19. Lightning Kraken

His heart was thumping wild, his head throbbing with the heat of the fight, but he flowed with it. He didn't let it get to him. Fight wasn't over. Even now the Kraken was reeling back, trying to pull away—but he was one step ahead. While his left Chain cut off a tentacle, his right wrapped around the base of another.

He had less than a quarter of his health left. Reina was pouring in all the healing she could, but she looked pale, sweating hard; she was closely tapped out. If that thing got another tentacle on him, it was over.

Neat thing was, he had physics on his side now.

You could balance pretty well on four limbs. You could balance decently well on three. But Zane had one limb clamped tight—which left the Kraken with only two.

So when it tried throwing a lightning lash at him, he didn't even bother dodging. He just shoved with his chains, and it went careening off balance; the lash went wide, sizzling a steaming black line into the wall.

He called the Laws of Ignition to the edges of his chains, and commanded them to burn.

It flailed like a dying insect. But whenever it tried lashing at him, he just should knocked it hard off balance and kept on burning.

Still, just standing in his presence hurt. Literally. That electric field kept grinding him down, shooting painful jolts of electricity through his body. It felt like getting hundreds of the worst static shocks he'd ever, over and over. Soon—

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘: ℂ𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙!

𝕊𝕒𝕧𝕒𝕘𝕖 𝔹𝕠𝕕𝕪 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕!

𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝟝𝟘%

𝕍𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝟝𝟘%

𝕊𝕡𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝟝𝟘%

He was just wondering if he should let go, if he should start getting worried, when something warm hit him in the back.

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕪 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕠𝕦𝕔𝕙!

ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝟚𝟘%

Just in time.

So long as Reina kept fending off that electric effect, he had this.

Another arm fell. Already, he was working on the third. The Kraken was really thrashing now, getting desperate, and that familiar heat ran hotter in his chest, lighting his face, making him smile.

He doubted he could've done this on his own. Hit for hit, that thing would have fried him. He still strongly preferred taking things solo. Simpler, easier, more fun.

But for bosses outside his range like this one, maybe a competent teammate wasn't so bad—every once in a while. Reina did exactly what she needed to do, at exactly the right time, every time. He'd trained with fighters. He'd seen how often they froze up, second-guessed themselves, made dumb mistakes. It was rare to find someone who just got it done, someone he could trust.

The Kraken must have sensed the end, because its next shot was aimed so wide he didn't even bother blocking it.

It took him about a half second to realize that wasn't an accident.

And in that half second, the Lash went straight for Reina. Zane's heart sank.

She cried out, throwing up a shield. It lasted just a moment—

—Just enough time for Zane to get there, and throw his body in front of the Lash.

He went down hard; his world went black for a second; dimly, he felt himself spasming, hissing.

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘: ℂ𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕝 𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙!

Come on, he screamed at himself, come on!

He had to get it off him. With the last of his will he wrenched his Chains down and smashed the cable from his body.

"Oh my God," breathed Reina. He dimly registered you as shaking him. "No, no! Get up, c'mon. Get up, you can do this!"

Panting, groaning, he propped himself up to an elbow.

He could see a flash out of the corner of his eye—another Lightning Lash, but this time he had two chains back, and he sent it careening into the wall.

"Fuck," he groaned, and got up to his knee.

"Okay," he rasped, "It has just two tentacles left. It can't move and throw at the same time. I have two Chains too. So long as I play defense, I can keep us safe. I can recover. Just stay put."

She nodded, and he focused on breathing and clearing that horrible buzzing feeling out of his arms, his legs, his head. Every few seconds, he would shiver with a phantom shock. The cracking kept throwing, but he was right—he could fend it off like this.

He felt Reina staring at him.

"What?" he said.

"You came back for me," she said softly. "You… saved me."

"Yeah," he grunted, still tracking the Kraken's limbs.

A terse silence.

"You said you wouldn't," she said. She was wide-eyed. "You could've finished it off if you didn't. Why—"

"I don't know. Dumb decision. I regret it already. Shut up, heal me, and let me focus on tracking this thing."

She did, thankfully. Soon she gathered enough essence to throw another spell on him.

𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕗𝕗𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕪 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕠𝕦𝕔𝕙!

ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕥𝕙 𝕚𝕟𝕔𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝟚𝟘%

It took another quarter of an hour of this strange stalemate until he was nearly full health again.

"Alright," he said. "I'm going for it. Stay behind me. If it shoots for you, I'll knock it off course. Got it?"

"Got it," said Reina.

They marched toward the Kraken. It wasn't so lightning quick now that it only had two legs to burst off of; it could barely balance itself. It tried lashing at him, at her, but he fended it off with careful precision. At last, he managed to wrap a chain around a tentacle, yanked it in, wrapped the other around the base. And the Kraken could do little more than watch as he burned off the limb.

The last tentacle came easiest of all. Then the Kraken was just a dead slab of wired steel. He wrapped all his chains around it, one by one, until he couldn't see a single glowing dial anymore. And set it all ablaze at once. The room went piercing white, so bright they had to shield their eyes. A hot blast matted their clothes to their bodies. Then—

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕂𝕣𝕒𝕜𝕖𝕟 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕤𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕟!

𝕆𝕓𝕛𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕥: 𝟚/𝟚

𝔼-𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝔻𝕦𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕠𝕟 𝕀𝕣𝕠𝕟 𝕃𝕒𝕓𝕪𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕙 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕔𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕕!

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

𝔼𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝 𝟛𝟟 -> 𝟛𝟠

𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕦𝕡!

ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕟 ℕ𝕠𝕠𝕤𝕖 𝕀 -> 𝕀𝕀

"Good work," he said to Reina.

"Mhm," she said. She seemed dazed, a little out of it.

***

When they climbed down, they were surrounded by what Zane started to think of as Reina's fan club. He realized you could split the warehouse workers into two distinct groups—one mostly of older men and women, who deferred to, respected, and listened to Reina, but didn't worship her.

Then there as another group—mostly young men—who seemed ready to drink her bathwater.

They were all very concerned with whether she was hurt. After that fussing was over, Zane said, "I plan on claiming this place for my faction. You're cool with that?"

"What faction?" said Reina.

Zane made a face. "I come from a group up north... I'm not really leader. But I am, kind of. It's hard to explain. Anyway, you're probably strong enough to survive on your own."

The snaring thickets people clearly needed help, but Rayna was probably the most competent person he'd met since he came here. They'd be fine under her.

"Just keep out of any E-ranked dungeons. You'll be good. You can stay on this land as long as you like. Or clear an F-rank dungeon of your own. For you, a weaker one shouldn't be too hard."

She shook her head. "I want to follow you."

Huh. "Why?"

"You're strong," she said, shrugging. "And… I like you. I think you have what it takes."

For some reason her lackeys seemed scandalized, but Zane couldn't argue with her logic. Sensible and direct—it seemed her style.

"Fair."

The others grumbled a little but where Reina went, they went.

***

They marched up north to claim the Beacon there. And with it, the dungeon chest dropped.

The chest looked like any other dungeon chest on the outside. But open it up, and the inside went much deeper. It had double the amount of essence stones an F-rank dungeon chest, at a ballpark glance. But there was something else there too—

It looked like a pomegranate, but so white it was almost clear.

𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝔽𝕣𝕦𝕚𝕥 (𝔽)

𝕄𝕒𝕘𝕟𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕖𝕤 𝕠𝕟𝕖'𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕒𝕨𝕤 𝕠𝕗 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕌𝕟𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖. ℙ𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕞𝕖𝕕𝕚𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕠𝕟 𝕒𝕟 𝕠𝕓𝕛𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕃𝕒𝕨 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥. 𝕄𝕠𝕤𝕥 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕄𝕚𝕟𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨𝕤. 𝔸𝕥 𝔽-𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕜 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥 𝕥𝕒𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕤 𝕤𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕘𝕝𝕪 𝕒𝕥 𝕄𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣, 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕚𝕤 𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕦𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕤𝕤 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕃𝕒𝕨𝕤 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝔼𝕝𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕝. 𝕊𝕥𝕚𝕝𝕝, 𝕚𝕥 𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕧𝕒𝕝𝕦𝕒𝕓𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕘𝕚𝕟𝕟𝕖𝕣.

So there's an Elemental after Major? And more than one rank above it? Huh.

"I'll pocket this one," he said.

That got some grumbles from the fan club. "Shouldn't we divide it among all of us? Isn't that fair?" said one.

Zane dropped the Fruit in his pocket. "If you want something," he said, "Earn it. I killed two bosses and freed all of you. What have you done?"

The man spluttered.

"By the way," said Zane casually, "This is the last time I justify myself to any of you. If you have a problem with that, get stronger. Make yourself matter. Make me pay attention. Like Reina here."

Reina blushed. No one else had anything to say to that. He was pretty sure he hadn't won many friends with that little statement. It was a good thing he'd recused himself from leadership. He had no interest in winning a popularity contest. Probably couldn't win one if he tried.

"All right," he said. "We're going north to meet up with the others. We'll have strength in numbers then, and they've got a head start making a settlement. We can join them."

He gestured. "We'll need to haul that chest with us."

They seemed reluctant to listen to him, but got on it when Reina commanded them.

For a bunch of people who've made their livelihoods hauling weight, they proved shockingly bad at moving the chest. Eventually, he had to snatch it with his Chains and lug it himself—he barely felt it. They looked at him like he was performing a miracle.

***

It was evening when Zane came back to the Luminous Forest Safe Zone. He found the start of a bustling town. When he was a kid, his science class had kept a do-it-yourself ant colony. They'd been very hands-off with it, but the ants started naturally making their own tunnels, building their own nests, and within a week, they'd carved out a whole civilization all on their own. This kind of felt like that.

You left them alone a day, and they got a row of basic stone huts set up, ranged in a square. Roofless, sure, but they were standing. And at the center, planks and scaffolding framed the idea of a town hall. Around it all were steel stakes driven into the ground where one might put up a fence. Nothing particularly impressive or complex, but it was a lot more than he'd expected.

Most of the people were huddled in the middle of the square of houses— the town square, he supposed—where a few of them had taken to being cooks. They must have traded in for the food at the beacon. They had slabs of meat and fish grilling over fires, fires burning atop the gnarled wood of the Forest. They weren't just meat and fish. As they got closer, he could see the essence steaming off them. Was all food traded from the Beacon rich with essence?

Most of them stood when they saw him coming. A few even saluted him. He waved them off. "Sit down," he said, "Keep eating, pretend I'm not even here—ah, right. These,"—he gestured behind him—"are more stragglers I picked up. We can spare some food, right?"

"Oh, hey, man! Welcome back! Sure—of course," said Cale, grinning, waving from around one of the fires.

Zane turned to Reina and the rest. "You hungry?"

***

There were just a few dozen of them spread out among the fires, eating slightly overcooked essence-soaked meat, mostly in silence. There was no laughter, really, but everywhere Zane looked, he saw calm faces. Relaxed faces. It must have been the first night in a week that any of them had truly felt safe.