Luke and Milla spent some time healing the injured. A lot of the Integrated who'd come to their aid were in rough shape from their assault on the dwarven town, and the most recent battle didn’t help in that regard. Once they were done, it was time to head back to the outpost inside the mountain and then through the portal. Tired as he was, Luke considered attempting to mount a horse and ride back, but dismissed the idea almost right away. Exhausted as he was, chasing horses around wouldn't make for an enticing activity.

  As they crossed the field and headed back to the dirt road, and then continued into the forest, Curtis and Milla drifted back to Nymh. Soon after, it sounded like they were forgiven for leaving her and the rest of her party behind to attack the dwarf city by themselves. Perhaps Nymh's anger was somewhat sated by the fact that the two of them retrieved the Gem of Communication. Early in their walk back, Nymh approached Luke. She didn't demand to carry the gem, not exactly. More like, she left quite a few not-so-subtle hints that the DIA would consider the gem property of the US government. Luke played dumb. He would not give up the gem. After a while, she raised her hands in frustration and told him an agent would be in touch once they were all out of the dungeon.

  The Integrated hurried to the cave. Even while walking at a brisk pace, Luke and the others were able to regenerate mana and get a breather from all the strangeness and chaos.

  System Message: Dungeon closing in 40 minutes.

  Entering the cave after the time in the open fields came with a sense of claustrophobia and unease. The walls towered over them, dark and foreboding, and the uncomfortable sensation of being watched returned. A pit grew in Luke's stomach as they made it past the mining site with all the scaffolding and continued deeper into the tunnels.

  "The Deep Dweller," he muttered.

  Penny, who'd been walking in silence next to him, turned her head to face him without stopping. "What?"

  "It's still here."

  "You see it?" she asked.

  "No," he said. "But it's around. I think it's watching us."

  Penny brought out her gem and held it out in front of her. "Do you think it'll attack again?"

  "Yes," Luke said. He put Kent's quarterstaff into his inventory and brought out a gem, too. "It's like the gems attract it and keep it away at the same time."

  "Wish Hannah was here," Penny said.

  "If the demon of darkness rears its ugly head, we will see it cut off," Mateo said, walking up behind them, but even he sounded ragged, and his movements lacked the fluid grace he carried himself with under normal circumstances.

  "Let's just try to get out of here alive," Luke said. Their party was small now. Milla and Curtis had returned to Nymh's party, and Emma and Abraham left after the battle on the field, saying they wanted a little less action for the rest of their time in the dungeon, whatever that meant. With Hannah and Liza already having exited through the portal, and Nate, well... that just left Luke, Penny, and Mateo.

  "Agreed," Penny said. "We're almost there."

  System Message: Dungeon closing in 30 minutes.

  The tunnel opened up, showing the outpost in the near distance. Luke half-expected to see it overrun with red-eyed dwarves, and was glad to see it deserted. No dwarves, no humans, and no Integrated.

  Nymh: "The remaining Integrated who did not follow me have returned to Earth. We have personnel by the portal to ensure safe passage and to discourage any lingering dwarven presence from attacking again."

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  Luke looked at Nymh's back, where she trudged up ahead, surrounded not just by her party, but almost every other Integrated still in the dungeon.

  Luke: "Do they have gems?"

  Nymh: "Who?"

  Luke: "The guards."

  Nymh looked over her shoulder, and Luke saw the question on her face.

  Luke: "The Deep Dweller is coming. I can feel it in my gut."

  Nymh: "They have one gem for communicating with me and the outside."

  Luke: "Just one?"

  Nymh: "The gems are a limited resource."

  Luke: "Can you reach them?"

  Nymh: "Hold on."

  Nymh: "...No."

  "Shit," Luke said, looking into the darkness at the far, far back of the cavern, where the portal waited for them. "It's already here."

  "Where?" Mateo asked, removing his spear from his inventory.

  Luke pointed. "See the glow of the portal far in the distance?"

  "No," Penny said, squinting. "Can't see it."

  "The glow should be visible from here," Luke said.

  Penny stopped, clenched her fists at her sides, then stomped one sneaker-clad foot into the ground. "Dammit! Why can't we ever catch a break?" She raised her hands, palms to her face, then turned them over to show Luke. "You can't see it, but I feel like I'm all frayed and used up from casting all those spells, even if my mana has regenerated."

  "I know how you feel," Luke said. "We need rest, but with the timer, we're not getting it just yet."

  "Once more into the fray, dear friends," Mateo said, a tired grin on his face. "Una vez más a la contienda, a la última buena pelea que conoceré. Vivir y morir este día. Vivir y morir este día."

  "Slow down, Mateo. You're talking too fast. Couldn't follow that," Penny said.

  "It is from my favorite movie. Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day."

  "That's pretty bleak," Luke said.

  This time, Mateo's smile reached his eyes despite his tiredness. "No! It is a message of inspiration! Of grit! Liam Neeson is an acting genius!"

  "I liked him in Derry Girls," Luke said, thankful to just get a brief moment of normalcy. "He also voiced the monster in A Monster Calls, which was great, even if the book was better."

  They both looked at Penny, who squirmed a little. "I don't know who Liam Neeson is."

  "Today's youth is in ruin," Luke said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

  Mateo put a hand on Penny's shoulder. "I forgive you, my friend."

  Nymh and the others had stopped once they reached the outpost.

  System Message: Dungeon closing in 20 minutes.

  Nymh: "I can't reach the guards by the portal, and when the DIA sent an agent in to investigate, they lost contact with them as well. At this point, we must expect the worst."

  Milla: "It was afraid of fire."

  Nymh: "Explain."

  Milla: "When the dragon cast that huge fire spell, the Deep Dweller ran away like a little bitch."

  Luke and the others caught up to the larger group at that point, just as Nymh addressed them all.

  "Do we have a mage capable of casting fire spells?" she asked.

  No one spoke up.

  Nymh turned to a short woman in her late thirties, who wore her hair in a tall faux-hawk colored a deep purple. She wore a black band T-shirt, black skinny jeans, and black Converse shoes on her feet, with a whole lot of black and purple piercings in her ears and face.

  Delilah. Woechanter. Level 11.

  "What about you?" Nymh asked. "You're a spellcaster, aren't you?"

  Delilah glared up at Nymh as if she'd just been insulted. "Not those sorts of spells."

  "I have bombs. They make fire. Sort of," Abraham suggested, his eyes shifting back and forth. "I mean, we are in a hurry here."

  "No," Nymh said. She turned in a circle to get a good look at everyone, trying to pick out the ones who looked like mages.

  As she interrogated them, Luke turned to Penny. "Can you use scrolls?"

  "I tried it once with a scroll I got in the Tutorial Dungeon, but it didn't work. The message said something about me not being an actual mage, just in tune with the weather or something like that."

  "That's too bad, but maybe someone else can use it."

  Luke withdrew the Scroll of Raging Inferno and held it over his head so everyone could get a good look. "This is a scroll for the spell that chased the Deep Dweller away. Do we have anyone here who can use scrolls?"

  After a moment of silence, Delilah raised her hand with a grunt. "I can use scrolls."

  He handed it over to her. "If this isn't single-use, I'll want it back after. Can you use it?"

  "Umm," Delilah began, her eyes widening as she accepted the scroll. "No, I don't think so."

  "And why is that?" Nymh asked, her voice stern.

  "Technically, I can use it, but it would kill me."

  Nymh raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

  "Because I'm not a level ten million dragon," Delilah said, waving the scroll in the air. "This fucking thing needs more mana than I have. It would blow me out like a goddamn under-powered amp."

  "Oh," Nymh said.

  "What if you had more mana?" Luke asked.

  "But I don't."

  He grinned. "Let's say you had an almost endless amount."

  System Message: Dungeon closing in 15 minutes.