all about anything I’d said earlier about not trying to get this beautiful creature to notice me.

  We talked about our childhoods, at least the parts I could share without sounding insane by mentioning phones, televisions, and all that.

  I told her about losing my dad to a thief a few years ago and how I knew what it meant to carry the hole a parent leaves behind. Then I looked her in the eye and said that if it were within my power, I would bring her mother back to her, not just because of what Linuux had taken, but because no one deserved to have that bond ripped away.

  For the first time, her expression softened. A small smile touched her lips before she slipped back into her calm, stoic shell.

  Before long, we were both yawning, drifting toward sleep while staring at each other. Morning would come soon enough, and I wanted to face the day with a full tank of gas.

  I planned to hit the bathroom to wash up before crashing for the night, leaving Nefa to doze off on the couch. But as I crossed the cold, hard floor, a sudden brush of wind passed me, and I saw Nefa dart into the bathroom first.

  I shook my head. “Hey, no fair!” I shouted after her.

  She cracked the door open and rolled her eyes. Sparks laughed harder than usual, holding her ribs.

  “I swear, no matter what dimension I end up in, women are absolutely insane.” I slipped into the bedroom and eased the door shut, leaving Sparks to fend for herself for the night.

  I lay on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, thinking about how nice Nefa looked lying on the couch, how her chest swayed, how her smile could brighten my mood, and how much I wanted to kiss her face, among other things.

  But I held back.

  Especially after I’d tried to hold her hand when she rescued me. If she turned me down again, I’d die of embarrassment.

  What I could do was wait for the perfect moment. No more rushed advances. Sometimes being bold paid off, but with her, I’d need to take my time if I didn’t want to ruin it.

  After enough time spent pining, I peeked out the door and headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

  When I came out, I realized my nightclothes were still in the room she was sleeping in.

  So I knocked on the door. “Excuse me? Nefa…” I paused for a moment before continuing. “I left my nightclothes in there. Unlike last night, I refuse to sleep in my gear. What I was wondering is, can I come in, or maybe you can hand them to me?”

  A soft, gentle reply came from inside.

  “Please enter.”

  What I saw made me chuckle, but deep down, I understood, sort of.

  Stepping over the dim threshold brought on a mix of feelings I hadn’t felt since high school, nervousness, anticipation, and strangely, a little hope. All jumbled together, it was almost more than I could manage. But when I saw Nefa lying on the floor on a pallet she’d made from the bedcover, I laughed out loud, and all that awkwardness disappeared.

  “Nefa,” I chuckled, “why are you lying on the floor? Don’t you know the bed is way more comfortable? Or do you just like sleeping on the hardwood?”

  She sat up, and when her nearly naked body in a thin slip shifted into view, the awkward feelings came roaring back.

  “Lamont, you laugh, but your sense of humor is juvenile and poorly aimed,” she snapped, holding her breast close. “Maybe I prefer a stiffer sleeping environment because I’ve never slept on a bed. Did you ever think of that?”

  Now I felt stupid.

  “Well?” she pressed.

  “I was only cracking a joke,” I said, fumbling with my hands. “I didn’t know you’d never slept on a bed before. Sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way.” My eyes stayed fixed on the floor.

  She pulled the covers up to shield her smooth skin from view. “It’s okay,” she said. “The desert is an unforgiving place. Maybe next time you’ll use your brain before your humor. Now, why do you disturb me again?”

  “My nightclothes. I didn’t want to sleep in my gear again,” I said. “Do you mind if I grab them?”

  “Hmpf. I thought you were here for something else.” She leaned back on one arm and locked eyes with me. “Go and get them, then return to your room. I need my rest.”

  Was this another one of her attempts at flirting, or was I just so enamored with her that I looked for any sign she liked me as much as I liked her?

  Walking under her intense gaze, I opened the chest and pulled out the pajamas. I stopped in front of the bed. “Um, just for the record, this bed is pretty firm. All you have to do is this.” I sat and adjusted the hardness setting, switching it to the firmest. “If you trust me, I’m sure you’d get a good night’s sleep if you gave it a try.”

  She stood, and I got a full view of her body, those legs, her full breasts, and hips pressed against the thin fabric. Her scent surrounded me like the sweetest smell known to man.

  At that moment, desire surged through me. I wanted to pull her close, to bury my face against her neck, to lose myself in her warmth.

  I turned my head when she caught me staring.

  “Lamont, don’t be ashamed of looking at me. It’s all a part of nature,” she said. “The problem comes when you touch what you mustn’t without my permission. Understand?”

  “Yes. I understand.” My eyes stole one more glance before dropping to the floor.

  “Silly man,” she said, sitting beside me and pressing her legs against mine. After bouncing lightly and patting the mattress, she looked pleased.

  “I tried to sleep on it last night, and it felt too unstable for me. But what you’ve done makes it more like the firm pallets I’m used to. Maybe I can sleep here tonight.” She brought her face close to mine. “Thanks.” She smiled and kissed me.

  Long and passionate.

  I was on cloud nine. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, she slipped a little tongue into the kiss. I cradled her face in my hands and returned it gently.

  As my hands began to wander, she stiffened, exhaled, and drew back. “That’s enough for now. Maybe later, when we’re not under the weight of duty, we can finish this. Would you like that?”

  “Yeah,” I said softly.

  “But can I have one more kiss, Nefa? Please? It would make the night perfect, and I’ll go to sleep a happy man.”

  She paused for a second, finger to her lips. “Til next time,” she said, standing and opening the door.

  I crossed over, disappointed but happy I’d had the chance. When I looked over my shoulder, she stood with one foot in the doorway, a sweet, seductive smile on her face, before stepping inside and closing the door.