The first thing to hit Joe was the smell. It reminded him of those seaside trips with granddad and Emma—the salty air, the hint of seaweed. There was something oddly comforting in that. Standing still, his boots sank into the sugar sand, nudging him to move.

  He looked both ways.

  The white beach endlessly stretched, and before them, a rolling green ocean framed by an impossibly blue sky. It was like stepping into a painting.

  Gulls, with wild yellow eyes, wheeled overhead, screeching like harpies. TJ already had his machete in hand, eyeing the birds like they were next on the menu. So far, the flying pests were keeping their distance.

  That was fine by Joe.

  Activating Quick Wit, Joe scanned the area. In the distance, a few dots moved about—ascenders and parties exploring like them.

  Rose planted her staff in the sand and gave it a little twirl, sending a refreshing mist their way. It wasn’t as bad as the jungle humidity, though. The lemon-yellow sun hung in the sky, giving off plenty of heat.

  Rose sighed, gazing out at the ocean, her green eyes reflecting the endless waves. “I’m so tempted to take off my boots. I always loved the feeling of warm sand between my toes.”

  “I’d give my right arm to go skinny dipping right now.” TJ adjusted his waistband. “These pants are starting to chafe my ass. Times like this, I miss my tough kobold scales.”

  Rose clapped her hands together, grinning. “Skinny dipping sounds fun. We should reward ourselves after we kill the boss on this level. It’d help wash off all the grime too.”

  Dawn shot him a dark look. “I’ll consider it a reward if TJ keeps Mr. Happy in his pants. No need to assault our eyes with that.”

  “Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, Dawn.” Rose winked.

  “Then you need glasses. And a new brain if you think swimming in a tower made from monster parts is safe.” Dawn pointed to a crooked, weather-worn sign post a little farther up the beach. “I compared Nick's last known location pin drop to the map.” She began stomping through the soft sand. Her boots sank with each step, making her stride almost comical.

  “Come on.” Joe hid his grin. “When we leave this tower, you can find somewhere safe to skinny dip to your heart’s content.” He motioned for the others to follow, his amusement barely contained as he trudged after her.

  Dawn stopped by the crooked sign and straightened it with a huff, planting her hands on her hips as she waited for the others. TJ was the last to catch up, his heavy footsteps driving deep craters into the sand.

  On the post, large arrows pointed in opposite directions. Joe read the signs aloud. "Craggy Bottom this way, Red Bamboo Lagoon that way."

  “Point me to the boss and let's go kick some ass.” TJ grinned, spinning his machete and whipping up the fine sand.

  Dawn waved the haze away, lips pressed tight. “Have you forgotten about Brian?”

  TJ shrugged. “Nah, I figured he’s making his way there with Nick and Luna’s help.”

  “Nick said Luna was missing.” Dawn frowned. “Forget about killing the boss until we find Brian and the others. The map shows red and green dots in Craggy Bottom, but the area around Red Bamboo Lagoon looks…murky. No sign of the boss there.”

  Joe leaned against the post. “Let’s follow their last pin drop and see where it leads.” The cooling mist Rose had summoned helped, but walking along a sun-drenched beach in clothes made for winter wasn’t exactly ideal.

  Above them, the seagulls fell silent. The breeze stopped. The hair on the back of Joe’s neck stood up, his instincts flaring. For a split second, he half-expected the tide to vanish, like the calm before a tsunami. But the sea remained peaceful.

  Something else caught his attention—a small dot on the golden horizon, like a smudge on the vibrant watercolor canvas.

  With Quick Wit active, Joe could see what the others couldn’t. His long, focused stare made Dawn frown in curiosity.

  “What is it?”

  The dot grew bigger, frighteningly fast. That could only mean one thing—something was hurtling toward them at terrifying speed.

  Joe’s heart jumped. “Something’s coming…fast.”

  A booming voice, sounding like it belonged to a kraken gargling mouthwash, blasted through the air: “INCOMING!”

  Joe’s eyes remained locked onto the dot as it morphed into a red blur streaking toward them.

  A sound followed—faint at first, a high-pitched “Sreeeeeeek!”

  Joe’s Quick Wit kicked in, and he dashed towards TJ, who was already scrambling to move, his feet sinking into the treacherous sand. The harder TJ fought, the worse it got. Even to Joe’s enhanced vision, the thing was still just a blur.

  “Duck and roll!” Joe shouted as the piercing cry turned into a deafening “SSSREEEAAACK!!”

  But it was too late.

  The red blur slammed into TJ’s head with a loud thwack, bouncing off and leaving a smoking crater in the sand. TJ sprawled out like a starfish, mouth wide open in shock.

  Joe and Dawn were at his side in an instant, with Rose not far behind.

  TJ blinked, his senses coming back as he rubbed the growing lump on his head.

  “Don’t move, you could have a concussion.” Dawn placed a firm hand on his shoulder. For once, TJ didn’t argue. His gaze, along with Joe’s, drifted to the crater about five paces away.

  “What just hit me? A meteor?” TJ groaned.

  Joe stepped over to the edge of the crater, jaw dropping as he peered down. At the bottom was a twitching mess—spindly legs as long as his own, attached to a jagged shell. The smell of fish guts hit him hard, making him gag.

  “What is it?” TJ called from behind.

  Joe swallowed back the bile. “Looks like a monster spider crab.” He’d seen enough of them on aquarium trips to recognize the prickly limbs. But this one was missing half its body, a gaping, oozing wound still sizzling and turning the sand to glass.

  The realization hit hard. “Damn thing got eaten…by something bigger.”

  TJ staggered to his feet, wobbling but curious, and placed a hand on Joe’s shoulder as he leaned in. “Looks tasty.” He reached out toward the twitching crab.

  Dawn slapped his hand away with a death glare. “Touch it, genius, and we’ll see what else it’s blood melts besides the sand.”

  “I’ve heard the saying 'raining cats and dogs,' but flying crabs? That’s a first.” Rose stared out to sea with a frown. “Whatever tossed that half-chewed crab at us is still out there.”

  Joe took a cautious step back as the spider crab screeched and spat furious bubbles, dragging its broken, battered limbs out of the crater, clearly still in the mood to fight.

  TJ spun his machete in one hand, muscles flexing as he drove the blade right between the crab’s beady eyes. The machete sank into the chitin shell with a satisfying crack. He pulled it free with a grunt, but the blade sizzled and smoked, crab blood traveling up the length of the machete like acid.

  “Son of a butt-nugget!” TJ cursed, shaking the blade, and Rose quickly doused it with a spray of water from her staff.

  By the time it was clean, TJ was still cursing up a storm, holding up the pockmarked machete. “If I could kill that damn crab again I would. BK deserves better than this!”

  Dawn nudged the crab’s body with her boot. “Be glad it wasn’t your face.” She flipped it over to examine the bite marks. “You can always use time currency to upgrade BK.”

  "What are you talking about? I didn't see that on my interface and Poppy never mentioned it."

  Dawn shrugged. "Maybe it's only accessible in the green zone then."

  Rose ran a finger along one of the blood rose thorns of her staff. "That's how I got an extra protectant coat on Gravenwood before I joined your faction. But I haven't tried to upgrade it since..." She shrugged, cutting herself off with a quick glance toward Joe.

  Everyone knew not much effort had been focused on rising to the green zone when Brian had been GORED. They truly were a team.

  Kicking the crab, Dawn broke the silence. "I’d be more concerned with whatever monster gnawed on that bloody crab and flung it far enough to reach us on shore.”

  “Was it that thing that shouted 'Incoming!' in a voice like someone gargling gravel?” TJ wiped his machete dry. “If it wanted us dead, why warn us?”

  Joe shrugged. “Maybe we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “Not me.” TJ grinned, patting his chest. “Got a sweet upgrade on my Defensive Weave. Chitin armor stat boost. Fifteen percent resistance, baby!”

  The crab’s body disintegrated into rainbow haze, leaving behind a small red core in the crater. Dawn gestured towards it. “That’s yours too, TJ. But keep your head on a swivel. My map’s lit up with activity from the sea. No skinny-dipping if you value your life.”

  “I’ll keep Quick Wit active.” Joe nodded. “And I’ve got mana pellets if I need to recharge. Let’s focus on finding Brian and Nick.”

  TJ downed a healing potion and lumbered forward, his massive frame slowed by the shifting sugar sand beneath his feet.

  They walked for about an hour before hitting a rocky outcrop that blocked their path stretching out to the sea. Waves crashed against the jagged barrier in rhythmic splashes, taunting them like a siren song.

  “We can either climb over or walk around it.” Joe scanned the rocks with a frown. “Neither option looks fun.”

  Dawn checked her map. “It’s about as high as a seven-foot wall. I say we climb over—no signs of any threats on land.”

  “What about the water?” Rose extended her staff toward the distant waves.

  “Nothing close by.” Dawn shrugged.

  “I could put up a water shield.” Rose raised her staff. “Hold the tide back while we walk around.”

  Joe shook his head. “If something’s lurking in the water, it’ll burst through that shield like it’s paper. I’m not getting dragged off by some overgrown tentacle monster.”

  “Great.” TJ cracked his knuckles. “Climbing it is.”

  Joe led the way, hopping from rock to rock, trying not to slip on the gull droppings splattered everywhere. “Whatever these gulls are eating, it’s a miracle it hasn’t killed them. The stench alone could kill a person.”

  Reaching the far side, the beach stretched further, scattered with moving rocks. Joe activated Quick Wit, eyes widened at the monsters crawling across the sands towards one point.

  “Brian and Nick. They’re swamped.” Joe pointed towards where the sand dune met the rocks.

  TJ tensed, ready to dash in, but Joe threw out an arm to stop him. Beneath his feet, the sand gave a faint but unsettling shudder, almost like something shifting deep below. Wet and compact, the sand seemed stable enough—but Joe’s instincts screamed otherwise.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “What the hell, man?” TJ yanked his arm free.

  Joe pointed to the pitted holes in the ground, then picked up a smooth rock and punted it toward the pockmarked sand. The ground exploded. A snake-like creature shot up, curling around the stone and snapping it in half before retreating beneath the surface.

  Dawn grimaced, stepping back. “So ugly, it makes a Graboid look cuddly.”

  Joe’s brain kicked into high gear as he scanned for a safe path to Brian, who was busy fending off half-dead crabs and humanoid jellyfish straight out of a comic book.

  Joe scanned the area for a safe path. “We need to stay off the compact sand. Follow me, step exactly where I step, or we’ll be worm chow.”

  He leapt to a patch of dry, loose sand. The others followed, bounding between rocks and safe spots until they were within reach of Brian and Nick. That’s when the worm struck—its tongue shooting out, coiling around Dawn’s ankle like a fleshy whip.

  TJ grabbed her by the waist, yanking her back to the rock just before she could be dragged under. Joe sliced through the tongue with his butterfly knife, the severed piece writhing like a dying eel. Dawn grabbed it, flung it in her inventory, and winked at Joe.

  “What are you gonna do with that?” Joe wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, thankful she didn’t respond.

  As they got closer, Brian caught their eye as he drove his boot into the gut of a jellyfish creature—a wobbling, half-human blob that looked like someone had set a melted mannequin on fire and tried to put it out with seawater. Its stomach burst in a revolting splash of goo, and Brian’s boot sank deeper into the mess, as though the thing were trying to drag him down into its gelatinous depths.

  The goo splattered across Nick’s back. He barely noticed as he sliced open a smaller jelly monster lunging at him.

  With a grunt, Brian leaned forward, body-slamming the blob and pinning it down with both hands.

  Nick pursed his lips in a low whistle, and, amazingly, one of the half-dead crabs responded, reviving with a twitch before bounding over. With a quick hand signal, Nick sent it forward like an attack hound. The crab lunged at the jelly monster, spiny legs puncturing the gooey flesh. Acidic blood poured over the writhing blob, melting it into a puddle of sludge.

  Seeing Brian was in need of aid, Nick grabbed the crab. He spun it around and launched it at Brian’s creature. The big guy ducked as the crab slammed into the blob gripping his boot, splattering acidic blood that dissolved the thing into a slimy puddle, finally freeing Brian’s leg.

  Joe and the others jumped into the melee, clearing out the surge of monsters. When the last creature dropped, Joe took a breath, wiping monster goo from his cheek, feeling the post-battle buzz settling in. That’s when Halcyon’s voice sounded in his head, laced with irritation.

  “I suppose congratulations are in order, but don’t go getting ideas of grandeur, chump.” Joe could practically feel Halcyon rolling his eyes. “A few more leagues before you’re anywhere close to the rank I had back in my prime. And you’d think these monster cores would have at least a hint of fire essence, but no—water essence everywhere. Delightful.”

  Ignoring the snarky dragon’s antics, Joe pulled up his notification. Sure enough, there it was:

  [Congratulations Ascender 50 you have reached Silver Rank Quantum Resonance Level 23.]

  The silvery glow of the notification felt damn good, even with Halcyon’s snarky commentary.

  “How about rejoining the orange hoodies?” With his trade window open, Joe extended his hand toward Brian, as he dodged the splattered jellyfish goo on the red hoodie.

  “That’s more like it.” Brian inhaled, rubbing his orange hoodie. His triumphant grin was wide enough to put the sun to shame, and Joe couldn’t help but grin back.

  “Glad you made it.” Brian scuffed his boots against a rock, to dislodge a stubborn glob of goo. The stuff clung tighter than a bad haircut.

  “Wouldn’t miss it for the world!” TJ hollered back with a grin. “Can’t let you hog all the fun and loot. We’ve got levels to gain too, right?”

  “What’s your level now?” Brian’s eyes gleamed with the challenge.

  TJ flashed a smug grin. “QRL 25. How’d you do?”

  Brian puffed out his chest. “Monster kill count is thirty-seven, thanks to Nick and Luna. Got a bonus for fastest kill streak on floor four.”

  “Nice! It’s no picnic out here. One almost got me.” TJ rubbed the back of his head.

  Brian’s expression darkened. “Consider yourself lucky. It’s a nasty way to go.” His tone suggested he knew from experience.

  TJ shook it off. “Yeah, flying crabs... half-eaten, half-dead, all deadly.” He delivered it like the tagline to some cheesy B-movie.

  Plan 9 from Crab Space.

  Joe chuckled, but Nick was still scanning the horizon. “I don’t know who—or what—flung them, but whatever you do, don’t catch crabs.” He didn’t break his stare from the sea.

  Brian nodded. “After I from...melting, Luna took off to figure out where they came from.”

  “She’s a curious one,” Rose said, a touch of admiration in her voice.

  “Curiosity killed the cat,” Dawn cut in, clearly less impressed than Rose.

  “Yeah, but information brought him back,” Rose teased, though Dawn’s look warned her against any philosophical debates on Schr?dinger’s cat.

  Before things could spiral down that path, Joe kicked a broken crab leg—a trail of acid sizzling against the sand. “So, what makes you think Luna’s missing?”

  Nick’s face dropped, guilt written all over it. “We should’ve stuck together. Luna promised she’d be quick—thirty minutes of scouting, no more, no less. My map had her tagged since we’re in the same party, but now the tag’s just... gone.”

  Dawn’s eyes widened. “You can tag people? I didn’t know that.”

  Nick shrugged. “Yeah, it’s a ranger skill I unlocked at Silver Rank QRL 30. You’re a paladin, right? Maybe yours will be something related to your god?”

  “Wish I was that level already,” Dawn grumbled, crossing her arms. “I don’t like being at the mercy of a god.”

  “You don’t have to be.” Brian twisted the gem on his storage ring. “I’ve got most of the ingredients for a pill I’ve been working on. It helps with leveling up when you’re right on the threshold of one level to the next. Not something I’d recommend before QRL 10, though. Got to build that solid foundation first—best way is still fighting monsters.”

  “Sounds like a breakthrough pill.” Joe thought of those cultivation novels. “What’s missing?”

  Brian tugged at his goatee, his eyes distant. “Something from the Red Bamboo Lagoon.”

  TJ clapped a hand on Brian’s back. “I’ll slash up a few monsters along the way there.”

  “That is if we go there first.” Dawn’s eyes glossed over as she checked her map. “Looks like nobody’s fought the titan yet. Ascenders are swarming to the Red Bamboo Lagoon, but there’s no titan there. Yet, they’re dying. That gives us even more reason to go toward the Craggy Bottom—we can get the loot from the titan.”

  “No titan in the lagoon, why are they dying?” Joe nicked the end of his hoodie cord with the blade of his knife.

  Dawn shrugged, her gaze shifting toward Joe. “Nothing is on the map, not even hollows.”

  “Incoming!” Nick raised his handax.

  TJ leapt, the glint of his machete disappearing as he slashed the half dead crab. “Nock it Brian.”

  Crab legs scattered through the air and Brian released a bolt, it cracked, splitting the crab shell in half. He sighed. “Thanks TJ. One more level and I’ll hit QRL 21.”

  “Nice hit.” Luna appeared from behind the brush, her clothes soaked.

  Nick narrowed his eyes. “What happened? Thought we lost you.”

  “It took me a while to find my way back through this overgrowth, but thanks to Lucky…” She gestured over her shoulder as the little ratfolk bobbed his head out from behind her, wearing a shy grin.

  “Ah, geesh, it was nothing.” He bowed, removing his jaunty little hat, revealing tufts of gray on his crown.

  “Nice hat, Lucky!” TJ patted his shoulder. “How much time did that thing set you back?”

  Lucky’s whole face lit up, practically beaming as he smoothed down his wiry gray tufts. “You like it? Made it myself with horsehoof mushrooms from the jungle on floor two.” He plopped the mushroom cap back on, proudly tipping his head. It hit Joe just how much older Lucky looked since he’d last seen him. As a ratfolk with a twenty-year life expectancy, every respawn aged Lucky fast. Meanwhile, Andras the dark elf, with his three-hundred-year span, could respawn a hundred times and barely look a day older.

  “That’s one fancy hat, Lucky.” Joe eyed the cap. “Thought we hadn’t seen you around because you were off risking your life doing Andras’ grunt work.”

  Lucky shrugged, the corners of his mouth twitching with a shy grin. “I like being helpful.”

  Dawn scoffed, crossing her arms. “You can be helpful without throwing yourself into the grinder. Andras has way more respawns than you. How many lives have you burned through, anyway?”

  Lucky’s brow creased as he looked off, like he hadn’t even considered it. “Huh… you know, I’m not sure. Been so busy fetching time crystals and running errands I never thought to check.”

  Joe tilted his head, giving him a look. “That’s not like you, Lucky. I thought you were the cautious type, always counting every little thing. Or have you forgotten that?”

  Lucky scratched his chin, looking puzzled. “I said that?” He laughed, but it sounded nervous. “Been so wrapped up helping out, I don’t even think about the risks anymore. Like when I saw Luna was lost—I knew I could help her find you, even without map access.”

  Luna’s face softened, a sad smile creeping in as she ran a hand down her braid. “Lucky, you’re amazing. I wish you’d just ditch that miserable excuse of an elf and join us.”

  TJ jabbed his thumb into Lucky’s arm. “Check how many respawns you’ve got left.”

  Lucky’s eyes glazed over, and he gave a little shiver. “That’s…strange. It’s not showing up. Maybe I gave access to Andras? He’s been minding my token.”

  Joe’s eyes narrowed. “Or maybe he’s using it. Just like he’s using you, Lucky. Andras only looks out for number one, and he’s got you wrapped around his finger. Think back to your last life—were you this trusting? Letting people take advantage of your kindness?”

  Lucky’s whiskers twitched, and he chewed his lip, clearly unsettled.

  Joe felt a pang of guilt for laying it out so bluntly, but he needed to plant the seed. Ratfolk in this tower, the ones assigned by the Lich, had this foggy past-life recall. Halcyon had once told Joe it was thanks to him that Joe remembered so much of his own past. But also, certain objects could help anchor those memories, like the picture of Ryan’s wife.

  Joe softened his tone. “Hey, didn’t mean to be harsh, Lucky. You got anything in your inventory from your past life?”

  Lucky’s shoulders sagged, and he shrugged as he checked. “Only stuff I picked up here. All related to the druid class.”

  “Back in induction, we all got to choose three items to bring with us, remember?”

  Lucky looked blank, a slow shake of his head confirming he didn’t.

  What the hell was going on here?

  Lucky’s tail curled between his legs. “I don’t remember who I was before. All I know is my name…Lucky.” His voice was thin, the look in his eyes growing more distressed by the second.

  “You got to mind yourself, Lucky.” Dawn’s brow creased. “Isn’t there anyone who can join you on these scouting missions? I’d say message us, but, well, communications are offline whenever our factions are hostile.”

  Joe’s gaze shifted to the ground, knowing full well who Andras hung out with. Otto, Taz, and the now outcast Fedelma were all self-serving murderhobos, and from the way Fedelma had treated Johnny in the battlebox, she clearly despised ratfolk. Joe doubted any of them would care enough to keep Lucky safe.

  “Want me to talk to Andras?” Joe rested a hand on Lucky’s shoulder. “Maybe get him to hand back your respawn token. You could join up with us, then.”

  Lucky’s eyes bulged, and he waved his hands in a frenzy. “No, no, that’s why I made this hat! Everyone’s busy, and I don’t wanna be a burden. Once this hat’s on, I’m protected from rot, poison, and toxins. Perfect for corrupted zones, and it calms nearby monsters when I combine it with my monster-tamer skill. It releases spores, and they last in a radius of…” He shrugged. “Well, some feet, I reckon.”

  TJ leaned over to Joe, lowering his voice. “The way he's panicking, it's as if you asked to insert a coconut up his ass.”

  Brian leaned down. “No doubt about it, Andras has a hold over Lucky.”

  Joe raised an eyebrow. “Seems a bit risky, having to get that close to the monsters for it to work. So, this calming effect—active or passive?”

  Lucky scratched his head, looking uncertain. “I, uh…don’t really know.”

  The whole setup reminded him of Pac-Man munching power pellets but with a trippy, psilocybin twist. He couldn’t say he was entirely convinced, and judging by the others’ faces, neither were they.

  Luna, though, put an arm around Lucky’s shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “It works, I’m telling you. Lucky saved my bacon. I decided to swim there to find out who was lobbing those crabs, and it was the meanest-looking octopus thug I’ve ever seen. Tentacled brute wasn’t alone, either.”

  Lucky nodded, his cheeks puffing up like a hamster as he took a dramatic breath. “Yeah, he keeps some nasty company. We got ambushed and had to stay beneath the waves, stirring up silt on the ocean floor with my tail just to lose them.”

  Luna chuckled, shaking her head. “Lucky’s great at finding things, but he’s even better at losing things that need to be lost—like those toothpick fish that were chasing us. And that octopus? Punched grouper fish and blue goatfish to get them to chase us.”

  “Toothpick fish are the worst.” Lucky shivered. “Death by one of those little monsters is painful enough. But if they get in your, uh waterworks…well, let’s just say they’re impossible to remove. Worst pain I’ve ever felt.”

  TJ grimaced, while Rose didn’t hide her concern. “If that’s how you died, Lucky, you might want to rethink the name.”

  Joe leaned in. “Look, I know rats are decent swimmers, but how’d you manage not to drown in all that?”

  Lucky’s eyes lit up, pride flooding his face. “As a druid, I got a spell called Sandy Cheeks. Earth-aligned, naturally. I just suck in a big old mouthful of sand, pack it in my cheeks, and it kicks in. It lets me hold my breath for a good ten minutes, no sweat. Plus, it keeps any nasties from sneaking in.” He tapped his cheeks with a grin. “Ain’t no water beastie getting past these Sandy Cheeks!”

  Nick exhaled, visibly relieved. “Glad you both made it back in one piece. So, it was the octopus chucking half-eaten crabs at us?”

  Luna nodded, her tone growing serious. “Weirdest thing. Before they spotted us, I saw the octopus and his fishy pals hunting spider crabs. He’d tear into them like he was starving, but every single time he’d spit them out, then rise to the surface and fling them toward the shore. Must not want the poisoned blood killing off his fish hunters.”

  Joe scratched his head, trying to put it all together. “So, we’ve got a crab-chucking octopus with a mean streak and a gang of aquatic thugs. And somehow, Lucky here’s the only one who managed to get out of this whole thing in one piece.”

  TJ clapped Lucky on the back with a laugh. “Well, brother, let’s hope those Sandy Cheeks keep you safe. Something tells me that octopus won’t be thrilled about us poking around his turf.”

  “I’m thrilled we’re all back together, but no one is getting off this floor if we don’t move.” Dawn’s eyes glazed over. “No change in the map…people dying both directions. My vote is slay the titan.”

  Rose shook her head. “We don’t want our names plastered on the wall of fame any more. I say let someone else claim that fame and we gather loot.”

  Brian nodded. “I need to collect ingredients at the Red Bamboo Lagoon. Plus, there might be something growing there we could use to help Ryan.”

  Lucky shook his head, his whiskers twitching. “Nothing’s going to help Ryan,...at least not this floor.”

  Swinging his machete, TJ grinned. “Then, I’m with Dawn, let’s ditch this floor fast.”

  Joe rubbed his temples as the group argued in the background. “Poppy, tell me there’s something better than flipping a coin for this floor.”

  “Yip-yip!” The kaiju’s avatar pranced across his vision. “This floor special: kill titan or finish puzzle. Your choice, Joe. You like puzzles—complete it and you open door.”

  He sighed. Poppy’s advice didn’t add much into the mix of suggestions, especially since she loved puzzles so much. As much as he hated being a mediator, he knew he had to take control or someone else from Andras’ faction would take more than what they needed.