I slowed Switchblade, dropping the hover bike to roll across the ground as we slowed in front of the 2000 foot cliff up to stage 3. Nigel unlocked his front paws from the restraints and back-flipped onto my shoulder.

"Why are you slowing?"

"Just taking a look around."

To our right, a majestic waterfall thundered down from above, crashing into the northern edge of the huge lake. That lake had emptied when Noctarus and his ship soared up the waterfall and into the sky before teleporting away, but had refilled overnight. The shattered remains of the necromancer's castle crouched on the far eastern side, but there was no other evidence the zombies had ever been.

In front of us, a steep canyon broke the otherwise sheer cliff, providing the only access up to the next stage. I scanned the map visible on Switchblade's console, but it remained clear. No telltale red dots of monsters.

We'd seen very few on the ride up from Midmount Vale. We also saw no other people, not even the Briggs lurking around. I'd half expected to see sentries near the canyon, left behind by Elizabeth to track anyone else going up, but spotted no one.

Maybe no one wanted to stay back, isolated from their team? Or maybe Elizabeth didn't care. She was the authorized mayor, after all. Still, it seemed sloppy after launching her coup not to keep an eye on the opposition.

I activated Spellseer's Gaze and the world lit up as colors deepened and mana became visible, swirling around me. I spotted water mana, air mana, earth mana, and hints of others. With my recently-evolved tier-1 Mana Control ability, I clearly sensed all the mana within 36 feet in every direction and could change it to whatever mana type I wanted.

More importantly, I sensed no other actively controlled mana around me. My Wolf Sight ability pierced illusion and invisibility, but I saw no one hiding out of sight. Elizabeth's team had used a powerful cloaking spell, so it was possible they'd left sentries concealed under it. Then again, she'd said it also prevented them from seeing monsters, so maybe that would be stupid.

Everything looked good, so with rising anticipation, I gunned the throttle, setting Switchblade leaping forward and climbing to its max height of 6 feet before we shot up the canyon. The narrow, steep canyon was devoid of vegetation, just a barren slope, like a cut ripped out of the cliff. It took only moments to shoot up to the top.

As soon as the land leveled out, I slowed. The view was distorted by sheets of heavy rain that ended in a sharp line just in front of us. That much of Elizabeth's report appeared accurate.

"I hope you don't mind getting wet," I told Nigel and rubbed his shaggy head.

"It is not my favorite," he admitted. "Steak helps me deal better."

"We'll eat later, don't worry."

I accelerated slowly and as soon as we crossed the boundary, Cyrus's voice boomed around us, as if he'd been impatiently waiting for us to arrive.

"Welcome to stage 3, The Ruins."

"Should call it the drenched ruins," I muttered. "Will this rain continue?"

"It'll only rain until it stops," Cyrus said cheerily.

I grunted. That was totally not helpful. This would complicate things. The heavy rain was annoying, but not damaging. I didn't sense any poison or magic in the water pouring down from the sky. It instantly soaked poor Nigel, making the fluffy kitten look scrawny and bedraggled.

I was wearing my werewolf leather cowboy hat, which shed the rain pretty well, while my Crash Test Dummy jacket and Phantomstep Breeches also managed okay for now. They weren't totally waterproof, so would get soaked eventually.

Or maybe not. I'd started experimenting with mana shields to protect me from Noctarus's runes and powers, and that was before I'd evolved my mana abilities to Mana Control. Plus, my Mana Strings ability had leveled up to 6.

So I pushed my convergence mana out to sheath my entire body with a thin protective layer, willing it to solidify. I also added runes of stone to the surface of my mana shield. I knew a lot of runes now, but didn't know one specifically for making something waterproof, but stones were strong and naturally waterproof, so it was worth a try.

The shield shimmered in my mana senses, glowing even more brightly than the mana strings I'd created to move that dagger inside of the Colossus. I hadn't managed to make my mana strings tangible that day until I added the iron rune.

It worked! Rain deflected off my mana raincoat or slid down the barrier. To anyone else, it would look like the rain was just sliding off my clothing.

Nigel glanced back and growled. "You are not getting wet."

"I have equipment and clothing. Want me to try buying you a little raincoat from the system store?"

"I will endure," he said with a sniff. Ruby had offered to buy him an armored jacket, but he'd refused. Lions had their beautiful fur. He only tolerated the bands around his front paws because they allowed him to ride Switchblade better.

I could wrap him in a mana shield, but I doubted it would move well with him. Besides, once he changed size, it would break. I'd have to do some experimenting.

First, we had some exploring to do.

I scanned the area more closely, and Elizabeth had been right again. We had stopped at the edge of a huge ruined city that stretched as far as I could see through the pouring rain. Even with Spellseer's Gaze ability to zoom in distant views, it was hard to see more than half a mile through the rain.

What I could see was kind of depressing. The ancient stone city was totally destroyed. A cobblestone street stretched away before us, but many cobblestones were missing, while sections of the road were buckled upward or covered in piles of rubble.

Ruined buildings flanked the road, most little more than partial walls surrounded by piles of crumbling stone. A few rose higher, individual walls or archways, while in the distance some larger ruins reared. I even spotted a couple shattered fountains that must have been grand a long time ago. With the rain pouring down, soaking everything, stage 3 seemed to huddle under the weight of its own tragedy.

The dense overcast and heavy rain left the entire plateau dark and shadowed. Most people would struggle to see far, which would hamper exploration and dealing with monsters. No doubt many monsters were adapted to take advantage of the difficult terrain. That should make hunting interesting.

We rode down the street, my eyes scanning everything, my other senses extended fully, while I regularly scanned Switchblade's map. It was hard to hear anything over the constant thundering of the rain, while a wet chill seeped through my clothing, despite my mana shield. At my level, cold didn't bother me, but back on Earth, I would have quickly gotten hypothermia.

No other living things appeared as we slowly powered along several blocks. Intersecting streets stretched away to either side, just as ruined as the one we rode. In the center of each intersection rose stone pillars, but they were so worn down, I couldn't tell what the might have once been. We soon came to the first canal, a large one over 50 feet across, filled with fast-flowing water so dark I couldn't see the bottom.

Luckily, a rickety stone bridge remained over the canal. I paused halfway across and scanned the canal in both directions. Other streets crossed it at regular intervals and I spotted 2 other usable bridges. The others had all collapsed, with varying-length pieces extending from either side like grasping fingers.

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Beyond the canal, more vegetation appeared. At first, it was just thick, green moss covering everything. Then some scraggly bushes, huddling beside sections of wall. Eventually gnarled trees grew in some of the empty, roofless structures, their roots tearing up even more of the streets.

Many of the side streets were narrow and windy, while we seemed to be following what had been a main thoroughfare. After crossing the third canal, a much narrower one with frothing white water cascading past in a series of standing waves, I finally spotted a red dot.

Barely at the edge of Switchblade's map, it still made me grin. "Hey, bud, we've got company."

Nigel perked up. He'd been huddled under the rain, but now shoved his cute head between the handlebars to peer ahead. "I cannot smell anything but rain."

"We'll have to use sight more on this stage."

Since I wasn't sure what we'd be facing, I banished Switchblade so Nigel and I could creep along the sides of the streets and use the cover of crumbling walls to approach.

When I'd gotten dragged up to stage 2 by Nigel's mother, I'd been so weak, the thought of encountering stronger monsters was terrifying. Now, I eagerly anticipated a fight with a strong opponent. I'd faced so many crazy-tough monsters on stage 2, and with every level I earned, my power grew. Stage 3 monsters would be tougher than the average monsters on stage 2, but I still felt confident.

Stage 1 monsters had mostly been below the big power boost level 25 unless one hunted higher in the mountains. Stage 2 had upped the average levels of monsters between 35 and 55 mostly, with a few notable outliers, so mostly beneath the power boost level of 50, but creeping over it.

If the pattern continued, we'd most likely be facing monsters between levels 60 and 80. I was the only one who had faced monsters with levels above the huge power boost level 75, and even most of the human elites weren't ready to handle any of those. The ultimate boss of stage 3 could easily push level 90. Hopefully they didn't quite reach the next major power boost at level 100. I expected those powerhouses were reserved for stage 4.

Within moments, we closed on the red dot, which split into half a dozen. The group of dots was moving toward our street along one of the narrow side streets, almost like they were some kind of patrol. Interesting, kind of like the zombies back on stage 2.

That side street was framed by a couple of the larger ruins we'd encountered so far. The 3-story buildings were missing their rear halves and their roofs. Gaping dark holes replaced windows, and the glimpses inside suggested the interiors were totally destroyed. Peering around the final corner, I finally spotted the monsters.

Insects?

I frowned as I zoomed my gaze on the monsters, still about 100 yards away. They were scampering down the street in a loose pack, led by 4 creatures that looked like giant cockroaches, except these six-legged monsters had bodies made of riveted iron plates and some kind of rotating saw blade in their mouths between huge steel pincers.

"Cogroach, level 60. Common. One of the simplest and most numerous foot soldiers making up the clockwork insect army. They seize prey with locking piston claws, holding them fast while spewing flesh-melting acid over them to soften them up for dismembering with their jaw-mounted bone saws."

"So cool," I whispered, then focused on the much larger monster following the cogroaches.

"Gearspider, level 65. Elite. Leaders of individual clockwork teams, the Gearspider acts as the blitzkrieg heavy armor. Their thick, brass armor can both take a beating and deliver crushing power, while their telescoping, steam-powered legs can punch through most armor. They make up for the lack of sticky webs with high-pressured napalm jets."

I nearly laughed aloud. The monsters looked tough and scary, but I thought back to the steampunk novels Tomas liked to read when we were teens. He'd get such a kick out of these.

That was 5, but I'd seen 6 dots on my screen. I scanned the area. Where had the last one gone?

Nigel growled beside me, his face upturned to the rain. Sure enough, the last monster was a flying one, but I had to blink a couple times before believing my eyes.

"Skyreaver. Level 62 common. These stealthy sharks fly through rain as easily as the sea, acting as scouts and hunters. Their voracious appetite makes them extremely aggressive, especially when spotting small or isolated prey."

The flying shark looked like a dark gray great white, hard to spot in the constant twilight and heavy downpour. Its powerful, 15-foot body swayed slowly side to side as it glided through the rain, black eyes like pits of shadow. Stealthy too? No wonder I hadn't noticed it sooner.

The Skyreaver shark had silently ghosted through the sky high above, and by the time Nigel spotted it, the shark was nearly directly above us. As soon as Identify triggered, the shark crashed its mighty jaws together several times and I actually understood its meaning.

"Intruders. Dead ahead. One male. One pet."

The distant cogroaches accelerated into a fast, scurrying sprint, the clanking and clacking of their clockwork gears and limbs banging loudly while the Gearspider scuttled up the walls, powerful piston claws crunching stone with every step. The Skyreaver didn't wait for them, but dove straight at us, enormous maw gaping wide, showcasing rows and rows of sharp teeth.

Nigel and I had hunted together long enough that we didn't even have to discuss strategy. My little murder kitty swelled to flying lynx size and shot toward the onrushing Cogroaches like a soggy tan blur of destruction.

I stood and lifted my left hand toward the gaping maw of the plunging Skyreaver. It looked absolutely awesome, but left itself wide open.

Shhk, Shhk, Shhk, Shhk. My Stiletto Quiver spat out 2 poisoned crystal blades, followed by 2 exploding ones. They disappeared up the diving Skyreaver's open maw, tearing deep into its body before twin explosions rocked the beast.

It didn't simply explode like lower-leveled monsters might, but wobbled in mid-air. Blood and gore spewed forth, but it didn't slow. I jumped to the side and Earthshaker Maul dropped into my hands. The reassuring weight of the 3000-pound head made me smile.

The diving shark swerved just before hitting the ground, making an impressive 90-degree turn, gaping jaws ready to snap me in half. Except, I introduced the Maul to its snout with a mighty swing.

The impact smashed its head in like a speeding car crashing head-first into an oncoming freight train. The huge flying shark's body splattered into meaty chunks that hit me like a red tide of gore.

"Congratulations, Lucas! You have defeated Skyreaver, level 62. Bonus experienced gained for defeating a higher-level enemy."

I triggered Loot, which dissolved the monster gore into stinking black smoke. The rain helped wash away the rest of the mess too. It had splattered all over me, but my mana shield had kept my clothing and body clean, so the rain sluiced off almost instantly.

I also triggered Soul Feed, and a cloud of pure white light billowed up from the dispersing smoke as my utility spell drained lingering life force to replenish my own pools. I hadn't taken damage, so the white clouds of energy boosted my stats to 150% for 5 minutes.

Nigel had already met the Cogroaches and engaged in a fast-moving battle, punctuated by the screeching of metal as his powerful claws and fangs tore through rusty armor. The Cogroaches were tough, but Nigel had swelled to full Mammoth Lion size and swatted them aside with every swing. He didn't even need to grow to his super-lion size as he bit and tore, weaving among the monsters, dodging jets of acid and stabbing, grasping limbs.

Nigel loved battle, his roars punctuating his moves as he tore through the insects. It looked like could deal with the Cogroaches, but the Gearspider was closing in from above. It rotated its huge, bulbous body to aim its pressurized napalm fire jets at my lion.

"I don't think so."

I set my tether point and triggered Tether Slide. The glowing chain, capped with a grapple claw shot out to strike the body of the Gearspider, distracting it from attacking Nigel. It swiveled to face me as my spell yanked me into the air to shoot straight at the monster.

The Gearspider reared up, its front limbs raising to stab at me, while its powerful piston-driven fangs gaped wide. So I hit it in the face with Divergent Strike.

The concussive blast spell staggered the huge spider, ripping its jaws off entirely and half caving in its head. It instinctively spewed streams of super-heated fire out its backside, but it was aimed the wrong way and did nothing but melt some rubble in the street.

I arrived a moment later, leading with my Titanbreaker hammer. I loved the maul fore pure crushing damage, but Titanbreaker was pretty awesome too. It struck with double my Strength, so for a much lighter weapon, it packed an immense wallop. I slammed the warhammer into the Gearspider's already-damaged head, crushing it completely.

The monster fell from the building, its legs slipping. Deep inside its brass-armored body, steam started screaming as pipes ruptured, and a deep, ominous thrumming grew rapidly.

"Time to go."

I leaped off, set Tether Slide, and shot down to where Nigel was savaging the last 2 Cogroaches.

"Nigel!"

I landed beside him, smashing one of the Cogroaches with Titanbreaker before Tether Slide yanked me away toward my second tether point. Nigel leaped into my arms, shrinking back to kitten size as we shot away down the street.

Behind us, the Gearspider hit the ground and its napalm furnace detonated. The blast turned its body into a giant brass shrapnel grenade. Torn shards of metal shattered the buildings to either side, burying the remaining Cogroach beneath. Even more ripped down the street after us, but I activated Energy Ward.

My defensive aura appeared like a glowing amber sphere to me, covering 2 yards in every direction in protection. It would be invisible to anyone else. The shrapnel tore into Energy Ward half a heartbeat later, but most deflected wide, slicing the air around me like daggers.

So many fast-moving shrapnel pieces struck that my aura couldn't deflect them all, so I triggered Phantom Step too. The amazing ability, available thanks to my Phantomstep breeches, phased me to incorporeal. Since I was hugging Nigel so close, he phased out too and the shrapnel passed through us without damage.

I could only phase for up to 5 seconds per level of the spell, but I only needed half a second. My armor would no doubt have withstood the barrage, but why take damage when we didn't have to?

When we landed, I glanced back at the devastated blast zone. "Stage 3 is definitely not boring."

"Good fight, but metal bugs don't have steaks."

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