As Ruby stepped over the boundary to the Stage 2 plateau, Cyrus spoke into my ear.

  “Welcome to the Watery Grave.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered, low enough that not even Ruby could hear through the cheering of the crowds as everyone crossed the boundary. I was exhausted and battered and lacked the energy to call Cyrus out on his heavy handed manipulation of my life. He’d forced me to fight Bristleback. Despite all his talk of helping me with his little experiment, it seemed he tied my hands at every turn.

  I had to find a way to deal with that. For now, I just needed to heal and focus on the moment. My body’s natural regeneration, aided by my Tesla Coil bracelet, was steadily fixing my many injuries. I still managed to smile. At least my split lips had healed.

  They’d come to help. So many had risked their own safety to literally carry me to the second stage. That warmed me more than my Immolation spell had.

  “Fantastic show, Lucas!” Cyrus added with a happy laugh. “Just fantastic. Creative, brave, with unexpected twists and turns. Keep this up, and you’ll win a huge following.”

  I didn’t bother asking what he meant by that. I was too tired, and he wouldn’t explain. I just relaxed in Ruby’s arms, soaking in the moment.

  She slowed to a stop in the middle of the cheering crowd, arms tightening around me as she leaned her face down close to mine. Strands of her red hair had pulled free of her braid and blew around us as her big, brown eyes held mine, her expression unusually intent.

  “I’m glad you made it. I worried you were going to die.”

  “Lucas!” Tomas shouted, rushing up.

  “Hey, bro,” I said, turning to smile at him and Jane, who was close behind.

  I turned back to speak with Ruby just as she leaned in to kiss my cheek. My turn caught her by surprise because it wasn’t my cheek she was aiming for any more. Her lips pressed to mine before she could stop herself.

  Time seemed to stop and the distant explosions from the imploding first stage suddenly sounded like fireworks. The feel of her full, soft lips pressed to mine sent an electric shock raging through me fiercer than Bristleback’s arrow. My veins felt full of lava. The good kind of lava.

  I froze, unable to react as my thoughts raced. What was happening? Why was I reacting so powerfully? It was just an innocent little accidental kiss, but that brief contact unlocked a torrent of emotions that shocked me by their intensity. The image of Ruby’s beautiful face close to mine seared into my mind, permanently recorded. Her big, brown eyes seemed to swallow the world as they widened with her own surprise.

  Ruby withdrew almost immediately, but she moved slowly and didn’t recoil. Her expression was a mixture of surprise and hesitation and maybe something more. Her arms tensing around me and for an eternal second, she lingered close, her breath washing over my face. I resisted a sudden urge to pull her head back down and kiss her on purpose. Stupid wolf instincts.

  Ruby blinked and raised her head. “I’m . . . I didn’t plan that,” she stammered, flushing deeply. The red in her cheeks looked good on her.

  I didn’t say anything, the rest of the world forgotten as I held her gaze. What could I say? My thoughts were still churning, my emotions boiling. I was still a wreck from that fight, definitely not in the right state to deal with something like this.

  She licked her lips, which was super distracting and stammered, “Lucas . . .”

  Then Steve smacked me on the shoulder hard enough that my freshly knit bones protested. I blinked, breaking eye contact, and the moment was gone.

  What had Ruby been about to say? What did I want her to say? My own heart felt like I’d kindled another Immolation spell inside of it. What was wrong with me? My wolf instincts were totally out of control.

  “Hey you two, get a room!” Steve laughed. Ruby scowled and dropped me.

  I managed to land on my feet, which reminded me I only had one boot. Great reminder of all the equipment I’d lost trying to escape stage 1. I liked those boots. I banished my other one to my inventory so I could walk. The skin of my feet were tough enough that I could probably walk on nails without feeling it, but it still felt wrong.

  Steve pulled us both into a fierce hug. Then he shook me hard enough to clack my teeth together. My newly patched ribs groaned in protest.

  “That was amazing! Lucas, we spotted you miles out and watched you fight through that swarm. Whoa!” He smacked himself in the forehead and laughed again.

  Ruby touched my arm, her expression serious, even though she was still blushing. “I saw that fiery bird swallow you. I thought you were dead.”

  “And then you killed it from the inside!” Steve chortled. “Unbelievable. You have so much to tell.”

  “And we want to hear it all,” Tomas exclaimed, pushing closer and yanking me off my feet in a crushing bear hug.

  “Still healing,” I grunted, but he didn’t let go for several seconds. His arms shook slightly. When he finally dropped me, he gripped my shoulders and said, “Don’t ever do anything like that again.”

  “Like what? Survive a monster apocalypse?”

  Jane pushed Tomas out of the way and hugged me as tight as he had. Then she pulled my face down in both her hands and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you, Lucas. You saved my life, but if you had Switchblade sooner, you wouldn’t have had to fight through that insanity.”

  “I made it. Don’t stress over what might have been.”

  “You’re a mess, Lucas. Your clothes are all shredded, and by the blood covering most of you, you’re not much better on the inside,” she said.

  “I’m mostly healed. It was rough. I’ll tell you all about it when I get a chance to rest.”

  “And I’ll tell you about my upgraded spells.” That sounded like a story I needed to hear.

  Tony Waldau stopped behind Tomas and gave me a curt nod. “Glad to see you made it. Level 12. Good job. I hope you won’t wait till the last minute again.”

  “Good to see you too,” I said with a happy wave. I lacked the energy to deal with him.

  Then Susan Collins, the blonde from team Narnia I’d saved from the spectral maulers, rushed up and jumped into my arms, staggering me back. She grabbed my head and kissed me with a hungry passion that left me breathless, but failed to match the wonder of the simple accidental kiss from Ruby.

  “You’re alive,” Susan breathed, panting with exaggerated emphasis on making her chest heave. “I was so worried about you.”

  “Get in line,” Steve said.

  Susan gave him a withering look as I lowered her to the ground. I managed to say, “Thanks for your concern.”

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  “I shot one of those ogres trying to kill you,” she said, pulling her bow from her inventory and gesturing with it.

  “I think 200 people did the same,” Jane replied coolly. “I don’t think we have time for everyone of of them to suck on Lucas’s face, though.”

  Susan ignored her and leaned closer to me, her voice dropping to a throaty whisper. “Find me when you need to unwind.”

  Then she strutted away. Like literally strutting, swaying her hips under that maroon dress she still wore.

  “She’s over the top. I can’t believe she’s still so hot for you. You only saved her life once, right?” Jane asked while Steve whistled appreciatively at the retreating Susan. Ruby scowled.

  “Some people get fixated on one idea, I guess.”

  “Come on,” Tomas said loudly. “I’ve seen enough of the apocalypse to last forever. I haven’t heard of anyone spotting any other potential survivors. Let’s get back to Midmount Vale. We have some celebrating to do.”

  “That’s the name of the new town?” I guessed.

  Ruby nodded and Steve sighed. “It’s pretty lame, but better than Stepstone.”

  Burns, who was speaking with Tony nearby, turned and called. “Hey, I heard that. I voted for that name.”

  “I’m sure you’ll make up for it,” Steve said, then skipped away before Burns could cuff him on the side of the head.

  I followed the others, but my mind was still racing as fast as my heart. I stole a couple glances at Ruby as I tried to sort myself out. That kiss was totally an accident. Anyone could see that, and yet, the look in her eye suggested maybe she wasn’t totally upset that it happened.

  Unbidden, a flood of memories with Ruby flashed through my mind. The warm smiles, the hugs that lasted just a bit too long, the kiss on the cheek, and how we’d moved as one while riding Switchblade. I nearly stumbled under the barrage and my own cheeks might have flushed just a little.

  Was there more between us than just friends and teammates? Had Ruby been giving me hints that I’d totally missed? Did I want there to be more?

  I didn’t want to deal with this, but couldn’t take my mind off of it. Isabella was gone. She’d rejected me. Over the past week, thoughts of her had faded more and more until the life I’d led before getting teleported to Arasha seemed more a dream than reality. Ruby was real, she was there, and she was totally amazing.

  Did that mean anything should happen, though? Was I just looking for that rebound fling? Should I have taken Susan up on her offer and gotten that out of my system? No, she wasn’t who I wanted.

  Did I want Ruby? Part of me did, but that worried me more than it excited me. I cared about Ruby. I really did. I couldn’t risk screwing up what we had by trying to make it more. If I dated Ruby, would it end in flaming disaster like Isabella?

  I wasn’t sure I could survive that. Besides, I’d saved Ruby’s life more than once. Sure, she’d now saved mine too, but was she reacting to me like Susan, but in a more subtle way? I couldn’t take advantage of her if she felt some kind of debt to me.

  With a groan, I rubbed my head and pushed the whirling thoughts aside. I was too tired. I was making up drama where none had to exist. Ruby was my good friend. Why couldn’t that be enough? For now, it would be.

  Thankfully, we reached the town and I studied it to get my thoughts clear. Midmount Vale was not far into the forest. Surrounded by dense vegetation and towering trees, it was an open oasis in the center of dark shadow. Not quite as big as Stepstone, it was still plenty large enough for all the survivors.

  No natural stone pillars helped guard it, but a steep cliff several hundred feet tall at the north end of the clearing formed a backdrop. A pretty waterfall tumbled down the cliff in a series of sparkling steps. That cliff formed one of the few hills stretching above the trees. A pool of fresh water at the base of the waterfall helped finish the idyllic view.

  Streets and blocks had already been laid out, with the town hall and most of the merchants clustered near the pond. Buildings were being raised everywhere while teams of workers constructed stone and wooden barricades around the perimeter.

  One team was rapidly building a wall out of very uniform stone blocks. They looked a lot like giant Legos and snapped together then seemed to fuse. Later, I needed to find out who got a Lego builder power. That was awesome.

  For a town that had only been settled the day before, it was well on its way to looking a lot more permanent than the old ghost towns I’d visited in Nevada.

  I figured we’d head for one of our Base Camp tents, but instead we got swept along with a huge crowd that piled into Sam’s tavern, which was not only set up, but at least 50% larger than before. To celebrate our survival to the second stage, Sam had covered the ceiling with the illusion of fireworks over the ocean, and the ale flowed like a river.

  Sam waved as we placed our orders. “Hey, Lucas! I heard you made a grand late entrance. Glad you made it. Find any more of that hard liquor?”

  “Not yet, but I’ll let you know.”

  He pointed at Steve next. “Ten minutes, then I need you behind the bar.”

  Steve snapped a sloppy salute and we actually managed to find a table to all squeeze around. The crowded tavern buzzed with excited chatter and many people stopped by to congratulate me on surviving the end of stage 1.

  Our party sipped dark ale and swapped our tales. Ruby and Steve had spent most of the day helping ferry people up the slope and into town. Tomas and his team had helped urge the last survivors to get out of Stepstone.

  “Did everyone get out?” I shouted over the din.

  Tomas scowled. “Everyone who wanted to. You won’t believe this, but a couple groups charged into town just as we were leaving with the last company. They claimed ownership of the town and threatened to attack us if we didn’t vacate.”

  “You’re kidding,” Ruby exclaimed.

  “I wish I were. Idiots were all low leveled. They’d been holed up in one of the canyons and figured they’d rule the first stage after we all left.”

  “I’ve met groups like that.” I braced myself and checked the survivor count. I rarely did, but I had to know.

  Remaining Survivors: 510.

  I shook my head. That was bad, but I had feared it might be worse. Over 100 people had died, 10% of our entire starting population. There was simply no reason for it.

  No one who tried even a little should have failed to reach level 10 and made it up the slope to stage 2. That meant all those people had chosen to remain behind and hope Cyrus had been lying. Or maybe they’d just wanted the insanity to end.

  I drained my tankard and focused on Jane, who was telling her gripping tale of escaping the southern mountains on Switchblade. Only her insane daring and unrivaled riding skills had given her the edge to survive. She’d gained 4 entire levels and reached level 25.

  “I got my class today!” she finished, raising her tankard high to cheers. “Phoenix class.”

  “Makes sense. You are an X-men.”

  “Wait till you hear about my Phoenix Force aura. It’s sick,” she laughed, then added. “Get to level 25 as fast as you can. Unlocking classes gives you a huge boost and unlocks class spells. Got my Willpower stat unlocked finally too. Trust me, classes are game changers.”

  “I’m nearly there,” Tomas said.

  “Me too,” Steve and Ruby added together.

  I shrugged. “I’ll get there soon.” I needed to ask Cyrus about that whole stat unlocking process to get my useless CHA stat finally active.

  “You’d better,” Ruby said, then Steve elbowed her and added in a whisper so loud, it was nearly a shout. “What will you do to punish him if he’s late?”

  “Oh, shut up,” she said, rolling her eyes. It was good to see her acting like herself again. Maybe I had been imagining everything earlier. Good.

  We spent a couple hours there, just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company and the festive mood of the tavern. A lot of people had died, but most of us had survived to fight another day. That was something we could all celebrate.

  My body finished healing, but my clothing and gear was shredded. I was still covered in blood and gore, so excused myself to use one of my Laundry Day potions. When I returned, Steve had shifted over to chat with Tomas, so I had to squeeze in close beside Ruby, who was laughing about something Jane was saying to Lana. Ruby leaned back against me, then just as quickly straightened and pulled away.

  I let myself fully relax. She’d get over her embarrassment soon enough. I’d made it. Despite the insanity Cyrus had forced me to endure, I was there with Tomas and our friends. The horror and fear and worry drained away and my smile widened. For the first time, the death battle world felt like home.

  A crazy, totally dysfunctional home, but home nonetheless. I felt connected with the community. I’d helped save many people, but now that they’d saved me too, the bond had deepened. I needed to find a way to change tactics so I didn’t need to keep hunting alone. I needed more of this.

  Tonight, we would celebrate. Tomorrow, if I could adjust my approach, I would. If not, I would do what I had to in order to get stronger. That was the only way to survive, the only way to protect those I cared about.

  Finally I rose and said, “I have to check my achievements and open a few loot boxes.” The crazy fight to escape the collapsing stage had happened so fast, I hadn’t even gotten to check my loot from defeating Bristleback. If I ended up having a teleport spell scroll that could have avoided the entire fight across the skies, I’d scream.

  “We’re heading back to my tent soon anyway,” Jane said.

  Tomas added, “The real party starts when it’s just our group.”

  “Oh, that’s the real party, is it?” Steve asked with a wide-eyed innocent look.

  “Oh, shut up,” Jane laughed, dragging Tomas to his feet and giving him a big kiss.

  “I’ll see you all there.”

  My gaze flickered to Ruby, who waved with a wide smile. I returned it, happy to see her back to normal. I turned away, but the memory of that accidental kiss played through my mind again. I should banish it as the accident it was, but it was a much better memory than thinking about all I’d lost during that crazy fight. I needed some new clothes, new boots, and repairs or replacement for most of my gear. I’d lost most of my weapons too.

  Hopefully my weirdly talkative Crash Test Dummy jacket’s self-repair function was up to the challenge of fixing its shredded remains. For the rest, I’d check out what the crafters could offer later.

  First, I had loot to open.

  And here's the first shoutout of the new year. if you're looking for another great read, this one's a good one to check out.