Joe barely took a breath and Ryan’s response appeared in the encrypted chat.

  “Only one floor more to go.” He smiled and checked the time clock he’d set for Brian’s GORED status. It’d taken Joe about eight hours for everything to fall into place so he could gather the information he needed. Now, only one more titan stood in his way to unlock access to the Time Hacker and he had sixteen hours left before he’d turn hollow.

  He glanced back as another message arrived.

  Ryan: Not sure where on the fourth floor, but he’s there.

  Joe: For as much as he’s annoyed by the lich, I think I can draw him out of hiding.

  Ryan: Nick’s on his way now with supplies. Meet him at the entry door, floor two.

  Joe closed out of the alliance chat, and joined TJ, Dawn and Rose by a booth where they gathered.

  “We rested in the bunks for a few.” Dawn handed Joe a mana potion. “Since you won’t have time to regenerate your mana, it’s best to drink this. Brian made it extra strong for me.”

  Joe nodded, chugging the mana while he led them to the archway of the second floor.

  TJ rubbed the sleep from his eyes, stretched, and rolled his shoulders before typing a message into the alliance chat.

  TJ: Fourth floor, huh? Why not higher, like at the top?

  Rose: I’m sure the Time Hacker has his reasons. We’ll find out soon enough.

  Joe: I’m glad he’s no further up. We’ve got to clear this floor in record time, find the Time Hacker, and convince him to help us.

  TJ: If we’re short on time, I’ll convince him with my fists.

  Rose: Diplomacy is best, especially when we don’t know how powerful he is.

  Joe had to agree, though he couldn’t help but chuckle at TJ’s enthusiasm.

  Joe: We’re lucky Nick will help us speed things up, leaving us more time to find the Time Hacker.

  Nick: I’m ready when you are. Can one of your team join Ryan in the Green Zone to take my place while I’m gone?

  Rose: I can do that.

  Joe: Thanks, Nick and Rose. Remember, everyone, keep quiet outside this chat—we’re going to find Brian to pay our last respects before we move on.

  Rose gave Joe a hug. “Be careful out there, and tell Brian I miss him. See him soon.”

  She turned to Dawn, who pulled her into a hug. When it was TJ’s turn, he stood there awkwardly, like a fish out of water.

  “Not big on hugs where you come from?” Rose raised an eyebrow and took out her staff, spritzing everyone with her cooling mist.

  “Yeah.” TJ grumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “Everyone talked loud like they were angry all the time. My folks showed their love with the amount of food they served up. Even when it was scarce, they’d make a feast out of grubs, nuts, and shrubs.”

  Dawn gave a small nod. “Let’s not keep Nick waiting.” Her eyes darted to the door leading back to the second floor.

  After a final round of goodbyes, they went their separate ways. As Joe stepped through the entrance, his eyes widened in surprise.

  Nick stood there with a big grin on his face, but he wasn’t alone. “Hey guys, say hello to my little friend, Big Delta.”

  The velociraptor’s large talon clacked against the rough stone as it bowed its head but kept its eyes locked on Joe. Flanking Big Delta were three more velociraptors, each one more intimidating than the last.

  “I’m not getting up on that thing.” TJ eyed the raptor with caution.

  “How fast can you run?” Nick raised an eyebrow.

  TJ shrugged. “Fast enough.”

  “Well, Big D can run at a top speed of thirty miles per hour. You’re human, outsider class, so I estimate even with a QRL boost, you can maybe hit fifteen miles per hour flat out. If Brian is ten miles away, we’ll reach him in two and a half hours. But it’s not about saving time—you’re saving energy, energy you’ll need to fight the big nasties we’ll encounter. Understand?”

  TJ crossed his arms. “I’ll take my chances.”

  Dawn rolled her eyes. “Let me translate the math speak: Get your ass on that raptor now, TJ, and let’s go find Brian.” She grabbed him by the arm, and TJ reluctantly let her lead him to the raptor, where she steadied the beast while he climbed up.

  His expression said it all—he’d sell his right arm to keep both feet on the ground.

  Nick shot him a sympathetic look as he turned Big D around. “Don’t worry, guys, I’ve got everything under control. Stick close, and your raptors will stay under my Beast Tamer area of effect.”

  The muscular form of the raptor beneath Joe felt strange, like riding a wild, predatory beast barely tamed by Nick’s skills. The look in Big D’s eyes as they picked up speed reminded Joe that this wasn’t a horse—it was something far more dangerous.

  Holding on for dear life, TJ’s knuckles whitened as the raptor accelerated, the rush of warm air hitting him in the face. He expressed his thanks for the cooling mist effect from Rose, which still lingered on their clothes.

  For the most part, the journey was uneventful. An hour in, they passed a grove of Cinder Pines, and the raptors cawed like strangled chickens on steroids. Nick slowed his pace before grinding to a halt.

  “Over there, about twenty paces,” Nick said, his voice low. “Pack ambush, outside my area of influence.” He kept one hand on Big D, the other on his ax, as his raptor’s predatory eyes locked onto shadowy movements ahead. An eerie sound, like children’s laughter, echoed toward them, but it wasn’t the sweet sound of happiness—it was more like Children of the Corn creepiness.

  An explosion of movement rushed toward them, the darkness seemingly alive and coming for them. The light filtering through the canopy revealed the creatures’ features as soon as Joe activated Quick Wit. They looked like hyenas the size of hairy rhinoceroses, and despite their large size, they moved with an unsettling silence.

  “TJ, hold for now but be ready for some one-on-one melee,” Joe called out, his voice tense. Given the size of the beasts and their numbers, he hoped to hell it didn’t come to that. “Dawn, how about a little light show distraction?”

  She nodded, her hands glowing as she unleashed a fiery geyser, hitting the pack leaders head-on. Her aim was impressive, and although the beasts were fire-resistant, their eyes were, as Joe had hoped, light-sensitive. Temporarily blinded by her assault, they wavered blinking their eyes.

  The rest of the pack crashed into the blinded ones, sending them tumbling and scattering their formation into chaos with yelps of surprise.

  With sharp paws the size of dinner plates, the hyenas clawed at the earth, trying to right themselves and regain their senses. But as they locked eyes with Joe again, Nick flung his ax boomerang-style, hitting the biggest one right between the eyes.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The impact cracked its skull open like a watermelon. It didn’t stop its charge, even with blood spurting in all directions, but then its eyes flickered, and its legs gave way beneath its massive form. The beast collapsed to the ground, gnashing its jaws inches from Big D, who crowed in insult and finished it off with a powerful stomp.

  “Even if they weren’t extinct, I doubt velociraptors back home could do that.” Joe marveled as Big D removed his large talon claw from the hyena beast’s shattered eye socket.

  TJ raised his BK machete, a killer look in his eyes as he prepared for the charging beasts. “Now it’s my turn.”

  Nick’s arm shot out to stop him. “No, wait for it…”

  TJ looked at him like he was a little nuts, but then the beasts saw their fallen pack member and slowed, their bounding strides coming to a halt. They snapped and growled but held their line.

  “I took down their pack alpha.” Nick pointed at the fallen hyena. “They’re not going to attack. They’ll save their energy to fight for dominance—the one who wins will be the only one to sire offspring with their harem of females.”

  “Makes sense.” TJ nodded. “They aren’t exactly going to win anyone over with their looks.”

  Nick hopped off Big D and quickly looted the remains. “Might not look like much, but the alpha core is an alchemist’s dream. This will cheer up Grizzle.” Using Big D’s talon, Nick helped skin the beast, packing everything away in what looked like salted banana leaves in only a few minutes.

  “Let’s push on.” Nick mounted Big D again. “We’ve still got four miles to go, but with the titans dead, the seismic activity is less. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if this place is like the dungeons back home—everything eventually respawns, so we don’t want to be caught up in that.”

  They rode in silence, each lost in their thoughts. The screenshot of Brian’s lonely form kept running through Joe’s head like a bad movie loop. “Hold on, buddy, just a few more hours. Hold on.”

  The horizon was a deep, angry red as the floor two sun arced across the sky like a giant flaming murder ball, painting the plateau in blood orange and crimson hues. As they approached the skeletal remains of Tremorian, there was no sign of Brian—until Joe’s Quick Wit caught the shadow of movement near a boulder.

  TJ leapt from the velociraptor and rushed over, but stalled. Brian didn’t seem to notice him, his gaze fixed on the ground as if searching for something.

  “Hey, buddy, what you looking for?” TJ asked, his voice gentle but tinged with concern.

  Brian kept searching, oblivious to their presence.

  By the time Joe stood beside TJ, he’d called out again, louder this time, his voice thick with hurt and anger. “Brian, it’s me, TJ!” TJ reached out, then hesitated before laying a hand on Brian’s shoulder. “Hey, brother, you got wax in your ears?! It’s me!” He was practically yelling now.

  Brian looked up, his eyes dazed and unfocused. “Oh, hello there,” he said, with no hint of recognition in his voice.

  TJ glanced at Dawn, who looked just as hurt as he did. She stepped forward, and Nick kept a watchful eye, his ax drawn.

  “Do what you need to do—I’ll keep a lookout for hollows.” Nick gestured to the boulder where the velociraptors were tethered. “These guys will be like eyes in the back of my head.”

  Joe was thankful for Nick’s presence. It allowed them to fully concentrate on what to do with Brian now that they’d found him. The last thing they needed was to have to trek all the way back out here if they found a cure.

  “Hey, Brian,” Joe said, his heart aching at the sight of his friend’s ashen features. “Sorry it took so long for us to come back for you.”

  Brian’s brows furrowed. “Who’s Brian?” He muttered something to himself, but Joe caught it. “I know it’s around here somewhere… I’ll feel much better, be able to think clearly with my vape.” He began to wander around the boulder, and TJ cut him off, hands raised.

  “You lost your vape pen? I’ll help you find it, brother,” TJ said, his voice strained with emotion.

  Brian looked at him with the ghost of a smile. “Oh, thank you so much. Have we met? I feel like we have, but I can’t seem to place you.”

  “Yeah, I’m TJ, and I’m here to help.” TJ’s boots kicked up dirt as he joined Brian in the futile search for the vape pen. It was stuck in his inventory, which Brian could no longer access, along with everything else in the system.

  Dawn looked pale. “It’s much worse than I expected. He barely knows who he is.”

  If it weren’t for the countdown timer above Brian’s head, Joe would be worried his condition had somehow accelerated.

  “We can’t leave him here,” Dawn said, biting her tongue as if remembering not to reveal their true plan. “He should be near the common room, not wandering alone out here. I can’t bear the thought of him turning hollow.”

  Joe quickly typed a message in the alliance chat.

  Joe: We found him. Going to need to bring him back to the entrance of the common zone and keep him close by.

  Ryan: You made good time. Still eleven hours left. Rose is helping with floor three preparations. It’ll be all hands on deck.

  “Brian, I think I know where your vape pen is,” Joe said, trying to get the big guy’s attention. Brian shuffled over, looking expectant with widened eyes.

  “Oh, thank you. Where is it?” Brian asked, his voice tinged with desperation.

  “You left it in the common room, so let’s head back.” Joe tried to sound upbeat, despite the situation.

  “I did?”

  “Man, you’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on.” TJ forced a laugh. “Joe’s right, that’s exactly where it is. Come on, buddy, let’s get out of here before we’re all monster chow.” He pointed to the big volcano in the distance.

  Brian’s form was still somewhat tangible, though his skin was taking on a translucent effect, like he was a fading photograph. He rode on the back of the velociraptor with TJ, and Joe was impressed by the raptor’s surprising strength and speed.

  They faced a few skirmishes on the way back with low-level monsters, but nothing they couldn’t handle with a combination of their weapons and Dawn’s fiery distractions. Nick’s Beast Tamer abilities took the fight out of a pack of low-level hunting dogs that looked like Komodo dragons. Their poison fangs and claws were ready to tear flesh from bone, but Nick’s influence turned them into harmless pups.

  “I filled their heads with visions of a nest of giant ostrich eggs.” Nick had grinned as the creatures scampered off to find their imagined feast.

  By the time they returned to the entrance of the common room, Brian looked agitated.

  “I have to find my… my… what was I looking for again?” He landed hard on his feet, grayer than before, his skin almost translucent, the barren surroundings visible through him. He began to wander off again.

  TJ rushed after him, gently guiding him by the arm. “You’re looking for your vape pen, remember? It’s in there.” He pointed to the common room entrance. “You look tired—rest on that boulder, and I’ll go get it for you.”

  Brian nodded and leaned against the boulder, but several seconds later, he stroked his goatee and began to move again. “Where did I put it…”

  Once again, TJ guided him back, his voice kind and soothing—almost uncharacteristic of TJ. But then he snapped his gaze to Joe, his tone turning harsh. “This is useless. He can’t remember anything. Maybe we should use your paracord and tie him to this damn rock.”

  “I’ve got an easier solution,” Dawn said, her voice calm but determined. “He’ll eventually break free from the paracord, but I can bind him here with a suggestion. I’ve got this level one skill that’s been pretty useless until now, but since Brian’s nearing hollow, his willpower is fading. I’m hoping he’ll be open to suggestion and give me a chance to level up the skill.”

  “Is it some kind of mind magic?” TJ asked, his tone laced with concern. “That could really mess things up—he’s already in bad shape.”

  “Do we have a choice?” Dawn shot back, not missing a beat. “It’s called Gnawing Doubt.”

  “Gnawing?” TJ echoed, eyebrows shooting up. “That name is already screaming red flags. What’s left of Brian’s brain isn’t gonna get chewed up by your skill. He’s not your lab rat.”

  “I’ve used it before, okay?” Dawn said, a hint of defensiveness creeping in. “It didn’t do any harm… and it didn’t work, either.”

  TJ crossed his arms, still not convinced. “On who? You better not say me.”

  Dawn’s lips curled into a sly grin. “Please, that would’ve been too easy. No, I tried it on Lucky.”

  “What the hell, Dawn? Lucky’s a friend!” TJ growled, glaring at her.

  Joe, sensing the tension, placed a calming hand on TJ’s shoulder. “Relax, man. Let her explain.”

  TJ nodded, though he still looked like he’d rather argue.

  “Don’t judge me, TJ.” Dawn locked eyes with him. “It was the lesser of two evils. I thought I could loosen the thrall Andras has on him, but his charisma is off the charts—and so is Lucky’s loyalty, misguided as it is.” She squared her shoulders, not backing down.

  TJ exhaled, backing off a bit, but his eyes still held a trace of suspicion.

  Dawn didn’t waste the moment. She stepped forward and gently placed a hand on Brian’s forearm. “Hey, Brian, you’re looking for your vape pen, right? Remember?”

  The big guy’s eyes lit up, a flicker of recognition. “Yeah, my vape pen,” he said, patting his pockets, a frown creasing his brow. “I thought I put it in my pocket, but it’s not here.”

  “No, you definitely didn’t put it in your pocket.” Dawn held her voice steady. “You told me you’re going to wait right here by this boulder and not move a muscle until we return with your pen.”

  “What if something attacks him?” TJ and Dawn blurted out at the same time, the concern obvious.

  Joe’s tone softened, but he kept it real. “He’s on his way to becoming hollow, TJ. Physical attacks won’t affect him anymore. His time’s gone, it’s headed for the immortal jackpot, so nothing can steal what’s not there. He’s not part of the system anymore, so monsters will simply ignore him.”

  Brian stared into the distance, his voice fading to a murmur, like he was talking to himself. “I’ll wait right here until they get back. I’m a man of my word. I’ll wait… that’s all I can do.”

  As Joe watched his friend struggle with the fading remnants of his former self, the word echoed in his mind. Ohana means family. And family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.