A snore came from the Baby Compy, who at some point had curled up next to my boot and passed out.

I planned to nap as well. At this point, I'd been up for too long, though at least I'd eaten some meat. I needed to eat a full meal, and soon. Nap first.

Lenna and I moved so we were back to back, so we both could get some rest. I would have bet she wanted to talk to the stars, while I wanted to get a hold of Noseen if I could.

The cool breeze felt amazing on my face, and I relaxed as much as possible.

"Such a strange world you're on," said Noseen.

I sat up, finding myself still in the boat, but with a giant mosquito sitting next to me.

"You have been busy, squishy one." The many eyes peered into my soul as images flashed before me. "What exact skill did you gain?"

"I got a System Enforcer title, and the skill Bounty Tracking, which did a few merges with things."

"The system does things like that when the balance is broken. These Forgers are more of a problem than I initially thought." He suddenly vanished, and then appeared in his vampire form as I thought of it. Though, his eyes always freaked me out.

"I need to ask you about stats. What happens if the gap between them is huge?"

His eyes narrowed. "Explain."

I gave him a quick overview of my Fortitude stat, and an idea of what I gained with my class and profession advances.

"That is a problem," he said in his serious voice. No buzzing in the slightest. "Your Intelligence and Fortitude will grow exponentially compared to your others, and that will influence the types of skills you get in the future. Less based on your spear, which you like, and more based on mana. Your current growth pathway, what you seem to be wanting to do, is based on Quickness and Flexibility. Dodging, sneak attacks, not getting hit… but mana-based skills are not about that at all. And your stats are going to push you that way, whether or not you want them to."

He went quiet, and I waited while trying to think of a way to solve the problem without stopping my growth.

"What magic does that world have?" he asked after a couple of seconds.

"Runes. I have one tattooed on me to give me an impression of someone's truthfulness."

"Find a master at it, and get some that will reinforce your fighting style." He nodded slowly. "Otherwise, you'll find your path changing to go down one based on auras instead of direct attacks."

"Auras, you mean like the dread worm?" My mind went back to how it felt resisting the aura.

"Yes." His dark eyes stared at me.

"I don't want that type of growth." At least, I didn't think I did. I liked sneaking and stabbing things. As a clutch, when other abilities didn't work, it was fine. "Not at all."

He chuckled softly. "Even if it makes you less squishy?"

"Yes." I didn't want to take away someone's free will. Yet, if I needed to save my skin, that might be a different story. Rule zero - don't die. I'd used it on Catherine since she'd needed to die, and I couldn't take more damage at that point.

"Then figure out a different way. You are a smart little devourer, after all."

I let out a deep sigh and nodded. "How are things at Lakeside?"

As soon as the question left my mouth, the dream dissolved. I almost growled with frustration but resisted.

The dark purple sky glowed overhead as I awoke, letting out a sigh. Finding a master rune worker shouldn't be too hard, if Sile knew someone. Lenna still rested, and Kabi slumped over on himself with his eyes closed. Only Geto and Sile were still awake.

"Sile," I whispered, drawing his attention. "How do I find someone to give me more runes?"

"You can find rune workers in various places in the dungeon, if you know where to look." He smiled.

"Can you show me?" I asked with a worried glance. "I need to get some work done to support my fighting style."

Sile's eyes narrowed. "Your levels are low enough, you shouldn't be worried about runes just yet. Warriors don't normally get them until level 100. Kabi only has them because of his brother."

I didn't want to say that Noseen had recommended it, since Sile wouldn't have a clue who the guy was. Or that he knew what he was talking about. I double-checked Sile's information.

[Sile, Spy Master, Level 198, Predator, Unknown.]

I paused at the information, knowing that wasn't what Insight had shown before. It had said he was a skirmisher, and only around level 120. Somehow, I perceived the lie, and these were his true level and class. All I could come up with was my Fortitude and Intelligence coming into play.

"Let me just say that someone beyond your impending rank-up recommended it."

His eyes narrowed, and he reached out to my hand, drawing several quick lines on the back of it that I couldn't see. Yet, I could feel him sketching the rune.

His voice whispered inside my head. "What do you see when you look at me?"

"You are almost at your rank-up, two levels to go. What's holding you back?"

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"That isn't your concern, but how did you see past the mirage?"

"My stats are a little out of sorts, and I need some runes to help balance things out. If you make an oath, I will tell you everything."

"I give you my oath to not repeat in any way, or any form, what you tell me about your class, stats, and skills, as long as you do the same."

I wasn't sure why he wanted me to do the same, but it was only fair.

"I agree."

[You have entered into an oath-binding agreement with Sile.]

I spent the next several moments explaining my stat gains, and how out of whack my stats were, without giving exact numbers. He didn't comment that my stats had different names.

He stared out over the water as the boat continued on its way in silence for several seconds.

"Who recommended a rune master?" he asked.

"A Rank Five friend."

Again he paused, staring over the water before nodding to himself.

"I can give you a few runes to help with reinforcing your fighting style, but they will take time to do properly. They are complex, and require a lot of energy investment in their creation."

This time, I paused.

"So you are a rune user?" I asked, slowly.

"I'm almost a master, but I've held off on my ranking up."

"Why?"

"When you get closer to Rank 3, you will understand. Everything will change as soon as I cross that line. My class and profession will either merge, or I will have to pick one to continue with."

"I bet you don't want to be a spy master if this war is going to end."

Sile chuckled, but didn't respond immediately.

"The speaking rune will wear off within a few moments," he added.

"Okay, I appreciate your help."

"As I appreciate yours.

"I'd recommend that any extra stat points you have, you put into Constitution and Strength." He frowned. "While a few runes will help, you will need to train and focus on gaining more of those stats, if possible. You aren't going to be able to forget about this, or it will get worse."

My mind went to the fact that when I devoured something, the potential existed to gain stats. Yet, I'd always focused on skills. Now it felt like I'd need to go stat hunting. Excitement raced through me at the thought. That was a potential path I hadn't focused on yet. I didn't know how to do it, but it gave me a second solution.

I stared at the stars, thinking about everything this world had to offer. I couldn't wait to get back to the dungeon and eat more noodles. Not to mention the hot bath. All amazing little treats that made all of this more than worth it.

Plus, now I had some credits to spend. I needed to find something to bring back to my family members, and to Abby, since I'd dropped her into the leader position without much thought.

Kabi sat up after a few moments.

"Did you get some rest?" I asked quietly, not wanting to wake Lenna.

"Rest is good." He frowned. "Just wondering about my parents."

"You know they're fine, and tearing through the enemy, right?"

Kabi opened his mouth, but then closed it, nodding only slightly.

"We can keep an eye out for them during the next surge," added Sile. "Anyone fighting for our world is welcome in our ranks."

The Compy near my foot woke up as I shifted my weight and moved my boot. She chirped sleepily, almost like she was agreeing with the older Azurafolk. Lenna jerked awake at the sound, glancing around before her eyes landed on the baby Compy.

"Well, maybe those with a few more levels then the little one," Sile added.

"They won't be that low for long," added Lenna. "They grow so fast, as long as they can get enough to eat. Given it was born here, I bet level 50 is its baseline."

She glanced up at Kabi. "Is that how beasts work here?"

"Yes, they're babies until level 50. They grow, usually pretty fast, until they hit 50, then they are like any other beast that levels with hunting."

The baby Compy blinked a few times, then lunged at my boot as I moved it again. I smirked as its teeth couldn't get a grip.

"You know, you could offer that egg you have," added Lenna, trying to be sly.

I let the little one play with my boot for a moment.

"I don't know if I should bond with them. I kinda hoped for a flier, to be honest."

"Bond with?" asked Kabi, with a very confused look.

"On my world, you can bond with a creature, depending on your class and race. My people bond with beasts, growing together in peace."

Sile listened in with interest, while Kabi shook his head slowly.

"That is a very different way of living. I wouldn't want to bond with any of our creatures."

"Do any of them become civilized?" I asked, thinking of Grizzle and Dengu.

"Not generally," answered Sile. "Only those closer to some of the cities."

Kabi shivered. "A Harvester becoming civilized is a terrifying idea."

"The creatures on Lenna's world that go that route all seem very nice." I couldn't think of a civilized beast that had tried to eat me, except for that one time Grizzle snuck up on me, but that was before we spoke. After that, he chilled out and became friendly.

"I'd like to see a world like that someday," said Kabi. "Maybe one of the megacities, but not until the Forgers are gone."

"The megacities are very crowded," said Sile, shaking his head. "I didn't find it exciting, except for the goods. They sell things from so many other worlds. My place is here for now. After they are gone, there are many places to explore."

"I want to see all the other worlds," said Lenna with a bright smile, staring up at the stars. "Dengu and I planned to travel to different worlds as we leveled, since my world is only of Rank One."

"Seeing the stars could be fun," I agreed. "And all of the foods."

My stomach even grumbled, which made me want to roll my eyes.

Sile tossed a small round object at me, and I caught it carefully.

"It's a fruit called a Beco," he said.

The small object reminded me of an orange in shape, but with the texture of an apple. Plus, in the dim light, it appeared to be a dark green in color. I took a bite, crunching through the thin skin and tasting a sour-sweet flavor. My eyes widened at the taste, and I quickly finished it.

He tossed one to Lenna as well.

"Now, that is tasty," I added once nothing remained in my hands.

Lenna only took a bite, and her eyes squinted before she handed it over to me. "You do like the strangest things."

"The sour and sweet mixed well!" I argued.

"Not for me." Lenna chuckled, then froze mid-laugh, and the hair rose on the back of my neck.

Everyone snapped to attention, all focused on her, even the little Compy.

"He's coming…"

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