The next Gate after Earth was also a disappointment. No mana or tech level, so we just crossed it for the count and kept going. None of us wanted another assault with the contents of a chamberpot. The trip to reach it took almost four weeks, with several dungeons along the way and three hailstorms that each lasted between three to five days. One storm caught us just as we landed to clear a couple of dungeons the wind had pointed out, so we first had to wait out the murder balls before clearing the dungeon. None of us wanted ice balls five centimeters in diameter falling on our heads.

During that time, Mahya managed to convince me to join them for the clears, "for old times' sake." That made me laugh since the times were not that old, but I agreed. Of course, I first got an oath from her that she wouldn't attack us with glitter after the clear. The damn stuff was still showing up in my house in unexpected places. For example, how the hell did it get into my bed?

At some point, we got so fed up with it that we actually cleaned the house the normal way, with water and everything. The water we swept out with a squeegee (thank the Spirits for our shopping trip to spend the casino money) was full of glittering particles, and it still didn't help. Rue was still a shining disco ball, and so were our behinds after sitting on the furniture. It became such a common occurrence that Mahya even stopped making a guilty face whenever one of us commented on it. Rue also stopped stepping on her foot at every opportunity. He resigned himself to the curse, same as we did.

The dungeons were boring and easy, sort of. One had a tree-climbing snake that tried to drop on our heads. Tried being the operative word. Al handled most of them with his spells, usually freezing them before cutting off their heads. Rue tried to bite the head off one after Al froze it, but his tongue froze, and he complained about it for the rest of the dungeon. It was just like when we talked and ate at the same time. Even though he spoke telepathically, he still sounded like his tongue was frozen, which made us laugh for the rest of the dungeon.

"Bad fweeze spell. Rue not wike fweeze spells. Next time Aw fweeze snakes, Aw teww Rue be caweful. Rue's tongue fwozen. Rue not wike fwozen tongue…"

The next dungeon featured murder birds with beaks and throat sacks like pelicans, but their bodies looked more like oversized ostriches in green and red. The annoying creatures could also fly, despite their bulk, and made dive attacks at incredible speed. Mahya was the only one who could match them, while the rest of us dove out of the way, so we mostly let her handle them. That made her very happy, and she stayed in a good mood for the next week. Al and I exchanged a glance, and we didn't need words to agree to let her do most of the work in the dungeons. Of course, only within reason. I didn't care at all, but Al still wanted levels. His two near-death experiences in Tatob had shaken him to his core.

This dungeon also had an amazing variety of alchemical herbs, some of which were quite rare according to Al, so we didn't take the core. Mahya didn't protest, or even seem annoyed by it. Definitely should let her do most of the clearing. But, alas, no carnivorous plants for the alcohol solution.

Oh, well, you can't have everything.

The trip to the Gate after the boring one took only five days. It was closer, with just one dungeon on the way and no hailstorms. That lifted our mood and gave us hope that something good might be hiding behind it. Well, it was interesting—interesting in the spirit of the ancient Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."

Travelers Gate #259852364111 Destination: Quassior Status: Integrated Mana Level: 49 Magitech Level: High Threat Level: High

"I do not like the threat level," Al said.

"Why?" Mahya asked.

"In Tatob, the threat level was moderate-high, and it proved excessively dangerous. Here, the high level leaves me most uneasy."

"Yeah, but there it was because of the war. Otherwise, it was fine," I pointed out. "Well, except the huge bears and the suicidal worms, but we didn't have a problem circumventing them."

"Let's cross it and look. If it's too dangerous, we'll head to a different Gate," Mahya said.

Al thought for a moment and nodded.

On the other side, a war was raging. Six brown insects, shaped like elongated beetles the size of cows, clashed violently with a horde of green creatures. The green ones had the rough outline of humanoids, with arms, legs, and a head, with no fur or clothing, and they were clearly male. Each stood about thirty percent larger than an average human, their bodies hunched as they scuttled and lurched forward on all fours in sharp, jerky movements. There were at least fifty of them, and they fought with whatever they could find, swinging sticks and hurling stones at the beetles.

The battlefield was chaos. Around the main fight, black masses drifted and shifted, looking like lumps of raw energy given shape. They didn't choose sides; instead, they lashed out at anything that moved. One of them slid forward and enveloped a green fighter completely. The struggle lasted around a minute before the mass released its victim, leaving the body to collapse on the ground, limp and shriveled as if every last drop of life had been sucked out of it. Another one drained a beetle, but that one still looked the same, probably because of the chitin.

"I suggest we cross back," Al said telepathically.

"Relax," Mahya said. "They can't see us, and I want to understand what's going on here. To quote John, 'it doesn't make any sense.'"

"What doesn't?" I asked.

"Look around," Mahya said.

I did and got her point. We were in a relatively open area, with a few boulders scattered across the ground and trees scattered throughout the landscape. They were spread out enough that my view stretched for a few hundred meters in every direction before the hills blocked it. In this small area, which could not have been more than a couple of square kilometers, I counted two portals of doom and three mana portals. The mana portals pulsed faintly, their edges shimmering in the light. Two of them glowed in a dark burgundy so deep they looked almost black, and the third was entirely black.

The beetles managed to tear one of the energy beings to shreds, and it dissipated like a monster. However, the green corpses stayed where they had fallen, motionless on the ground without fading. The dead beetle also remained, its heavy body stretched across the dirt, and it too showed no sign of dissipating.

"Monsters and spawnies?" I asked.

"Looks like it, but it doesn't make sense with the mana level. Mana occurrences appear only from level 50 and higher, but this world is only 49, so I'm trying to understand what's going on," Mahya said.

"I believe I have the answer," Al said. "I read of it in my family's archives. This world is undergoing a mana level upgrade, and this place is one of the convergence points."

"A convergence point? What's that?" I asked.

"Never heard of it," Mahya said at the same time.

"I do not possess the full information. One of my ancestors once arrived in such a world, though he did not remain there for long. The only account I have is that the world he entered contained seven centers of high mana concentration, which facilitated the widespread creation of dungeons and mana aggregations. He also recorded that several Gates, once connected to different worlds, altered their destinations to lead into that one, much as occurs during world integration. When he first encountered that world, it was at level forty-nine, the same as this one. Later, however, when he encountered another Gate within the same cluster that led to that world, its level had already risen to fifty-six."

By that time, the greens had prevailed and defeated the beetles. Only five of them remained, and they looked badly beaten. They tore the beetles to pieces, pulled the cores from their bodies, and then ran off with the black blobs chasing after them.

"I suggest we leave," Al said.

"I like the Magitech level here," Mahya said.

"I'm curious about the upgrade process," I said.

"Yeah, that too," Mahya added.

"It is dangerous," Al said.

"Not if we're together and look out for each other," Mahya said.

Al sighed audibly. "Is there truly no means by which I might persuade you to leave?"

"If you're really against it, we'll go," I said. "You're part of the team, and your say counts the same as ours. But if it's not absolutely necessary for you, I'd rather stay and observe the process. I'm guessing it's not a common occurrence."

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Mahya hummed in agreement.

While we were negotiating, large red ants the size of dogs marched onto the field. They moved in steady lines, their mandibles clicking as they began dismantling the remains of the beetles and the green creatures. Piece by piece, they carried the bodies away with unsettling efficiency. We watched in silence as the ants stripped the area clean, leaving it to look as if nothing had ever happened.

"Ants work fast," Rue commented.

"So, are we going or staying?" Mahya asked.

"If you truly wish to remain, then we shall. Only promise me that if the danger grows too great, we will leave. I have no desire to find myself facing death again," Al said.

"Of course," I said.

"Don't worry," Mahya said. "I'll protect you with my life." Somehow, even her telepathic voice sounded impish.

The area was empty for now, so we hid behind one of the Gate anchors, and I channeled mana into the Map to make it visible. We were in a large section with a reddish undertone on the Map, about two-thirds of the way toward its center. Around it, there were town markers labeled "Eliminators Outpost #…" from 1 to 27. The closest one to us was Outpost no. 11. Some outposts had towns or maybe cities further away from the red area, but no. 11, as well as 10 and 12 on either side of it, didn't. The closest one with a town or city was no. 8, but the distance to it was almost twice as far.

"We should head to number eight," Mahya said.

"Why?" Al asked. "Eleven is much closer."

"The Magitech level. I don't think the outposts will have the Magitech guild, or whatever it's called here."

"Should we not first acquaint ourselves with the area before venturing farther?" Al asked.

"It doesn't really matter," I said. "We can fly, so the distance isn't much of a problem."

"It is a problem," Al said. "Look up."

"Shh!" Mahya said, then switched to telepathy. "Listen."

There was an unexplained sound coming from our left. It was a loud buzzing with occasional clunking. I peeked from behind the Gate anchor but didn't see anything yet. Looking up, though, I saw plenty. Large flying creatures circled and fought in the sky. A flock of oversized ravens, or maybe some other kind of black birds, battled with two relatively small wyverns in bright green. The flying lizards spat small fireballs from their mouths. Not a stream of dragon breath, but quick bursts of fireballs that shot with the speed of a machine gun. The black birds dodged them and struck back with claws and beaks. One fell close enough that I could see it dissipate. Another type of monster.

The source of the noise came into view—it was an odd-looking vehicle. Its body was shaped like a short centipede, made up of six bulky segments linked together. Each segment rolled on its own set of caterpillar tracks, the metal links biting into the ground with long, sharp points that churned up dirt and stone as they moved. The buzzing had to be the motor, but the heavier clunking came from the segments themselves as they shifted and smacked against each other while the machine crawled over the uneven terrain.

On top of each segment sat a person stationed behind a long barrel, their heads swiveling from side to side as they scanned the area. One of the barrels fired, spitting out a ball of red energy that streaked toward something out of my line of sight. Less than a second later, a loud, pained howl split the air, carrying across the field.

"Ooh, I like the gizmo," Mahya said.

"We should follow them," Al said. "They shall clear some of the dangers along our path."

Mahya sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"Why the gloom?" I asked her.

"They're heading to ten or eleven."

We ran after them. They were moving fast, but not fast enough to lose us. The centipede-vehicle rattled and clanked ahead, its barrels firing every so often. One shot blew apart a wolf-shaped beast that lunged from the treeline, leaving nothing but smoke where it had been. Another blast caught a giant insect crawling out of a burrow, flipping it onto its back with its legs twitching in the air.

The ground shifted as we went. First, there were thick clusters of trees, their branches crowding over the path. Then the trees thinned, opening into broad stretches of grass broken by patches of stone. A lake shimmered up ahead, the water rippling under the heavy rattling of the segmented machine. It skirted around the edge while we kept pace on foot.

Above, flying monsters tried their luck. Dark shapes swooped down, wings cutting through the wind, talons reaching for the men stationed behind the barrels. Each time, the barrels barked with another round of red energy, forcing the attackers to shriek and tumble from the sky before they could get close.

All along the way, dungeon portals and mana portals dotted the landscape. At first, the mana ones glowed a deep burgundy or black. The further we went, the more their color shifted, bleeding into lighter shades. Burgundy gave way to red, then orange, and finally a warm yellow glow that lit the ground in patches, almost like lanterns scattered across the plain. Between the portals, black dungeon openings appeared almost everywhere, giving the festive look of the portals a gloomier overall impression.

The vehicle rumbled over a hill, and on the other side, I caught the sound of shouting. The people riding it either didn't hear or chose to ignore it. I slowed down, and the rest of the gang blew past me.

"Wait," I sent to all of them.

"Why?" Mahya asked.

"I heard shouts, and it sounded like calls for help."

I looked around and made sure the only thing watching me was a strange furry orange creature perched on a tree. Then I let myself become visible, paid the mana for the language, and ran toward the shouts. By now, the shouts were mixed with faint popping sounds.

After about half a kilometer, we reached a group of five people. Two lay motionless on the ground, while the other three stood in front of them, firing desperately at creatures that looked like a nightmare cross between dogs and spiders—furry bodies, canine muzzles, and eight skittering legs. The three defenders didn't look much better off than the ones lying on the ground.

Even as we arrived, two more of the spider-dogs crawled out of a glowing orange mana portal, their legs clicking as they lunged toward the wounded. I hurled a Ranged Heal at each of the standing fighters and dropped to my knees beside the ones on the ground. Both were in bad shape, their arms and legs torn, strips of flesh and skin hanging by threads. One of them was even missing half his palm, the bone jutting through where fingers should have been.

I split my mind and pushed Healing Touch into each of them to stabilize their wounds. Behind me, Mahya, Al, and Rue charged into the fray, cutting down the new spawnies. The three exhausted defenders, realizing help had finally arrived, collapsed to the ground with wheezing breaths.

They tried to speak to me, their voices shaky, but I shook my head. I was still learning the language. Instead, I shut my eyes, trying to look as though I was focusing only on the healing, while inside I repeated to my language skill, come on, come on.

Once the ones on the ground were no longer standing at death's door and I'd picked up enough of the language to speak, I turned to the three who were still conscious.

"You wound need healing?" I asked.

The one in the middle pulled his hand away from his stomach, and a fresh stream of blood poured out between his fingers. I cast Healing Touch on him three times in quick succession, then went back to the two lying on the ground. For nearly ten minutes, I kept at it, shifting from one to the next until everyone was patched up. They still needed me to regrow the chunks of flesh they were missing, but aside from that, they were stable. When I was done, I stopped the Anesthesia and let them sleep it off for now.

By then, I had a solid grasp of the language, and the rest of the gang had finished clearing out the monsters. Occasionally, one or two more spider-dogs crawled out of the portal, but they didn't stand a chance with six fighters waiting for them.

The one on the left turned out to be a woman. I hadn't been able to tell before with all the armor and the helmet, but now she kept repeating, "Thank you. Thank you."

The big guy, who had nearly bled out from the stomach wound, pulled her into a hug, and she broke down crying against his chest. The third fighter got to his feet, walked over to her other side, and wrapped his arms around her, too. Her words changed then, her voice breaking as she kept saying, "It was my fault. It was my fault."

Both men tried to calm her, murmuring soft words while she sobbed between them.

After about two minutes, the big guy turned to me. "You're a healer, too. Tell her it's not her fault she ran out of mana."

I shifted closer, awkward with the language. "No… you fault," I said, pointing at her. "Me also… run out of mana. Lot times." I shrugged. "Happens."

Her gaze flicked to me, red-eyed and doubtful. "Yeah, but did you lose your mana potions?" she asked.

I shrugged again, spreading my hands. "You… lose on purpose?" The words came easier this time, less halting.

She raised her injured hand, two fingers gone, and held it out like proof. "No. A Skitterfang bit off the finger with the storage ring."

I leaned in, my voice steadier now. "So… how is it your fault? It monster fault."

She shot me the look, her voice rising. "Those are not monsters. They're Essenceborn."

"I know," I said, my speech flowing almost smoothly now. "But they look monsters to me. And you not answer my question. Is it really your fault, or the monster's? Or the Essenceborn's?"

She slumped and went back to repeating, "Thank you. Thank you."

Some people just needed to let it out.

Mahya and Al came over, while Rue patrolled in front of the mana occurrence portal.

"Need help reach outpost?" Mahya asked.

Al only gave a nod in greeting. I was sure his dignity wouldn't let him open his mouth until he could speak fluently.

The three of them looked down at their friends on the ground, then back at me.

"They're good," I said. "Sleeping from healing."

I shook the two sleeping beauties by the shoulders, adding a cast of Fortify Life Force to help them get on their feet. They groaned and blinked up at me, their eyes darting around in confusion. Both of them sat up quickly, hands patting at their bodies.

One of them grabbed his arm and stammered, "It… it was torn—how?"

Before I could answer, their friends rushed over and dropped to their knees beside them.

"You're safe," the big guy said, putting a steadying hand on his friend's shoulder. "He healed you. Both of you."

The woman who had been crying earlier leaned closer. "You were bleeding out. We thought we lost you."

The second injured man stared down at his chest, then at me. "But I… I felt my death. Everything went dark."

"You passed out," the third fighter said, pointing at me. "Then he showed up. He fixed you."

They thanked me again, this time all five of them, and went to collect the beast cores from the spawnies, or essenceborn, as they were called here. They even found the bitten-off storage ring inside one of the monsters. Yes, I know they are not technically monsters, but they are monsters nonetheless. When they were finished, we walked together for a few hundred meters until we came to a cluster of six large boulders with a narrow gap between them. Hidden there, almost completely out of sight, were their rides. They pulled out strange-looking motorcycles. At first glance, they reminded me of Earth bikes, with the same handlebars and double seat, but they were bulkier, with wider frames and a large square section at the back that looked like a trunk.

The strangest part wasn't the body of the machines but the wheels, or rather, the lack of them. Instead of wheels, each bike rested on oversized spheres made of dark, reinforced material, the size of Pilates balls, dotted with small, pointy protrusions to grip the ground better. The spheres rotated smoothly in every direction, giving a kind of movement that normal tires could never match. One of them drove the bike sideways! The design was ingenious.

We took out our own bikes and the ATV and followed them toward the outpost.

On the way, Mahya sent telepathically, "Ooh, I like those gizmos."

I was beginning to suspect that this sentence would end up being the soundtrack of this world visit.

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