Standing on his head again after teleporting wasn't quite as embarrassing as the first time. Or it wouldn't have been, if it hadn't been filmed. Giggling like a maniac, Hannah handed over her phone to show the video.

  "Ouch," he said, shaking his head. "Let's just delete that real quick."

  She snatched it back. "No way! This needs to be archived and stored for the ages. Once you become a world-famous healer, I'll need something to show the next generation of Lifeweavers your humble beginnings."

  "You have to leave some sort of legacy, I guess," Luke said, hanging his head down and massaging his neck. Being upside down like that had the ill effect of putting all his weight on it, which wasn't great.

  "Need some help with that neck?" Hannah asked. "I've got strong hands."

  "Thanks, but I've got it," Luke said, his mind drifting a little.

  There was something to the skill Luke wasn't getting. Activating it had made him shift through the weave, the same weave he saw each time he was near losing his mind due to exhaustion and lack of mana. Rather than allowing him to go somewhere, though, he just popped in and out in an instant, or not even out. It was difficult to explain, but it was like the skill failed to find where to go, so it sort of got confused and fizzled. That gave him an idea of something to try. If he could just...

  "Something is happening," Hannah said.

  Luke lost his train of thought and blinked, looking up at her. She pointed toward Nymh and Liza, and he frowned. "They're done?"

  "Looks that way."

  Both humans and dwarves were returning to their respective peoples. Nymh and Liza walked right next to one another, speaking and gesturing with intensity. After a while, it looked like both of them shook their heads, exasperated with each other.

  Liza: "OK, so... Nymh will address the larger group soon, but I wanted to talk to you guys separately. I think I'm only sending this to our party."

  Hannah: "How did it go?"

  Liza: "Hold on. Penny, can you repeat what I'm saying to Mateo? He doesn't have a gem."

  Penny: "Of course."

  Liza: "Great. It didn't go well."

  "Guess diplomacy didn't work this time," Luke told Hannah.

  Luke: "What happened?"

  Liza: "They don't trust us, which, you know, I don't blame them for."

  Luke: "The monsters don't trust us. No surprise there."

  Hannah shook her head and gave him a disappointed look.

  Hannah: "They might not be monsters."

  Liza: "Whatever they are, they think we're working with the other humans from the outpost."

  Penny: "We sort of are, aren't we?"

  Liza: "Kind of. They asked why we don't carry gem-tipped weapons. That seemed to confuse them, but I'm not sure why. Their accent is difficult to follow. When we asked about the communication gem, they accused us of stealing it and bringing doom upon their beards."

  Penny: "Their beards?"

  Liza: "They might have said beds, or maybe vats. Like I said, not the easiest accent to follow. Either way, they think we have the gem, that we stole it, and they asked why we've come to kill them when they'll die soon either way."

  "Shit..." Luke muttered. "Why are people in dungeons always so tricky?"

  "What?" Hannah asked.

  He gave her a look and winced. "Unless the dwarves are lying, the humans at the outpost have the gem."

  It took Hannah a moment to put the pieces together, then she mouthed, "Fuck."

  "Yup," Luke agreed.

  "This whole thing is bullshit?" she asked. "The gem is at the outpost?"

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Maybe."

  Luke: "The defenders at the outpost have the gem."

  Liza: "That's what I'm thinking too."

  Penny: "The dragon fight... All of it... For nothing?"

  Penny: "Hold on..."

  Penny: "...Mateo wants me to convey that glory lasts forever."

  Hannah: "So do we all leave and go back?"

  Liza: "That's the thing. Nymh doesn't trust them. She wants to attack that heavily fortified castle town thing and look for the gem. Some other party leaders agree with her. Most of them do, if I'm being honest."

  Luke: "That's stupid. Hannah told me about the Deep Dweller trying to get in here. That's obviously it."

  Liza: "Please enlighten us, oh big-brained healer."

  Luke winced.

  Luke: "Sorry. I didn't mean for it to come off like that."

  Hannah: "The big communication gem thing also keeps the Deep Dweller away. That's why the defenders use small, personal ones on their weapons to stay safe in the mines. They came in here not that long ago, somehow, and took the big gem. Now the dwarves have no way of protecting themselves against the Deep Dweller."

  Penny: "That's why they were attacking the outpost."

  Luke: "Yeah. Something like that."

  Penny: "Sneaky."

  Luke: "Right?"

  Liza: "So what do you think? I'm not comfortable making the decision of what to do just by myself. Let's put it to a vote. Attack the dwarves or go back?"

  Penny: "What about the Deep Dweller? It's still out there."

  Luke: "We have small gems. We'll just put them on our weapons."

  Hannah brought hers out and attempted to press it into a flat, rectangular piece of what looked like glossy black porcelain. She shook her head. "It doesn't work."

  "That's your weapon?" he asked, pointing to it.

  She gave the thing a thwack with her finger. "Something like that."

  "Cool," Luke said. "We can just hold them, I guess."

  Luke: "I vote we go back."

  Hannah: "Yeah, same."

  Penny: "Mateo and I agree."

  Liza: "It's settled then. Get ready to head back. Luke, you looted a bunch of dwarven corpses before for some reason. Did you find any more gems?"

  Luke: "To sell in the Integrated shop, of course. Hold on, let me check."

  Penny: "Gross."

  Luke: "Smart. Yep. Got five of them."

  Luke stood and searched the large group of people for Milla, but didn't see her. Instead, he sent a message to her and only her. He was getting a good grasp of how to use these little gems at this point.

  Luke: "Milla?"

  Milla: "Hey. Are you attacking the town? I don't like this."

  Luke: "No, we're going back. Come with us."

  Penny and Mateo broke away from everyone else and started walking across the field to where Luke and Hannah waited.

  Milla: "I can't just leave the others without a healer."

  Luke: "They won't go without you."

  Milla: "It might get me fired."

  Luke: "I'm pretty sure the DIA won't want their team committing dwarven mass murder for no reason. Not a good look for them."

  Milla: "Dammit... You're right. Fine, little brother, I'm coming."

  Nymh was speaking with the larger group at that point. Milla moved away from the group and caught an intense glare from her party leader, but no one stopped her. Perhaps Nymh was reasonable enough to know she couldn't force the issue. Luke spotted Curtis gazing after Milla, the large sword resting over his shoulder. The Reaver didn't look like he'd be going back into the mountain any time soon.

  Nymh: "We will need every able-bodied Integrated in the attack against the dwarven stronghold. To complete this dungeon and close the portal, and thereby ensure the safety of the citizens of Chicago, we must retrieve the Gem of Communication. No matter what you think, the gem could be in there. Trusting these dwarves over our fellow humans back at the outpost is foolish. For that reason, I must do this. Under the authority of the Department of Integrated Affairs, you are hereby ordered to comply under 18 U.S.C. §508, posse comitatus."

  So much for being reasonable.

  "Posse what-us?" Luke asked, shaking his head. "Does she really think that will work?"

  Hannah shook her head. "Can't be a real thing. Sounds made up."

  Penny and Mateo made it to them, and Liza followed close behind. Milla was glancing over her shoulder, but she hadn't stopped moving away from Nymh and everyone else. People over there were milling about, and if Luke wasn't mistaken, the activity up on the wall surrounding the dwarven town was increasing.

  "We're ignoring her, right?" Luke asked the others.

  Liza looked like she was weighing their options in her mind for a moment before she nodded. "Yes."

  "Sometimes the noble thing is to know when not to attack," Mateo said, his voice solemn.

  Milla hurried her steps a little and was out of breath when she arrived. Her face was a little pale, and she kept blinking a lot.

  "What?" Luke asked.

  "Nymh is," she looked over her shoulder again, toward her party leader. "Intense. Actually, crazy. She's crazy. Private messaging always brings out the worst in people."

  Luke glared down at Nymh in the distance. "What is she sending you?"

  "Since when did you become so protective of me, little brother?" she teased. "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine."

  "Uh-oh," Penny said.

  "What?" Hannah asked.

  Penny pointed. "The surly Guts-impersonator is heading over here."

  "You read manga?" Hannah asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

  "Oh, yeah," Penny said, crossing her arms. "Big time."

  "What do you think our new friend wants?" Mateo asked before raising a hand to wave to the approaching Reaver.

  "Me," Milla said, her voice weak. "Nymh sent him to get me."

  Liza took a step out in front of the group. "Well, he can't have you."

  Curtis trudged up to the group, let out a loud sigh, and gave each of them a look in turn, his gaze eventually settling on Milla. "Hey."

  "Hey," Milla answered.

  "Milla is coming with us," Liza said.

  "Yeah..." Curtis began, hefting his sword. "About that."