Picking up his spear, he leaned against the wall to catch his breath, frustrated at how much effort that fight had taken. The problem wasn’t that he was weak or had been outfought. The problem was that he had been caught unaware, and that… was entirely his fault. He’d let himself be so distracted by his environment, and because he’d just finished a fight, that he hadn’t seen the Croc coming.

  Which was odd.

  He ought to have sensed it. But there was a lot going on, and he pushed the thought out of his mind. He couldn’t afford to be surprised again and shifted his new ability back to Resonating Ward.

  I gotta get stronger. If I’m stronger, then no one can ever hurt them. No one can touch my family. But, not just for them. For me, too. I wanna see this through.

  It was an odd thought. It felt selfish, but he concluded that there was a lot more he could do by taking better care of himself than by pushing himself past his limits and having to rely so much on the others.

  Making my poor emaciated brother save my life.

  Relying on your team was fine, but setting everyone up for failure because he was running himself ragged wasn’t doing anyone any favors. One thing was crystal clear in the fight in the room and that last fight, and that was, he didn’t want to die.

  Yeah, yeah, I know. Pretty simple statement. Probably applies to just about everybody.

  He laughed… quietly considering he was still in danger.

  Okay, no normal person wants to die, me included…I just had all the wrong reasons. I didn’t want to let anyone down, but I’ve been on autopilot, just running for so long. Practicing instead of sleeping, trying to break through so I could protect them better.

  Bluebottle reminded him that there was so much more to this world he hadn’t seen yet. Hadn’t explored. That had been a surprise of sorts. That, outside of a flash thought, he really wanted to see this world. The Seed Forge’s purpose wasn’t merely cleansing its tiny Oasis, even with the brilliant little spirit creatures living there.

  Having his consciousness pulled into the satellite, meeting Lavern Prime, having so much information at his proverbial fingertips. The swaths of color near the poles of this world… he wanted to see it all. And he wanted to take everyone with him.

  For the first time in these long months, he wanted to live for reasons other than his love for his little family and his desire to protect them. He just plain wanted to live. To experience and explore everything this world offered.

  If Lavern can get the Global network online, and if I can find a place to plant this seed… we can change this place for the better. Maybe we can figure out why Dessication and Wayspring are so out of wack. I want to be here for it all.

  Oskar’s hunger for life for life’s sake was something he didn’t expect. It was a raw and childlike hunger that had him grinning ear to ear and shaking his head.

  , and he realized he’d broken through his bottleneck. The magic he was holding around himself seemed to shudder around him, and then he could feel it dancing in celebration.

  Sora, Talau, and Rakiyu shifted into a myriad of colors, and he felt the Seed Forge in his react to the newly improved magic, filling up its reservoir of Talau and Rakiyu in perfect harmony with the Sora and smaller bits of the others it already contained. The remaining magic around him felt incredible, and he could feel the cuts on his hand healing from his Resonating Ward. A quick glance at his stats confirmed it.

  And a jump from C- straight to C in Mind and Spirit. Body lagging a little this time.

  Instead of getting further distracted from his situation by digging in his stats, he took a step back toward the room with Erik and Sara and had to stop himself as he again had to adjust to the rush of power in his limbs. If Oskar had to guess, he was a full third stronger than he was just a few minutes ago.

  I bet I could launch myself into the air with one arm.

  // Yup, welcome to your new C Rank Body, Oss! //

  Oskar was getting ready to just lift himself up with Sora and float like a diva, praying Erik wasn’t awake to see him, when he heard footsteps and fighting around the corner and down the corridor.

  Well crap.

  Remembering the trick he’d used to get used to his D Rank body, he just sort of thought about walking more than moved, leaning his body a bit in the direction he wanted to go and letting the rest catch up. With a little luck, Oskar reached the opposite wall without slamming his face into it at concussion speeds.

  Leaning his head out into the hallway, he looked for anyone not covered in evil black stuff, scales, or the mange that might need his help. There was a mixed group of Shadow and normal enemies, and with barely a thought, he switched to his new ability. Razor sharp metal, dust, and ice?! tore into the group, flinging them all against the walls and ceiling, and he held them there while his new Aura did terrible things.

  Luckily, his advancement and whatever it was in the Resonant Ward that made the shadow creatures vulnerable was absolutely tearing the creatures apart with Resonant War.

  Don’t even start about the name. Since I think of the Resonant Ward as Ward in my head, I need to change the last word, not the first. If it makes you feel better, I can drop Resonant, and just use Ward and War since I think it just evolved anyway.”

  // I wasn’t going to say anything. //

  You’re so full of crap.

  // Lollercopter! //

  Ignoring the PUB with a smirk, he pulled War back in tight to gauge who he’d just helped, and saw a group of four Kobolds panting and eyeing his warily. One, a taller female Kobold, called back down the hall in the Kobold language, the only word he understood being “Fox,” and shortly, Fox herself darted around the corner, her two daggers in bloodied claws.

  Her eyes widened, and she ran down the hallway toward him and dove into his arms. Fox’s weight didn’t budge him, and her grunt at the impact reminded him to be careful squeezing her back.

  He did squeeze her back, though, and fought back the emotions that hit him all at once as he buried his head in his friend’s soft purple and orange-streaked shoulder.

  “Oskar! It is good to see you alive, that is a truth,” she said breathlessly. “But were you not supposed to be going after Valla? I thought you dead!”

  Seeing the blood covering him, she added, “Are you well?”

  “I’m alright, what’s going on?” Oskar asked, not trusting himself enough to get into the details.

  “Somehow, Valla’s minions got inside, and they forced us to retreat early. We do not know why or how it happened. Benedictus was nearby and led the first group out when we realized we’d been breached.”

  “Where is he now?” Oskar asked, ready to run back to the room where Erik was recovering.

  “We escorted him to here and held the hallway while he and a Myelome lead the first group of ten out of the Compound. We’ve been trying to hold this hallway until he returned while funneling our people out, but the enemy is getting in from somewhere else we cannot locate.”

  “Benedictus and Myelome? Number three, I assume?”

  “I do not understand.”

  “How long ago?” He ignored her, trying to find out if he needed to run back to the room.

  “Why? What is happening? Maybe twenty minutes ago.”

  So, they’d come and gone, and his stirring awake… but more likely Sara, considering she was covered in blood, had scared them off. He was about to explain what happened, intending to let her know there was a rogue Myelome on the loose, and how maybe the old Chief no longer rated her full confidence. It all seemed like a jumble in his head, and he didn’t want to yell it all out with the other Kobolds nearby until he knew how they would react.

  Frustrated with the over-complication, he blurted out, “Myelome number one was the old fur monster you saved, two was the younger one, and three is the taller one that stayed stuck up Benedictus’ ass when we carried Erik in,” emphasizing the tenses of each as he glanced at the Kobolds behind her.

  “What do you mean by ‘was, was, and is,' Oskar?”

  She looked stricken with worry. Seeing his hesitation, she added, “You can speak openly in our current company, even your suspicions. We have a few of our own at this point,” she sighed.

  “Alright, well, our old friend and the young one are ‘was-es’ because they attacked Erik and slit my throat when Erik said he was coming with me instead of staying. Myelome number 3 is a “is” because she ran off after Sara took a finger off her. Apparently, Valla wants my brother, probably for some dark magic crap. And… apparently the Myelomes are in on it.” He left the rest unsaid, that it was probable Old Bene was involved as well.

  To Fox’s credit, something he realized she often earned, her horror turned to steel in a moment, and she said, “Is Erik alright?”

  When Oskar nodded, said “I cannot ever make up for this, but if it takes my life, I am in your debt. If he cannot be trusted, I will protect my people… and that includes our Collective. That is a truth. A truth. A truth. Thrice spoken.”