Chaudius looked between the two of them, visibly unsure of who to attack. Owin took the opportunity to flee and fetch his sword. As soon as Owin turned his back, Chaudius charged Shade.

  “Rampart!” Shade flashed brown and lifted his gauntlet, somehow blocking the boss’s mace. A shockwave passed through the water from the exchange, but Shade still stood, still alive.

  “You’re a knight?” Owin asked.

  Shade looked back at the wall again, and nodded. “Check your spells, Owin!”

  Owin opened his index and flipped to the spells tab, even as Chaudius struck Shade, launching him across the arena. The fish immediately turned and advanced on Owin.

  “There’s so many,” Owin muttered. He recognized most of the names. Everything Artivan had ever used was now part of Owin’s list. Before, he had only had spells. Now, there were abilities. How? Why?

  That was something he was going to have to figure out later. For now, he had to use the new list to give him an advantage.

  “Slowing Grasp,” he said, focusing on the area directly in front of Chaudius. A light blue circle of pulsing energy appeared on the ground, looking like it was pulling everything down.

  As soon as Chaudius stepped on it, he slowed. Little cuts appeared all over his skin. Not enough to cause serious damage, but enough to cause blood to bloom into the water. Luminous light burst in his eyes, and soon covered most of his body.

  “We don’t have any ultimate moves here,” Shade shouted. “Best I can do is keep you alive!”

  “I can’t hit him hard enough to kill him!”

  The luminous energy immediately healed all the wounds caused by Slowing Grasp, but the slowing the fish down had given Owin a moment to scan through the abilities. He could try cutting Chaudius’s head off in one swing or tearing through his brain in a single slash, but neither of those seemed likely. The fish was too fast and too durable. He needed something easier. Something where he could cause major damage quickly. His head was open, but it didn’t appear to be a weak spot.

  Chaudius broke free of the slowing circle and rushed forward. Before he reached Owin, Shade strobed with a rainbow of colors. Chaudius turned, barely glancing at the skeleton. The distraction only lasted a brief moment, too quick for Owin to attack. The colors sputtered out, showering gray dust around Shade as the light faded.

  “I’m out of ideas,” Shade said.

  Chaudius was too fast for Owin to get any meaningful hits. His massive shield was always in the way.

  “Disarm!”

  Shade pulled his right arm off and held it up. “Now what?”

  “The shield, Shade!” Owin sprinted forward, casting Smoke Cloud just as he leapt aside, dodging an overhead swing. The dark smoke exploded out, shrouding Owin even as he slid to the side.

  “I don’t know how to help with that!” Shade shouted.

  Owin emerged from the smoke, right at Chaudius’s leg. The fish had taken a step back, extending his shield to block whatever Shade was planning to do. His mace, in his left hand, was stretched out, as if he planned to swipe it back through the smoke.

  Now, with Owin so close, he had no clear way to attack. A loud thunk rumbled as the shield bashed into Shade’s face. Chaudius lifted his foot, either to kick Owin or adjust his stance.

  A million half formed thoughts rushed through Owin’s head. In other fights, he would’ve jumped up and started trying to eat the boss’s face. Other times he would just swing as hard as he could. There were limitless things he could do.

  He swung the Incandescent Blade as hard as he could manage, smashing the sword on top of Chaudius’s armorclad foot. The sudden impact forced the fish’s foot back to the ground, throwing him off balance as the mace passed through the smoke. A shuffle of wobbly steps caused the fish to pull his weapon and shield close.

  Owin stayed close and swung up, overhead, hitting the cetanthro in the wrist as he pulled his shield arm back. Metal clanked on metal as the armor deflected the sword, but the impact was clear. Owin, even one handed, had left a sizable dent in the plate armor.

  “A surprise skeleton!” Shade somehow jumped high enough to land on Chaudius’s shoulders. He grabbed at the fish’s face, yanking on fins and teeth until he had a good enough grip to balance. As soon as his hands were secured, he flashed white, increasing his weight with the Ironclad Stance knight ability.

  An armored foot caught Owin on the chin, tossing him onto his back. He gasped, gagging on blood, jumped back to his feet and spat into the water. “The shield,” he tried to say, but with the blood and a loose tooth, he wasn’t sure how easy he was to understand.

  “The what?” Shade poked Chaudius in the eye and nearly lost his balance, wrapped around the fish’s head. His legs flailed as he slapped and clawed.

  Luminous light flashed in the fish’s eyes as he swung the mace. Owin brought his sword up and turned his shoulder to support the end of the blade as the mace head crashed into the metal, throwing Owin back a few feet. Something in his shoulder had cracked, but he already couldn’t use his arm. He clenched his jaw, worked back to his feet, and spat more blood.

  Chaudius lifted his shield, trying to use the top edge to bash Shade off his head. The skeleton grabbed onto the shield, nearly fell off, grabbed onto the fish’s wrist, and started using abilities and spells, quickly draining Owin’s mana.

  Chaudius dropped the shield, lifted his arm, and punched straight into the ground with incredible force. A bright luminous spell flashed as he smashed Shade directly into the floor. Even without the luminous spell doing any damage, the punch was more than enough to cause Shade to explode into a cloud of gray dust.

  An opening. It was all he needed. Owin was already sprinting, already jumping, before Chaudius finished killing Shade. A foot to the chest knocked the fish off balance. As soon as his foot touched the ground, Owin launched himself back up, hitting the center of the metal breastplate. Two more quick attacks forced Chaudius off his feet, onto his back.

  Owin dropped the sword and grabbed Chaudius’s shield instead. It was far too big. Taller than Owin, and incredibly difficult to hold with a single hand. He swung it overhead, striking the sharp end against Chaudius’s arm.

  Luminous light surged, igniting the end of the mace with white fire. A quick, powerful swing caused a shockwave to burst through the water. Owin used the tower shield to block, but the strength of the attack still flattened him. Without the shield, he’d be nothing more than a cloud of blood in the water.

  He jumped up and swung the shield down, smashing the thin edge against Chaudius, just as the boss tried standing. Luminous fire ignited on Owin’s skin, sizzling just like the lich’s mist had done before.

  Pain didn’t matter. His jaw ached, his shoulder throbbed, and now his skin was on fire. None of it mattered. Not until the boss was dead.

  Another overhead smash of the shield lodged the end into the bottom of Chaudius’s breastplate, making the shield stand like a monolith. As the fish tried to sit up, Owin jumped off with all of his strength. He flipped, hit the ceiling with his feet, and pushed off again, cracking the colorful mosaics. Landing on the top of the shield would surely kill him, so Owin spun again. Even as Chaudius partially sat up with the shield embedded in his stomach, Owin crashed down like a meteor, striking the top of Chaudius’s tower shield with his back, smashing the unbreakable shield onto the edge like a hammer.

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  Bones cracked and air swiftly left his lungs as Owin rolled off the top and fell onto the ground. He wheezed and groaned. The fire had vanished, leaving his skin charred. Nothing hurt because everything hurt. It was impossible to notice any specific injuries as he stayed face down on the tiled floor.

  “A brutal tactic,” Chaudius said.

  Owin grunted and tried to stand. He swore the fish had died.

  “Brutal but effective,” Vondaire said.

  “Hm?” Owin groaned loudly as he turned his head. “Wha . . . How?”

  Vondaire stood, twirling a spectral knife around his finger with an eyebrow raised. Sloswen stood beside the umbra with his arms crossed over his chest, looking as annoyed as ever.

  Sloswen made a gesture. Owin’s vision blurred as his health bar rapidly filled. All the pain he had been feeling was amplified, then faded like it had never happened. “Congratulations, Owin,” he said, sounding more angry than excited.

  Owin stood, scratched his head, grabbed his sword and walked up to Chaudius, who stood, unarmed, beside Sloswen. “You’re strong.”

  The fish nodded.

  “Could you summon Shade?” Owin asked quietly.

  Sloswen snapped. Shade poofed into existence directly beside Owin and screamed when he saw Chaudius.

  “The fight is over,” Sloswen said.

  “Oh, thank . . . uh, you, I guess. Yes, thank you. That’s what I intended to say.” Shade bowed.

  “Owin,” Sloswen said. He crouched low and still towered over. “I present you with your first shard. Despite what I said before, you have earned this honor. Are you aware of the challenges a shard presents?” The god extended his hand. His snake tattoo slithered from his chest, down his arm and lifted its head on his palm. A little silver gem emerged, humming as it hovered.

  “No,” Owin said. He couldn’t pull his eyes from the shard.

  “From now on, when you enter a dungeon, the mobs levels and attributes will be increased. With one shard, they are doubled. With two, they are tripled. Each new shard continues creating a higher challenge in our towers.”

  “What if I come back to the Ocean?”

  “It will be more difficult. You may wish to revisit the Ocean. You missed a number of Deniz’s bones.”

  Shade grunted.

  “In the secrets I missed?”

  “That, I cannot answer. Take the shard.”

  Owin passed the Incandescent Blade to Shade, who quickly sheathed it. The shard continued to hum until Owin grabbed it. The moment his fingers touched the silver gem, it vanished. He felt it reform in his right shoulder, like it was settling into the bone.

  “Now what?” he asked, moving his shoulder. “It feels weird.”

  “You can summon it without a thought,” Sloswen said.

  Shade leaned close to Owin’s ear. “What does that mean?”

  “It will rise when you need strength. You can consciously raise it as well. Your attributes will be increased only when the shard is summoned. While it is in your body, your attributes will remain the same as always. For you, that will lead to unpredictable results. I keep my word and have treated this as I would any hero.”

  “Other than all the armor he gave you,” Shade whispered, obviously far too loud.

  “I have since undone that mistake by limiting loot and increasing enemy strength on the ninth floor.” Sloswen gestured at Owin’s missing arm.

  “What if I lost my shoulder? Would the shard disappear?”

  “A question I have not been asked. The shards are aligned to rise from your right, forming an arch as all seven rise to the left shoulder. Chaudius?”

  The water thrummed as a single shard emerged from Chaudius’s right shoulder. The energy built, hammering against Owin’s chest as a second, third, and fourth shard emerged until all seven hung in an arch behind Chaudius.

  “If one were to lose a shoulder and survive, the shard would find a new place to reside. Once a shard is acquired, it can only be lost with death.”

  Owin closed his eyes, clenched his hand, and focused. He felt the shard rise and hum in the air behind him. The movement through his body wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable.

  “Why is Vondaire here?” Owin asked.

  “Oh, that’s the one you keep talking about?” Shade cocked his head. “I see what you mean. A little ugly, but there’s potential.”

  Owin scowled. “What?”

  “Huh?”

  “This was a unique circumstance,” Sloswen said, standing back to his full height. “Rarely do shard seekers travel together and wait for one another. I find it endearing and odd.”

  “Thank you for the opportunity,” Vondaire said.

  “How was my fight?” Owin asked.

  The umbra raised an eyebrow. “Embarrassing.”

  “For who?” Shade asked.

  “Everyone.”

  “Oh.” Owin shrugged. “Now what?”

  “You are free to leave.” Sloswen gestured to an exit door. “You may wait outside on the sand, or if you wish, you may wait and witness the upcoming fight.”

  “Myrsvai and Suta?” Owin asked quickly.

  “Yes. They just defeated the deep sea behemoth.”

  Owin shivered at the name. They had beaten the unkillable boss. He wasn’t really surprised. Myrsvai was smart. Smarter than Owin.

  “Before long, they will be ready to fight Chaudius. You will be allowed to observe from the side, though you will not be able to listen to his question.” Sloswen gestured to the wall where he had been before.

  “I’ll do that. Thank you.”

  Vondaire waved him over.

  Owin cast one more glance at Chaudius, who remained silent, watching with yellow eyes. Was the fish angry? Did he hold grudges against those who beat him? Chaudius nodded.

  “You don’t seem rattled,” Vondaire said. He immediately leaned on the wall and tossed his knife into the air, catching it effortlessly.

  “About what?”

  “The missing arm. The shard. Any of it.”

  Owin sat on the ground and kicked his legs out. “I don’t know.”

  Shade copied Vondaire, leaning on the wall and even pretending to toss a knife. “He’s too special to feel scared.”

  “That’s not true,” Owin said. He leaned his head back. His armor was all in the process of growing back, but it still had a long way to go. “I was terrified when it happened, when Shade was gone last floor.”

  Sloswen joined them and silently watched.

  “I just kept running. At one point, I thought about giving up. More than once. But I just kept thinking about all of our friends who would always wonder what happened. They would be scared and sad. I don’t want to be the reason anyone feels that way.”

  “You survived for others.” Vondaire balanced the knife on the end of his gloved hand, then dropped it and let it vanish. “Foolish, but admirable, I suppose. Nothing I would do.”

  “Why do you survive?”

  “For the attention, Owin. I do this for myself. Nothing was handed to us. If we do nothing, we gain nothing. Though, you do have fame simply for existing, while I would be unknown for eternity if not for my actions. People across Verdantallis will know me.”

  “Me too,” Shade said.

  “They once did,” Sloswen added.

  Shade groaned. “Stop bringing that up. Nobody needs to know that story.”

  “What is this?” Vondaire asked, pointing with his thumb at Shade.

  Shade did the same movement until he realized he was pointing at Sloswen. He quickly stopped and crossed his arms.

  “That’s Shade. He’s my friend,” Owin said.

  “Best friend,” Shade said.

  “Yeah, okay.” Owin touched the end of his arm, feeling the scarred, warped skin where his forearm had once been. “He helped me a lot.”

  “I noticed. Having a familiar almost makes you like a real wizard.”

  Owin chuckled. “I’m still deficient.”

  “Oh, I know.” Vondaire sat beside him. “Outside this dungeon, there has been nonstop chaos. Be ready, when we exit, for anything.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “The world is watching, Owin. Nothing you do will be private anymore.”

  “Even pooping?” Shade asked.

  “What do you think it is that I’m talking about?” Vondaire asked.

  “Defecating, clearly. Are we not speaking about the same thing? What was your name again? Vondoodoo?”

  They went back and forth, with a few comments from Sloswen, primarily about Shade being quiet. While they talked and joked, or whatever it was they were doing, Owin watched Chaudius.

  The cetanthro boss didn’t stand in place and await his next fight. The way Sloswen had talked to him was similar to how Owin had seen the god speak to the Vile Fiend, like Chaudius was conscious. Awakened.

  There was furniture in the arena that had appeared when the fight ended, when Sloswen and Vondaire had emerged. Owin hadn’t noticed it at first. There was too much going on as he healed and got his first shard.

  Chaudius sat at a table, almost too small for the massive fish, in front of a platter of small crabs and clusters of fish eggs. The boss idly ate while reading an odd-looking book that was apparently unaffected by the water.

  Weird, Owin thought. He put his head back and closed his eyes. He had struggled with the ninth and tenth floors, but he was confident Myrsvai and Suta would be fine. They would find a way.